Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon dons its winter cape of frost
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
Chiang Mai’s Doi Inthanon mountain looked like a magical Christmas cake with a dusting of white sugar on Sunday morning, as cold temperatures froze the morning dew.
This is the sixth time that the mountain has been covered in frost this year and the first time in about a month.
Park authorities reported that the temperature on the mountaintop and the Kew Mae Pan viewpoint had dropped to 4 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning. However, the park office lower down was slightly warmer at 11 degrees Celsius.
The last five times frost was spotted on the mountain this year were:
• May 7: The carpark near the peak was covered in frost when the temperature dropped to 4 degrees Celsius.
• November 8: Temperature fell to 6C covering the carpark in frost.
• November 10-12: The mercury fell to between 3C and 4C covering the Kew Mae Pan viewpoint, the carpark and the area between kilometre markers 43 and 44 with frost.
Interior top official defends Bangkok governor over ‘disloyalty’ charges
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
The Interior Ministry’s permanent secretary has called on Thai social networkers to stop spreading rumours of Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt being disrespectful to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.
Suthipong Juljarern, permanent secretary for Interior Ministry, spoke up in defence of the governor on Sunday after photographs of him standing in front of the seated princess went viral last week.
The image shows Chadchart standing while taking an award from the princess at the opening ceremony of the annual Thai Red Cross Fair in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park.
The picture raised an uproar because it was published alongside a photograph of Suthipong kneeling while taking his award.
Suthipong said Chadchart was standing because he had been instructed to do so by the Royal Household Bureau.
He said the two photographs were not only widely shared on Facebook, but also sent to his personal Line account.
Suthipong said he responded to the posts by explaining that the governor was only following the instructions of palace officials.
“The governor has done nothing wrong and it’s a sin criticising him like this,” the permanent secretary said.
He added that Princess Maha Chakri also granted audience to more than 100 members of the public, many of whom were also standing when receiving awards for their contributions to the event.
“They also stood to show loyalty during the royal audience, just like the governor did,” Suthipong said.
70% of voters expect Pheu Thai to win the next election, survey finds
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
Pheu Thai will win the next election and lead a coalition that will replace the current one, but there is little if any chance that it will work with the leading party in the current ruling coalition, the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), according to a survey released on Sunday.
More than 70% of the 1,310 adults surveyed said Phue Thai was certain (32.44%) or highly likely (40.38%) to win the next election.
The respondents were asked whether it was possible for each of the six parties to lead the next government and given four choices: certainly, highly possible, little chance and impossible.
The six parties are Pheu Thai, led by Cholnan Srikaew, Move Forward (Pita Limjaroenrat), the PPRP (Gen Prawit Wongsuwan), the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party (Pirapan Salirathavibhaga), Bhumjaithai (Anutin Charnvirakul), and Democrat Party (Jurin Laksanawisit).
The results to the first question were:
Pheu Thai
– Certainly: 32.44%
– Highly: 40.38%
– Little Chance: 16.88%
– Impossible: 8.24%
– No comment: 2.06%
Move Forward
– Certainly: 11.00%
– Highly: 30.23%
– Little Chance: 31.45%
– Impossible: 23.66%
– No comment: 3.66%
PPRP
– Certainly: 10.76%
– Highly: 20.38%
– Little Chance: 32.60%
– Impossible: 33.51%
– No comment: 2.75%
Ruam Thai Sang Chart
– Certainly: 5.73%
– Highly: 15.73%
– Little Chance: 31.45%
– Impossible: 43.12%
– No comment: 3.97%
Bhumjaithai
– Certainly: 4.96%
– Highly: 21.60%
– Little Chance: 39.16%
– Impossible: 30.84%
– No comment: 3.44%
Democrat
– Certainly: 4.58%
– Highly: 13.20%
– Little chance: 40.69%
– Impossible: 38.93%
– No comment: 2.60%
When asked whether Pheu Thai would work with the PPRP in a coalition government after the next election, most respondents expressed disbelief:
– 45.65% said it was completely unbelievable
– 29.24% said it was rather unbelievable
– 16.64% say it was rather believable
– 5.19% say it was completely believable.
The Election Commission has set a tentative election date of May 7, 2023. This date was selected based on the assumption that the House of Representatives would complete its term on March 22.
Thailand restoring old temples in deep South to promote multiculturalism
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
The government is working on restoring old temples and mosques in Thailand’s deep South to promote a secular, multicultural society.
Deputy government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek said on Monday that the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) kicked off the restoration of 138 ancient temples in the area this year.
“The aim is to give devout Buddhists more places to pray in as well as to promote a more multicultural, secular society,” she said, adding that the project was launched under the auspices of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
She said under the project, 10 old temples and seven temples in remote areas will be renovated next year.
Along with restoring temples, the government also launched the construction of the Islamic Cultural Heritage Museum and Al-Quran Learning Centre in 2016 in Narathiwat’s Yi-ngor district.
The museum is partially open and the entire project is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
“The museum displays old Quran holy texts and sheds light on multiculturalism in the South,” Rachada said.
The deputy government spokesman also doubles as a special government representative working to tackle the problems in the South.
She said the government has also allocated funds for SBPAC to make pilgrimages to India, Nepal and Saudi Arabia possible for devotees.
Thailand has made tremendous progress in reducing poverty over the past three decades, with the national poverty rate falling from 58 % to 6.8 % between 1990 and 2020.
The reduction in inequality, however, has not been as rapid. While the fall in poverty was accompanied by a decline in inequality, it has remained high. With an income Gini of 43.3 % in 2019, Thailand had the highest income inequality level in East Asia. Regional inequality in Thailand is also high.
Poverty in rural areas has remained prevalent despite the significant contribution of the rural sector to both the national economy as well as employment. In 2020, the rural economy employed close to 21 million people, comprising nearly 55 % of total employment. The farm sector employs around one-third of Thailand’s labour force and plays an important part in the country’s exports as a key supplier of agricultural products to the world market. Yet nearly 80 % of the poor live in rural areas and are mostly concentrated in agriculture. Over the past decade, farm income has persistently decreased, offsetting progress in reducing poverty and regional inequality.
A World Bank report, the Thailand Rural Income Diagnostic— Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Farmers, examines the main opportunities and challenges to improving both productivity and incomes of rural farmers. It identifies three opportunities that could boost rural farm income in the coming years.
The first opportunity relates to increasing agricultural productivity by improving access to irrigation water. With less than half of farm households being able to access water resources, dependence on rainfed agriculture is high, increasing exposure to climate risks and limiting opportunities for higher income.
The second opportunity lies in increasing crop diversification and the adoption of high value crops in irrigated areas. Rice production has played a dominant role in the Thai economy as well as the world’s export market, employing 3.5 out of 8 million farm households while generating export revenues of close to US $3.7 billion, making Thailand the second largest rice exporter in the world. However, Thailand’s rice yields have been low relative to other global rice producers over the past decade.
Despite its relatively low profitability, rice production has continued to dominate the use of limited irrigated land, with the planting of paddy rice accounting for two-thirds of total irrigated areas. While improving rice productivity is critical, particularly in areas that have a comparative advantage for growing rice, there remains a considerable opportunity to raise farm incomes through crop diversification and crop rotation.
The third opportunity involves improving access to markets. Improving rural connectivity provides the opportunity to reduce transport and logistics costs in addition to enabling farmers to move up the agricultural value chain to agro-processing and distribution.
How can Thailand seize these opportunities to raise rural incomes? The report suggests four policy options:
Enhancing agricultural productivity by expanding access to irrigation and promoting the adoption of water-efficient irrigation methods, promoting risk mitigation strategies to cope with increasing weather volatility, facilitating access to finance, and strengthening agricultural R&D to raise competitiveness in export markets and to adapt to climate change.
Improving access to markets by expanding rural infrastructure to strengthen the connection between farmers and markets, as well as promoting the development of e-commerce to create new opportunities to raise incomes through improved matching of farmers with buyers, reduced transaction costs and reduced barriers to move up the value chain.
Addressing factors that create inefficiencies in the use of land and water resources. These measures focus on policies to further strengthen farmers’ incentives to invest in higher quality inputs, modern machinery as well as other productivity-enhancing tools and utilize water resources more efficiently to improve crop yields and farm productivity. One example would be the review of policies that weaken tenure security. Strengthening tenure security and facilitating long-term leases of farmland could incentivize longer-term investments in farmland and widen access to credit.
Finally, strengthening farmers’ skills in adoption of productivity-enhancing technologies. While it is not a panacea, the application of digital technology for farming opens up several possibilities to raise agricultural productivity. For example, it provides a platform for the sharing economy which allows smallholder farmers to use modern equipment that would otherwise incur large upfront costs. It also provides a platform for e-commerce which broadens access to markets and can be used as a platform for farmer extension services and for early warning systems. To help unlock the potential of digital farming technology, promoting farmers’ digital literacy is a critical first step.
Thailand has the potential to support faster and sustained income growth of rural households. Seizing these opportunities to help rural households improve farm productivity has the potential to create an outsized impact in supporting the country’s poverty alleviation efforts, contributing to economic growth and shared prosperity.
Bangkok police bust alleged Japanese call centre gang after ‘victim’ escapes
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
A call centre gang comprising five Japanese men were arrested at a residence in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district on Sunday and charged with imprisoning a fellow Japanese national.
Kannayao police and Japanese Embassy officials raided the address and detained Kawabata Kotaro, Hirota Junya, Naramura Kenji, Tomonari Satoshi and Suzuki Takafumi.
Officials also seized a laptop, printer, tablet, four smartphones and lists of alleged Japanese victims as evidence.
Kannayao police chief Colonel Naren Kruengsanook said the arrests came after a Japanese man managed to escape from the gang and alert his embassy.
“The victim – identified as Yuki Ogura – escaped from the call centre gang’s residence after they deceived him into luring other Japanese nationals to Thailand,” Naren said.
The alleged victim said he travelled to Thailand on December 8 after the call centre gang had offered him a job in Bangkok.
However, the gang kept him at its residence and banned him from using any communication devices, he said.
“The gang then threatened me unless I started working to lure other Japanese [to Thailand],” Ogura said.
He added that he contacted the Japanese Embassy immediately after escaping from the gang on Saturday.
Temperature to dip 3-5C in Bangkok, upper Thailand this week: forecast
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2022
The temperature in upper Thailand including Bangkok will drop sharply this week, according to the Thai Meteorological Department.
A high-pressure system will see temperatures in the North, Central, East and Greater Bangkok drop by 3-5 degrees centigrade, said the department’s forecast.
The Northeast will experience an even bigger dip of 4-6C.
It advised people to look after their health during the sudden temperature change.
The department also warned of flash floods and overflows from heavy to very heavy rain in the South on Monday and Tuesday (December 11-12). Waves in the lower Gulf are expected to rise to two metres, and higher in thundershowers, it added. Boats in the lower Gulf should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers.
Regional weather forecast for this week (Dec 12-17):
North: Mornings cool to cold with strong wind and 3-5C drop in temperature. Lows of 13-21C, highs of 29-32C. Temperature on hilltops likely to drop to 4-14C.
Northeast: Mornings cool to cold with strong wind and 4-6C drop in temperature. Lows of 13-20C and highs of 28-31C. Temperature on hilltops likely to drop to 8-14C.
Central: Mornings cool with strong wind and 3-5C drop in temperature. Lows of 16-22C and highs of 29-32C.
East: Mornings cool with strong wind and 3-5C drop in temperature. Lows of 17-22C and highs of 29-32C. Waves about 1 metre, 1-2 metres offshore.
South (east coast):
Monday: Scattered thundershowers and isolated heavy rain.
Tuesday-Saturday: Mornings cool in upper South. Isolated thundershowers in lower South.
Lows of 21-25C, highs of 26-33C.
Surat Thani upward: waves 1-2 metres and higher in thundershowers.
Nakhon Si Thammarat downward: Waves 2 metres and higher in thundershowers.
South (west coast):
Monday-Tuesday: Scattered thundershowers and isolated heavy rain.
Wednesday-Saturday: Isolated thundershowers.
Lows of 21-25C, highs of 26-33C. Waves 1-2 metre high and higher in thundershowers.
Greater Bangkok:
Monday-Saturday: Mornings cool with strong winds and 3-5C drop in temperature. Lows of 19-23C, highs of 29-33C.
World Film Fest salutes Thailand’s unrivalled filmmaker Mom Noi
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
Jarupong Krisanaraj
The Thai film industry was very lucky to have had a unique filmmaker like ML Pundhevanop Dhewakul, or “Mom Noi”, panellists at Bangkok’s 15th World Film Festival said.
They were speaking at a seminar held on Saturday alongside the festival, which is showcasing 61 feature films and 20 experimental films from 51 countries.
The 10-day film fest, which wraps up on Sunday (December 11), is being held at SF World Cinema, CentralWorld in Bangkok.
Mom Noi’s contribution to the Thai film industry was celebrated at the festival with the screening of three of his films, namely “Chan Poo Chai Na Ya” (The Boys in the Band), “Nang Nuan” (The Seagull) and “Mahasajan Haeng Rak” (Miracle of Love).
Mom Noi succumbed to lung cancer at age 69 on September 15 this year, just as his last creation, “Maya Pitsawong”, was gracing cinemas nationwide.
Mom Noi had spent more than three decades in the Thai film industry after releasing his first feature film “Plerng Pitsawat” in 1984.
Euthana Mukdasanit
Speaking at the seminar, director, screenwriter and National Artist Euthana Mukdasanit said he and Mom Noi had known each other since school, and both worked together on many films after Mom Noi dropped out of university.
“His films were awe-inspiring, filled with beautiful dialogue,” Euthana said, adding that though the late filmmaker was quiet by nature, he was fierce when it came to his filmmaking principles.
Mom Noi fearlessly tackled controversial subjects in his films like conflict, politics and unrequited love, he said.
“Mom Noi’s creations were noteworthy and helped the Thai film industry grow,” he said, adding that his films were very different from what is hitting the screens nowadays.
Chokanan Skultham
Echoing Euthana’s remarks was assistant director Chokanan Skultham, who said that though Mom Noi was a strict director, he was thoughtful and always gave others a chance.
“He taught me how to add value to work,” he said, adding that he hoped to emulate Mom Noi’s passion by paying attention to the finished product.
“Mom Noi taught me to love the script and the film before directing it,” he said.
He added the 100 days of Mom Noi’s passing will be marked with an event at Pak Nam Pran Village in Prachuap Khiri Khan province on December 23.
“The event will feature two of Mom Noi’s films, namely ‘Anda and Fah Sai’ and ‘Plae Kao’,” he said.
Sanchai Chotirosseranee
Sanchai Chotirosseranee, the Film Archive’s deputy director, said Mom Noi was a true artiste who never cared about the sponsors’ comments or requirements.
This is why, he said, Mom Noi’s films were so exceptional.
“No matter what people say or think, Mom Noi will make films in his own way,” he said.
He added that the Thai film industry was lucky to have had an inimitable filmmaker like Mom Noi, who knew where his passions lay since childhood.
Sanchai said he hoped the new generation will be able to develop a love for films and a passion for telling stories like Mom Noi did, so the Thai film industry could make a deeper mark internationally.
Bo Mya’s son offers to hunt down Tak gold-shop robbers
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
The son of former Karen National Union (KNU) president Bo Mya offered to help Thai police hunt down two men behind a failed gold-shop robbery.
Maj-General Nerdah Bo Mya, who commands the KNU forces in Kawthoolei at the border of Tak’s Phop Phra and Umhphang districts, said on Sunday that he would help find the two men. The men, a Hmong tribesman and a Myanmar national, reportedly fled into KNU-controlled territory.
To launch the manhunt, the commander said he would require photographs and an official request from the Thai police.
On Thursday afternoon, four masked men on two motorbikes rode up and shot at the window of a gold shop in Tak’s Muang district to try and break in.
But the owner fired back, severely injuring one before police swooped in and arrested the injured and another. The other two fled across the border into Myanmar.
MRTA dismisses BTS’s allegation of corruption in Orange Line bidding
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2022
Thailand’s Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) issued a statement on Sunday denying allegations of irregularities in the second round of bidding for the Orange Line.
MRTA was responding to claims made on December 9 by Keeree Kanjanapas, chair of BTS Group Holdings.
In his speech marking International Anti-Corruption Day, Keeree alleged that the Orange Line project was rife with corruption and that graft has been on the rise over the past three years.
BTS and MRTA have been caught up in a row after the former’s bid for the Orange Line were rejected. BTS has also taken MRTA to court for alleged irregularities.
On Sunday, the MRTA issued a five-point statement to affirm the integrity of the bidding procedure for the Orange Line’s western section and the operation of the entire route.
The bid for the project was won in September by Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM).
The MRTA presented the following points to defend the bidding process and selection of the winner:
• The joint investor for the project based on an invitation letter dated May 24, 2022, was transparently selected under the “integrity pact” with the NGO, Anti-Corruption Organisation (Thailand).
The organisation had provided five observers to watch every step of the selection, and none of them raised any objections or doubts.
• The first bid as per the invitation letter dated July 3, 2020, in which the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC) participated, was cancelled. The envelopes were returned to the two bidders and the cancellation had nothing to do with the selection of the winner in the second round.
• The BTSC did not meet the criteria when it submitted its bid in 2020, and its proposal on techniques and financial returns lacked credibility.
• The BTSC claimed it could not participate in the second round of bidding because the conditions were drafted to prevent its ally, Sino-Thai Engineering Plc, from participating.
However, the Central Administrative Court on August 8, 2022, rejected BTSC’s request for an injunction on the bidding process.
Instead, the court ruled that the bidding, called under an invitation letter dated May 24, was conducted in line with the directive of the Public-Private Partnership Committee and in accordance with Section 6 of the 2019 Public-Private Partnership Act.
The court also said that the May 24, 2022, invitation letter was adjusted to attract more private firms to participate and prevent what happened with the July 3, 2020 invitation.
• The selection of the winner to build and run the Orange Line followed every step required by law as well as the Cabinet and the PPP Committee’s resolutions.
The MRTA said the Office of the Attorney-General was now checking the draft contract between the MRTA and BEM.
The 35.9km-long Orange Line is divided into eastern and western sections. Construction of the 22.5km-long eastern section from Thailand Cultural Centre to Minburi, with 10 underground stations and seven elevated stations, is more than 90% complete.
The 13.4km western section stretches from Thailand Cultural Centre to Bang Khunnon and has 11 underground stations.
The bid winner would be required to sign a private-public partnership contract to operate the entire route after building the western section.
Euthana Mukdasanit
Chokanan Skultham
Sanchai Chotirosseranee
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