Anything & Everything About Thailand

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Sunday 22 January 2006 :-

A dagger for their majesties : Master craftsman hopes to make a traditional 'kris' for King and Queen

By Wassana Nanuam

A famous dagger-maker from a Muslim village in Yala's Raman district has been struggling to overcome the climate of fear in the restive South so he can concentrate on making the finest weapon at a traditional kris-making contest.

The competition will be held in March at Balukaluwa village in tambon Talo Halo. The aim is to find the finest craftsmen to make a traditional kris - a Malay-style dagger with scalloped edges - to be presented to Their Majesties the King and Queen in return for their concern and care for people in the three southern border provinces.

"The art of kris-making requires togetherness of mind, concentration, purity of the heart and fearlessness. Bad situations have a negative mental impact on us. We have to tell ourselves to remain strong and maintain our craftsmanship," said 55-year-old Teepalee Atabu, a veteran kris-maker from Balukaluwa.

The craftsman said the violence which has plagued the far South in the past two years has demoralised kris-makers in the village. As they are artists, the situation has affected their craftsmanship and the beauty of their works, he said.

Kris-makers from Ban Balukaluwa are very famous. Even the Sultan of Malaysia's Kelantan state has ordered daggers from the village. People from the US, France and New Zealand have been to the village and learned the art of kris-making.

Mr Teepalee, an acclaimed craftsman of more than 20 years, said he had made kris for Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, the King's elder sister, and Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn, when they were on a trip to Yala to visit the people.

"I and other people of this kris-making village appreciate Their Majesties' concern for the people in the South. We thought about what we should do in return for their kindness and agreed to make a kris for them, because it is what we are best at," said Mr Teepalee.

He said the making of the kris for Their Majesties will be strictly based on an orthodox book on kris-making by the Panaesarah family.

The handle of the kris will be made of sao dam and muang pa luang wood carved into the shape of a Panga, a bird in literature similar to a fish-eating nok kraten or kingfisher. The blade of the kris will be imprinted with a pattern of an elephant's footprint.

Ban Balukaluwa is the only village in the border provinces where kris craftsmen strictly follow traditional ethics.

They do not take advance payments but get paid only when the work is completed. They do not make the daggers without an order.

More importantly, the craftsmen must be responsible for their families. Although a Muslim man is allowed to have up to four wives, every kris-maker in the village has only one.

On average, the village receives orders for 30 to 35 daggers a month. It takes a craftsman one week to finish a dagger. However, an elaborately crafted one can take up to a month to finish.

A dagger-makers' cooperative has been set up at the village, where a craftsman earns at least 4,000 baht a month.

However, because of the continued violence, especially in Raman district, there have been fewer orders for daggers. Since people are too frightened to come to the village, orders are made by phone and the daggers are sent to the clients by mail. The orders, from the North, Central and South of Thailand as well as Bangkok, have enabled kris-makers at Ban Balukaluwa to continue earning some income.

According to Mr Teepalee, there are 50 dagger-makers in the village, but only 17 with recognised skills.

In order to conserve the art and produce new craftsmen, kris-making has been put on the curricula of Mathayom 1 and 2 classes and the district's vocational college, so students can learn to carve the handles of the daggers, make the daggers from steel and produce sheaths. A kris-making training centre will also be set up soon.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Sunday 22 January 2006 :-

EDITORIAL: Rushed trial a worrying sign

By not according all cases of rape or murder the same respect, the PM is displaying a disregard for justice. Even if the death penalty were not controversial, the speed with which two fishermen on trial for the rape and murder of British tourist Katherine Horton were convicted and sentenced to death is bound to raise questions. Bualoy Phosit, 23, and Wichai Somkhaoyai, 24, were sentenced to death by lethal injection on Wednesday, after a one-day trial held in an atmosphere of strong political pressure for a quick resolution of the case, not the least of which came from Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Amnesty International has expressed concern, and local human rights activists have joined in the scrutiny of a justice system that makes the convicts’ fate an exception, not the rule.

There is a strong argument in defence of the speedy trial. The suspects confessed. The scientific evidence was damning, and the case was under a glaring public and international spotlight. But nothing can take away from the fact that the two men were sentenced to death one week after their arrest and following a trial that lasted only a few hours. Do they deserve to die? Maybe this is not the time to debate capital punishment. But did they deserve a longer trial? That might be an easier question to answer.

It was a heartbreaking New Year’s Day crime that rattled the tourism industry. This explained the resources and technology poured into the investigation, which was swift and effective. DNA samples were gathered and many witnesses and potential suspects interrogated. Forensic work was fast. And in just a few days the two men were captured, police wrapped up their case against them and prepared it for the court.

Had it been a nameless Thai village woman, they might still be trying to ascertain the identity of the victim. While Katherine Horton fully deserved our best efforts in the pursuit of justice, she also deserves to become a catalyst for soul-searching within our own justice system. She would have wanted all female victims to be treated equally by police, investigators, judges, lawmakers and the government. She would have wanted all sex crimes to be dealt with in the same manner, whether they take place in a resort in paradise or a rural, impoverished area. She would have wanted, in her own case, to be sure that our system punishes the right people. While it is understandably normal for high-profile criminal cases to be processed faster given the public’s interest, there has been little evidence of low-profile cases being treated with even half the enthusiasm accorded this one.

Thanavadee Thajeen, director of the Friends of Women Foundation, hailed the swift response to the Horton murder, but deplored the fact that the same standard was not applied to several other cases. The activist noted that when a Westerner dies in Thailand, police gather several people together to resolve the case within a few weeks, while cases involving Thai victims are often met with police complaints that they have inadequate human resources. Last year there were 40,000 sexual assaults reported, but arrests were made in only 17,000 of those cases. It’s no surprise that much of the pressure on the justice system in the Horton case came from Prime Minister Thaksin, who has always shown little respect for the rights of suspects. Commenting on the crime after it happened, he said the culprits had no place to stay in Thailand and must be “brought to justice dead or alive”. Why? “Because this crime is severely detrimental to the country”.

The point he missed was that Bualoy and Wichai are no different from rapist-murderers who have preyed on Thai women in the past. Either Bualoy and Wichai ought to have been treated like the others, or the other way round. In suggesting that they deserved heavier punishment because they had committed a crime that hurt Thailand’s image, the premier showed an alarming lack of a personal sense of justice. In making that inexplicable statement, Thaksin has discriminated against not only suspects, but also their victims. What if Bualoy and Wichai went after a Thai woman and raped and killed her?

Thaksin will probably react to this by invoking his oft-repeated line, that human-rights idealists are crying for the villains again. Here he will miss another point. This is not about Bualoy and Wichai; it’s about the principle that calls for the protection of their rights. When that principle is not respected, sooner or later innocent men will become victims. This is believed to have happened under this government.

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Kathleen Kingsbury
259 words
30 January 2006
Time
U.S. Edition
English

Sugar shortages are leaving a bitter aftertaste. Bad weather and rising energy costs have pushed raw sugar to its highest world price in a decade, about 15cents a pound. In the U.S., a protectionist trade policy has made the situation even worse. "The 1 million-ton gap between sugar supply and demand will only grow more dire," says Sergey Gudoshnikov, a senior economist at the International Sugar Organization.

None of sugar's major producers have gone unscathed. Brazil, the world's largest exporter, is diverting more of its drought- shortened crop to the production of ethanol, a cheaper alternative to imported oil. In Thailand, the world's No. 2 exporter, supermarkets have begun rationing supplies. Drought in 2004, the worst in 40 years, reduced output by more than 2 million tons.

Europe's overhaul of its sugar-tariff regime in November and the resulting 4.5 million-ton decline in its exports have exacerbated shortages. Now sugar users in the U.S. are clamoring for the government to drop its quotas after last year's hurricanes drove the already artificially high domestic price up 25cents a pound in a year. By law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture can't allow more than 1 million tons of sugar imports annually without a change in policy. Says USDA senior economist Larry Salathe: "It certainly looks like we're going to need it."

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--Pattaya Mail 2006-01-20--

On-line visa extensions are one of the services offered by the new Pattaya Immigration headquarters, which has just opened in extensive new premises on Beach Road.

Pol Col Itthipol Ithisarnronachai, superintendent of Pattaya Immigration, on January 10 opened the new headquarters building to reporters, inviting them on a tour of the premises and describing future plans for the service.

He said that under the policies of Pol Lt Gen Suwatt Damrongsrisakol, commander of Immigration Police, the intention is to develop the Pattaya facility as a model immigration control point. Pattaya is one of 15 centers and a prime industrial and tourism gateway that needed to be both an effective control center and to present a favorable image of Thailand to visitors.

Pattaya’s original Immigration headquarters were set up at the time when American servicemen were coming to Pattaya on R&R leave, which required more police to look after the locals and tourists, so the Thai Royal Police sent down officers to offer visa services. In 1985 the Royal Thai Police recognized the growth of Pattaya and provided a budget to build accommodation, the first of its kind in Thailand. That was at a time when Pattaya wasn’t as developed as it is today.

The old premises eventually became too small, and unsuitable for providing services to foreigner visitors even though modern services were provided using IT, cue tickets and information over the internet. There was insufficient parking, and no room for expansion. Land and buildings were donated at a new location and the move to new premises took effect from December 6.

The new premises have ample parking space and the service has a 30 million baht budget provided mostly by the private sector, with Pattaya City Council providing a 1 million baht budget for a conference room. Solar cells are being used under the government energy saving policy and a Japanese company has supplied a 1 million baht budget for this. The old premises are being utilized as a lock-up and staff residences.

“We will be the first immigration center to offer on-line visa extension applications where the applicant will submit the application over the internet,” said Pol Col Itthipol. “Immigration police will check the information overnight and be ready to extend the applicant’s visa the next day. This will take only 10 minutes as we already have the information needed.”

Service by officials will be improved under an internal campaign designed to make visitors using the headquarters leave with a good impression.
“I feel proud the facility has been built. It is the property of everyone, accepted by everyone and we will serve everyone and everyone will trust Pattaya Immigration Police,” said the superintendent.

Pol Col Itthipol showed reporters around the conference room, offices and service booths, and pointed out the forms where people can express their opinions or submit complaints and suggestions to improve services even further.
The new headquarters is located at Beach Road. For further details call 0 38252 750-1.

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Ibis budget hotels make debut in Bangkok; The Accor Group has opened its first Ibis economy brand hotels in Thailand. Promotional rates until April start at 888 baht a night at the 269-room Ibis Huamark Bangkok, and 999 baht per night at the 180-room Ibis Siam Bangkok hotel.
75 words
23 January 2006
Bangkok Post

English

The two hotels offer high-speed wireless Internet coverage everywhere, plus no-frills food services, where guests pick up meals from the lobby restaurant.

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163 words
23 January 2006
10:20
Dow Jones International News
English

BANGKOK (Dow Jones)--Siam Commercial Bank (SCB.TH) and Bangkok Bank PCL (BBL.TH) will each lend THB13 billion to a unit of Singapore's Temasek Holdings (TEMAH.YY) as part of the THB70 billion-THB80 billion required to buy a stake in Shin Corp. PCL (SHIN.TH) from the family of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the Nation newspaper reports.

The two banks will lend the money to Cedar Holdings, which will use the money as a part of its purchase of a 49.6% stake in Shin Corp. from relatives of Thaksin and of his wife, according to The Nation.

Shin Corp. is expected to notify the Stock Exchange of Thailand Monday of the transaction, followed by a news conference, the paper said.

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454 words
23 January 2006
English

BANGKOK, Jan 23 - Highlights of today's newspapers:

BANGKOK POST:

- Thai consumer confidence is at its lowest in seven years, but is expected to pick up by the end of this year, according to MasterCard International.

- Local sugar prices should be floated in the next crop season to reflect actual production costs and develop the industry, according to a committee set up to reform the sector.

- Syrus Securities expects an increase in revenue from last year, thanks to an improvement in stock market turnover.

- Bualuang Securities hopes to boost its market share to 4 per cent from 3.3 per cent this year, driven in part by growth in its institutional client base.

- Thai Airways International plans to axe direct services from Australia to Phuket due to poor passenger traffic, dealing a setback to the island's post-tsunami tourism revival.

- Phetchabun, one of the key rice-producing provinces in Thailand, has embraced the challenge of increasing the price-setting power of Thai rice exporters within a fiercely competitive global market.

- A total of 24,902 out of 78,000 village funds could be upgraded to village banks by 2008 to offer more services to their communities.

- The Accor Group has opened its first Ibis economy brand hotels in Thailand.

THE NATION:

- A number of Singaporean firms have made their presence felt in Thailand, but Temasek Holdings imminent takeover of Shin Corp Plc marks the beginning of a new wave of Singaporean investment in the Kingdom thanks to its strategic regional position and clear rules and regulations.

- Thailand should discuss an immediate jewellery-tariff cut under the Thailand-US free-trade agreement (FTA) for the bountiful opportunities it will create, according to the head of the Thai Gems and Jewellery Traders Association.

- Sales of condominiums in central Bangkok have slowed, due mainly to the rapid growth in supply, according to real estate service and investment management firm Jones Lang LaSalle.

- Low rates for credit cards, mortgages United Overseas Bank (Thai) aims to boost its retail customer base on the strength of its pricing strategy.

- American International Assurance (AIA) has dropped its plan to either establish its own mutual-fund firm or invest in existing ones, said Thomas J White, the insurers executive vice president and general manager.

- TPT Petrochemical Plc has announced that is has signed an additional eight year contract with Aromatics (Thailand) Plc for paraxylene supplies worth Bt25 billion.

- Few projects in Bangkok have the clout to raise prices in the manner Noble Development can with its Tara Pattanakarn. While billboards still say homes there sell from Bt10.5 million, visitors to the site will be told prices now start from Bt13.4 million.

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619 words
23 January 2006
The New Paper
English

IN the US, they were Mr and Mrs McRowan, a quiet-living professional couple with a showpiece suburban home.

But on their regular visits to Thailand, they were Prince Anouvong Sethathirath IV and Princess Oulayvanh, mobbed by Laotian exiles wherever they went.

On New Year's Day, their local newspaper in North Carolina exposed their extraordinary double lives.

On Wednesday this week , the couple was shot dead in Thailand while visiting the Sala Kaewkoo temple, a popular tourist site near the Laos border.

Temple worker Charan Saengla, 45, recalled the couple arriving at the temple and asking to speak to an elderly man, reported the Bangkok Post.

While they milled around waiting for the man to come out, two men arrived and open fire near the temple's entrance, killing the couple instantly.

Mr Anouvong, 49, claimed on his website to be a direct descendant of the Sethathirath family that ruled a part of Laos in the 19th century over an ethnic community known as the Lan Xang.

He was not directly related to Savang Vatthana, the last king of Laos, who abdicated after the communist takeover in 1975.

AMERICANISED

Mr Anouvong and his wife, Madam Oulayvanh, 37, were in Thailand to attend a conference on the arts and culture of the Lan Xang people, many of whom have settled in north-eastern Thailand in recent years, reported the news agency AP.

The couple visited the area every year, but were not known to have been involved in violent activities against the Laotian government, reported AP.

Indeed, if a recent profile in the Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper in their hometown in North Carolina is any indication, they were more at home in the US than in the jungles of South-east Asia. Both had been US citizens since childhood.

Madam Oulayvanh is described in the report as 'a fresh-faced woman in jeans and a white blouse' with 'no makeup and a ponytail' who 'seems so wholesome, so normal. Americanised and Westernised'.

The two-storey bungalow the couple had lived in for more than 10 years is described as 'modern and impeccable'.

Mrs Ashley McRowan, as she called herself in the US, was described as studying for a degree in international studies 'so she could do more good for her former country and its people'.

Her husband, who called himself Mr Phillip McRowan, worked as a pathologist's assistant at a local hospital. He was described as a medical doctor trained in Cuba.

According to the paper, the couple had agreed to finally reveal their royal identities and their real names 'for the good of their former country and the Laotian people'.

The pair dated for two years - with a chaperone in tow each time - before marrying in December 1987.

As they settled comfortably into the American way of life and made their way up the property ladder, they told no one of Mr Anouvong's royal ancestry.

In 1995, they moved to the prosperous hillside suburb of Fairview to build their dream home and raise their children.

But as time passed, they became more interested in exploring their heritage and began visiting the Lan Xang community in Thailand.

When they are there, they are 'received like major celebrities,' they said. 'People crowd around us like locusts,' Mr Anouvong said.

Asked if he would ever try to reclaim his throne, Mr Anouvong told the paper that it was not an option in the short term. But the couple said they dreamed of one day being able to return to Laos and use their status to improve the quality of life there.

Two weeks after the interview was published, they were dead.

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802 words
23 January 2006
The Nation (Thailand)
English

Political observers are divided over the likely outcome of government critic Sondhi Limthongkul's anti-Thaksin rally on February 4. Many say the gathering at Sanam Luang will be peaceful while others fear it will turn violent. Some see it as a futile exercise if the intent is to dethrone Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra under the pretext of rewriting the charter.

Opposition politicians and academics have distanced themselves from the rally, saying the political situation does not warrant such action.

Sondhi announced the march at his latest "Thailand Weekly" talk show at Lumpini Park on Friday.

Somkiat Pongpaiboon, of Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University, expects Bangkok's middle class to turn out in force.

"Sondhi has been generating a lot of publicity to raise awareness of the anti-Thaksin movement," he said.

Somkiat said protesters on issues like free-trade agreements and school transfers might join forces with Sondhi, raising the possibility that the crowd could swell into the tens of thousands.

Whether or not violence erupted depended on three factors - how well Sondhi managed the rally, the government's crowd-control measures and media restraint to not inflame the situation, he said.

Senator Sawai Phramanee fears the situation is spinning out of control. He said Sondhi was going too far by holding his anti-Thaksin rally at Sanam Luang, adding: "I urge him to vent his frustration via Parliament instead."

If it is mishandled, the rally could have a tragic and violent ending, the senator said. Sondhi and Thaksin should iron out their differences rather than taking a confrontational approach, he added.

Political analyst Asadang Panikabutr called for the government to exercise restraint and refrain from harsh methods of suppressing the crowd.

"Authorities and rally-organisers are both obliged to strictly observe the law," he said.

Analyst Sukhum Nualskul opposes the rally because he does not think it can bring about change. "Sondhi has chosen the wrong way to be heard," he said.

Sukhum said many people would turn up just to hear Sondhi attack Thaksin even though they did not support the media mogul's campaign.

Political scientist Prayad Hongthongkham said Sondhi lacked a well-thought-out plan of political reform.

"Sondhi is using a lot of catch phrases, like 'return the Royal Powers', without being clear about their meaning," the associate professor at Chulalongkorn University added.

Although Sondhi has the right to free expression, he should not incite the crowd, Prayad said.

Prasarn Maruekpitak, former activist in the October 1973 uprising, said Sondhi had erred in trying to portray himself as leader of a democracy movement.

"I disagree with Sondhi's comparison between his rally and what happened in 1973," he said.

He said he suspected Sondhi was trying to stage the rally in order to bring an end to his "Thailand Weekly" shows rather than lead a political movement.

The conditions that led to the 1973 uprising are completely different from the present situation, and Sondhi is likely to fail if he tries to re-enact what happened 33 years ago, said former student leader Sombat Thamrongthanyawong.

Thai Rak Thai Party deputy spokesman Jatuporn Phromphan said Sondhi did not need to stage a rally if he just wanted to submit a petition to the Royal Palace via Privy Council president General Prem Tinsulanonda.

"Sondhi can petition His Majesty the King without having to inconvenience the people," Jatuporn said.

He said he suspected Sondhi's real motive was to incite violence to force Thaksin out of office. The ploy was similar to the Black May incident of 1992 that resulted in the resignation of former premier Suchinda Klaprayoon following the deaths of protesters.

In the beginning, Sondhi attacked Thaksin as a journalist, but his grudges overwhelmed his judgement, and he became a mob-leader, Jatuporn said.

"Sondhi has no justification in comparing his upcoming rally to the three democracy uprisings in 1973, 1976 and 1992," he said. "Those democrat heroes shed their blood fighting for elected governments, and Sondhi is trying to oust an elected prime minister."

Sondhi is derailing democracy instead of advancing it, he added.

Democrat Party deputy leader Sathit Wongnongtoey said all citizens, including Sondhi, had the right to air their views and gather peacefully.

"The ruling party should not try to bully citizens who have dissenting opinions. Government politicians should stop acting like thugs against a peaceful rally," Sathit said.

Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Democrats had no stand on Sondhi's rally.

"Sondhi is quite ambivalent about what he really wants to achieve with the rally," Abhisit said.

The opposition party's chief adviser, Chuan Leekpai, urged Sondhi to ensure a peaceful rally. "I don't know what Sondhi will do, but everyone has to abide by the rule of law," he said.

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23 January 2006
TODAY (Singapore)

Thailand and Myanmar yesterday opened a new 90-metre "friendship bridge" across the Sai River that divides the two neighbours, which Thailand hopes will boost trade with its neighbour and with China.

"We expect closer ties with Myanmar not only in trade but in transportation and tourism," Thai foreign ministry spokesman Apichart Phetcharatana said. The China-Myanmar border is only about 100km from the bridge. û AFP

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Powerful developer claims to be owner of Thai beachfront

By Kim Barker
Tribune foreign correspondent
Published January 22, 2006


LAEM POM, Thailand -- The woman struggles to the front of the room on her knees, always keeping lower than the government officials seated before her.

Ratree Kongwatmai's demeanor is deferential, but she is also at war. Since the tsunami just over a year ago, she has led the fight for her village, battling a powerful company that claims it owns the valuable beachfront property on which Laem Pom sits.

"We really want to keep our land safe for the next generation, since we have all risked our lives tremendously," she tells the country's interior minister. "Unless you wish to see us risk our lives any further."

The interior minister laughs nervously, along with villagers in the audience. Ratree smiles and adds, only half-joking: "If you can't negotiate nicely with company officials, could you please harass them?"

The disaster exacerbated these existing tensions in the tiny village of Laem Pom. Villagers accuse developer Far East Co. of preventing them from looking for their loved ones the day after the tsunami. Ratree, 32, who lost her daughter, father and sister in the rush of water, shifted anger over her loss onto Far East, which reportedly wants to build a resort on the land.

So reviled is Far East that villagers have named stray dogs after company officials.

From early days to court

Laem Pom was founded almost 40 years ago, when Thais moved here to work in a tin mine; after the mine closed, villagers stayed. Laem Pom remained small, with only 52 homes and a few dirt roads.

No one objected until the mine sold the land to Far East Co. in 2002. The company tried to evict the villagers but had little luck -- until the tsunami washed everything away.

The government, obsessed with protecting Thailand's international reputation, would like such disputes to be settled. The struggle over Laem Pom and other villages is one of the few remaining tsunami-related controversies dogging the country since the disaster. In many ways, recovery in Thailand has been successful and relatively swift.

In Phang Nga province, which suffered 4,255 of Thailand's 5,395 confirmed deaths, officials have already rebuilt the 2,000 homes destroyed by the tsunami. Foreign volunteers have helped clean up beaches and build new boats. Fishing is almost back to normal. International money has paid for a tsunami memorial, including a wall with victims' names.

Accusations against company

A former fish vendor with a 6th-grade education, she has marshaled international support to rebuild homes on the disputed land. Diplomats and foreign volunteers have flocked to help Ratree. And this month, she even won a meeting with one of the top officials in Thailand, the interior minister.

Ratree and other villagers say a barbed-wire fence set up by Far East workers before the tsunami ended up strangling several villagers as the water rushed ashore.

They accuse company security guards of continual harassment, of poisoning dogs, making threatening phone calls and firing guns into the air. They call company workers "the mafia" or "gangsters."

Far East officials have declined to comment on specific charges, although security guards deny harassing villagers or preventing them from searching for loved ones. The company offered to move the villagers to smaller parcels of land, farther from the ocean. But most villagers declined.

Tracing ownership of the land or the company, allegedly based in Thailand, is almost impossible through public records in the country. But several officials and villagers say the company is owned by an influential member of parliament known to use intimidation and violence.

She's an activist now

Before the tsunami, Ratree never attended a protest. Now she organizes demonstrations, wearing T-shirts with messages such as "distribute the land fairly."

She keeps pictures of her daughter's body in a binder, along with a plastic bag containing scraps of her daughter's yellow underwear, all that the girl was wearing when found.

She has turned her grief into revenge. "I've lived all my life on this land," she says. "I lost my loved ones on this land. I have to keep this land."

Her parents moved here almost 40 years ago for the same reason as everyone else--to work in the tin mine.

After the mine closed, villagers turned to fishing and farming, raising vegetables and pigs. The villagers had government-recognized addresses, phone lines and electricity.

But Thailand was changing. In recent years, the resorts that had swallowed Phuket, about 70 miles down the coast, started to move north. Five-star hotels gobbled up chunks of pristine beach. It's easy to see why any developer would be attracted to Laem Pom, with its secluded, white-sand beach framed by palm and pine trees.

The Far East Co. bought the land from the mining company in December 2002, villagers and government officials say. Villagers were sent eviction papers. Court cases were filed. The company set up a barbed-wire fence near the village.

Still, villagers did not worry. They believed that the law supported them because they had lived on the land without objection for more than 10 years.

Then the tsunami came, wiping Laem Pom off the map. The company moved in.

Finding only each other

On that morning, Ratree had driven her motorcycle to a nearby village, trying to persuade a new resort to buy fish from her. Her husband, Panich, had gone to his construction job.

After the monstrous wave struck, Ratree and her husband immediately thought of their 8-year-old daughter, Panipha, and what she had said before they left.

"Please don't go to work today," she had told them, hugging her father's legs. "Please stay with me."

Both Ratree and her husband made their way to the village, but nothing was left. They found each other, but no one else.

The next day, according to Laem Pom villagers, the land was off-limits. "No trespassing" signs had been put up, and Far East security guards patrolled the area.

All told, the tsunami killed 43 of the 139 people in Laem Pom, including six in Ratree's family.

Laem Pom villagers were not the only ones facing land disputes after the tsunami. Three other villages fought against private developers; the government said more than 50 villages would have to move from land it claimed was public.

"The tsunami wiped everything out," said Noppan Promsri of the Save Andaman Network, a coalition of Thai relief groups that has helped Laem Pom. "So for companies and the government, it was seen as the perfect time to go in and clean up and say to villagers, `It's time for you to move.' They thought the villagers wouldn't have the energy to fight anymore."

Fighting and rebuilding

At first the villagers stayed in a refugee camp. But Ratree and others plotted their return.

On Feb. 25 the villagers came back as a group, with foreign volunteers and the news media in tow. They set up tents. With international attention came money; the Thai ambassador to the U.S. sent about $50,000 in American donations to buy material to rebuild 10 houses.

"They have been living here for generations," said Kasit Piromya, who retired as ambassador in September. "It's tradition in Thailand. And suddenly, a big politician, a big baron, came up with the title. It should not have been allowed."

Over several months, villagers and volunteers built 33 new houses where village homes stood before. The company backed off any strong-arm tactics, likely because of the publicity, and chose instead to pursue its claim in court. That allowed the villagers to set up makeshift power poles and string lines to connect illegally into government power supplies. Villagers bought mobile phones because the government would not install phone lines. They dug wells.

Today, the threat from the company lurks everywhere, making it difficult for villagers to relax or go back to work. Security guards sit in a house just outside the village. Signs blare a variety of warnings: "This is private land. No entry . . . This land is still in court." "No entry or building here." "Don't collect any garbage from this area."

Ultimately, there's no guarantee that the villagers will be able to stay. "Flip a coin," says Phiraphol Tritasavit, director general of the department of lands for the government. "In court, they have a 50-50 chance."

But at the meeting, Interior Minister Kongsak Vantana listens patiently as Ratree outlines plans for Laem Pom. He promises a crying woman that he will investigate her claims of intimidation by big business.

Kongsak tells Ratree that Laem Pom will get government power and phone service. After the meeting, Kongsak says he wants to help the community stay where it is.

Ratree seems satisfied with Kongsak's promises, but she plans to keep fighting. After a year of battle and trying to win help from the government, she says she does not trust people in power or anything they say. "He's fair," she says. "But I want him to stay that way."

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707 words
23 January 2006
Bangkok Post
English

It is time for government to come up with a comprehensive plan to promote and to encourage alternative energy. Authorities have sketched a rough, hodge-podge programme to replace some of the gasoline and diesel used by autos, trucks and buses. But the country needs, and is ready for a lot more than a few scattered tax incentives to encourage big industry cronies to build hybrid cars or to sell more gasohol at ever higher prices. Citizens must be involved, as the ones who switch from mostly imported fossil fuels. This will take a large government investment, to help move the country over the hump from carbon dependence to alternative energy.

Everyone in Thailand is vitally aware of volatile oil prices which have raised the cost of living. And if they think about it, Thais also know the government is juggling books and supplies without much thought for the future of individual citizens. By contrast, California under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has set aside $2.9 billion - 115 billion baht - to subsidise one million citizens who install rooftop solar systems. Americans who buy or lease a hybrid car or pickup this year are to receive direct tax credits of up to $3,400, or 135,000 baht.

Such tax incentives, loan guarantees and subsidies create a win-win situation, and contrast to current plans for subsidies to a few, favoured big industries. Subsidies and tax breaks may encourage auto makers to produce hybrid cars, but consumers will not buy products they cannot afford. At the moment, micro-economics works against alternative energy. Gasohol, bio-diesel, hybrid cars and solar energy installations all cost more than their fossil fuel alternatives. Even citizens eager to switch cannot often afford the transition to alternative energy. Paltry pump subsidies are fine, but not enough.

The government has money and credit. It must help beyond special treatment for the two or three companies jumping aboard the gasohol and biodiesel bandwagon. It is time for leaders to stop talking the talk for a few favoured business cronies, and begin to walk the walk for all. That means giving citizens loans and tax breaks for using alternative energy, buying power-saving vehicles and devices, and installing equipment to save energy, now and for years to come. It also means combing the law books to rewrite laws which conflict with energy saving, and start encouraging alternative sources.

For example, a regulation strongly enforced until recently banned all forms of electricity generation except by the former state monopoly, Electrical Generating Authority of Thailand. Dozens of such laws date back to the days when the main job of the state monopoly was to sell electricity - or gas, petrol and other energy - and the more they sold, the better. Now these sectors have been liberalised, the companies privatised, and the laws are worse than useless. They still inhibit investors from starting up new ventures to make, market and popularise solar electricity generation, wind power and battery research.

But the biggest block to developing alternative energy is money. Here, the government can and must help. Take the simple case of 250,000 hot water heaters installed in Thai family dwellings each year. A builder can put in an electric or gas unit for around 5,000 baht, and it will cost the home buyer perhaps a few hundred baht a month in electricity, maximum. A solar panel may cost 30,000 baht to install, but then costs nothing to run, and will work for 15 to 20 years, guaranteed. The homeowner uses no electricity, but doesn't break even for around nine or 10 years after a costly investment. A small loan can mean the difference between adding to the demand for electricity, or subtracting from it.

In Thailand, most homes can be run on solar electricity, and even air-conditioned with such roof-mounted power units. Companies can power production plants from the sun. Industrial estates can establish windmill "farms" to provide electricity to their clients. But because of large start-up costs, there is little incentive and almost no available funds. Tax incentives can quickly convince businesses and households to switch. Easy loans, subsidised by the state, can do the same.

[U-Need]

KRABI, Jan 23 (TNA) - Last Update : 2006-01-23 / 09:52:22 (GMT+7:00)

The government-supported bio-diesel project is anticipated to help reduce Thailand's imports of diesel by up to Bt60 billion annually over the next five years, according to Energy Minister Viset Choopiban.

Mr. Viset told journalists on Sunday when he inspected progress on stated-backed oil palm plantations in the country's southern Krabi Province that the resort province is now ready for bio-diesel production both for community and commercial consumption--as an alternative energy in the future.

The government had supported expanding oil palm plantations up to eight million rai (2.5 rai = 1 acre) nationwide by 2010, he noted.

The government had also targeted to reduce the country's diesel imports by 10 per cent or around Bt60 billion by 2011, replacing them with the locally-produced bio-diesel, said the minister.

The local bio-diesel project will also help generate more incomes for local farmers, according to Mr. Viset.

[U-Need]

134 words
23 January 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: General News - Police have arrested the owner, driver, and staff of a coach after they were found to have been stealing belongings of foreign tourists.

15 foreign tourists from the United States, Ireland, South Africa, and South Korea alerted the tourism police of their missing belongings while they were traveling from Surat Thani Province to Bangkok. An interception point was set up and police successfully searched the coach, finding digital cameras and many currencies tucked away at different spots inside the vehicle. Initially, the two staff on the coach confessed the group had previously carried out such act several times. However, the owner and the driver of the coach were still denying charges.

[U-Need]

Grade 3 Junior High School girl bites rapist's jewel

董里府那傭縣某校摩3（高中3年級）學生艾(化名，16歲)小姐前天凌晨2時到該府縣警署報案稱，她遭乃錫 提蓬(28歲，家住該府縣拉摩區2村)誘拐強暴不遂。

她供說，大前天晚，她有事到附近親戚家，當時她的親戚乃諾和數名男女在該處共飲。乃諾邀她加入，飲了一會， 乃諾建議到該府縣某卡拉OK喝唱玩樂，並邀她同往，她一口答應。

該卡拉OK店打佯後，乃諾的1名男友乃錫提蓬自願騎他的機車送她返家。她見乃錫提蓬是乃諾的好 友而答應。

乃錫提蓬騎機車到半路黑暗角落停下，到附近雜貨店買了1瓶啤酒邀她共飲，同時上前擁吻她。

她搶過他的酒瓶猛毆他頭部致流出鮮血。他大怒，當即摑她數記耳光。她拔足奔逃，他隨後緊追。她奔至河邊，見 前面已無去路，當即跳入河中。他也隨後跳下追上，把她拖上岸，然後用繩子把她綁起來，將她衣服剝光，迫嚇她 口交。他威脅她，若拒絕就當場把她殺死。

她急中生智，當即照辦。當他將那話兒塞進她口中時，她猛力一口咬下，他當場痛得失聲嚷叫。恰好有人開車經過 ，她大聲喊救。乃錫提蓬見勢不妙，忍痛跳上機車逃逸。她即穿上衣服馳往報警。

警稍後逮獲乃錫提蓬。他狡辯說，艾小姐用酒瓶敲破他頭顱激起他怒火他才摑她耳光。他並沒強暴她。警將乃錫提 蓬扣押，控以拐帶不滿18週歲少女和淫穢罪，同時押他往醫院檢查他那話兒被咬痕跡。