Anything & Everything About Thailand

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 7 February 2006 :-

Thai AirAsia licence in doubt

By Amornrat Mahitthirook

The Transport Ministry is investigating Thai AirAsia's shareholding structure to see if it should still be licensed as a Thai airline following the sale of its parent company Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings.

A ministry source said a Thai airline must be at least 51% Thai-owned. Shin Corp used to have a 51% stake in Thai AirAsia while the rest is held by AirAsia of Malaysia.

Following the sale on Jan 23 of the Shinawatra and Damapong families' 49.6% holding in Shin Corp, the remaining Thai owner of Thai AirAsia should be its chief executive officer Tassapon Bijleveld, who has a 1% stake.

The airline management is looking for a new Thai partner to retain the 51% proportion and the business, the same source said.

Deputy Transport Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said yesterday that he had ordered the Aviation Department to check the shareholding structure of Thai AirAsia. Pending its reply, the airline could continue its service as usual.

Chaisak Angsuwan, head of the Aviation Department, said he had already inquired about the shareholding structure with the airline, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commerce Ministry, and was waiting for their replies.

If the Thai ownership was less than 51%, the department would revoke Thai AirAsia's licence, he said.

Mr Tassapon was unavailable for comment yesterday but would hold a press conference on the matter soon, his secretary said.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 7 February 2006 :-

Chiang Mai Night Safari finally throws open its doors after long delay

After a 10-month delay, the controversial 1.15-billion-baht Chiang Mai Night Safari Park finally celebrated its grand opening yesterday, but without the long-awaited 175 wild animals it is trying to obtain from Kenya.

The ceremony was presided over by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who will also chair a mobile cabinet meeting at the zoo today.

Besides an extravagant performance staged by the zoo's director, Plodprasop Suraswadi, a highlight of yesterday's opening was the debut of a pair of white tiger cubs - Lizhen and Zhaojin - donated by a zoo in China as a gesture of friendship between Bangkok and Beijing.

Zoo staffers said the stressed-out cubs had arrived at the zoo just three days ago and were having trouble adjusting to their new surroundings and Thailand's hot weather.

Mr Thaksin said the zoo was part of the multi-billion-baht Chiang Mai World project that was aimed to make his hometown the country's ''second capital''.

''The night safari is my proud achievement. And I will carry on with it no matter how hard the protesters attack this project,'' said Mr Prodprasop, who has been bombarded with accusations of irregularities involving the zoo's operation over the past several years.

The zoo was originally scheduled to open on April 13 last year, but the date was postponed several times, partly because of problems involving the import of wild animals from foreign countries, including Kenya and Australia.

The Kenyan government suspended its plan to deliver 175 birds and animals to Thailand last year following a controversy over Mr Plodprasop's plan to serve the meat of wild animals, such as giraffe and zebra steaks, at a zoo restaurant.

Most of the 900 animals being displayed at the Night Safari were obtained from domestic zoos, with the exception of white tigers from China and hippos from Germany.

The park, however, may receive animals from Australia soon.

An Australian tribunal yesterday approved the import of eight endangered Asian elephants from Thailand as part of an elephant-koala exchange deal between the Thai and Australian governments.

Under the deal, Thailand is to send the elephants, aged 3-8, to zoos in Sydney and Melbourne in exchange for at least two koalas from Australia to be kept at the Night Safari.

The eight elephants have spent months waiting in quarantine in Thailand as animal groups in both countries protested their export to Australia, saying they were better off in Thai camps than living in Australian zoos.

But the Australian court yesterday said the importation could go ahead on the condition that the zoos met a list of criteria, including providing appropriate flooring and installing closed-circuit televisions.

Rebecca Brand, a campaign officer for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said animal groups were pleased with the decision.

''Yes, the animals will be coming, but we have vastly improved their welfare as a result of this case,'' she said.

''This will set a standard that will be looked at around the world.''

Thailand is estimated to have about 1,600 elephants living in the wild and about 3,000 captive.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 7 February 2006 :-

Green tea giants squeeze out rivals

By Pitsinee Jitpleecheep

Though the seven-billion-baht green tea market may have appeared attractive and lucrative for investors, it has actually become a battlefield where only the tough and lucky survive.

Since the Taiwanese brand Unif launched green tea in the market in 2001, some 40 brands have flocked in, hoping to cash in on growing demand for the drink, widely considered to be healthy by consumers.

But only a handful have proved successful, including Oishi, Unif, Ajinomoto's Sencha, T.C. Pharmaceutical's Puriku and Boon Rawd's Mochi.

Over the last two years, a number of manufacturers have left the market, including Unilever Thai Holding's Lipton Wave, Sakura, Siam and other local brands.

The juice producer Tipco is planning to stop selling its green tea temporarily this year, while Beverage Partners Worldwide, a joint venture between Coca-Cola (Thailand) and Nestle (Thailand) which owned the Shizen brand, is reportedly planning to stop producing green tea in near future.

A source at Coca-Cola (Thailand) said the company had huge inventories of the Shizen green tea drink, which led it to temporarily stop ordering the product from its sub-contract manufacturer, SET-listed Food & Drink Plc.

But a source from Food & Drink disclosed that it had stopped producing the green tea altogether.

According to a representative at one leading supermarket, the price of green tea has been set around 18-20 baht per bottle, but Coca-Cola's Shizen is selling at 14 baht for two bottles at present.

According to Tan Passakornnatee, president of Oishi Group Plc, it will be difficult to stay in the market if manufacturers don't have a strong combination of taste, distribution network, brand, operational cost controls and marketing campaigns.

The market value of green tea increased tremendously to 1.6 billion baht from six billion baht in 2005 and 2004 and 400 million baht in 2003.

As well, spending on green-tea promotions in the media has increased sharply to 868 million baht in 2005, from 500 million in 2004, 200 million in 2003, 69 million in 2002 and 12 million in 2001.

"Brands that win the game today may not necessarily win tomorrow because the market is changing fast and all the time," he said.

Each market is also different, he added. For example, after success in Laos, the company wanted to speed up its expansion in Cambodia.

"I have had to adjust our strategy for Cambodia four times in one day. I first offered Cambodian people [the product] at only US (39 baht) per two Oishi bottles, down from 28 baht, but nobody bought it," he said.

"When I changed to giving them a free trial, they just ran away."

Mr Tan did not give up. He switched strategy yet again to give away a free doll for every two Oishi bottles, which has finally proved successful.

Now, the company's sales in Cambodia stand at about 50,000 cases per month, more than in Laos, at 30,000-40,000 bottles.

Mr Tan said that green tea makers who wanted to be successful had to be observant and adapt quickly.

Somchai Pornrattanacharoen, the president of Thailand's Wholesale and Retail Association, reported that sales of green tea through grocery stores moved more slowly in 2005 than they did the year before, because the products were quite expensive and consumers had more alternatives they could drink.

Mr Tan and an executive of T.C. Pharmaceutical Co, the owner of the Puriku brand, were optimistic about the green tea outlook this year. Mr Tan predicted that three brands would hold 80% of green tea sales within the next few years.

[U-Need]

1097 words
8 February 2006
Bangkok Post
English

Don Sambandaraksa

It is not often than an interview brings me to tears, but a recent interview with Dr Itti Rittaporn managed to do just that. What started off as a nice, colloquial chat about the future of RFID in Thailand soon turned to the issue of Thailand's 12 million smart ID cards and the unending series of problems the project seems to stir up.

Itti-Sensei (he speaks fluent Japanese) spoke of what was by then a well-known rumour that the cards (which Nectec had already said failed the Terms of Reference and should have been rejected ages ago) had duplicated card ID numbers.

The problem came to light when programmers for the system tried to isolate what they first thought was a software bug preventing some cards from being issued. Later, they discovered that the software was fine, but that the CID numbers, the card's unique fingerprint serial number, was found to be issued in pairs.

Basically countless pairs of cards were coming off the production line with the same "unique" fingerprint, thus crashing the system.

Itti-Sensei said that what first was thought to be only tens of thousands now seems to be well over a hundred thousand card pairs. With only a million or so cards issued, we could even be looking at half of them being duplicated - nobody knows the exact scope of the problem yet.

This adds yet another layer of controversy to an already troubled and delayed project.

In June last year, Nectec said the card failed the Terms of Reference in four key areas: having less than 32KB of memory available to Java Card applets; incomplete Java implementation; lack of public key encryption libraries on-card; and an inability to securely add and delete applets.

The Thai ID card is seriously crippled in terms of security and trust without even a single online service being offered yet. The questions raised today are more than enough to mean that nobody in their right mind would trust this card to hold a legally binding private key, for national identification, or let alone for e-voting.

The lack of public key encryption libraries in ROM have been addressed by STMicro, the makers of the card, by equipping the card with proprietary encryption facilities. This brings two big problems. First is compatibility - using non-Java extensions makes a mockery of using an open-standard Java card in the first place and will lead to either lock-in to the STMicro card or a software maintenance nightmare when each batch of cards has their own proprietary extensions.

The second problem is that if the encryption library is an add-on library rather than hard-coded in ROM, it can be modified and changed at a later date, perhaps with a version which purposefully has a backdoor.

The inability to add and remove applets was addressed by providing a proprietary backup/restore module. Aside from compatibility problems (every applet has to be modified to include the backup/restore code), it also means that the security is only as strong as the weakest link - in this case the backup/restore module rather than the well-tested Java Card security features.

Add to that the fact that the card's unique card ID number is no longer unique. Just what security is left in this card? Not much. How much trust is left in this card? Even less.

We might as well be putting our private encryption keys on USB drives or floppy disks at this rate, or on a piece of paper folded and put under our pillows at night.

The government seems to want us to think that the project can be salvaged. It cannot. But critics like Dr Itti, Dr Thaweesak Koanantakool and Dr Rom Hiranpruk have been treated almost as if they were enemies of the state, ridiculed and to some degree have had their integrity and professionalism publicly called into question.

The emperor is naked, but when these three point that fact out, it is they who are silenced.

Today the Bureau of Registration Administration (BoRA) is returning the cards to the ICT Ministry to have them replaced under warranty. But should they have done so? Perhaps a better idea would be to have destroyed the clone cards so that at least we can be certain that the CID of cards in circulation is indeed unique. Or should both of the Siamese-twin cards have been destroyed, with the issued one recalled, to prevent any doubt arising in the future.

What kind of doubt?

Take, for instance, a future e-election. Someone can write the perfect piece of software that uses smart card technology to ensure that voting takes place only by the cardholder. But, what if there are two cards with the exact same details - down to the card's unique serial number? That would make a mockery of the system and render any audit trails all but useless as someone can claim it was the clone card which did it.

But that is not the reason I cried.

Itti-Sensei told me why he was willing to go on the record to be named in the breaking of the existence of these Siamese twin cards. He wanted the people of Thailand to know how their tax money was being spent. He wanted to do his bit as a patriot before going to live in Japan. He wants his one-year-old son to know that his father has done everything he can for his country, even if all is in vain.

Itti has devoted much of his life into Tmec and to his dream of Thailand having its own chip wafer fabrication plant. He has done all he can in trying from a government standpoint to jumpstart Thailand's silicon industry, but to no avail. Instead of being recognised as the patriot he is, people have criticised Itti for using government funds to compete with the private sector and for giving biased advice so he can be given funding for his wafer fab project.

Dr Itti has given up trying to help Thailand from the Thai side and instead will work with Tmec from the Japanese side so that one day his dream may come true. He joins many other people I know who have chosen exile rather than bring up their families under a regime which values committee votes rather than intelligence. My thoughts and best wishes go with him to Nagoya, now and always.

[U-Need]

865 words
8 February 2006
Bangkok Post
English

In one of the greatest shock surprises in Thai history, the Shingapore government controlled Temasek Holdings company paid 73.3 billion baht for the company formerly known after its founder as Shinawatra Corp - the No 1 yuppiephone company Advanced Info Service, Shin Satellite, iTV, Capital OK, SC Matchbox advert agency and Internet provider CS Loxinfo - the whole kit and kaboodle including the right to start calling it Shingapore; no one at Shin Corp knew anything about the sale, and the prime minister himself swore he never discussed the deal during his Christmas trip to Shingapore with his fabulously wealthy family; the whole sale, which put Thailand's biggest telecoms conglomerate in Shingapore hands, was a total surprise to everyone except the public, or, as a columnist for a down-market daily newspaper called it, "An outright lie." Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra announced that the sale of Shin Corp was not subject to taxation; thousands kvetched, but who could argue?

The constant, wide-eyed Shin Corp declarations of innocence over the sale - described as "a tall story" in one of the kinder columns - assures a long, bitter and probably political fight over the sale; by denying knowledge of a deal that was on the front pages for weeks, Shin Corp principals including Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra did not only make themselves look phoney in many eyes, but raised cynicism in corporate and public governance to a new level; headhunters were on the phone to dispirited Shin Corp executives, and a firestorm of criticism began on front pages and in Internet chat rooms over the fact the public will get no taxes from the deal no matter what the law says; Mr Thaksin said his kids handled the whole deal, and some claimed to believe him.

Boonklee Plangsiri announced he would remain as CEO of Shingapore Corp; Yingluck Shinawatra resigned as president of Advanced Info Service, and Mr Boonklee promised to promote a company employee to replace her; Shingapore Corp appointed Pong Sarasin as chairman, replacing Bhannapot Damapong, who requires a long stretch of uninterrupted quiet to count his money.

The sudden realisation that control of the most vital and important telecoms firm in Thailand was under Shingaporean control added to the shock and frustration over how Shin Corp treated the public over the sale; many called it a threat to Thai security, far surpassing concern over the sale last year of No 2 yuppiephone firm DTAC to Telenor of Norway; the Shingapore takeover of Shin Corp, with its dozens of telecoms tentacles even including space satellites, also mocked the claim by the Magnificent Seven and Free Trade Agreement negotiators that Thailand was too fragile and under-developed to open its telecoms markets and companies to foreign investment and competition.

The (admittedly potential) Sight of the Year will be Shingapore-owned Shin Corp whining that foreigners are trying to horn in on the Thai telecommunications market. The most telling statement so far was when Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the day after the sale that he would wash his hands of business - from now on.

The political fallout of the Shingapore Corp sale was intense; Sen Chirmsak Pinthong, chairman of the Senate committee against corruption, said he would track the money from the sale and urge the Anti-Money Laundering Office, the National Counter Corruption Commission and the Bank of Thailand to do the same; Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva called for a minimum of governance standards, and the Democrat Party set up a special committee to look into the sale.

Little Teensy Weensy Story of the Week: A magnificent "source" from the National Telecommunications Commission seemed to have assured Shingapore Corp it will receive a third-generation yuppiephone operating licence in quick time, not that a national commission ever would get involved in a huge private business deal just to please the prime minister's family, you suspicious person, you.

In another huge coincidence, 10 government-provided computers for the Ban Hora school in Roi Et province arrived just days before the Big Brother reality show from Channel 16 showed up to show the eating and sleeping habits of the prime minister. For people with long memories: Public Health Minister Phinij Jarusombat scrapped the 900 million baht plan to provide computers for hospitals, not that any corruption was involved, perish the thought.

Proprietors of the biggest Thai-owned telecoms company on Earth said it was time to reform the industry; True Corp CEO Supachai Cheavaranont explained that the purchase of Shin Corp by Shingapore meant first and foremost the old concession programme of the state monopolies must be scrapped forthwith; Mr Supachai said paying off your TOT and your CAT Telecom in order to operate had now become a serious burden for the remaining Thai companies in the field; he felt the Magnificent Seven owe the country a clear explanation of immediate reform policies.

Your Thai Telecom demonstrated its technical expertise at censorship when it cut the ASTV satellite signal to make sure Sondhi Limthongkul could not spread any of that horrid talk of his; the well-known media critic and PM's Office Minister Suranand Vejjajiva took credit for the censorship.

[U-Need]

351 words
8 February 2006
09:22
English

TOP STORIES

- Two companies named Ample Rich -- one incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and the other incorporated as an English company -- were involved in the trading of Shin Corp stocks in the period leading up to Temasek's 73.2 billion baht takeover of Shin Corp, according to an investigation by Democrat MP Korbsak Sabhavasu (THE NATION)

- Thai AirAsia, a unit of Shin Corp, is looking for new Thai partners to maintain its Thai-majority ownership in order to keep its aviation licence in the wake of the Temasek deal (THE NATION)

- Jaruvan Maintaka returned to her post as auditor-general and pledged she would tackle corruption issues which have been plaguing the country (BANGKOK POST)

- Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's popularity has soared according to a poll released on Tuesday, despite a recent massive anti-government protest and plans for a second rally which has been banned from a royal square (BUSINESS DAY)

BUSINESS

- EGAT PCL employees have criticised the Revenue Department for double standards over tax income charges on shares offered to staff under the utility's initial public offering (BANGKOK POST)

- The campaign to oust Thaksin is threatening to affect the government's plans to launch its 1.8 trillion baht mega-projects, as the clouded and confusing situation has foreign investors worried about political uncertainty, a government official said (THE NATION)

- Business leaders called for political and legal reform, particularly of the Constitution, to relieve the current political pressure and strengthen the country's long-term footing (THE NATION)

- Thai Airways International plans to set up a domestic airline called Euarng Luang this year to cater to high-end passengers, while it will focus on international routes (THE NATION)

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 8 February 2006 :-

Tunnel route study (from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son) province approved by Cabinet : Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai shortcut

By Preeyanat Phanayanggoor

Chiang Mai _ The Cabinet yesterday gave the go-ahead for a feasibility study of the proposed tunnel under the northern mountain ridge to create a shortcut from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son province. The Ministry of Transport would be in charge of studying the viability and construction costs of the project, which would help shorten the route between Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son by 60km, said government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee.

There was still no estimated cost for the project, he said.

However, it was likely to be 20% more expensive than a normal road because of the costs of digging the tunnel through the mountain ridge.

The Chiang Mai-Samoeng-Mae Hong Son route was proposed by businesses in the eight upper northern provinces - Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Phrae, Nan, Mae Hong Son, Lampang and Phayao. But a prominent Chiang Mai environmentalist, Nikhom Phutta, of Wildlife Fund Thailand, opposed the project saying it would cause grave damage to the dense forest.

''The mountain ridge between Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son is covered by a wide range of prime forest. Road construction will cause an unacceptable impact on this fragile ecosystem and on wild animals,'' he said.

The road would also lead to an influx of illegal goods, including weapons and drugs, from Burma via Mae Hong Son to Chiang Mai, said Mr Nikhom.

The existing Chiang Mai-Mae Hong Son route was well-known for being tough on drivers as it has almost 2,000 curves, but this was part of the innate charm of these northern provinces, he said.

The cabinet yesterday also approved around a five-billion-baht budget for development projects in Chiang Mai and all seven upper northern provinces.

The approved projects include a 300 million baht to tackle floods in Chiang Mai, a plan to build another knowledge park in Chiang Mai, similar to Thailand Knowledge Park (TK Park) in Bangkok, a plan to introduce the sufficiency economy concept to Karen communities and the preservation plan around Chiang Mai's old city duct.

For the upper northern provinces, the cabinet approved around 27.6 million baht for a plan to develop the Wiang Lor archeological site in Phayao and 13 projects under the strategy to turn the region into a software and medical hub as well as to become a gateway for investment and transportation, connecting the Greater Mekong Sub-region countries and members of the Bangladesh-India-Myanmar-Sri Lanka-Thailand Economic Cooperation, or Bimstec.

The projects include a new road running parallel to the railway between Chiang Mai and Lamphun, and improvement of Mae Hong Son airport.

The cabinet, however, approved only 300 million baht out of the proposed 13 billion baht for the flood early warning system along the Ping River, a top priority of locals.

Mr Surapong said the government wanted to wait for proposals from foreign investors about water management megaprojects, to be considered on April 28, before making any decisions about flood prevention schemes.

[U-Need]

Inter Press News Service
859 words
7 February 2006


He may have enough votes to back his claim to be the legitimately elected head of government, but beleaguered Thai Prime Miniser Thaksin Shinawatra is now being charged by his critics with lacking in qualities that befit a Buddhist leader.

Marwan Macan-Markar

BANGKOK ,

Days after one of the largest anti-government rallies witnessed in the Thai capital in over a decade, this line of argument -- that Thaksin has lost his legitimacy from a Buddhist point of view -- is gaining currency and being offered as a reason behind the swelling anti-Thaksin rage.

Thai leaders are ''expected to uphold Buddhist values,'' Somkiat Tangkitvanich, a leading economist at the Thailand Development Research Institute, a respected think tank, said at a seminar here on Tuesday. ''Without these values, the leader loses legitimacy.''

Among the 10 principles Buddhists expect their leaders to uphold are a commitment to charity and generosity, high moral character, self-sacrifice, honesty, kindness, austerity and non-violence.

But a billion dollar business deal that Thaksin's family has profited from, and his reaction to his critics since then, has eroded any claims the prime minister can make to living up to these Buddhist ideals, Somkiat said. ''These beliefs are deep rooted in Thai Buddhism.''

''Businessmen and those in political power should have greater social responsibility,'' Suchit Bungbongkarn, a former judge on Thailand's Constitutional Court, said at the same seminar held at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. ''They have to raise the moral standards in their decisions.''

Typical of those venting their anger against Thaksin is 70-year-old Jaruit Jaruprakorn, who was among the estimated 40,000 people who gathered Saturday evening at Bangkok's spacious Royal Plaza to boo, jeer and chant for Thaksin's resignation.

''He took all what he can from the country; we cannot stand it any longer,'' a visibly angry Jaruit said while standing in front of a sea of heads sporting the yellow caps and bandanas that have come to symbolise the colours of the anti-Thaksin crusade. ''Throw Thaksin out. That is why I am here.''

Even in cyberspace there is a similar emotional register, with Thais leaving caustic messages on popular web boards. ''PM Thaksin is doing everything to cheat the country in order to make his family and himself richer,'' wrote one Thai under the name 'Kaze no Raizen' on the 'Pantip.com' web site.

Thailand's 64 million people are predominantly Buddhist, and the curriculum in schools offer a steady dose of lessons about the character and qualities expected of individuals who have to lead the country according to Buddhist precepts. Narratives of monarchs who have ruled the country in a righetous manner since the 14th century also help underpin this belief.

The financial deal that has riled many Thais, at least in Bangkok, is a Jan. 23 transaction where Shin Corp., the telecommunication giant owned by the Thaksin family, was sold for 1.88 billion US dollars to a Singapore company, with no taxes paid.

Thaksin, who founded Shin Corp. and had become a billionaire tycoon before he took over the reins as prime minister, dismissed his critics of being jealous of his family's financial windfall.

''That is not a reaction one expects of a Buddhist leader. He is gloating about making himself and his family richer rather than trying to help others,'' Sulak Sivarksa, a respected activist and commentator on the Buddhist way of life in Thailand, told IPS. ''It shows he has not grasped the 10 principles of virtue.''

By choosing to ignore this religious challenge to his legitimacy, Thaksin is revealing that he is out of touch with his country's cultural currents or he does not want to be held accountable by these values, say people like Kasit Piromya, Thailand's former ambassador to the United States.

''He is making things worse for himself and proving that he is not interested in the Buddhist way of life,'' Kasit told IPS. ''He cannot just talk about the votes he got at the election and ignore the need to lead the country in a moral way.''

Thaskin's Thai Rak Thai (Thais Love Thai or TRT) party secured an unprecedented mandate in February last year when it was re-elected to power for a second term by some 19 million voters. The TRT currently has 376 seats in the 500-member legislature.

Such a mandate, following an equally comfortable majority during the previous term beginning in January 2001, has enabled Thaksin to ignore a steady stream of accusations about his autocratic tendencies and accusations that he was shaping government policy to feather his own nest.

But Thaksin has only to look at a campaign against one of Thailand's leading beverage companies to realise that a public drive to uphold Buddhist values can wreak much damage.

Since February last year, the highly profitable company that sells the popular 'Chang' brand of beer has been prevented from selling in the Thai stock market due to demonstrations against it led by Buddhist monks that have brought thousands of protestors on to Bangkok's streets.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 8 February 2006 :-

Call to boycott AIS, banks tied to S’pore

A university rector yesterday called for a boycott of Singaporean products and services in a bid to whip up anti-Singapore sentiments and force Temasek Holdings to relinquish its stake in Shin Corp.

“Thai people are capable of buying back Shin shares sold to Temasek and should unite in boycotting Singapore,” said Anusorn Srikaew, rector of Rangsit University.

Consumers should stop using the services of mobile phone operator AIS and of banks with equity ties to Singapore, he said.

Anusorn was speaking at a seminar organised by the Thai Journalists Association on the ramifications of the Shin Corp sell-off.

Other panellists included senators Sopon Supapong and Nirand Pitakwatchara, as well as Thepchai Yong, group editor of Nation Multimedia Group, publisher of The Nation.

Sopon said the massive sale of Shin shares could take place only because the country has a businessman for a prime minister.

“As business and politics converge, the thinking is about how to make more money to boost power further,” he said.

Judging from the Shin Corp sell-off, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had violated the ban against conflicts of interest in Article 209 of the Constitution, he added.

Sopon said that in his capacity as prime minister, Thaksin ensured that his family’s Shin equity stakes would leap from Bt1.5 billion to Bt73.3 billion in five years. His family benefited by converting its business control over national assets - such as air waves, mobile phone services, communication satellites - into its private wealth, he added.

Nirand said Thaksin had condoned the Shin-Temasek deal at the expense of national security.

Shin had concessions to manage national assets, including iTV and four ThaiCom satellites, which Thaksin had just handed over to a Singaporean investment firm, he said.

“Thaksin argued that his children sold Shin shares because they wanted him to be freed from [allegations of] conflicts of interest. The fact is the father wants to satisfy his own greed,” Nirand said.

Nation Multimedia Group editor Thepchai noted that Thaksin and Singapore’s leaders had a similar view on the role of the media.

“Thaksin and Singaporean leaders think alike about the control of the media,” he said.

In Singapore, the media can merely report without the ability to check on the government’s performance, he said.

Thaksin might want to position iTV in the same manner, Thepchai added.

“I think there might be a secret agreement to allow the Thai political side to retain control of iTV after the Shin sell-off,” he said.

Sathian Wiriyapanpongsa
The Nation

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 8 February 2006 :-

THAI to start local airline

Thai Airways International Plc plans to set up a domestic airline called Euarng Luang this year to cater to high-end passengers, while it will focus on international routes. The new carrier will be THAI’s second, following Nok Air, which operates low-cost flights on mainly domestic routes.

It will be entirely owned by THAI, unlike Nok Air, which has other shareholders.

THAI chairman Wanchai Sarathulthat said yesterday that Euarng Luang would serve domestic passengers who prefer premium services. It is expected to start operating from Don Muang airport after Suvarnabhumi Airport opens, possibly in the second half of this year.

Euarng Luang would turn THAI back to the era when the Finance Ministry owned two airlines – Thai Airways and Thai International – for local and international markets, respectively. The airlines were merged some 15 years ago.

Like other airlines, THAI needs to refine its strategies more often. This will be the main task of the new THAI president.

Yesterday, the four candidates were interviewed on five questions covering management strategies, marketing strategies, organisation administration, revenue-generating measures and cost-reduction plans. They were given a week to hand in their proposals, after which they will be called in for another interview. The result will be known next month.

A source close to the recruiting committee said if none of them is qualified, Somchainuk Engtrakul would stay on as acting president until the company can find a permanent replacement.

The candidates are all THAI insiders - Chinawut Naressaenee, executive vice president for customer services; Apinan Sumanaseni, EVP for operations; Norahuch Ployyai, EVP for standards and general administration; and Supachai Limpisvasti, managing director of the technical department.

Suchat Sritama
The Nation

[U-Need]

437 words
8 February 2006
Bangkok Post
English

ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA

The government was urged yesterday to show true sincerity in the battle against HIV/Aids by giving free condoms to Thai teens instead of letting youngsters sell condoms to their peers.

"Society is changing today, and I do agree with the idea that every teenage girl should carry condoms with her wherever she goes," Senator Rabiabrat Pongpanich told a Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (Path) seminar on the Pop! Condom project in which students sell condoms to other students.

"But the distribution of condoms should be the responsibility of the government, not students, and they should get condoms for free," she said.

The Pop! Condom project will be run by YouthNet, a group which promotes sex education and HIV/Aids prevention. It will have student volunteers selling condoms to peers at cheap prices - two for about 15 baht.

Wannakanok Pohitaedaoh, YouthNet coordinator, said the project was to help youths protect themselves from unsafe sex by making condoms readily available.

"That's why we came up with Oop! Selling condoms cheaply between friends will protect people from HIV/Aids and unwanted pregnancy," she said.

"Carrying condoms does not mean we're always ready to have sex, but there could be risks, like when a girl is raped, perhaps she can use the condom to protect herself,"she said.

She agreed, though, that it would not be necessary for students to sell condoms if the government provided condoms freely to them.

Songklod Bangyikhan, editor of A Day magazine, said he wouldn't oppose teenagers carrying condoms, but he questioned if the campaign would work. He said young people might be too embarrassed to buy condoms from people they knew.

Mr Songklod suggested other methods such as putting condom vending machines in school toilets.

Ms Wannakanok said her campaign would do more than sell condoms. The youth volunteers would also be trained to provide counselling about condoms and safe sex.

The Oop! Condom project is to be launched on Sunday ahead of Valentine's Day.

The event will involve activities and games hosted by youth groups which are involved in HIV/Aids prevention and sex education issues, including V-Teen group, Thai Teens Against Aids, Friends for Teens and the Rainbow Sky Group.

Usasinee Riewthong, from Path, said the event was aimed at encouraging youths to be responsible about love and sex.

"Every year, Valentine's Day is usually a period when youths

[U-Need]

Hired assassins are in big demand during Thai election campaigns, but this time the police say they have the gunmen in their sights, writes Steve Sandford in Bangkok.

GUNMEN are expected to be as busy as professional pollsters after the announcement last week by Thailand's electoral commission of the coming Senate race, with voters going to the polls in April..

That's why the Royal Thai Police have released a list of known hitmen they want stopped from affecting the outcome of the vote.

But human rights groups are concerned that the police may use the list to eliminate political opponents, while ignoring the source of cash that is paying for assassinations of political candidates.

The latest clean-up follows a long history of blood-splattered campaigns often referred to as "the killing season", with candidates hiring mui phuen, or gunmen, to rub out their competition.

"In previous crackdowns, what's happened is they arrest a couple of heavies from the opposition party -- that's all that happened," says Bangkok-based Australian academic Chris Baker, who has co-authored a series of books on modern Thai history with professor Pasuk Phongpaichat. "Many powerful people in localities still settle their disputes using violence and they, by and large, get away with it. Hence, there's a certain level of impunity."
In the latest attempt to stop a campaign killing spree ahead of the election day, Major-General Vinai Thongsong, who heads the police's Crime Suppression Division, announced a manhunt for the guns-for-hire.

As head of the recently formed Centre for Suppression of Influential Figures and Gunmen, Thongsong has vowed to capture at least 27 of the 108 alleged gunmen on its "Most Wanted" roster by year's end.

He has a crack team of SWAT commandos on 24-hour standby.

To garner public assistance, the police set up a website -- www.csd.go.th -- displaying the most notorious and detailing their past rap sheets, known hang-outs and personal habits.

Buntree Musaka, a former army sergeant who allegedly murdered five people including two women in a contract killing, sits at the top of the list.

Further down, the No6 suspect, Jittakorn Thammetha, might be difficult to miss at a bar. He is known to fire his favourite M-16 and AK47 machine guns overhead when he's drunk.

Would-be bounty hunters can download the mug shots. Rewards of $US1000 ($1335) to $US2500 are offered for information leading to their capture.

The original list contained 120 names, but 12 men have already surrendered to police, fearing extra-judicial sentencing that might include a police bullet.

Suspect lists and urgent deadlines are nothing new in Thailand, and that troubles the Asian Human Rights Council.

"If you say there are 100 people or so on this list -- and there is certainly a much larger number than that in Thailand who could be identified as killing people in exchange for money -- then by what criteria are people on this list being included and others excluded," says Nick Cheesman, who speaks for the Hong Kong-based human rights watchdog.

Cheesman, who spent seven years working with refugees in Thailand, fears that the latest government-sponsored clean-up will result in the deaths of innocent victims, much like the Government's three-month war on "dark forces" in 2003.

Purportedly a crackdown on the nation's drug trade, more than 4000 suspected narcotics traffickers were killed or disappeared after Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Government distributed highly questionable black lists that contained names of alleged dealers.

International human right groups accused Thailand of using extra-judicial hit squads to execute most of the targeted suspects.

Innocent bystanders, including children, were also killed.

Most of the cases remain unsolved and the Australian-educated Cheesman holds out little hope that the Government will bring to justice those responsible for giving the orders. "When police are accused of extra-judicial killing, even in the event that there is any kind of inquiry, it's only going to happen at the level at which the police officers who were responsible for the killing directly are involved."

In fact, policemen and soldiers often "moonlight" as hired gunmen.

But Thongsong of the CSD insists that his hit list includes only serious criminals, which is why he remains adamant that the police must stop them, through arrests or otherwise.

"One of my biggest cases involved the Godfather of Chonburi," the veteran cop recalls, referring to the self-proclaimed "half-businessman, half-gangster" Somchai Kunpleume, who rules the crime-ridden eastern seaboard province bordering Cambodia. "Gunmen took an order from Kam Nan Poh (Thai for godfather) to murder a local chief of a sub-district."

The gunmen's subsequent confessions led to the arrest and conviction of Kunpleume for paying them three million baht ($102,000) to eliminate his business rival Prayoon Sitichote.

Despite being handed a 25-year prison sentence, the 68-year old-business tycoon, regarded by many as one of the country's most powerful crime figures, remains free on bail of 10million baht while the Supreme Court considers his final appeal.

Baker says: "This is the first time that someone of that stature has been hauled in, in this way so it's quite a change." However, the pragmatic historian adds that whether it's just "the exception that proves the rule" is difficult to tell.

Kamnan Poh's case is a prime example of the special treatment granted to influential businessmen who use hired guns with strong connections to the country's clandestine web of military and police officials.

Since its inception, the Royal Thai Police have been linked with the military to dispense law and order in Thailand, a constitutional monarchy for much of the 20th century.

According to the book Corruption and Democracy in Thailand by Pasuk Phongpaichat and Sungsidh Piriyarangsan, now leading professors at the top-ranking Chulalongkorn University, the police force was elevated during the 1950s and 60s to a point where it was called the "Fourth Army".

General Phao Sriyanon, the most notorious police director at this time created a squad of special aides known as Aswin Waen Phet (Knights of the Diamond Ring) who acted as his personal hitmen, the book reveals.

The two security forces share a deep-rooted loyalty as servants of the kingdom and protectors of the monarchy, but a lack of disciplinary action against "rogue" officers -- which continues to the current day -- has given some security officials an air of impunity and encouraged them to become assassins for their political bosses or wealthy businessmen -- jao pho (regional godfathers).

Thailand's Human Rights Commissioner Surasee Kosolnavin says that as the nation continues to strive to gain the materialistic goods of the Western world, many are seeking the easy route to fame and fortune.

"Thailand now has changed too much now with globalisation -- the people want to make money quickly. Money is the new religion," the former prosecutor says.

While Thongsong, 49, acknowledges the profit motive in Thailand's thriving murder-for-hire, he is less concerned about the links to the bagmen.

As a younger captain, Thongsong killed a gunman following a shootout near Bangkok.

"The gunmen do the job solely for the money. After they make the hit, they run from the police," he says, grasping the cluster of gold Buddhist amulets draped around his neck as he retells the story of the botched arrest.

"They make the money the easy way and continue in their chosen occupation."

For Thongsong, it is as simple as that.

[U-Need]

BANGKOK, Feb 8 (TNA) - Last Update : 2006-02-08 / 10:17:14 (GMT+7:00)

The Ministry of Transport on Tuesday gave a final nod for its earlier approval of a new bus fare hike, announcing that it would take effect on St. Valentine's Day--February 14.

The announcement followed a meeting here between transport authorities and representatives of private bus operators who insisted that the ministry keep its promise on the new bus fare rise, claiming that their operational costs are now higher than revenues.

On January 30, the Ministry of Transport gave the green light for the private operators--both city and inter-province passenger buses--to raise their fares due to continued rising fuel costs.

The approval followed the ministry's promise to the private bus operators that they would be allowed a new fare rise once the domestic diesel price surges to Bt24.50 per litre.

Last Friday, Director-General of the Department of Land Transport Piyapan Champasut announced that the ministry's earlier approval of the new bus fare rise would be maintained although the diesel price on the domestic market has dropped by Bt0.40 per litre.

He said despite the lower diesel price, fuel costs of private bus operators are stil high.

Therefore, the department saw it is not the time to ask the Central Land Transport Committee to review the new bus fare hike it endorsed on February 1.

Currently the domestic diesel price stands at Bt24.29 per litre following the latest price cut by Bt0.40 per litre of local oil traders effective from February 3--from Bt24.69 per litre earlier.

The new bus fare rise was earlier expected to be effective from February 6.

Given the ministry's final approval Tuesday, private city bus operators--both air conditionered and non air conditionered ones, as well as passenger vans--are allowed to raise their fares by Bt1.0; while inter-province buses are allowed a fare rise of Bt0.03 per kilometre.

To this effect, non air-conditionered private city buses will have their fare increased to Bt8 from Bt7 throughout a route, while the air-conditionered ones will have their fares increased by Bt 1 per a certain distance.

However, the fares of city buses run by the state-run Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) will remain unchanged until the diesel price on the domestic market rises to Bt26 per litre.

Mr. Piyapan promised that transport authorities would order the private bus operators to reduce their fares if the domestic diesel price continues its downward trend for a certain period of time. (TNA)--E002

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Wednesday 8 February 2006 :-

Mikimoto (Thailand) opens at Siam Paragon

Mikimoto, the 110-year-old Japanese maker of pearl jewellery, has made a spectacular entry into the Thai jewellery market by opening a flagship store in the Siam Paragon shopping complex in the name of a new joint venture, Mikimoto (Thailand) Co Ltd.

It is Mikimoto’s biggest flagship store in Southeast Asia, occupying 180 square metres and offering a full range of jewellery, including bracelets, necklaces, rings, pens, watches, key holders and photo frames.

Mikimoto (Thailand) is a joint venture between the renowned Japanese parent company and Thailand’s Premier Diamond Cutting Co Ltd, one of the world’s leading diamond cutters.

The Thai company’s wide reputation helped to create the joint venture. It is the first time Mikimoto has joined with a local partner in a foreign market.

Premier Diamond Cutting claims to be the only company in Thailand with the ability to order raw diamonds for cutting here from Diamond Trading Co in the UK, the rough-diamond marketing arm of the De Beers Group, which serves jewellery manufacturers around the world.

Achariya Inkatanuvat, marketing manager for Mikimoto (Thailand), said that although it was just entering the Thai market, the Mikimoto brand had long been recognised in Thailand by customers ranging from teenagers to high-income earners. Product prices range from the thousands to the millions of baht.

Achiraya said the joint-venture partners planned to arrange events and workshops to educate the public on how to recognise high-quality jewellery and display the jewellery and other products on offer in the store.

It is hoped that the workshops will dispel perceptions that Mikimoto’s designs are obsolete.

The partners are not worried about intense competition - particularly within Siam Paragon - because all shops have their own character, matching different customers’ desires.

Achariya declined to reveal either the level of investment in the joint venture and its flagship store or expected revenue figures, but said both partners were confident about strong performance in their first year, because Thais were always willing to spend money on jewellery.

Nitida Asawanipont
The Nation

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BANGKOK, Feb 8 (TNA) - Last Update : 2006-02-08 / 14:24:29 (GMT+7:00)

As part of nationwide celebrations of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accesssion to the throne this year, the government has designated June 12-13 as special public holidays for government and private offices in Bangkok and surrounding provinces.

The cabinet approved the special public holidays in Greater Bangkok at its official meeting in the country's northern resort city of Chiang Mai on Tuesday, according to Deputy Government Spokesman Danuporn Punnakan.

On June 9, Mr. Danuporn said, there would be royal events at the Grand Palace to auspiciously mark His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 60 years on the throne--the world's longest monarch, but it would not be designated as a public holiday.

Government and private offices are, however, asked to allow their staff to take part in the royal events and return to work.

Grand state and royal ceremonies and events will be held on June 12-13, in which Kings and Queeens or their representatives from countries having them across the world are invited to join, according to the deputy government spokesman.

The special public holidays are likely to help ease traffic congestion in Greater Bangkok. (TNA)--E002