Minimum wage could rise to 800 baht a day if Pheu Thai elected: Thaksin
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was quick to raise the projection his daughter made yesterday that the daily minimum wage could nearly double to 600 baht under a Pheu Thai government.
It could rise to 800 baht a day, Thaksin said.
The minimum wage currently ranges from 328 baht a day in less developed provinces to 354 baht in the wealthiest.
Thaksin made the comment during a Facebook broadcast hours after his youngest daughter – Paetongtarn Shinawatra – made her minimum wage projection during a speech at Pheu Thai party’s head office.
Paetongtarn was outlining her vision for the future of the political party – Thailand’s largest – as it prepares for next year’s general election.
Nearly doubling the minimum wage and raising monthly salaries for university graduates to 25,000 baht were two of many policy goals she announced in her speech. These two goals were met with widespread skepticism.
Thaksin fired back, saying critics of the wage hikes lacked knowledge of economics and “compassion for their fellow human beings”.
“Phue Thai can expand Thailand’s economy even amid a global recession. In four years, we will boost economic expansion to 5% on average a year, possibly 7% in the first year because we will be starting from the low base created by the military government,” Thaksin said.
This growth would generate more growth, which would cause wages to rise, Thaksin said, adding that an expanding economy would attract more than 300,000 university graduates into the workforce each year.
“When new graduates are employed, the economy will grow further and make it possible to raise wages,” Thaksin said.
Thaksin said the minimum wage would rise due to demand for workers, explaining:
“The government is not directly responsible for these wages. If the economy expands, private companies will compete against each other by raising salaries to attract new talent,” he said. “Those who continue to pay low wages will be left without capable employees.”
Thailand is expected to hold a general election on May 7 next year. The Constitution stipulates that an election must be held within 45 days after the House of Representatives’ four-year term ends. The current term ends on March 23, 2023.
Thanathorn’s bill to free local administrations from government control trips at first hurdle
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
A charter amendment bill sponsored by voters and spearheaded by progressive politician Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit failed to clear the first reading in Parliament on Wednesday.
The bill, sponsored by Thanathorn, chairman of the Progressive Movement, and 75,591 voters, received more “Yes” than “No” votes but the number of approval votes was not enough for the bill to sail through the first reading.
The bill received 254 approval votes and 245 MPs and senators voted against it while 129 parliamentarians abstained.
A charter amendment bill requires the support of at least half of the current members of the House of Representatives and Senate to pass the readings. The number of approval votes must include one-third votes from senators. In this case, the bill needed 375 votes, including at least 84 votes from senators to be passed.
Voting was by roll-call voting. Results showed that only six senators had voted for the bill.
While the bill received support from opposition parties, coalition partners were divided in their stance.
Nearly all Democrat Party MPs voted for the bill while Bhumjaithai Party MPs abstained. Some of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party members abstained while all the others voted against the bill.
The bill sought to free local administrations from control of the central government, especially on budget spending and appointments of executives. The bill sought to amend Sections 249, 250, 251, 252, 253 and 254 of the charter.
Before the voting in Parliament, Move Forward Party spokesman Rangsiman Rome and Prit Watcharasin, a co-sponsor of the bill, assured senators and MPs that the bill did not seek to end election of village heads and tambon chiefs as alleged by opponents.
But the bill sought to end appointments of officials in local administrations. They added that the bill would provide a five-year grace period if it was enacted.
On November 29, Thanathorn, who is not a lawmaker, went to Parliament to stand in front of the MPs and senators to defend the bill when the two chambers started deliberating the first reading.
In his speech to a joint sitting of Parliament, Thanathorn said he hoped MPs and senators would realise the significance of decentralisation of administrative power to local administrations.
He said he was happy that his campaign for months had led to the drafting and presenting of the bill to Parliament.
Among other things, the bill aimed to allow local administrations to equally share local taxes with the central government instead of sending 70% to the government.
The bill would also have allowed local administrations to manage their public services freely, Thanathorn said.
Price controls top Thais’ New Year wishlist: Govt survey
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
The majority of people in Thailand want the government to relieve their financial burdens, according to a National Statistical Office survey published on Wednesday.
The survey on “New Year’s gifts” people want from the government was conducted from October 17-31 on 6,970 people aged 15 or above. The survey found that:
91.1% wanted prices of consumer products controlled
67% wanted lower electricity and water bills
30% wanted agriculture issues tackled, including low crop prices, high fertiliser prices and more market channels
23.4% wanted unemployment issues tackled
Asked which measures benefit people the most:
75.8% said Khon La Khrueng (Let’s Go Halves)
69.9% said the state welfare card
59.2% said the electricity bill cut
25.1% said Rao Chana (We Win)
14.8% said Mor33 Rao Rak Kan (Section33 We Love Each Other)
Asked if they were satisfied with the govenment’s management:
42.1% said very satisfied
41% said moderately satisfied
14.7% said less satisfied
2.2% said not satisfied
62.2% of people in the South were “very satisfied” with the govenment’s management compared to 22.2% in Bangkok.The majority of people who were very satisfied with the govenment’s management were also aged over 40.
Asked if they were satisfied by the government’s economic crisis management:
35.4% said very satisfied
40.8% said moderately satisfied
20.6% said less satisfied
3.2% said not satisfied
54.8% in the South were “very satisfied” with the govenment’s economic crisis management compared to 19% in Bangkok.The majority of those very satisfied were aged over 40.
Respondents were also asked for their advice for the government. Popular advice included launching measures to cut electricity and water bills, control consumer product prices and increase subisidy under the Khon La Khrueng scheme. To create jobs, it should promote domestic tourism, grant soft loans and seek market channels for agriculture products.The government should also do more to combat drug abuse narcotics by building unity in communities, creating awareness on prevention and enforcing laws strictly to punish people involved in narcotics.The government should cooperate with private and public sectors to mitigate impacts on people from flood, fire and other disasters.The government should also issue public warnings over various types of scams and channels for complaints, such as Online Complaint Centre’s 1212 hotline and the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau’s 1441 hotline, respondents said.
Thaksin’s daughter vows to make Thais richer, unveils 10 key policies
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 06, 2022
The youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday vowed to make Thais richer, and promised 600 baht daily minimum wage and 25,000 monthly salary for university graduates by implementing her party’s “Think Big, Doable” policy.
Speaking at the party’s caucus at the Pheu Thai Party head office, Paetongtarn Shinawatra revealed her vision of running the country for the next four years if her party secures a landslide victory in next year’s general election.
Paetongtarn, who is the chairperson of Pheu Thai’s advisory committee on public inclusion and innovation and head of the Pheu Thai Family project, is tipped to become the next prime minister if her party wins the election, tentatively scheduled for May 7.
The Pheu Thai held its caucus on Tuesday to formally kick off its campaign for the next election. The highlight of the caucus was the speech by Paetongtarn, who unveiled her 10 economic and social policies.
She said she and her delegates had visited many provinces during the past year to study people’s grievances and issues to come up with the 10 policies.
She said her travels during the year had shown that Thailand has regressed significantly economically, politically and socially under the current government. She said Thailand has regressed so much that it has lost its prominence in the eyes of the international community.
She said a lot of people have accumulated huge amounts of debt and the accumulated issues of Thailand will be tackled through her “Think Big, Doable” platform.
She pledged that if a Pheu Thai-led coalition formed the next govermment, it would spend the next four years reducing the expenses of the people while increasing their income and making Thais much richer by 2027.
The 10 policies Paetongtarn unveiled on Tuesday are:
• Economy: From 2023 to 2027, the Pheu Thai-led government would take steps to boost Thailand’s GDP growth to 5 per cent per year. It will attempt to reduce the wealth gap under the theme “watering the grassroots”.
The Pheu Thai government would use “soft power” to drive the economy by encouraging chefs, designers, architects, singers, song composers, scriptwriters, YouTubers and other professions to use soft power to earn income. Each of them would earn at least 200,000 baht a year.
The government would create 20 million high-skilled jobs that can create an income of 4 trillion baht a year for the country, Paetongtarn said.
By 2027, the daily minimum wage would be raised to 600 baht a day and university graduates would receive a monthly salary of at least 25,000 baht.
• Agriculture: By 2027, the country will use modern agricultural technologies, especially precision agriculture technologies, in farming. Artificial Intelligence will also be used to increase farm production.
• Tourism: By 2027, the country’s income from tourism would rise to 3 trillion baht a year.
• Innovation: The Pheu Thai government would develop an online blockchain-based transaction network of Thailand for farmers to sell their farm products. The network also will be used to distribute assets from soft power-related businesses and to raise funds for startups and small and medium-sized enterprises.
The Pheu Thai government would seriously support and promote research to make Thailand a hub of innovation in Asean. The country will develop a Central Bank Digital Currency to use in lieu of cash and people will have digital wallets. All corners of the nation will have free Wi-Fi access.
• Public health: By 2027, Thailand’s universal healthcare gold card system would be upgraded to allow Thais to receive free medical services from any hospital in the country by simply showing their ID card.
State hospitals would be decentralised to become public organisations and they would have enough doctors and medical personnel to cope with the number of patients. The country will invest heavily to develop modern medical gears that will be available from tambon to large cities. Public health volunteers will be trained as nurses for villages.
• Education: Administrative power for school management would be decentralised as in other developed countries. Bilingual schools will be available in all districts to teach in both English and Chinese languages from Grade 1. Studying could be done both onsite and online, with foreign teachers assisting Thai teachers.
• Drug: The Pheu Thai government would step up suppression of narcotics trafficking to eliminate illicit drugs from the country.
• Basic infrastructure: The Pheu Thai government would tackle both drought and floods with systematic and comprehensive measures. Canals would be dug to connect major rivers, and monkey-cheek reservoirs would be built along major waterways for effective floodwater draining.
Landfilling will be undertaken on the seashore along the Bang Khun Thian district as well as in Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon provinces to prevent the rising sea from affecting Bangkok. There would be plenty of public lands along the coasts for public purposes.
• Transport: By 2027, Thailand would become the logistics hub for Asean. The Pheu Thai government would invest massively in railway systems. Double-track railways would run to major provinces, such as Chiang Rai, Mukdahan, Nakhon Phanom and Phuket, to allow trains to run at 160 kilometres per hour to cut travel time by half. High-speed railway from China would be extended to Singapore.
The management systems of all electric trains in Bangkok and surrounding provinces would be overhauled so that a common ticketing system could be used at 20 baht per trip.
The capacity of Suvarnabhumi Airport would be expanded from 45 million passengers to 100 million.
• Energy: The energy price system would be overhauled to reduce the prices of petrol, cooking gas, and electricity.
Campaigns will be launched for households to use solar power panels to reduce power bills, and reduce the country’s oil bill for generating power.
Paetongtarn added that the Pheu Thai government would also push for reform of political rules so that the country would have genuine democracy and the prime minster would be elected only by people’s representatives in the House, not the Senate.
She said the Pheu Thai government would also use advanced computer programmes to monitor the spending of taxpayers’ money by government agencies to ensure integrity and transparency.
PM’s new interest calculation method ‘a move to help free people from debt’
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
A new initiative by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to reform interest calculation would help people free themselves from debt faster, deputy government spokesperson Tipanan Sirichana said on Wednesday.
She said the move aims to tackle the serious debt problem faced by many people and entrepreneurs across the country in a sustainable manner, maintain fairness and meet the changing needs of the economy.
“The premier’s move is historic as it has changed a method of interest calculation in Thailand used for more than 95 years ago,” she said.
Explaining the PM’s interest calculation reform, she said:
● People must pay only 3% from 7.5% per year for interest which is not included in the agreement, while the Finance Ministry must review such interest every three years to conform to commercial banks’ average between deposit rate and lending rate.
● People must pay only 5% of 7.5% per year as default interest — 3% under Section 7 of Civil and Commercial Code plus an additional 2%.
● Creditors must calculate the default interest based on when debtors make the payment instead of the debtors’ whole principal.
Tipanan Sirichana
She added that the premier’s interest calculation reform would also help ensure fairness in other types of debt repayment, such as hire purchase of vehicles.
“Prayut’s move to amend outdated laws proves his intention to maintain fairness in society, while people do not have to suffer from high interest anymore,” she said.
Officials seize 3,000 tonnes of chicken as crackdown on smuggling widens
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
The Livestock Development Department has seized 3,000 tonnes of chicken meat smuggled across the border, Agriculture Minister Chalermchai Sreeon said on Wednesday.
Chalermchai said the chicken was smuggled from a neighbouring country without naming it. More information will be released at an upcoming press conference, he said.
The seizure of chicken followed seizures of 25 tonnes of pork, beef and offal from an unauthorised food-processing plant in Chonburi last week. The plant is believed to have supplied fresh meat and offal to more than 60 restaurants in the eastern province.
Chalermchai said the 66 Thai-style shabu and Isaan food shops in the province, which bought meat and offal from the plant, have been told to purchase from authorised slaughterhouses and processing plants only.
He said a similar warning was sent to restaurants nationwide, instructing them to ensure purchased meat and offal had a seal of approval from the Livestock Development Department, adding that this guarantees that the meat is hygienic and its quality is high.
The minister said the department would continue to step up crackdowns on smuggling of pork from neighbouring countries to prevent the spread of disease.
Somchuan Ratanamungklanon,director-general of the department, identified the virus that causes African swine fever as the main concern.Related story:
Puzzling signs aim to keep drivers from falling asleep at the wheel
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
After highway signposts with puzzling messages – like “Is a dolphin a fish?” – went viral, an official from the Department of Highways explained on Wednesday that they are part of a pilot project that aims to prevent motorists from falling asleep at the wheel.
The goal of the signposts is to prevent road accidents caused by sleepy drivers, Suphanburi 1 Highway district director Saranrat Phuangphat said in reference to photos of signposts in Suphan Buri grabbed attention online.
One signpost informs drivers they have entered a “drowsiness fixing area”, while another asks: “is a dolphin a fish?”.
Saranrat said the pilot project is a joint effort by the Department of Highways’ bureau of road research and development and Chulalongkorn University’s transportation institute.
He explained that the project aims to help officials pinpoint the causes of road accidents and is currently being assessed to determine its effectiveness. The assessment should be completed this month, Saranrat said.
“Once the project is completed, the bureau of road research and development will publicise the results,” he said, adding that it would widen use of the signs to maximise road safety.
After second blast, bomb disposal officers scour area near derailed train
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
The State Railway of Thailand has temporarily suspended its plan to salvage the derailed freight train in Songkhla’s Sadao district after the second blast killed three workers and injured four others on Tuesday.
Bomb disposal officers were deployed on Wednesday to inspect the area for more bombs, following a request from railway staff.
Meanwhile, Songkhla provincial police and security officers were deployed to ensure security at the scene until the inspection and repairs were completed.
Officers collected gas tank pieces weighing 4 kilograms, a 1.5 volt battery, electric wires, plugs and 8 millimetres of steel bar at the scene.
Tuesday’s blast occurred at about 6.30am while engineers were inspecting the wreckage of a train that derailed after a blast on Saturday.
Train No 707 was travelling from Songkhla’s Hat Yai district to Padang Besar in Malaysia when a bomb blast caused to to derail as it approached Khlong Ngae railway station at 12.50pm on Saturday.
Eleven of its 20 containers left the track, which was also severely damaged. No staff were injured in the incident.
However, the blast on Tuesday morning was deadly. Besides the three killed in the blast, another four engineers were injured. The blast occurred just meters from the site where the train derailed on Saturday.
Rattanakosin Island committee approves repairs to Memorial Bridge
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
The Committee for the Conservation and Development of Rattanakosin Island and Old Cities Wednesday approved the restoration of Bangkok’s Memorial Bridge in two years.
The government should inform the public three months in advance before the bridge would be closed to minimise impact on commuters, assistant government spokesman Lt-General Phatchasak Patirooppanon said.
The meeting, which was the second this year, was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan,was held as a teleconference from the Five Provinces Bordering Forest Preservation Foundation.
The Memorial Bridge is a bascule bridge over Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, connecting Phra Nakhon and Thonburi districts.
The bridge was opened on April 6, 1932 by King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Chakri dynasty and the foundation of Bangkok, shortly before the Siamese coup d’état of June 4, 1932. In English the bridge is commonly referred to as Memorial Bridge, however in Thai it is known as Phra Phuttayotfa Bridge after King Phutthayotfa Chulalok (Rama I), the first king of the Chakri dynasty.
Phatchasak said the committee saw that the restoration was necessary to preserve the bridge as a national asset for future generations to see and use and for the safety of commuters.
The spokesman said the committee also acknowledged the progress of the drafting of operation plans for the conservation and development of 12 old cities in 12 provinces.
The committee approved in principle the establishment of Rajdamnoen Centre 1 and Rajdamnoen Centre 2 in the outer area of Ratanakosin Island as learning centres.
The spokesman said the committee endorsed the construction of the Siriraj Hospital station to link two electric train routes and a new hospital building of Siriraj.
The panel also gave the green light for the restoration of the old Nan city hall to use as an arts and cultural hall for Nan province and the ancient Lanna culture learning centre, Patchasak added.
Thailand’s Covid-19 surge being driven by hidden infections: studies
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 07, 2022
While 60-70% of people in Thailand have been infected with Covid-19, more than half likely did not realise they had the disease, expert virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said on Wednesday.
Writing on Facebook, Dr Yong cited two studies conducted by his Chulalongkorn University Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology.
The first study of 190 children aged 5-6 found that the 10% infection rate during the Delta outbreak has now risen to 60-70% after Omicron. About 35% of these cases were asymptomatic and only discovered when blood tests came back positive.
The second study tested 700 people aged six months to 80 years old. Traces of previous or current Covid-19 infection were found in 60-70% of the test group. Yong said the infections were probably Omicron as subjects who caught Covid more than one year ago during the Delta wave would likely test negative. Some level of immunity via antibodies was detected in 95% of the test subjects.
Yong said it was impossible to determine what level of immunity is required to prevent Covid-19 symptoms because most people had been infected or vaccinated. Previous infection or vaccination was not a protection against catching Covid-19, he said. But repeat infections usually generated less severe symptoms.
Noting Thailand’s soaring infection rate as the cold season gets underway, Yong urged people to get a booster dose if it had been six months since their last vaccination or infection.
He said all vaccine brands available offered similar protection against severe Covid symptoms but protection depended on the number of doses. He said immunity from vaccination decreased after the first few months. People should get a booster shot every six months, or every 4-5 months if they are in an at-risk group, he added.
Covid-19 hospitalisations have soared above 700 per day in recent weeks, with deaths rising above 10 per day. The surging infection rate has prompted the government to set up more vaccination sites in Bangkok and other Covid hotspots.
While the bill received support from opposition parties, coalition partners were divided in their stance.
Before the voting in Parliament, Move Forward Party spokesman Rangsiman Rome and Prit Watcharasin, a co-sponsor of the bill, assured senators and MPs that the bill did not seek to end election of village heads and tambon chiefs as alleged by opponents.
On November 29, Thanathorn, who is not a lawmaker, went to Parliament to stand in front of the MPs and senators to defend the bill when the two chambers started deliberating the first reading.
The 10 policies Paetongtarn unveiled on Tuesday are:
Tipanan Sirichana
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