BANGKOK – The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has unveiled ladies-only sleeping cars, in the wake of the murder and rape on one of its trains by an SRT official last month.

The SRT was widely criticised for its poor security measures after Wanchai Saengkhao, a cleaning staff, allegedly sexually assaulted a 13-year-old girl and threw her body from the moving train on the night of 6 July.

In an effort to restore public confidence, SRT officials led a group of journalists to tour one of its "Ladies & Children Sleeping Cars" at Hua Lumphong Central Train Station in Bangkok today. 

Supat Worawattananuthai, director of SRT's Bangkok and Eastern Region Centre, explained that only female passengers, SRT staff, and police officers are allowed to enter the special sleeping car – a measure designed to assure the passengers of their safety. Male staff and officials will be required to register with the female staff before they are permitted into the car, Mr. Supat said.

Male children under age of 10 are permitted to use the ladies-only car, Mr. Supat said.

"We are 100 per cent ready to provide this service to the public," the SRT official told reporters, "The key point of the train is that, apart from all-female officials and police officers, we have installed emergency alarm buttons in all the 40 seats in the car, in case the passengers need help."

Initially, eight trains have been equipped with the special sleeping cars, and the SRT are hoping to install similar carriages on other trains in the near future, officials said. The first ladies-only sleeping car started its first journey at 6 pm this evening.

According to Mr. Supat, the ladies-only sleeping car does not charge any extra fare. He added that the SRT is also "considering"  to install CCTVs on all trains to improve the security. 

The rape and murder on the SRT train last month sparked a wave of outrage among the Thai public, even leading some citizens to defy the martial law's ban on public protest to stage demonstration calling for death penalty for convicted rapists.

Mr. Wanchai, the suspect, reportedly confessed he committed the crime because he was drunk and high on amphetamines at the time. He is currently awaiting trials for premeditated murder and sexual assault in a prison in Prachuap Kiri Khan province. 

Investigation reveals that Mr. Wanchai might have been able to secure his employment through a close relationship he had with another train official, who also allegedly erased the suspect's previous criminal record. 

Riding on the public's widespread anger toward SRT Governor Prapat Chongsanguan's negligence and perceived apathy toward the incident, the military junta's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) eventually invoked its special power and expelled him from the state railway top job. 

While many applauded the decision, some voiced skepticism that the order was politically-motivated, as Mr. Prapat was known to harbour close ties to the deposed government. 

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ANG THONG — A Swiss citizen in Ang Thong province is charming local Thais resident with his take on one of Thailand's national dishes, pad thai.

Tony Smith, 54, was busy cooking pad thai and hoi thot (deep fried mussels) for several customers when our correspondent visited his food stall in front of Chai Yo District Municipal Office at lunch time today. He was assisted by his Thai wife, Siriporn Smith, who cooks other dishes for the patrons.

Many customers said they were impressed to see a farang (Caucasian) capable of cooking pad thai, the fried noodles that have become one of Thailand's most iconic dishes.

"I have been eating here for years," said one of the customers, Pannarat Thanaratrungrueng. "I have to admit, I am amazed by Tony's cooking skill … I have never seen any other foreigner with such talent."

Although the stall, called Sor Nai Farang (Mr. S Farang), is widely praised for its pad thai, Mr. Smith said his proudest dish is "sky hoi thot," which he cooks by throwing mussels into the air and deftly catching them in his pan.

Speaking in fluent Thai, Mr. Smith said he used to work as an engineer for a water pump company in Switzerland, but eventually decided to move to Thailand "because I was bored."

"I thought Thailand was a good place to live in, so I decided to come here," Mr. Smith said. He later met and married Ms. Siriporn, who owns a restaurant in Bangkok.

According to Mr. Smith, he fell in love with Thai food while he was dating Ms. Siriporn, whose cooking inspired to learn about Thai cuisine. The Swiss man said he mastered pad thai three years ago and has been helping his wife earn a living by cooking the dish in their hometown ever since. 

Ms. Siriporn said her husband was a man who truly loves cooking.

"I think his skill is quite good," Ms. Siriporn told our correspondent. "These days all the customers who visit our stall only ask for Tony's cooking."

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BANGKOK — Ninety-four percent of the national legislators appointed by Thailand’s military junta last night are men, setting a new low for the representation of women in Thai politics in over a decade.

Only 12 out of  200 members in the interim National Legislative Assembly (NLA) are women, in part because a majority of the assembly’s members (115) are high-ranking male military and police officers.

Of the 12 female NLA members, three are businesswomen, one is an academic, and the rest are former politicians and bureaucrats.

All 200 members of the NLA were handpicked by the military junta’s National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and endorsed by His Majesty the King on Thursday.

According to the junta’s “road map” for Thailand’s return to democracy, the NLA will function as the country’s legislative arm for over a year, passing laws, appointing a Prime Minister and Cabinet, and amending the new Constitution, which will be drafted by a separate body.

The junta previously promised that the NLA would be comprised of experts from various fields to fairly represent all sectors of Thailand.

“[The NLA] will be people from all career groups, including people who have different political views from the two sides,” said legal advisor to the NCPO, Gen. Paiboon Koomchaya, as he unveiled the junta’s interim constitution on 23 July.

The percent of women in the NLA (6%) is even lower than in Thailand’s 2011 elected Parliament, which had 79 women out of its 500 members, amounting to 15.8 percent. Fifteen percent of the 2011 Senate, which was dissolved by the NCPO shortly after it staged a coup on 22 May, were also women.

The global participation rate of women in national-level parliaments is 20 percent.

Gender imbalance has been a feature of Thai politics for decades, with men occupying the majority of seats in the country’s Cabinet, Parliament, Senate, and local administrative bodies, even though surveys reveal that half of national voters are women. As a result, issues related to women rights are rarely discussed in national political bodies.

The situation improved somewhat following the 2011 election, in which Yingluck Shinawatra became the first female Prime Minister of the country.

However, a number of experts point out that Ms. Yingluck only came to power with the help of her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who retained much influence over male-dominated Pheu Thai Party.

BANGKOK — Former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s son has denied media reports that his father handed out books titled “Thaksin Will Return in 2016" at his birthday party in France.

According to reports by Daily News and Manager ASTV, the self-exiled former PM implied that he is eyeing a return to Thailand by giving away the books at his 65th birthday party over the weekend. But Mr. Thaksin’s son, Panthongtae Shinawatra, denied the reports in a Facebook post today.

"The rumour that this book was distributed in my father's birthday is baseless,” Mr. Panthongtae wrote. "Let me emphasize here that – although I have not seen the content inside the book – my family is not involved in the book, regardless of what the authors wrote about my family in a positive or negative way."

According to the book’s publisher, "Thaksin Will Return In 2016" is a collection of astrological predictions about a number of politicians. 

Mr. Pangthongtae added that he is worried that the rumour will cause "misunderstanding,” especially "during the atmosphere of reconciliation, when all sides want the country to be at peace and order." He also wrote that he wished to see the military return democracy and civil rights to Thai people very soon.

Mr. Thaksin was ousted in a 2006 military coup and later fled the country to avoid convictions of corruption. He has been living in exile, mostly in Dubai and Hong Kong, but is believed to retain significant influence over Thai politics. Politicians allied to Mr. Thaksin have won every election since his ouster, including his sister Yingluck Shinawatra, who served as Prime Minister from 2011 to 2014.

Although Mr. Thaksin is deeply respected by many rural poor and urban working class Thais, he is despised by a coalition of middle and upper class Bangkokians, who view him as a corrupt, “anti-monarchy tyrant.” Mr. Thaksin's critics have fiercely opposed any attempt to grant the former PM amnesty and allow him to return home. 

Since staging the coup against the government of Thakin’s sister on 22 May, Thailand’s military junta has harshly cracked down on the network of Mr. Thaksin's supporters, known as the Redshirts. Scores of activists, politicians, and academics perceived to be allied to the Redshirts have been summoned, detained, and harassed by the military.

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