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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024947

Crop prices, exports rose, inflation declined, says Jurin, rebutting opposition attacks

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit hit back at criticism by opposition MPs during a debate late on Wednesday, saying his ministry had helped exports grow and increased the prices of cash crops, while inflation had fallen.

Jurin said the opposition had not provided accurate information and argued that the Commerce Ministry under his leadership had performed creditably.

Jurin said the inflation rate in January dropped to 5%, adding it would fall to 2.8% this year against the International Monetary Fund’s forecast of global inflation at 6.5%.

The minister said the prices of consumer goods had dropped a lot, and were no longer expensive as alleged by the opposition. He said the Commerce Ministry has been monitoring 58 consumer goods and has seen their prices drop.

For example, Jurin said, the price of pork had dropped from 300 baht per kilogram to 165 baht and the price of palm oil had fallen by 17% to 48-50 baht per bottle.

The commerce minister said the opposition also provided inaccurate information by saying prices of all crops had fallen.

He said the price guarantee scheme of his ministry had helped raise the price of paddy rice to almost 10,000 baht per tonne and to about 14,000 to 15,000 baht for a tonne of jasmine rice.

He said the price of cassava also rose from about one baht per kg to over 3 baht and he has brought a Philippine company to sign an advance purchasing contract of 2 million tonnes of cassava in Nakhon Ratchasima province.

But Jurin admitted that the price of rubber fell to about 45-49 baht per kg. However, he blamed it to the global economic slowdown and the easing of the Covid crisis, resulting in less use of latex gloves.

He said Thailand’s exports did not slow down as alleged by the opposition. Last year, export value rose by 5.5% and exports generated income of 9.94 trillion baht for the kingdom.

Jurin said the opposition was right when it said Thailand was behind Vietnam in terms of having free trade agreements (FTA). But it has been like this since the Yingluck Shinawatra government and his ministry was instead catching up with Vietnam, Jurin said.

He said Thailand now has 14 FTA contracts with 18 countries, while Vietnam has 16 contracts with 54 countries. Jurin said he was trying tor reach an FTA with the European Union, which has been pending for over 10 years. If the talks are successful, Thailand would have another FTA contract with 27 more countries, Jurin added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024948

Global graft ranking disproves charge that corruption is rising: govt

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Opposition claims that corruption is rising in Thailand are disproved by its rising rank on Transparency International’s global index of corruption last year, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said on Thursday.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha places great importance on the fight against corruption and regards it as a national priority, Anucha said.

“All state agencies have been instructed to work with transparency and are subject to oversight … Digital technology has been adopted so that the public can monitor the work of government agencies,” the spokesman said.

Thailand rose by nine places in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) last year. The Berlin-based organisation ranks 180 countries based on their perceived level of corruption.

Thailand rose from 110 in 2021 to 101 on the index last year, Anucha said, adding that its score rose from 35 to 36. The best score is 100.

Thailand came fourth among the 10 members of Asean, following Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam.
 

The CPI measures include perceived levels of bribery, diversion of public funds for personal use, the government’s capacity to curb irregularities, and legal protection for whistleblowers.

The score of each country surveyed is based on a combination of at least three data sources drawn from 13 different corruption surveys and assessments, Transparency International says. The data sources are collected by a variety of reputable institutions, including the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, it says.

Among the nine data sources used for the corruption-perception survey in Thailand last year, the kingdom earned better scores from two sources – the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook (up from 39 to 43 points) and the World Economic Forum (up from 42 to 45), Anucha said.

The country’s scores remained unchanged from five sources – Varieties of Democracy Institute (26 points), Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index (37), Economist Intelligence Unit Country Risk Ratings (37), Global Insight Country Risk Ratings (35), and PRS International Country Risk Guide (32).

The score declined from two other sources – Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (down from 36 to 35) and the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index (down from 35 to 34).

The 2022 CPI index showed that the world’s least corrupt country was Denmark, with a score of 90 points. It was followed by Finland and New Zealand at 87 each, and Singapore in fourth place with 83 points.
 

The global average score, 43, has remained unchanged for over a decade, and more than two-thirds of the 180 countries surveyed score below 50, according to Transparency International. It said most of the world was still failing to fight corruption – 95% of countries have made little or no progress since 2017.

Thailand has seen fluctuating CPI scores over the years. The country was ranked 85th in 2014, following a military coup led by General Prayut when he was the Army chief, up from 102nd a year earlier.

The country’s ranking jumped to 76th in 2015 but plunged to 101st place the following year. It recovered to 96th in 2017 but then slid to 99th place in 2018, 101st in 2019, 104th in 2020 and 110th in 2021.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024940

House dissolution decision should wait till next month: deputy PM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Any decision to dissolve the House of Representatives should wait until after the Election Commission (EC) has finished drawing the boundaries of the 400 constituencies nationwide, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said on Thursday.

He was responding to questions from reporters about whether he, in his capacity as the Cabinet’s legal expert, had discussed House dissolution with Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

“I’ve not talked about it,” Wissanu replied. “The issue should wait until after the general debate,” he added, referring to the two-day showdown between the opposition and the government on Wednesday and Thursday.

“I think the right time [for talking about House dissolution] is after February 28. We must wait for the EC to finish drawing the boundaries of election constituencies.”

The House of Representatives term is scheduled to end on March 22, four years after the last general election.

The EC has announced that the election will be held on May 7 if the House completes its term. It will reschedule the election date if the House is dissolved first.

The EC has not updated the government about its progress in drawing the boundaries of constituencies, Wissanu said.

He said, however, that he heard reports that the EC has asked the Constitutional Court to interpret the term “citizen”, following disputes on whether stateless residents of Thailand should be counted in the formula for distributing 400 House seats in 77 provinces. The formula calls for every MP to represent 164,226 people.

The EC based its decision for distributing House seats on population data provided by the Provincial Administration Department at the end of December, which put Thailand’s population at 66,090,475.

However, critics, including Wissanu and former EC commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, said the figure included stateless people, who – although they are counted in Thailand’s population – have no right to vote.

Wissanu has said that the number of House seats allocated to some provinces, especially border provinces where many stateless residents live, will have to be re-calculated if stateless people are excluded from the population.

The EC has assigned its provincial election committees to draw boundaries of constituencies in their provinces to fit the number of seats allocated to each one.

Following mounting criticism, however, the EC met on Monday to discuss whether to count stateless people as part of the population for determining the distribution of House seats. The EC decided at a second meeting on Tuesday to ask the Constitutional Court to interpret the term “citizen”.

Wissanu said on Thursday he expects the court to decide swiftly because it knows how important the issue is. It is possible, however, that the court will dismiss the case on grounds that no problem has occurred yet, he added.

The pending legal decision will not delay the drawing of constituency boundaries, Wissanu said.

The EC can proceed with the process and adjust the boundaries if the court rules that stateless residents of Thailand should not be counted as citizens, he said.

“Thailand has 400 constituencies and 300 will not have to be redrawn. The issue will have an impact but not much of one,” he explained.

Political parties are squabbling much more over the boundaries of constituencies because changes to them could determine who wins them.

Wissanu said on Thursday he expects the court to decide swiftly because it knows how important the issue is. It is possible, however, that the court will dismiss the case on grounds that no problem has occurred yet, he added.

The pending legal decision will not delay the drawing of constituency boundaries, Wissanu said.

The EC can proceed with the process and adjust the boundaries if the court rules that stateless residents of Thailand should not be counted as citizens, he said.

“Thailand has 400 constituencies and 300 will not have to be redrawn. The issue will have an impact but not much of one,” he explained.

Political parties are squabbling much more over the boundaries of constituencies because changes to them could determine who wins them.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024937

Chuwit drops another triad bombshell as Rangsiman attacks ‘govt complicity’

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Chinese triads arrived in Thailand under the cover of a foundation established by a Chinese national called Yu Xinqi, whistleblower Chuwit Kamolvisit said on Thursday.

Yu Xinqi established the Shaanxi Association of Thailand as a front for triad activity, using it to forge relationships with Thai establishment figures including monks, Chuwit wrote on Facebook.

The soapy massage tycoon turned anti-corruption crusader has made a series of allegations that have led to a national investigation into Chinese criminal gangs operating in Thailand with help from authorities including customs and police officers.

The Shaanxi Association of Thailand acted as a trafficking ring by luring Chinese people to Thailand, Chuwit said. He added that its founder Yu Xinqi had escaped after being exposed.

Chuwit also claimed that Chinese criminals established connections with Thai military and police officers before launching their operations in Thailand.

The whistleblowing former politician also thanked Move Forward Party MP Rangsiman Rome for “defending the monarchy” during Wednesday’s Parliamentary debate on triads and urged him to continue fighting for the public.

Rangsiman also thanked Chuwit for giving him information to use in the two-day debate targeting the government.

Rangsiman accused the government of delays in tackling Chinese triad operations allegedly run by Chaiyanat “Tuhao” Kornchayanant.

He also alleged Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had failed to follow up on the case.

“I urge the Metropolitan Police Bureau commissioner and national police chief to speed up the case,” he said.

Rangsiman said the delay may be because a company run by Chaiyanat rented at least 33 tour buses from a construction firm run by Prayut’s nephew.

He suspected the buses were used to transport Chinese nationals suspected of being involved in illegal activities in Thailand.

He also claimed that several politicians have connections with Chinese triads, including ex-Palang Pracharath Party MP Thammanat Prompao and Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office Anucha Nakasai.

He added that Chinese triads who have boasted connections with Thai politicians include call centre gang operator Zhang Jian Fu and trafficking boss She Zhi Jiang.

“More than 7,000 Chinese people have requested student visas from the Immigration Bureau,” he said.

The number of immigration police officers suspected of helping Chinese gangsters to stay illegally in Thailand has risen from 80 to 110, the deputy national police chief said on Monday.

Rangsiman said Chinese triads have seized large areas of Chinatown’s Yaowarat Road from locals.

The upcoming general election will help decide whether the triad problem persists or not, he added.

Related stories:

Inspector Sua’s link to online gambling will be investigated: CIB chief

Senior cop suspended after Chuwit’s blistering Facebook post

Chuwit uses THB400-million reward for tip-offs on drug gangs to equip hospitals

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024914

Pheu Thai politely scorches Prayut in ‘unmasking’ debate

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Opposition leader Cholnan Srikaew launched a two-day general debate on Wednesday morning to grill the government of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, previewing the issues opposition parties will focus on for the upcoming election.

Although he spoke politely and smiled frequently, he accused the government of massive corruption, abuse of power, incompetence, and a failure to do what it said it would – improve the lives of Thai citizens.

Cholnan refers to the debate as an operation to “unmask the decent” because reporters nicknamed Prayut’s ruling coalition “a government with a mask of decency”.

He leads the main opposition party, Pheu Thai.

After thanking Prayut and his Cabinet for attending the session, Cholnan told them they had failed to do what they promised when they announced their policy statement almost four years ago.

In particular, Cholnan said, the government – which completes its four-year term on March 22 – failed to address 12 urgent issues, including improving the quality of life of Thai citizens.

The gap between the rich and the poor remains wide, and rural Thais are still trapped in poverty, Cholnan said.

The government has failed fishermen and damaged the fishing industry with ill-advised regulations, and failed to increase the price of crops, he said.

Mothers of newborns are not receiving state welfare as promised, he added.

Both the drug trade and corruption have worsened under the Prayut government, he said.

The government promised to reform politics, but instead it opted for “money politics” – spending the national budget to buy popularity, Cholnan said.

The national budget has not been distributed fairly and massive amounts of money have been siphoned off for mega and local projects, Cholnan said. As a result, corruption has risen to unprecedented levels, he said.

After his opening salvo, Cholnan said 35 opposition MPs from four parties will speak during the two-day debate and each party will focus on different issues:

Pheu Thai MPs will focus on five issues:

– the government’s failure to implement 12 urgent policies,

– social violence (the Nong Bua Lamphu childcare centre massacre will be the main example),

– last year’s massive flooding,

– unfair and improper budget allocations, and

– corruption.

Move Forward Party MPs will focus on five issues:

– economic mismanagement,

– failure to distribute administrative power properly,

– failure to reform land-use policies to help landless people and protect the environment,

– failure to ensure national security, and

– corruption.

Prachachart Party MPs will focus on four issues:

– corruption in mega projects, especially the Orange Line railway,

– granting forest land concessions to tycoons,

– violence in the Deep South, and

– nepotism and abuse of power.

Pua Chart Party MPs will focus on the government’s economic failures, Cholnan said.

The debate will not end with a vote because it is being held under a provision in Section 152 of the Constitution that does not require a vote.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024910

Democrat Party nominates Jurin as its prime minister candidate

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2023

The Democrat Party voted unanimously on Tuesday to nominate its leader, Jurin Laksanawisit, as the party’s sole prime ministerial candidate.

Democrat spokesman Rames Ratanachaweng said on Wednesday that the executive board held a meeting on Tuesday to select the party’s PM candidate.

Rames said Democrat secretary-general Chalermchai Srion nominated Jurin and the executives unanimously endorsed his candidature.

The Democrat Party will later inform the Election Commission of its choice of PM candidate when the EC begins the registration process.

Rames said Jurin is qualified to be the prime minister because he has long years of political experience in both the administration and legislature and has held several key positions, and he has integrity.

The spokesman added that the party has now lined up candidates to contest in 400 constituencies nationwide.

Jurin has been elected a Democrat MP 11 times – six times from Phang Nga and five times as a party-list MP.

He was earlier a party spokesman and became deputy leader in 2003.

He was elected Democrat leader on May 15, 2019 and has held the top position since then.

Before he became a deputy prime minister and commerce minster in Prayut Chan-o-cha’s Cabinet, he had served in five Cabinet positions: as deputy commerce minister, deputy agriculture minister, a PM’s Office minister, education minister, and public health minister.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/politics/40024897

Seven Thai political parties lay out ideas to provide a fillip to tourism

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2023

Nongluck Ajanapanya

The representatives of seven Thai political parties shared similar ideas on reviving and improving the country’s tourism industry, by simplifying regulations, integrating education, lowering costs, and promoting sustainability.

The discussion was part of the 19th joint meeting of the Association of Thai Travel Agents on Tuesday. The goal was to offer updates on the travel and hotel business situation, discuss some challenges, and look for solutions among members.

Woraphop Viriyaroj from Move Forward Party, Sampan Panpat from Chartthaipattana Party, Thames Kraitat from Chart Pattana Kla Party, Sorathep Rojpotjanaruch from Thai Sang Thai Party, Pimrapee Phanwichatikul from Democrat Party, Jakkapon Tangsuttitham from Pheu Thai Party and Khemapol Auitayakul from Bhumjaithai Party were the panellists.

They unanimously agreed that the tourism industry is one of the critical engines driving Thailand’s economy. However, there is still work to be done to make the country the best in the world in the long run.

Each party’s tourism policy has some similarities. They informed the audience, who were mostly hotel and travel business owners and entrepreneurs, that the country’s tourism regulations are outdated and overly bureaucratic.

These regulations must be amended in collaboration with the private sector. The laws must be simplified for ease of access and to save time, they said.

Meanwhile, Thailand must improve its infrastructure throughout the country in order to receive millions of tourists each year, as well as find or create new products that will keep tourists returning to the country.

Woraphop of the Move Forward Party wants the government to decentralise power to local governors who understand what their communities require and which solutions are best for them.

Thames from the Chart Pattana Kla Party agreed with Woraphop. He noted that some well-known tourist destinations, such as his hometown Phuket, require a certain level of independence in order to make the best decision for them.

He believed that if each local community had some level of autonomy, they could discover their own identity. This will aid in attracting tourists to less-visited secondary cities.

Sampan from the Chartthaipattana Party added that his party’s goal was to uncover secondary cities’ hidden potential. This movement will support the goal of making the country a year-round tourist destination.

He also emphasised the importance of entrepreneurs being self-sufficient by establishing some kind of fund, such as an emergency fund, to help their business with liquidity in times of crisis. The fund could be derived from the taxes paid by businesses to the government.

Sorathep from the Thai Sang Thai Party called for the creation of a proper crisis management plan so that the government and the private sector can respond quickly if something like the Covid-19 pandemic occurs in the future.

He also mentioned finding new potential markets, such as the ageing market, to generate more revenue.

Pimrapee of the Democrat Party insisted on reforming the country’s tax collection system as well as business registration so that the government has all necessary data to draft policy.

The government’s job as a policymaker, however, is to make it easier for entrepreneurs to conduct business rather than to issue orders, she said.

Jakkapon from Pheu Thai Party said that in order to increase the overall capacity of the travel and hospitality industries, both the public and private sectors should adopt new innovations and technologies.

These technologies would help increase service capacity and security in addition to catering to the needs of today’s tourists, who are primarily tech-savvy.

Khemapol of the Bhumjaithai Party, whose party currently oversees the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, said that his party aims to step up cooperation between the public and private sectors to improve the tourism industry that would balance the needs of the nation, the business community, the people, and the environment.

Meanwhile, all parties agreed that looking for immigrants would only be a temporary solution given the current urgent need for workers in the industry.

They suggested working with universities and vocational schools to give students the chance to work as interns or while they are still in school in order to take long-term action.

They are also in favour of seriously implementing the Bio-Circular-Green economy model in the travel and tourism sector.

The tourism policy discussion comes in the run-up to the general election, tentatively scheduled for May, hoping that the new administration would help steer the nation clear of trouble.