GSB Boss Resigns, Cancels Loans For Rice Program

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18 February 2014, 17:05

Former Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat shows his bankbook after he deposited money to the Government Savings Bank, 18 February 2014

(18 February) The Government Savings Bank has cancelled loans to the government rice pledging program, while its director has filed his resignation.

The GSB was previously slated to finalise loans to the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) which would allow the government to pay the farmers under rice mortgage program. Farmers said the payment has been delayed for at least 4 months.

GSB board announced last week that the 5 billion baht loan was meant to support the liquidity of the BAAC. An additional 20 billion baht loan to BAAC was also due to be approved. However, reports emerged that the BAAC would distribute the money for the controversial rice scheme, angering anti-government protesters who view the scheme as potentially corrupt.

The protesters eventually launched a campaign to mass withdraw their money from GSB accounts in protest, resulting in approximately 30 billion baht withdrawal in a single day on 17 February, compounded by a large number of account holders who withdrew their money out of fear that the GSB might lose stability.

Responding to the fear of bank run and the possibility that the GSB might end up cancelling the loans, prominent government supporters and their allies launched a counter-campaign to deposit the money in GSB accounts.

One such sponsor was Mr. Wiwat Teekhakirikul, major shareholder of cosmetic company Karmert, who deposited 70 million baht into his account, which made him the biggest depositor of today.

Over 100 businessmen and businesswomen also deposit their money to the bank en masse, such as Mr. Yothin Nueang-Chamnong, owner of Modelform Furniture Company; Mr. Kamthorn Wang-Udom, pipeline and fossil energy investors; and Mr. Suwit Mapaisansilp, Owner of Phatra Capital.

At GSB Government Complex branch, Mr. Tawatchai Thaikheaw, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, along with several officials, reportedly withdrew their moneys from other banks to deposit with GSB in a gesture of support for GSB Board decision.

Meanwhile, approximately 200 anti-government protesters staged a rally in front of GSB head office to pressure the bank to pull out their loans to BAAC. The protesters were joined by representatives of the GSB Labour Union who demand the resignation of the entire GSB Board if the assistance to the BAAC is not cancelled.

The GSB eventually said in a statement this afternoon that it will withdraw the loans from BAAC out of hope that it will calm the protests against the bank.

Its director, Mr. Worawit Chailimpamontri, also submitted his resignation, to be effective next month.

It is unclear whether pro-government supporters will proceed to withdraw their money from the GSB in retaliation.

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UPDATED: At least 3 Killed In Ratchadamnoen Gunbattle

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18 February 2014, 16:45

Rescue workers transporting a police officer injured by a grenade blast to safety, 18 February 2014

(18 February – latest update at 16.45) The number of fatalities in the a gunbattle between the police and anti-government militants at Ratchadamnoen Avenue has been revised down to 3.

Erawan Rescue Centre identified the dead as Mr. Supot Boonroong, 52, who was shot in his head, and Pol.Sgt. Pianchai Pharawat, 45, who was shot in his chest.

The two individuals reportedly died at Bangkok General Hospital.

Later, Erawan Centre named Mr. Thanusak Thanakoch, 29 as the third fatality. Mr. Thanusak was shot in his chest and pronounced dead at Vachira Hospital, the statement said.

Another policeman, Pol.L.C. Pongsakorn Saengklom, was reported as another fatality after he had been shot in the head near Phanfa Bridge by an unidentified assailant. However, our correspondent reported that the policeman is still alive under intensive care at a hospital, although his condition is described as "critical".

It should be noted that the official number of casualties could change in coming hours.

More than 50 people have also been injured in the clashes, which flared up earlier today when riot police attempted to retake parts of Ratchadamnoen Road from anti-government protesters.

Armed militants, who were apparently allied to anti-government protesters, later opened fire, prompting the police to respond with live ammunition.

The clashes later subsided when the police retreated from Ratchadamnoen Avenue.

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CMPO Aborts Mission To Retake Ratchadamnoen Avenue

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18 February 2014, 15:53

(18 February) The police have withdrawn from Ratchadamnoen Avenue where they had battled with anti-government protesters throughout the day.

The Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) has previously vowed to retake the area around the Avenue and Government House where supporters of the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD) have been occupying as their protest campsites for over a month.

However, after hours of gunfight and clashes between the riot police and PCAD protesters, the police eventually withdrew later in the afternoon, leaving the entire stretch of Ratchadamnoen Avenue in the protesters′ hands.

Two civilians and two policemen have been reportedly killed in the gunbattle.

Emboldened by the police retreat, large group of PCAD protesters surged forward from their position of Phan Fa bridge and vandalised a number of police vehicles left behind by the police force.

CMPO spokesman Tharit Pengdit said in a press conference that he is "gravely saddened" by the losses of lives today.

Mr. Tharit claimed the police conducted the operation to retake the area with great restraint and seek dialogues with the protesters at any opportunity, only to be targeted by armed militants allied to the protesters.

17 police officers have been injured by the attacks, Mr. Tharit said, adding that M79 grenades and unidentified types of firearms were used by the militants.

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UPDATED: Policeman Shot Near Phanfa Bridge Barricade

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18 February 2014, 15:03

(18 February – latest update at 16.40) Contrary to previous reports, the policeman who had been shot near Phanfa Bridge is still alive.

The police previously launched the operation to disperse anti-government protesters from Ratchadamnoen Avenue earlier this morning, where the demonstrators have erected barricades and blocked traffic for weeks.

Gunfire was heard in the area at around noon time, and one policeman was shot in the head. Some explosions – believed to be M79 grenades – could also be heard near the police line, injuring a number of officers and causing the rest of the police force to withdraw from the confrontation and reform a new line.

The mood in the area is increasingly tense, our correspondent adds. Police officers and armed militants inside the protesters′ position were seen exchanging sporadic gunfire at each other.

Police authorities have previously claimed that a number of "hardcore" anti-government protesters are known to possess both homemade and high-grade firearms.

The Royal Thai Police initially released a statement confirming that the police officer wounded by the unidentified gunfire has died. He is named as Police Lance Corporal Pongsakorn Saengklom, a squad commander from Banglamung Police Station.

According to the police statement, 10 police officers are also wounded by the explosive attacks near the protesters′ barricades at Phanfa Bridge; two of the wounded officers are reportedly in severe condition.

Most of the injured officers are from Chonburi province, the police statement said, while the rest are from Chantaburi province.

However, our correspondent reported later in the evening that Pol.L.C. Pongsakorn is still alive under intensive care at a hospital, but his condition is described as "critical".

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Police Van 'Shot & Mobbed' By PCAD Gunmen

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18 February 2014, 14:20

Bus commandeered and used as a road block by anti-government protesters near Giant Swing, 18 February 2014

(18 February) A van carrying police officers has been reportedly targeted by anti-government armed militants near Jor Por Ror Intersection in Bangkok today.

According to Pol.Sgt.Maj. Udompon Arkarnrattanawan, he was riding in a police van with four other police officers from a police academy in Nakhon Pathom province which was headed for a meeting at Royal Thai Police headquarters in downtown Bangkok.

When the van exited Rama VIII Bridge approached Jor Por Ror intersection, which is currently occupied by supporters of the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD), the van suddenly came under a hail of gunfire from the protesters′ position, Pol.Sgt.Maj Udompon said.

"There were many gunshots," the officer said, "Every officer in the van panicked and ducked".

Two bullets managed to penetrate into the van but no officer was injured by the gunfire, Pol.Sgt.Maj. Udomphon said.

According to the policeman, once the gunfire died down, a group of protesters surrounded the van, pulled every officer off the vehicle, and started beating them. Pol.Sgt.Maj. Udompon said he was punched repeated in his face before he successfully eluded the attackers and sought help from PCAD guards at Misakawan Intersection.

The guards reportedly shielded the policeman from other protesters and escorted him to other police officers at the Bangkok Metropolitan Police headquarters.

Pol.Sgt.Maj. Udompon claimed he and other officers on the van were not apart of the ongoing police crackdown on PCAD protesters at Ratchadamnoen Avenue.

After speaking to our correspondent, Pol.Sgt.Maj. Udompon was promptly transported to hospital. Four other officers who were allegedly assaulted by PCAD protesters were also rescued and sent to hospital, a high-ranking police officer said, adding that one of the injured officers had been shot in his leg.

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4 Schools Closed Due To Protest Clashes

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18 February 2014, 12:30

An anti-government protester confronts a group of riot police on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, 18 February 2014

(18 February) The Bangkok administration has closed down 4 schools in the vicinity of anti-government protest campsites as clashes between the demonstrators and riot police intensified.

The 4 schools are Benchamabopit School, Ratchabopit School, Sutat School, and Ratchanadda School, said Mr. Attapon Suwattanadecha, deputy permanent secretary of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).

All of these schools are located near Ratchadamnoen Avenue, where clashes between anti-government protesters and police erupted after the police attempted to clear the protest campsites.

Additional schools in the area might be closed tomorrow, Mr. Attapon said, in order to avoid a major rally called by anti-government protest leadership.

However, Mr. Chalor Kieochalua, director of Benchamabopit School which situated just across Government House – a key position held by anti-government protesters – said "80%" of students managed to arrive at the school today despite the ongoing clashes.

But Mr. Chalor said the school administration is closely monitoring the situation, and all classes might be cancelled if the violence escalates.

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CMPO Crackdown On Some Protest Sites Underway

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18 February 2014, 11:41

(18 February) The police have launched the operation to secure a number of roads in Bangkok which have been occupied for over a month by anti-government protesters.

The Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) yesterday announced that the operation
would aim to
eclaim 5 areas currently occupied by the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy
With the King As Head of State (PCAD), including Ratchadamnoen Avenue, the roads around Government
House, and Chaeng Wattana Road.

CMPO chairman Chalerm Yoobamrung insisted the police would exercise restraint and avoid
violence.

The
operation began in earnest earlier this morning and involved hundreds of riot police officers armed
with shields and batons.

PCAD
protesters responded by blocking several intersections. PCAD leader Suthep Thaugsuban also led
protesters from their campsites in downtown Bangkok to reinforce the demonstrators around Government
House and Ratchadamnoen Avenue to resist the police operation.

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Farmers Plead For Bank-Govt Loan To Go Ahead

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17 February 2014, 19:10

(17 February) Some farmers have urged the Government Savings Bank to approve a loan to the administration for its rice mortgage scheme payment.

The government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is currently seeking loans from the GSB via the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) to pay off millions of baht in debt it owed to farmers across the country, who had pledged their rice to the government′s program.

However, anti-government protesters led by the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD) oppose the interbank loans on the ground that the rice pledging scheme is a corrupt populist policy.

To block the loans, PCAD has encouraged its supporters to withdraw their savings from the GSB en masse as the means to voice their displeasure. PCAD hopes the prospect of a bank run would force the GSB to cancel its plan to approve the loans for the government.

Fearing that the campaign mounted by PCAD could compromise the promised rice payment, over 500 farmers from Ayutthaya province rallied in front of the GSB headquarters in Saphan Kwai district of Bangkok today to voice their support for the loans.

Mr. Likhit Utsahapradit, the Bang Chanee sub-district director and leader of the farmers group, said those who oppose the loans should sympathise with farmers who are waiting for the promised payment from the govenrment.

"We want the government to pay us as soon as possible," Mr. Likhit said, "I′d like to tell all sides not to get farmers involved with politics".

Mr. Vichian Puanglamchiak, director of Farmers and Agriculturalists Association of Thailand, said farmers in many provinces are distraught to see attempts to block the government′s payment to the farmers.

"It will only put farmers in more distress," Mr. Likhit complained.

Meanwhile, Director of the Government Savings Bank, Mr. Worawit Chailimpamontri, said the bank has seen a dramatic increase in money withdrawal in last three days, at the approximate amount of 30 billion baht.

The number is thrice the usual amount of money withdrawn in other periods, Mr. Worawit explained, adding that the incident has affected "confidence" of other clients who possess deposits in the bank.

"We will discuss the matter in a meeting with the executive board on 18 February to assess the damage," Mr. Worawit said, "If the damage turned out to be genuine, we might have to temporarily place the loans on hold".

Most of the cash withdrawal took place in Bangkok, where over 40% of the deposits of the GSB are located, according to Mr. Worawit. Southern provinces – stronghold of the PCAD movements – similarly sees spikes in withdrawal, while the northern and northeastern regions report no abnormal incident, Mr. Worawit said.

However, the mass withdrawal is not as high as the bank has initially estimated, since most of the withdrawals occurred in low-level accounts, the GSB director added.

Responding to the PCAD′s campaign, some pro-government supporters also either registered for new GSB accounts or increased their deposits in the existing accounts in order to show their support for the bank.

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Police Seeking Arrests Of Anti-Election Protesters

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17 February 2014, 18:07

Anti-election protesters prevent a voter from entering a polling station on Jan. 26, 2014, in Bangkok.

(17 February) The police are currently seeking the arrests of protesters who obstructed the advance voting of 2 February election.

Protesters led by the People′s Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD) have besieged numerous polling stations in Bangkok and 11 southern provinces on 26 January in order to disrupt the general election.

PCAD is calling for the formation of an unelected "People′s Council" to rule Thailand and implement series of reforms deemed necessary by the PCAD leadership before any election can be held.

Although obstructing election is a criminal offence under the Thai laws, few attempts have been made to prosecute the PCAD protesters who besieged the polling stations.

But police in Minburi said today they have arrested a PCAD supporter for allegedly disrupting the election on 26 January.

The suspect is identified as Mr. Thaworn Bhiromjit. The police have previously issued arrest warrants for Mr. Thaworn and 4 other accomplices on the charge of preventing Thai citizens from exercising their rights through the election under the democratic regime.

Mr. Thaworn was arrested on 15 February in Preecha 11 Village, Minburi district, Bangkok, said Pol Col Kanchon Intraram in a press conference at the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

The accused denied all allegations and insisted to only testify in court, he added.

Pol.Col. Kanchon said the police is seeking to arrest Mr. Thaworn′s accomplices and other suspects accused of disrupting the election.

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Incense Smoke Increases Cancer Risk: Official

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17 February 2014, 17:04

Buddhists light their joss sticks during a Makha Bucha ceremony at Wat Thep Nari Temple in western Bangkok, 14 February 2014

(17 February) Smoke from joss sticks in religious ceremonies could increase cancer risks and exacerbate respiratory conditions, a public health official warned.

"It′s a silent danger that comes with the incense," said Mr. Anucha Setsathien, MD, Secretary-General for National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM).

Joss sticks and other incenses are commonly used in many religious ceremonies in Thailand, and Mr. Anucha′s warning came just few days after Makha Bucha Day, one of the most important religious holiday in Buddhist tradition.

However, although participating in merit-making or prayer at the temples may grant the worshipers a peace of mind, the joss sticks can also harm the temple-goers, Mr. Anucha said, explaining that the incenses tend to release toxic substances when they are lit.

A joss stick typically contains ingredients such as saw dust, glue, essence, leaves, barks, and seeds which lengthen the stick′s burning and sweeten its smell, according to Mr. Anucha. Once burned, he said, formaldehyde, benzene and butadiene are released from the joss stick in a form of smoke. The substances are known to increase the risk of cancers to human once inhaled.

Mr. Anucha stated that individuals with lung diseases and recurrent asthma should avoid the joss stick altogether, or at least reduce the numbers they use in ceremonies.

"In Thailand, some people light as many as 9 joss sticks in order to pray to the Buddha, the Tripitaka, and the Sangha," Mr. Anucha said.

He also encourages asthma patients or their relatives to call hot line 1669 and follow the instruction if their conditions are suddenly worsened by inhaling joss stick smoke.

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