THE NATIONAL Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) yesterday endorsed a report to modify the cyber-security draft bill and proposed the prime minister exercise his special power in accordance the Article 265 of the new charter to take action before the bill becomes law.
Pol Maj-General Pisit Pao-in, the first vice president of the Mass Media Reform Committee and president of the NRSA’s social media reform subcommittee, said the National Cyber Security Committee bill needs to be modified. The bill is still being considered by the Council of State
The Mass Media Reform Committee proposed setting up an organisation to oversee cyber security in normal and emergency situations and to assign police and military to manage its policies and operations.
Cyber threats and attacks on websites always happen, resulting in damage and possible harm to the government’s digital economy policy, Pisit said.
He suggested that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha exercise special powers under the new referendum to take care of the matter before the law comes into effect.
The reform assembly also recommended adjusting the definition of cyber security in Article 33 of the bill to cover all cyber-security threats, according to Somya Pattana-woraphan, secretary of the media reform committee.
The private sector should also be included in the law since it is most involved in cyber activities and Internet communications, he said.
Somya said that the National Cyber Security Agency should be a state agency rather than a normal jurist entity, as detailed in the bill, in order to enforce the law, he said. Competent officials who are special in particular areas should get additional special income according to government’s rules, he added.
The committee proposed adding more areas to cyber security, rather than only politics and commerce, such as Internet services, telecommunications, and infrastructure as well as public services, military security, the country’s internal security and economic security.
Kamnoon Sidhisamarn, an NRSA member, said in the debate yesterday that he disagreed with the idea of having a state agency with the power to control the private sector for the benefit of cyber safety.

‘Providers may quit country’
Another member, Sompong Sakawee, warned that the Computer Crime Bill and the Cyber-Security Bill will force social media providers such as Line, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to move out of Thailand, and that is in conflict with the government’s Thailand 4.0 scheme.
Pisit said the Cyber-Security Bill is designed to protect the Internet system, which is different from the Computer Crime Bill’s protection of victims. The Cyber-Security Bill does not emphasise “content” but instead focuses on “computer systems”, he added.
Pisit said that the websites of government organisations have been attacked, causing millions of baht in damage and leading to credibility issues. The standard the organisations will deploy for securing their systems will be determined, he said.

The note, written in Malay, was found on one of two suspected insurgents killed in Raman district on Friday and was sent for forensic and fingerprint tests. Betong police yesterday set up checkpoints to screen vehicles coming to the city as a precaution against |attacks at economic centres, community areas or state offices.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan yesterday said the Fourth Army Region condemned the drive-by gun attack in Pattani that killed a heavily pregnant woman and wounded her friend on Saturday night.
He said he had ordered Fourth Army Region Commander Lt-General Piyawat Nakwanich and Southern Border Provinces Police Operation Centre chief Pol Maj-General Ronnasilp Phusara to integrate their work to prevent attacks in the region.
Meanwhile, Network of Buddhists for Peace president Rakchat Suwan said a statement on Sunday under the network’s name condemning the killing of the pregnant woman and calling on authorities to bring the culprits to justice was not from the network.
The statement reportedly criticised state officers for delays in responding to the incident, prompting Rakchat to say the network’s guidelines prohibited attacks on or harsh criticism of state officials while treading carefully because insurgents sought to cause disunity between Buddhists and Muslims.

The 11th World Conference of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), held in Bangkok from November 13-19, drew more than 180 ombudsmen from more than 60 IOI member countries, under the theme “Evolution of Ombudsman”.
And the event was no free junket. Delegates to the conference had to be responsible for part of their own expenses, including airfares and accommodation.
At the closing ceremony, all key participants, including IOI president John Walters, praised the Thai hosts for their “extraordinary work”. They also said the country had set a very high standard for the country that will host the next conference in 2020.
However, Thailand’s Chief Ombudsman, General Viddhavat Rajatanun, admitted that preparations for the event had not been completely smooth.
Due the country being under military rule, some IOI members, particularly those from European nations, had expressed misgivings about the conference taking place in Bangkok, the Thai ombudsman told The Nation in an exclusive interview.
“Some IOI members from Europe were uncomfortable about the current political situation in Thailand. They expressed concerns over the selection of the independent agencies’ position-holders, including the Ombudsman, questioning the transparency. Especially as I am a military officer myself, they were concerned whether I was chosen based on my merits,” Viddhavat said.
However, he said the office was able to explain and give a reassurance about the independence of the office. Though the country was under an extraordinary rule, the junta actually issued an order in its first days that the independent agencies should proceed as normal, Viddhavat said.
While some may hold doubts about his background as a military officer, the ombudsman said that in the selection process, every candidate was reviewed and examined thoroughly. Viddhavat said he had explained to other IOI members that Thai ombudsmen had empirical evidence to prove their credentials and were free of the junta’s influence.
But that was not the only concern raised by fellow members of the Ombudsman Institute. Some were also critical of human rights issues in Thailand.
“Their concern was so serious. They said that because of the political and rights situation, this conference should not be held in Thailand,” Viddhavat said.
But because the office had been preparing for this opportunity for so long, it managed to create an understanding with the critics.
Viddhavat said the Thai ombudsman had explained to other members how the government had been working hard to tackling human rights issues in the country.
He cited the recent news that Thailand had been lifted to Tier 2 in the US Tracking In Persons (TIP) Report and said the government had put great effort into addressing human trafficking issues.
With regards to freedom of expression, Viddhavat said the government recently ended use of military courts for security cases. Those crimes were now tried in civilian courts, in line with international standards, he added.
“The explanation was well accepted by most IOI members and so we could continue to host this event,” the ombudsman said.
He said while some members may not have been completely happy, the Thai ombudsmen gained support from their international friends. Some of these issued a statement in solidarity with the Thais, saying the conference was about ombudsmen’s affairs and had no relation to the political situation in the country.
IOI president Walters, the ombudsman for Namibia in southwest Africa, confirmed to The Nation that there had been some opposition concerning the suitability of Bangkok hosting the conference. He said Thailand had been chosen because none of the previous 10 conferences had been held in Asia.
“It’s a good opportunity for Thailand and the IOI because we have never had a conference in Asia before. But more importantly, Thailand did very good in its presentation of why it should be chosen as the host this year,” he said.
Walters said while some members had been doubtful, he thought Thailand had proved to be a very good host and the Thai ombudsmen were also clear that the office was influence-free and could carry out its task in inspecting government affairs.
“We do not have any worries about the Thai ombudsman in that sense. Rather, we are more concerned about how the office could respond to complaints. But from the experience shared in the forum, it seems Thailand could do its job very well,” he said.
Walters said that the IOI would continue to support its Thai colleagues in remaining independent. If any regime interfered with their work, the institute would act and try to help restore the office’s independence.
Another interesting point about the conference was its theme – “Evolution of Ombudsman”.
Viddhavat said the theme was chosen by the secretariat office in Vienna. In the forum, each member took turns sharing experiences about how they evolved in their context.
As far as Thailand is concerned, the Thai ombudsman said that the office’s role had evolved.
“In the past, we examined only governmental affairs. We are the fourth in the balance of power besides the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary,” he said. “Now, with the advancement fostered by the new constitution, we are empowered to inspect also the country’s politicians.”
Under the new charter, Viddhavat said ombudsmen would have authority to set out standards of morality for politicians to follow, making it a hybrid institution that could help look into the political sphere. He said he believed this power would enable his office to help people more effectively.

This week, THE announced that Thailand, Argentina, Chile, Turkey, Iran, Colombia and Serbia (TACTICS) had the potential to become higher-education stars.
“TACTICS have a higher average proportion of university-aged students enrolled in higher education than BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa], and greater average research quality,” Phil Baty, THE rankings editor, said.
“This means that this new crop of potential higher education global powers that haven’t really been discussed before are, on average, better than BRICS in terms of higher education,” he explained.
His opinion is based on research that THE conducted in partnership with University College London (UCL)’s Centre for Global Higher Education.
According to the study, Thailand has the third-highest research output compared to other TACTICS countries, representing a growth of 11 per cent between 2011 and 2015. Its research quality is also very close to the world average, with a field-weighted citation impact of 0.94.
Chile’s publication output rose by 36 per cent between 2011 and 2015 – the second-highest growth among TACTICS countries. It is also the only country with a higher level of research quality than the world average of 1.08.
Iran has also had the highest publication output between 2011 and 2015, publishing more than 200,000 research papers.
Overall, TACTICS countries have higher research output, with at least 30,000 papers published a year, have at least one university in the THE World University Rankings 2016-17 and have a field-weighted citation impact (a measure of publication quality) of at least 0.75 versus the world average.
Simon Marginson, UCL’s director of the Centre for Global Higher Education, said “the crucial feature of rising national higher education systems is that they combine the rapid growth of participation … with emerging science systems in which published papers are growing as fast as enrolments. They are building world-class universities and lifting mass economic and social literacy at the same time.”
Nine universities in Thailand were included in the World Rankings 2016-17, and seven included in Asia’s top 200 universities. The top three Thai universities listed in the Asian region are Mahidol University (#90), King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi (#98) and Chiang Mai University (141 – 150).
Baty, however, pointed out that despite Thailand’s strong international outlook, “the political crisis in 2013-14 held back the nation’s universities and the government has been less committed in investing in higher education”, resulting in a poor research environment. He also suggested that an increase in Thai academic research papers written in the global language of English, could help boost Thailand’s reputation for higher education.

Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd yesterday disclosed that WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan had applauded the Prime Minister Prayut for his project to encourage the country’s civil servants to exercise at least once a week – every Wednesday – and stated that the PM’s initiative was a good example for the other countries to follow.
“WHO thanks Thailand for promoting the importance of exercise and implementing the policy very quickly and it can be announced that it is the first step forward for the Bangkok Convention on exercising for a healthier world and sustainable development,” Sansern said.
He also stated that the government was drafting the strategy plan that aimed to encourage Thai people to increase their exercise rate from 68 per cent to 75 per cent in the next five years.
He said the strategy would focus on children, teenagers, working people, and the elderly and promote exercising in hospitals, offices, schools, parks, and bus terminals.
The government will support the initiative through research, audits, development, and advertising.
“The prime minister stated that our country has the potential and medical advancement, so the government is ready to further develop this course to let the people have healthier lives by exercise regularly in every population age group and decrease the chance for suffering from chronic diseases such as cancer or diabetes,” he said.
“Therefore, the government would like to invite all civil servants to participate in Wednesday exercise sessions from 3.30pm to 4.30pm every week and encourage all the people to exercise regularly at the time and place that is convenient for them.”

Woman who confessed to being
‘royal importer’ granted bail

Kesinee Tangkhiew
The Sunday Nation

A WOMAN accused of fraud and pretending to be a royal descendant has been released on bail after being arrested for allegedly tricking people to pay Bt100,000 each to enter the Throne Hall and pay respects before the King’s Urn without having to queue.
Yesterday, police took Anoyapat Sitheeraphon, 27, the suspect in the fraud case, to the Criminal Court to seek permission for an initial period in custody. Anoyapat had already confessed to deceiving others to believe that she was a royal descendant and could offer them special seats at the Royal Funeral and get into the Throne Hall without queuing.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Anoyapat allegedly told 17 people that she was MR Mannaruemas Yugala and could use her title to get them a special visit to the Grand Palace to pay respects to the King’s Urn without having to queue, for a more exclusive visit than other mourners – if they paid her Bt100,000 each.
However, they later found out that Anoyapat was a swindler, so they told police about her fraud and police issued an arrest warrant for her on Thursday.
Later, police arrested Anoyapat on the allegations that she was an imposter involved in a fraud. They said she confessed to all the claims against her.
Yesterday, she asked the court for bail and was allowed to be released on the condition she paid bail of Bt100,000 and did not leave the country.
She said she intended to ask for mercy and a lesser punishment from the court, but would consult her lawyer about this first.

“When the tsumani hit Phi Phi Island, my dad was away at sea. So, he was safe. But my mom was killed trying to look for me after the first tsunami stuck, not knowing that I was up in the hill. She did not know that the second one would come soon. She could not run away and was killed by the following tsunami,” she recalled.

Sarintra, a student of Nongthalay WIttaya high school, Krabi said that she was happy to share her life story and the threats of tsunami to her fellow friends and students from around the world. The event is the World Tsunami Awareness Day, which was opened officially by the city’s major Katsuya Onishi in the southern island of Shikoku.

A total of 670 students attend, half of them coming from 29 countries. They will discuss and learn from one another to take out the best practices so they can use in their countries and local settings.

She also joined several other survivors from Asean countries who have been similar natural disasters. One of them is Ibu Aminah, Daud, 55, director of State High School No. 1 in Bandar Aceh. Her story was grim and tearful. Before the tsunami struck her school, the total number of students was 540. Only 98 of them survived the tsunami. What was worse, 39 of 56 teachers were killed. “It was devastating,” she said. But then she refused to give up. With the assistance from the government and international community, her school was able to recover and accepting students again. Now the school has 365 students.

This awareness campaign is aimed at promoting international awareness of future leaders—youth—about the threat of natural disaster. Last year, the UN General Assembly adopted November 5 as the World Tsunami Awareness Day.” During the second day, the participants will attend breakouts sessions and workshops.

Three Japanese students from Miyagi Prefecture will share the story of areas devastated by a powerful earthquake and tsunami in 2011.

At the end of the meeting, the Kuroshio Declaration will be adopted outlining all action plans to reduce the risks of natural disasters, preparations for natural disasters including recovery and reconstruction from those damages.