Thailand closes 8 national parks in North to prevent forest fires
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023
The Natural Resource and Environment Ministry is taking definitive steps to prevent forest fires in the North after satellite images showed that nearly 80% of hot spots were based in forests.
The ministry’s Pollution Control Department said on Friday that the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency reported that 77% of hot spots in the North were in forest areas, 18% in agricultural zones and 5% in city areas.
“These hot spots are caused either by forest fires, the burning of garbage or farm scrub,” said Pinsak Suraswadi, the department’s director-general.
“The ministry has urged local authorities in 17 provinces in the North to keep an eye out for fire and prohibit the burning of things, which is a major cause of PM2.5 pollution.”
PM2.5 refers to dust particles that are 2.5 micrometres or smaller in diameter and can be easily inhaled. Long-term exposure to such fine particles has been linked to many chronic diseases, including acute lung and heart problems.
Pinsak said the ministry has ordered the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to consider temporarily shutting down national parks that are at risk of forest fires and increase patrolling for people’s safety.
So far, eight national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the North have been ordered shut, namely Lum Nam Pai in Mae Hong Son, Pha Daeng, Op Luang and Omkoi in Chiang Mai, Tham Pha Thai in Lampang, Mae Ping in Lamphun, Si Nan in Nan and Mae Tuen in Tak. Only visitor centres at these locations remain open, he added.
The ministry’s smog emergency response teams in the North have been told to be on standby and monitor the situation closely. Officials were told to follow the latest updates and forecast by the Thai Meteorological Department, Air4Thai website and application, and evaluate the situation every three days.
Nakhon Sawan police arrive just in time to foil ‘monkey business’, arrest 2
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023
The two suspects caught trying to capture long-tailed macaques were met with fury from Nakhon Sawan locals as they were brought back by police to enact their crime on Friday.
Thaweeluck, 37, and Phromphiram, 23, (last names withheld) were arrested on Thursday as they trying to hit the poor creatures with tranquiliser darts.
Wat Khao No, a mountainous tourist attraction in Nakhon Sawan’s Banphot Phisai district, is famous for its long-tailed macaques.
The suspects reportedly confessed they were planning to sell the monkeys to restaurants in neighbouring countries, and apparently expected to be paid up to 100,000 baht per macaque.
Officials shifted nine tranquilised macaques to a shelter near Wat Khao No, but one succumbed to the effects of the tranquiliser and another was killed by a dog. Locals said the dog got to the monkey because someone had left the cage open.
The rest of the monkeys were eventually released into the wild on Friday morning.
A vendor selling food for monkeys at Wat Khao No said the number of macaques had dropped sharply in the past few years because smugglers have been capturing and selling these creatures. He said that sometimes the parents were taken away, leaving the babies to starve to death.
Suwan Khamenkhetkarn, a Banphot Phisai resident, said the mountain once housed more than 100,000 monkeys, but now there are fewer than 10,000 left due to these smuggling gangs. She said officials should boost patrols around the area and arrest these smugglers before all the monkeys are gone.
Thailand to get 2 new types of lottery: fully digital and semi-digital
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2023
The Government Lottery Office (GLO)’s board approved the plan to issue two new types of lottery – the six-digit (L6) and three-digit (N3) lotteries.
The move was proposed by the Finance Ministry.
The L6 lottery will go for 80 baht each, the same as the lotteries currently available, but will only be sold in digital format. Some of these lotteries will be sold via the Pao Tang application, said Lavaron Sangsnit, chairman of the Lottery Board.
Lavaron Sangsnit
The N3 lottery, meanwhile, will be sold in both digital and physical formats. Vendors selling physical lottery tickets will be required to provide daily sales data to the GLO digitally.
The price of the N3 lottery has not yet been set, added Lavaron, who also doubles as the Revenue Department’s director-general.
He said the board and Finance Ministry will adjust the details of both new lotteries and submit the plan for Cabinet approval.
Separately, the GLO board meeting on Friday also voted to revoke the rights of more than 12,000 lottery vendors who have violated regulations. So far, more than 20,000 sellers have lost their rights, and more than 3 million tickets have been repossessed.
The board has agreed to allot 1 million of the repossessed tickets to existing sellers via the quota system, while the remaining 2 million will be sold via the Pao Tang application, Lavaron said.
Websites of all 20 Thai ministries hacked by online gambling platforms
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023
The websites of state agencies under all 20 Thai ministries have been attacked by hackers working for online gambling platforms, Digital Economy and Society (DES) Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn said on Friday.
He said the hackers managed to plant malicious script on webpages of the government agencies that linked to online gambling websites.
More than 30 million URLs of compromised state-agency websites were found to have been corrupted.
The DES minister said the scripts caused state agency webpages hijacked by online gambling websites to appear among the top Google search results. The scripts contain keywords about online gambling and links to gaming platforms.
Chaiwut said Thai state agencies have suffered over 500 cyberattacks in the past year, two-thirds of them involving website hacking.
The biggest targets were academic organisations, followed by public health agencies and local administrative organisations.
However, the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) detected no serious damage from the cyberattacks, Chaiwut said. It also advised the agencies to adopt anti-hacking, which resulted in a decline in new cases, he added.
The minister also warned the public about cybercriminals conning people with fake websites and false social media accounts and e-mail addresses.
These criminals also lure victims to install malicious apps on their phones that allow them to remotely control the devices and steal money via mobile banking apps. The criminals often pose as officials of state agencies or private companies.
Chaiwut said the NCSA has taken down many websites and accounts used by cybercriminals.
He said anyone with information about cybercrime could contact the ministry via the 1212 hotline, website ncert@ncsa.or.th, or https://facebook.com/DESMonitor.
Have 30 satang handy? You can buy YumYum Changnoi noodles then
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2023
The government’s decision to allow a 30 satang increase in the price of “YumYum Changnoi” instant noodles is causing problems at checkout counters.
This is because the Thai currency only has 25 and 50 satang coins, and returning change for 3.30 baht is becoming difficult.
Wan Thai Foods, the manufacturer of YumYum Changnoi, had filed a request with the Department of Internal Trade last year to increase the price of the noodles from 3 baht to 4. However, it was told that it could only raise it by 30 satang to 3.30 baht.
“Manufacturers have never faced a problem like this before,” a source from the consumer goods industry said on Saturday.
Separately, a source from the retail industry said this is yet another evidence of this government’s inability to maintain product prices.
“Instant noodles have become a product used in political games,” the source said, adding that the price of instant noodles is a sensitive issue among Thais. Instant noodles are the cheapest source of nutrition in Thailand.
Pawat Ruangdejworachai, CEO of media solutions firm Media Intelligence Group, said product prices are calculated based on the cost of production, packaging, marketing and the manufacturer’s profit.
Many manufacturers have been suffering from rising costs due to skyrocketing oil prices due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
He said raising the price of YumYum Changnoi noodles by 30 satang was not in line with trade practices. Instead, he said, product prices should be set in a range that attracts consumers to purchase, like selling energy drinks at 10 baht per bottle.
“If brands want to increase their prices, they must ensure consumers get equivalent benefits, otherwise buyers will just go for a cheaper option,” he said.
The price of many consumer goods has risen over the past two months this year. For instance, the Red Bull energy drink has risen from 10 baht to 12, while 125ml packets of Lactasoy soy milk are now going for 6 baht instead of 5.
The price of YumYum instant noodles was raised from 6 baht per pack to 7 baht last year, along with Mama and WaiWai.
The price of Yakult yoghurt drink is set to rise by 1 baht per bottle on March 1, for the first time in more than a decade.
Education bill withers as final joint session of Parliament fails to count
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023
The last joint parliamentary meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives before the next election collapsed on Friday due to a lack of quorum.
Members of both chambers convened for the final time before the term of the House of Representatives ends on March 23 to discuss a bill on education. The meeting was a resumption of one adjourned on January 24.
Members of both chambers met to vote on a revision to Article 16 of the proposed legislation made by the vetting committee.
Senate Speaker Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, who was chairing the joint meeting, called a quorum count but after 45 minutes of waiting, the parliamentarians failed to form one.
House Speaker Chuan Leekpai, who also serves as Parliament president, then took over as chair of the meeting.
He allowed Senator Tuang Antachai, who heads the bill’s drafting committee, to take the floor.
The senator said that his panel spent over a year patiently drafting the bill before managing to push it to parliament for deliberations. He thanked the parliamentarians who showed up.
A total of 320 MPs and senators turned up, three short of the required quorum of 333.
Chuan later declared the meeting adjourned.
Pornpetch then began chatting with the MPs and senators present. Some took selfies with him.
Earlier, Chuan thanked all the parliamentarians for their hard work over the past four years.
Parliament managed to pass a constitutional amendment, two organic laws, and 13 acts, as well as endorse 17 international agreements, the former prime minister said.
“There has been good cooperation, although there have been some problems near the end of the [parliamentary] session,” Chuan said, referring to frequent collapses of House sessions due to a lack of quorum.
He wished incumbent MPs success in the next general election and asked senators to continue serving as an “important force for the country”.
The current parliamentary session ends on February 28.
Chuan noted on Friday that the government has the power to call an extraordinary parliamentary session.
However, political observers see a slim chance of this happening because political parties are now focused on the general election tentatively scheduled for May 7. The election could happen earlier if the House is dissolved before its term ends.
Opposition graded higher than government for performance at Parliament debate
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023
Academics on Friday gave higher marks to the opposition for their performance at the just-completed general debate of the House of Representatives, during which Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was the main target of attacks.
Asst Prof Chettha Subyen, secretary-general of the Social Science Association of Thailand, gave a score of 7 out of 10 to the opposition and 5 to the government.
He said that Cabinet members targeted in the debate had failed to give clear answers to the allegations against them, while the opposition MPs taking the floor were focused more on wooing votes.
The same scores – 7 for the opposition and 5 for the government – also came from political analyst Assoc Prof Sukhum Nuansukul, who is a former rector of Ramkhamhaeng University.
He, however, said that opposition MPs had focused on the government’s “old wounds” and not levelled any new allegations, while the government had a lot of weaknesses that were vulnerable to attack from the opposition.
“General Prayut failed to offer clear and concrete answers to the opposition allegations,” Sukhum said. He gave a score of 8 to the overall two days of debate.
Sukhum said that opposition MPs appeared to be focusing too much on trying to woo voter support by repeating old allegations to attack the government. He said he was convinced that voters had made their choice and the opposition approach was unlikely to change their minds.
Chettha, who is also assistant to the president of Navamindradhiraj University, made specific observations about the performance of MPs from two major opposition parties – Pheu Thai and Move Forward.
He said that while Move Forward went all-out to attack PM Prayut, Deputy Premier Prawit Wongsuwan, and Interior Minister Anupong Paochinda, Pheu Thai appeared to spare Prawit. “We could see hints of who is going to connect with whom” in forming the next government after the election, the academic said.
It has been rumoured that Pheu Thai has reached a secret deal with the ruling Palang Pracharath Party, which is led by Prawit, to form a post-election coalition.
Chettha also said that during the two-day debate, PM Prayut appeared to be alone in fending off opposition allegations, without the usual intervention from Palang Pracharath MPs.
Prayut, who was the ruling party’s sole prime ministerial candidate in the previous election in March 2019, joined a new party called Ruam Thai Sang Chart (United Thai Nation) in January and is expected to be its sole PM candidate at the next polls.
Jurin expects PM to dissolve the House by March 13
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023
Deputy Prime Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said on Friday that he expected the House of Representatives to be dissolved no later than March 13 to pave the way for an early general election.
He said that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who has the power to dissolve the House, had yet to discuss with leaders of the coalition parties regarding the matter.
“I think that when it’s time, the prime minister will have some discussions [with the coalition leaders].”
The Democrat Party leader, who also doubles as the commerce minister, said he expected the House dissolution in March, possibly by the 13th. He explained that the Election Commission would be dealing with rules and regulations ahead of the next election and certain political parties would need time to prepare for contesting the polls.
Prayut on Thursday hinted at a House dissolution, saying, “I have a date in mind already,” although he declined to elaborate.
The current House of Representatives’ four-year term ends on March 23. The Election Commission tentatively scheduled the next general election on May 7 in case the House completes its full term.
House dissolution allows incumbent MPs to switch parties before election day. The law requires them to be members of the new party for at least 30 days before the election. In case the House is allowed to complete its term, election candidates have to be party members for at least 90 days.
A House dissolution would also mean MPs could defect from their current parties and join Prayut’s new party, Ruam Thai Sang Chart (United Thai Nation), up to 30 days before election day. They will have to join at least 90 days before the election day if the House term is completed normally.
Jurin said on Friday that his Democrat Party planned to field its candidates in all 400 constituencies in the next election.
Meanwhile, PM Prayut remained tight-lipped on Friday as to when he planned to dissolve the House. He refused to answer media questions regarding the matter.
On Thursday, the prime minister said that he needed more time for “some preparations” before making his final decision. He was speaking to reporters at the end of a two-day general parliamentary debate.
However, he dismissed claims by his critics that he was buying time to give his party more time to prepare for the upcoming election.
Prayut was the sole prime ministerial candidate of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party in the previous election of March 2019. He joined Ruam Thai Sang Chart in January and is expected to be its sole PM candidate at the next election.
The premier strikes back, targeting Thaksin and Pheu Thai
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha directed his satirical skills at deposed former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his proxy Pheu Thai Party while responding to the opposition’s allegations against him and his government during the final day of a general parliamentary debate on Thursday.
Many Cabinet members from previous governments were sent to prison for corruption while none from his administration has been convicted for graft, he said.
While he was making his speech, a placard was displayed nearby with a pointed message: five government ministers from a past government and three others from another were found guilty of corruption and sentenced to prison.
“Regarding corruption, many of you made allegations [against the current government] although many of your former ministers were involved in corruption and served time in prison for it. Some others are now abroad. These are facts,” Prayut said.
He was referring to certain key government figures of the past who fled corruption charges to live abroad in self-exile, including Thaksin. The ex-PM, who was deposed in a military coup in 2006, is regarded as the patriarch of the opposition Pheu Thai Party, whose government was overthrown in May 2014 in a power seizure led by General Prayut while he was serving as the Army chief.
Prayut also countered allegations by opposition MPs that he lacked responsibility in tackling the country’s chronic narcotics problem.
The government is seriously addressing the issue in all aspects, he said, noting that Thailand has been used as a transit point from neighbouring countries to a third country.
“Suppressing illicit drugs does not mean simply killing 2,000-3,000. Is that the right thing to do? Can we do that?” the prime minister asked.
He was referring to the so-called war on drugs implemented during Thaksin’s first term as prime minister. Thousands of people suspected of involvement with the drug trade were put on a police blacklist. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people were killed. The Thaksin government said they were murdered by fellow drug dealers, supposedly to silence them before they became state witnesses.
No arrests for any of the murders were ever made. Rights groups described them as extrajudicial killings by police.
Regarding Chinese triad bosses in Thailand, General Prayut said that the key suspect – Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant – had been allowed to stay in Thailand since 2011, four years before he came to power.
The PM also noted that Tuhao’s application to obtain Thai citizenship had been approved by his government’s predecessor and that his post-coup administration simply followed the legal process by endorsing the approval.
Prayut said that some Chinese triad gang used their money to buy luxury houses “for almost the whole housing project”, implying money laundering.
He then suggested an unnamed company with no links to his government was involved.
“I don’t know who that [property] company belongs to. But I can confirm that this government has no practice of selling houses along with citizenship,” he said.
The premier also noted that Tuhao’s wife – a colonel who has been dismissed from the Royal Thai Police – was related to a former minister of another political party.
Prayut had been the main target as opposition MPs attacked him and his government during the two-day debate at the House of Representatives.
7 political parties unveil election visions to save SMEs
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023
Ahead of the general election, Nation Group invited economic gurus of seven political parties to showcase how they will keep small and medium enterprises (SMEs) afloat if they are elected to government.
Representatives of the Pheu Thai, Palang Pracharath, Democrat, Thai Sang Thai, Chart Thai Pattana, Chart Pattanakla, and Move Forward parties joined the seminar titled “Thailand’s Future: Which Direction SMES Will Move”, held by Nation Group at the Renaissance Bangkok Ratchaprasong Hotel on Wednesday.
The three main campaign pledges presented at the seminar were to increase the SME support fund, reduce their corporate taxes, and amend laws to boost their competitiveness.
The visions were presented by Pisit Leeahtam, chairman of Democrat’s platforms committee; Paophum Rojanasakul, director of Pheu Thai’s policy centre; Sontirat Sontijirawong, chief of PPRP’s political policies team; Worawut Ounjai, deputy Chart Pattanakla leader; Suphan Mongkolsuthee, chairman of Thai Sang Thai’s economic strategies committee; Santi Kiranant, member of Chat Thai Pattana’s strategies committee; and Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, former Move Forward MP.
Democrat Party
Pisit said a major challenge for Thai SMEs is the lack of funding. He said the Covid-19 pandemic wiped 3 trillion baht from the economic system, leaving SMEs struggling to find funding sources that don’t add to their problems.
The disappearance of funding means SMEs are unable to expand their businesses. Debt has put many out of business while others have been bought up by foreign firms, he added.
Pisit said the Democrats would establish the Vayupak Fund for SMEs with a budget of 500 billion baht. The fund would convert SME debt into shares so they could obtain loans to keep their businesses running.
Pisit said the Vayupak fund would act as a partner, holding no more than 49% of each SME’s shares, which could be bought back in 10 years.
“This method is a win-win solution because it would make use of state assets and give SMEs will a new source of funds that will not become NPLs [non-performing loans],’ Pisit said.
Currently, SMEs do not want to make new investments so converting their debt into shares would help the Thai economy expand, he said, adding that other parties’ proposals would weaken the banking system.
Pheu Thai
Paophum said the next government must address three major issues for SMEs: funds, costs, and competitiveness.
Currently, banks see SMEs as risky businesses and are reluctant to grant them loans. Paophum said a loan-guarantee system for SMEs was needed, and Pheu Thai would upgrade the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation (TCG) to play that role.
On costs, he said the next government must help cut electricity bills for SMEs. He said this could be done by reducing natural gas to generate power, reforming the billing fee structure, changing the power reserve and stepping up negotiations with neighbouring countries for oil and gas exploration in overlapping territories.
On competitiveness, Pheu Thai would eradicate monopolies enjoyed by large corporations in certain sectors. This would help boost competitiveness of SMEs, Paophum said.
He added that 80% of SMEs are in the trade and services sector, not in the manufacturing supply chain. The next government should draw in more foreign direct investment to integrate SMEs into manufacturing supply chains and boost their exports from the current rate of 14-15%, he said.
Palang Pracharath
Sontirat said the next government must hand the SMEs Promotion Office (SMEsPO) full control of drafting masterplans, allocating budget, drafting policies, and other major issues so its work does not overlap with other agencies.
Under a Palang Pracharath government, the office would ensure all other agencies work in the same direction to help SMEs, Sontirat added.
The next government must also encourage a change of mindset so SMEs adopt digital technologies.
“The SMEsPO must help coach SMEs to be more proficient in digital technologies,” he said. To tackle the issue of debt, his party would inject more funds for SMEs based on their credit scores.
Chart Pattanakla
Worawut said 98% of Thai SMEs are small enterprises, and labour costs made it hard for them to upgrade into medium-sized enterprises.
His party would open more funding sources for SMEs by using the credit-score system to get around the Credit Bureau’s blacklist so they could access soft loans.
In government, Chart Pattanakla would also promote online sales so SMEs could tap both domestic and foreign markets.
It would also invest in e-business to drive SME sales to become a key engine of the party’s policy to generate 5 trillion baht in revenue for the country, Worawut added.
Thai Sang Thai
Suphan said Thai Sang Thai would increase SMEs’ contribution to GDP from 30% to 50% within four years while helping to solve their debt issues.
SMEs would be allowed to obtain small loans without guarantees so that they could continue their business.
In government, Thai Sang Thai would push for changes to exempt SMEs from 1,400 laws seen as restricting their business.
The party would also stop the Food and Drug Administration from obstructing the launch of new businesses and adding more costs.
Additionally, it would waive corporate tax for SMEs for three years, establish industrial estates for SMEs only, and set up an innovation fund to support SMEs and develop new business platforms for them.
Chart Thai Pattana
Santi said Thai SMEs are facing various issues while some 2.6 million micro enterprises are suffering a lot of problems. In Government, Chart Thai Pattana would coordinate efforts by all agencies to help SMEs while forming a venture capital fund to raise money in the stock market to provide investment for SMEs.
Control of state banks and financial institutions would be shifted from the Finance Ministry to the Bank of Thailand and become tools of financial support to keep SMEs in business.
Move Forward
Wiroj noted that the number of Thai SMEs was still lower than pre-Covid levels despite rising in the third quarter of last year.
He pinpointed SMEs’ main problems as lack of investment and high debt. Move Forward would provide a tax-deductible subsidy of 5,000 baht for each Thai to buy goods from SMEs.
In government, Move Forward would grant a 100,000 baht investment fund for each SME while boosting the TCG operating fund to 20 billion a year to guarantee more loans for SMEs.
It would also reduce corporate tax for SMEs to 0-15%.
Move Forward would oppose mergers of large corporations, so that SMEs would have competitiveness, and push to reduce their utility bills by reforming the power fee structure.
Lavaron Sangsnit
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