The pilot initiatives, with support from the British Embassy Bangkok, have been introduced at Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station, Don Muang Airport Sub Police Station, Thong Lor Police Station, Chanasongkram Police Station (Khaosan Road) and Muang Chiangmai Provincial Police Station.

These sites were chosen as they have a high number of British nationals visiting.

The idea for a bilingual report came from feedback the embassy received from consular customers, who found that language differences were making it difficult for them to engage with Thai Police, a statement from the embassy said on Thursday.

Signs and instructions on how to fill out police reports were not previously available in English so there was a risk of misunderstanding or incomplete police reports.

The embassy has seen an increase in the number of requests for help with translation from British nationals at police stations.

Working with Thai police, the British Embassy created signs and forms for police stations in both Thai and English.

These bilingual materials should reduce the confusion and anxiety created by language barriers and further encourage English-speaking tourists to report incidents to police, the statement said.

Margaret Tongue, Deputy Head of Mission for the British Embassy Bangkok, said the embassy worked closely with Thai authorities to ensure the best possible support for those who encounter difficulties.

Providing bilingual report forms will ensure clear communication between the affected tourists and Thai police, and provide assurance that they have the right information, she said.

“I look forward to hearing about the positive impacts from this pilot project, and to continue effectively working together with Thai authorities,” she added.

She said Thailand is a very popular destination for British tourists and the vast majority of visits are trouble-free.

Pol Lt Col Nanichara Aphithanakhun, Inspector (Administration) at Thong Lor Police Station, said the initiatives are fresh, innovative and simple and tackle the common issues often found in Thai police stations when dealing with foreigners.

“Having the bilingual police report form and clear English instruction signs will support the distressed British nationals and other foreign nationals in need of our service,” he said.

Hence, 60 civic organisations yesterday jointly called on the Justice Ministry to consider turning Ban Kanchanapisek into Thailand’s first privately-run correctional facility for young delinquents.

“Our network came up with this idea after seeing big differences between Ban Kanchanapisek and other correctional facilities,” academic Arunchat Guruwanich said yesterday.

He said his research showed that 84 per cent of the young inmates who had spent between six months and seven years at Ban Kanchanapisek had completely turned a new leaf.

“They learn to control their behaviour after attending programmes at Ban Kanchanapisek, which focuses on transforming inmates into good citizens,” he said.

Akarapong Boonmee, who was once admitted to Ban Kanchanapisek, said he learned first-hand how much trust the facility placed in the good in people.

“Ban Kanchanapisek treats all young inmates equally and believes in the value of everybody. Operating on a firm conviction that every delinquent can change for the better, Ban Kanchanapisek makes a big difference to the lives of the young people in its care,” Akarapong said.

He added that during his time at Ban Kanchanapisek, his perspectives expanded, he matured and became determined to never repeat his offence.

“I also became aware of the problems in society, and want to help others where I can,” he said.

Ban Kanchanapisek has been run as a pilot-government project for years, and there are no direct laws to support its operations. However, with the Justice Ministry planning to allow privately-run correctional facilities to take care of young inmates, several civic organisations believe Ban Kanchanapisek should go private and become an example for others to follow.

There are some 7,000 young inmates in Thailand, most caught for drugs-related offences.

The government believes privately-run correctional institutes will help ease overcrowding at state-run facilities and provide young inmates with a better chance at life and also help them complete their education.

Tawatchai Thaikyo, Justice Ministry’s deputy permanent-secretary, said the ministry has drawn up a draft regulation on privately-run correctional facilities.

“As of now, the Juvenile Observation and Projection Department is in the process of discussing the draft with the Council of State,” he said.

ACADEMICS WARN that a dam newly approved for southern Nakhon Si Thammarat province will intensify conflicts between citizens and the authorities and destroy a bountiful forest ecosystem, while bringing no substantial benefit in terms of irrigation or flood prevention.

Citing farmers’ needs and flood perils, the Cabinet recently approved the Royal Irrigation Department’s (RID’s) proposal to establish the Wangheeb Dam and Reservoir in Thung Song district. It’s expected to cost Bt2.38 billion.

But the stated rationale for the dam is being questioned.

Chainarong Setthachua, a lecturer at Maha Sarakham University, yesterday said the project would provide none of the benefits the department cited. Rather, he said, it would have severe negative impacts on residents and pristine forests.

“RID stated that the intended benefits are to create water storage for dry-season farming and to relieve the flood situation in the district during the rainy season, but in reality none of these benefits can be achieved by building this,” Chainarong insisted.

“That’s because farming patterns in the region have already shifted. The farmers no longer need dry-season irrigation water, and water from the Wangheed River doesn’t directly flow into urban Thung Song, so damming the river will not substantially prevent flooding in the area.”

Concerns ignored

He said the project evaluators failed to address the concerns of residents, who presented a petition to the government. The Cabinet ignored it, in what Chainarong called a clear violation of communal rights and human rights.

Approval was based on a 15-year-old Environmental Impact Assessment, he said, and the situation had changed.

Sermchai Siaosirithavorn, director of the Large Scale Water Resource Water Development at the RID, conceded that construction of the Wangheeb Dam would not directly help prevent flooding in urban Thung Song and that demand for dry-season irrigation had abated.

But he maintained that the project would ensure that future water crises would be avoided.

“The RID acknowledges that opinion is divided – there are the people who will benefit from this dam and people who will not,” Sermchai said.

“However, as the agency with |the responsibility for ensuring |water security for every locality, we believe it will be useful to have the irrigation project in this area, because it will allow us to more easily manage the water.”

Sermchai also noted that, despite being approved, construction could not start right away. The RID must first hold more public meetings on the construction plan to find an approach on which all stakeholders can agree, he said.