Anything & Everything About Thailand

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Tuesday 7 March 2006 :-

Protesters demand Temasek cancel sale

Several dozen protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minster Thaksin Shinawatra held a brief demonstration in front of the Singapore embassy today, and handed over a letter demanding that the Temasek Corporation cancel its purchase of Shin Corp stock from the premier's family.

The protesters addressed their letter to the Singpore Prime Minister, since Temasek is the government's investment arm.

They left peacefully, but said they would be back in major force on Thursday "to hear your answer." Earlier, protest guru Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang had threatened to bring his Santi Asoke supporters to the Singapore embassy to protest.

Mr Thaksin's family sold its controlling stake in Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings on January 23. The tax-free deal has triggered growing discontent and a series of demonstrations against Thaksin's leadership.

The anti-Thaksin ralliers claim the sale of Shin Corp stock was fishy and possibly illegal.

Police said they will increase security at the Singapore embassy before the Thursday protest.

The additional police to be posted around the Singapore embassy are intended to prevent any possible violence, Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon was quoted by TNA as saying. - (BP, dpa)

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 7 March 2006 :-

PAD tells Singapore to exit deal or face boycott

PAD rallies outside embassy; letter to city-state's PM warns Temasek to nullify pact by tomorrow

Members of the People's Alliance for Democracy rallied in front of the Singaporean Embassy in Bangkok yesterday, demanding that Temasek Holdings pull out of the Shin Corp takeover deal or face a boycott of all Shin products and services.

Holding banners that read "Temasek, Get Out!" and "Thai-land's Not For Sale", about 50 activists shouted "Temasek, Get Out!" during the 20-minute pro-test in the early afternoon.

A senior embassy official came out to receive the group's protest letter.

The letter, addressed to Singa-pore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, called on Temasek to nullify the Shin deal by tomorrow.

If it failed to do this, the group would conclude that Singapore was interfering in Thailand's national security, the letter said.

Apart from controlling a mobile phone business, Shin Corp also has majority stakes in Shin Satellite, Thai AirAsia, iTV and CS Loxinfo.

"Many Thai citizens are closely scrutinising the prime minister's [Thaksin] actions for evidence that he violated the Thai Constitu-tion and many other laws and abused his power to benefit his family's multibillion-baht businesses," the letter said.

"The People's Alliance for Democracy will use every means to stop this purchase, starting with a boycott of every business owned by Shin Corp," it added.

On January 23, Temasek's subsidiaries, Cedar Holdings and Aspen Holdings, bought a 49 per cent stake in Shin Corp for Bt73.3 billion from the Shinawatra and Damapong families.

The two firms are making a public tender for 100 per cent of Shin's shares, offering Bt49.25 a share, as part of the takeover deal.

Tomorrow will be the last day of the tender offer and the deadline for Temasek to alter the terms of its public tender if it concludes there are incidents that could significantly damage the status and assets of Shin Corp.

Thaksin's popularity has sunk into uncharted territory following his family's sale of its stake in Shin.

Many members of the public now believe he has been running the country to advance the interests of his family.

Thaksin has also been accused of selling national assets to Singapore because Shin Corp holds government concessions. The Singaporean government controls Temasek.

Facing growing calls for him to resign, Thaksin dissolved Parliament and called a snap election for April 2.

The alliance has identified the products and services of several Shin Corp subsidiaries as potential targets for a boycott. They include mobile-phone service provider Advanced Info Service, Thai AirAsia, Shin Satellite, Internet provider CS LoxInfo, iTV and consumer finance provider Capital OK.

The protesters said they would return to the Singaporean Embassy tomorrow to receive an official response to their letter from the Singaporean government.

"We will return to the embassy on March 9 to hear the response to our appeal," alliance leader Somsak Kosaisuk said. If there is no response the boycott will begin, Somsak said.

Anti-Singapore sentiment has been rising since the takeover of Shin Corp on January 23. Several groups rallied in front of the Singaporean Embassy early last month to demand that Temasek nullify the deal.

A group of about 30 student activists protested in front of the Singaporean Embassy later yesterday afternoon. They waved Thai flags and banners and called for the Singaporean government to cancel the deal. The group also submitted a letter similar to the one from the alliance.

Senior embassy official Michael Chua said the letters would be forwarded to the Singapore government.

Rossana Kosittrakul - a key member of the alliance - labelled Thaksin a traitor over the sale that saw his family receive Bt73.3 billion tax-free.

"Singapore is Thailand's fierce economic rival," she said. "Selling assets related to national security to Singapore is an act of betrayal."

The protest represented the voice of Thai people who will not accept Singapore's takeover of Thai businesses, she added.

Suriyasai Katasila, another key member of the alliance, said the grouping would adopt a new strategy to pressure Thaksin to resign.

Instead of concentrating the masses at Sanam Luang, it will divide demonstrators into several sub-groups so that they could rally at several places, such as Thai Rak Thai Party's headquarters, the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Singaporean Embassy.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Maj-General Viroj Chantharangsi said he had ordered the police intelligence unit to monitor the alliance's planned rally at the Singaporean Embassy tomorrow.

"The police are ready and well-prepared for any situations that will happen on the day," he said.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 7 March 2006 :-

PAD's open letter to Singapore

March 7, 2006

Subject: Request for the halt of Shin Corp shares purchase

Dear Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,

Singapore and Thailand have been good friends for a long time. Singapore's Temasek Holdings Co Ltd has arranged to buy Shin Corp from the Thai Prime Minister's family. This will mean the purchase of businesses which are highly sensitive and will affect the security of Thailand? including a mobile phone service, a satellite, an airline, and a TV channel.

Many Thai citizens are closely scrutinizing the Prime Minister's behaviour to find evidence that he has violated the Thai Constitution and many other laws, including abuse of his power in order to further his family's multi-billion baht businesses, which include a mobile phone service, satellite, TV channel and airline. Family assets have been illegally hidden, several transfers of shares have involved tax evasion, and most recently, his family businesses have been sold to the Singaporean government's Temasek. The PM has also been interfering with independent organisations to obstruct and avoid proper investigation. He dissolved the House just before its opening to avoid answering any questions regarding this issue.

Thus, many citizens and academics believe that the PM has lost the legitimate right to run the country. He should no longer retain power, which he may use to influence the upcoming election.

The People's Alliance for Democracy, together with Thai citizens and academics, are agreed that the Prime Minister should resign from his post immediately.

On the basis of the long relationship between our two countries, the People's Alliance for Democracy calls upon the Singaporean government to stop the purchase of Shin Corporation on 9 March 2006. The purchase, if allowed to proceed, will be considered as an attempt to interfere with basic services and businesses that are important for Thailand's security.

The People's Alliance for Democracy will use every means to stop this purchase, starting with a boycott of every business owned by Shin Corporation.

Please consider our request. The People's Alliance for Democracy will come back to the Embassy on 9 March 2006 to hear the answer. We hope that our two countries will have the opportunity to continue our good relationship.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Somsak Kosaisuk
Representative of the People's Alliance for Democracy

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Tuesday 7 March 2006 :-

Thaksin flees the capital . . . and reality

Under attack from all sides, the PM has headed to the provinces to find support

As the tension mounts, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra may be wishing that he could go to sleep tonight and wake up on April 2.

The PM is fighting furiously to keep his sinking ship afloat - and try to sweep all 500 House seats in the April 2 election.

Thaksin seems to really believe such an outcome would save him.

His Thai Rak Thai Party will win the election if it takes place, but he appears to be taking the biggest gamble of his life - risking his mind in order to get one more taste of victory.

Apart from a mass rally at Sanam Luang last Friday, in which the Thai Rak Thai Party mobilised more than 200,000 people to support Thaksin's bid to remain in power, the premier is finding reality so rough and bitter that he can no longer face it.

As troubles mount in Bangkok he is fleeing to the provinces where he can be assured he will receive only "honey and roses" from the grass-root supporters who still have faith in him.

As calls for his resignation and rumours of possible a military coup mount, he runs further and faster.

He also has to hide from continuous mass rallies against him, attempts by third parties to cause violence, petitions to HM the King to appoint a "royal-sponsored" premier and a lengthening queue of prominent figures calling for him to quit.

The extent of his "shaky nerves" prompted him to call meetings with senior military officers over the past few weeks so he could determine whether they were still loyal to him.

Thaksin must be finding it almost unbelievable that he has to steer clear of Bangkok.

Just last year his overwhelming popularity led to a landslide for his party, with Thai Rak Thai grabbing 32 of the 37 House seats in the capital.

But if he remains in Bangkok he will have to endure something he has shown little patience for - criticism.

Protests by the People's Alliance for Democracy and middle-class voters calling for his exit have succeeded in driving him from the capital.

Despite numerous warnings that he should stand down before it's too late, so that he can go with honour, Thaksin has remained defiant. But to do so he has had to flee into his imagination.

In the provinces he can cling to his heroic vision of himself as indispensable to the country.

Over the past several days he has visited Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen and Nakhon Ratchasima to hear thousands of people cheering and greeting him.

On Sunday evening, as the anti-Thaksin rally moved from Sanam Luang along Rajdamnoen Road to Government House, Thaksin swiftly changed his schedule.

After meeting thousands of supporters in Khon Kaen earlier that day he decided to spend the night in the province rather than return to Bangkok, as earlier planned.

More than 200 police officers had been dispatched to Soi Charunsanitwong 69 - the entrance to Thaksin's residence - in case demonstrators brought their calls for the premier to step down to his doorstep.

Thaksin told reporters on Monday that he went to bed at 10pm Sunday night. He said he had not followed news reports about the tens of thousands of demonstrators who marched on Government House.

A source close to him said the premier had read a 50-page survey that, he told his close aides, showed his popularity was "still high".

Despite this, it's difficult to believe he could have had a good night's sleep without being medicated.

With the crisis yet to peak, Thaksin will no doubt find this month to be unusually long.

But he is so busy struggling to get through each day safely that he may be unable to stop and actually recognise that there is no place for him on the other side.


Political Desk
The Nation

[U-Need]

BANGKOK, March 8 (TNA) – The Thai economy is likely to grow less than 4 per cent this year if current political woes drag on for 3 or 6 months, according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

TCC Chairman Pramont Sutheewong conceded on Tuesday that many parties are worried about the ongoing political turmoil and view should the situation end quickly, the country’s economic conditions would not be affected.

But if the situation persists for 3 or 6 months, the country's economic growth this year might be lower than 4 per cent.

He warned that the turmoil might bring activities of state agencies concerned in trade and investment to a standstill.

What he is concerned most for now is a divisiveness among people in the country.

Mr. Pramont said he was uncertain whether there would be the House of Representatives upon the snap election on April 2 because only one major political party had fielded its candidates in the competition.

So, he wants to call on all parties to cooperate in finding a solution to end the political uncertainty swiftly.

He said the tripartite private-sector committee would meet on March 14 to evaluate impacts from the political turmoil on the country's economic, trade and investment sectors. (TNA) – E005

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 8 March 2006 :-

iTV to blare its news in elevators, mass transit stations

Love it or hate it, Bangkokians will find it harder to avoid watching iTV from now own. The channel yesterday announced it had made a deal with five partners that would air its news service in public places.

The partners are VGI Global Media, which has 56 plasma televisions at the BTS skytrain stations; How Come Entertainment which has 108 "transparent screens" in MRT's subway; POV Media Group, which has 124 monitors in elevators at 11 office buildings; Take a Look, which has Asia's largest LED billboard at Central World Plaza; and Matching Studio Plc, which has "moveable LED" screens at Siam Paragon, Siam Discovery, and Siam Centre.

"From your home [to work], while riding the BTS and subway, or going up in elevators, or when you go shopping, you won't be missing important news," said Songsak Premsuk, iTV's managing director.

Songsak said the pact that was inked yesterday would increase the number of iTV viewers by 100,000.

iTV, however, will not charge money for its news and with only some exceptions, like at monitors in MRT stations, will not air commercials.

"Media is not confined to TV, radio, and newspapers. We're moving out to reach more consumers," he said.

The partners will incorporate iTV news with other shows and advertisements.

To service the new businesses, iTV has formed an "e-news" unit to provide a menu of news selections for its partners.

"Our goal today is for the e-news unit to stand on its own feet. In the next 2-3 years, I believe the new media will boom, he said.

But will consumers spurn watching iTV at home if they are constantly bombarded all time?

Songsak said he did not expect the expansion to hurt its broadcast income.

"I'm not worried. It's better if our iTV brand becomes stronger [as a result]. People will like us even more," he reasoned.


Pichaya Changsorn
The Nation

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 8 March 2006 :-

Internal auditors in demand in Thailand

Only 100 people are certified internal auditors in Thailand, which is sorely insufficient to meet listed-company demand.

Kajornsak Outtasin, chairman of the Institute of Internal Auditors of Thailand, said auditors played a significant role in supervising operations at local companies.

The institute is stepping up its training courses to help increase the number of certified auditors, he said, but acknowledged that all too few were actually sitting the examinations for certification.

"Of course, certification alone does not necessarily mean that a person is good, nor that someone who is not certified is necessarily bad. This is something that is very difficult to teach," Mr Kajornsak said yesterday at a governance seminar at the Stock Exchange of Thailand.

Thavach Phusithphoykai, a former chairman of the audit firm KPMG, said internal auditors were playing a greater role than ever before.

Auditors not only monitor a company's financial position, but also examine work processes and management systems, shareholder transactions, risk management and corporate governance.

Dr Thavach said shareholders typically lacked equal access to company information, resulting in double standards.

Procurement and staff hiring were also open to abuse unless clear monitoring systems and procedures were in place.

Dr Thavach said, while listed companies have improved their internal audit systems, audit committees remained relatively weak. Many firms had not vested sufficient authority in their audit committees, rendering them unable to serve as management monitors for stakeholders.

"Audit committees need to be fully independent to carry out their duties, and work first and foremost for shareholders. Otherwise, a company's long-term stability is in question," he said.

Nawaaporn Ryanskul, the chairman of the audit committee at Kiatnakin Bank, said a strong internal audit system and audit committees could help a company guard against financial risks and strengthen its accountability to investors and society.

[U-Need]

BANGKOK, March 8 (TNA) - The drive to oust caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has gained momentum with a fresh protest as an alliance of women's rights groups demanded on Wednesday that
he resign.

The groups have threatened to join other civil society groups in calling a general strike if the premier remains defiant to their demand.

Hundreds of women protesters argued that the premier lacks legitimacy to run the country following his family's tax-free sale of its controlling stake in Shin Corp to Singapore's government-related investment company, Temasek Holdings.

They also accused the prime minister of failure to address their concerns regarding women's labour rights.

To mark International Women's Day, the alliance--comprised of women labour groups--marched from Bangkok's Royal Plaza to Government House, urging the government to introduce several measures improving welfare and benefits for female workers who have the added burden of providing childcare for their children, guaranteeing their safety in the workplace and gender equality.

Wilaiwan Tia, coordinator of the alliance of female labour groups, urged the government to address the concerns of women in the workplace, saying that they have experienced many added problems including layoffs among those who are pregnant and HIV-infected and exploitation by their employers.

The latest protest was part of a new strategy agopted on Tuesday by the People's Alliance for Democracy to pressure the embattled premier to resign.

Under the strategy, demonstrations will be held at many key 'pressure points', including Thai Rak Thai party headquaters, the Singapore Embassy, the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Revenue Department, rather than simply demonstrating at Sanam Luang, the main focal point of previous anti-Thaksin demonstrations.

The new strategy is designed to bring issues directly to a wider public, including business, government and diplomatic sites. (TNA)-E001

[U-Need]

BANGKOK, March 8 (TNA) – Caretaker Deputy Commerce Minister Preecha Laohapongchana on Wednesday expressed confidence that the current sugar shortage on the domestic market and the smuggling of the product for overseas sales would be tackled following Tuesday's cabinet resolution to raise sugar prices by 3 baht per kilogram.

The Sugarcane and Sugar Committee and a group of sugarcane growers affirmed upon an acknowledgement of the cabinet resolution that the sugar price rise would definitely help cope with the product shortage on the domestic market, he said.

They believe the sugar supply will be sufficiently available for sales in all areas of the country and the smuggling of the product for overseas sales will be addressed.

Mr. Preecha said the Internal Trade Department was considering issuing measures to help ease possible impacts from the sugar price rise on local industries that count on sugar for productions.

Should any industry or business owners have an impact from the sugar price hike, he said, they could file complaints with the department.

The department is ready to allow them to raise prices of some product items if their production costs are really affected.

But if their costs are slightly affected, the department will seek their cooperation to peg their product prices for a certain period of while.

The minister also warned entrepreneurs, department store owners or retailers not to cheat customers, particularly in terms of volume and weight of sugar. Otherwise, they will face strict legal actions.

[U-Need]

BANGKOK, March 8 (TNA) – Caretaker Deputy Commerce Minister Preecha Laohapongchana on Wednesday expressed confidence that the current sugar shortage on the domestic market and the smuggling of the product for overseas sales would be tackled following Tuesday's cabinet resolution to raise sugar prices by 3 baht per kilogram.

The Sugarcane and Sugar Committee and a group of sugarcane growers affirmed upon an acknowledgement of the cabinet resolution that the sugar price rise would definitely help cope with the product shortage on the domestic market, he said.

They believe the sugar supply will be sufficiently available for sales in all areas of the country and the smuggling of the product for overseas sales will be addressed.

Mr. Preecha said the Internal Trade Department was considering issuing measures to help ease possible impacts from the sugar price rise on local industries that count on sugar for productions.

Should any industry or business owners have an impact from the sugar price hike, he said, they could file complaints with the department.

The department is ready to allow them to raise prices of some product items if their production costs are really affected.

But if their costs are slightly affected, the department will seek their cooperation to peg their product prices for a certain period of while.

The minister also warned entrepreneurs, department store owners or retailers not to cheat customers, particularly in terms of volume and weight of sugar. Otherwise, they will face strict legal actions.

[U-Need]

8 March 2006
dailyrecord

A DRUG smuggler was caught because his cases were packed with clothes that didn't fit him.

Suspicious Customs officers found almost eight kilos of cannabis hidden in secret compartments.

The Thai man was caught at Edinburgh Airport after telling officers he had flown from Bangkok to spend just three days in the city.

But he was lugging three cases.

Yesterday, Kamalanathan Subramaniam was jailed for two years and three months at the city's sheriff court.

The 37-year-old cafe owner was stopped as he walked through the "nothing to declare channel" last December.

A Customs source said: "The fact he had started his trip in Bangkok - a major drugs centre - really sparked interest.


"When his cases were opened, all his clothes were found to be different sizes, ranging from extra small to extra large.


"The cases were found to have been moulded specifically to take the cannabis."


The court heard he refused to say who gave him the drugs or who he was to take them to.


Subramaniam had admitted smuggling 7.71 kilos of resin with a street value of £15,000 at an earlier hearing.

[U-Need]

525 words
8 March 2006
10:32
Dow Jones Commodities Service
English

Thailand's army chief told politicians that the country's revered king is displeased with the crisis over whether the prime minister should resign and wants it resolved quickly and peacefully, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The comments by army commander Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, who is believed to be well regarded by the royal palace, marked the first indication of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's stance on the political stalemate in Thailand.

The monarch has made no public comment on weeks of street protests and growing demands for Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to step down.

"His majesty is possibly not happy with the conflict and the disunity of his subjects," said military spokesman Lt. Gen. Palangoon Klaharn, reiterating comments made by Sondhi late Tuesday. "His majesty will be very happy if his subjects are unified and use peaceful means to resolve the problem."

The king has stepped in to resolve political crises in the past, most recently in 1992 after demonstrations toppled a military-backed government.

The campaign to force Thaksin from office gathered steam Tuesday when the national police spokesman, Gen. Archirawit Suphanaphesat, said he personally believes the only way to resolve the crisis is for Thaksin to resign. The comment marked a rare departure from the police force's official impartiality.

Tens of thousands of protesters have been holding regular street rallies in Bangkok, the capital, to demand Thaksin's resignation, accusing him of corruption and abuse of power.

The anti-Thaksin campaign swelled last month after the prime minister's family sold its controlling stake in telecom giant Shin Corp. (SHIN.TH) to Singapore's state-owned investment company Temasek (TEMAH.YY), netting THB73.3 billion (US$1.9 billion).

Critics allege the sale involved insider trading and tax dodges and complain that a key national asset is now in the hands of a foreign government.

Several dozen protesters demonstrated Tuesday outside the Singaporean Embassy, holding posters that read, "Thailand is Not For Sale," and asking the Singaporean government to cancel Temasek's purchase of the Shin stake.

Protesters have said they will rally every night until Thaksin resigns.

Thaksin has repeatedly said he wouldn't bow to antigovernment protesters.

Thaksin dissolved Parliament last month and called for early elections in hopes of renewing his mandate and defusing growing street protests. He has offered to resign if his party fails to secure more than half the votes in the elections.

Opposition parties say they will boycott the polls, which Thaksin would almost certainly win because of his widespread support in rural areas.

Thaksin was overwhelmingly reelected to a second term last year when his party won 377 of the 500 seats in the House of Representatives. His main defense against critics is that he enjoys a mandate endorsed by 19 million voters.

His support base is the rural poor, who have benefited from populist policies including a THB30 per visit health care plan, three-year debt suspension for farmers and funds for developing poor villages.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 8 March 2006 :-

Songkran road safety campaign begins

The Thai government will campaign to reduce the death toll from road accidents during the long Songkran Festival holiday next month.

Songran, known for its ancient and gentle water splashing ceremonies, has become a time of carnage on the kingdom's highways and byways, as Thailand's new urbanites head for family farms upcountry or ancestral homes of those established fore firmly in the capital, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya.

Police General Chidchai, in his capacity as director of the National Road Safety Centre, said the government had set April 7-16 as a 'special attention' period to cut the numbers of casualties on highways.

During Songkran, thousand of single workers and families alike crowd into buses, cars, and the back of pickup trucks, crowding the highways with eager, tired--and sometimes irritable--travelers anxious to get back to their home towns or to travel somewhere new, and accidents tend to increase, he said.

The centre has targeted curbing the number of road deaths at 500 people and 6,000 injured, said the deputy prime minister.

Each provincial governor, he said, would coordinate with the concerned agencies to promote road safety measures including motorcycle safely, no drinking when driving, using helmets, and always carrying driver's licenses, wearing safety belts and observing speed limits.

Meanwhile, Deputy Transport Minister Gen. Chainant Charoensiri promised that the Transport Company Ltd would be able to carry all prospective passengers to their hometowns during Songkran Festival.

He said the Transport Company Limited would increase the number of trips for 80 per cent from normal trips during the period to serve the expected volume of holiday travelers.

It was expected that over 1.6 million passengers will use the company service during the festival, he said.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 8 March 2006 :-

Thai Rak Thai would legalise businessmen-ministers

The constitution should be amended to allow the prime minister and other cabinet members to hold shares while in office, according to ruling Thai Rak Thai party deputy leader Bhokin Bhalakula.

The former House of Representatives speaker said the party was now drafting a constitutional amendment to this end.

Mr Bhokin argued that the prohibition on share ownership was so ‘’unfair’’ it had forced caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to transfer his Shin Corp stocks to his children.

A scandal over the recent tax-free sale of those shares has fuelled popular opposition to the prime minister and led to growing calls for him to step down.

Mr Bhokin said under the proposed amendment, politicians would be allowed to hold stocks without the need to transfer them to family members or to anyone else.

The deputy TRT leader said a constitutional amendment body would oversee the process. It was proposed to include of representatives of various independent agencies, university academics, judges and former members of the now defunct Constitution Drafting Committee.

It remains to be seen if MPs and senators would also sit on the new constitutional review panel, Mr. Bhokin said.

Under other suggested constitutional changes, the Election Commission could be stripped of its power to warn or disqualify candidates accused of election rigging or vote-buying because such decisions may instead be made by an Election Court.

The basis of Election Commission decisions may also be changed, with a switch to a simple majority of votes among the five members of the polling agency, instead of the unanimous vote currently required, Mr. Bhokin added.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Wednesday 8 March 2006 :-

Suvarnabhumi Airport adds value to land

The imminent opening of Suvarnabhumi airport has pushed up the prices of properties around it over the past two years, according to Suphin Mechuchep, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle (Thailand) (JLL).

She said land prices had risen by 30% in 2004 and 2005 since it was announced that the new airport would open by mid-2006. Office rents in the Bang Na and Srinakarin areas have risen over the same period from a range of 300-350 baht to 450 baht per square metre per month.

The figure is expected to reach 550 baht, comparable with city-centre rates for quality space, after the airport opens.

"Some providers of aviation, logistics and air transport services have relocated their offices and warehouses along the Bang Na-Trat Highway.

This has resulted in the vacancy rate of office space falling to 20% currently from 40% in 2004," Mrs Suphin said.

Meanwhile, the residential segment will grow gradually, as existing facilities including transport routes, schools, hospitals and shopping malls are not adequate to meet rising populations.

While land prices are increasing, housing prices in the area have also been pushed up by the higher cost of construction materials, which have increased by 15% to 20% from 2004, said Mrs Suphin.

For the residential rental market, low-rise condominiums in the middle- to low-end segment have more potential, as they meet the demand of workers in aviation-related businesses.

"Development of high-end rental units and serviced apartments will have good potential as they are now scarce."

After the new airport is opened, many more communities will emerge, to be followed by new retail spaces, in particular neighbourhood malls and supermarkets.

Currently, JLL manages 1.2 million sq m of office space and two housing projects, with a total of 500 units, and two condominiums, with 1,000 units. Last year, its management service business expanded by 40% from 2004, she said.

JLL yesterday signed a contract with the luxury housing developer Prime Nature Group to manage its housing project in the Ring Road-Onnuj area for two years, starting in July 2006.

The three-billion-baht project has 150 units, of which 80% have been sold and 45% transferred. Prime Nature aims to sell all units by the end of the year, said chairwoman Sunattee Nerngchamnong.

The company also plans to develop another 15 single houses for rent, which will also be managed by JLL.