Anti-Govt Protests Will Disperse For Royal Celebration

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19 November 2013, 20:44

(19 November) The anti-government protesters have agreed to disperse ahead of the celebration of His Majesty the King′s 86th birthday, according to an official.

Mr. Manit Techa-apichoke, Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), said the authority has planned series of events to mark the auspicious occasion, such as mass candle-lit rally to express the goodwill toward His Majesty the King and merit making ceremony in honour of His Majesty the King.

The ceremonies are expected to take place on both Sanam Luang and Ratchadamnoen Avenue – where the anti-government protesters have been occupying.

He said he has been informed by by Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban, former Democrat MP who is now leading the protests, that the protesters will disperse after their major rally on 24 November.

BMA officials would then proceed to clean and area and decorate the avenue with lights, portraits of His Majesty the King, and flowers, according to Mr. Manit. He estimated that it would take 5-7 days to prepare the venue for the celebration.

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Pheu Thai Raises Stakes Against Constitutional Court

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19 November 2013, 19:20

Redshirts at Rajamangala Stadium, 19 November 2013

(19 November) The ruling Pheu Thai Party has affirmed that it will not let the Constitutional Court stand in its way in its effort to amend the 2007 Constitution.

The Court is due to rule tomorrow whether Pheu Thai Party has violated the Constitution by attempting to amend the provision that would pave way for, among other changes, a fully elected Senate body.

The case is seen by some as a struggle between the electoral powers allied to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the judicial establishments, which is believed to harbour hostility toward Mr. Thaksin and his political allies.

There are fears that a judicial punishment against Pheu Thai Party would greatly stabilise the government – many Thais still remember the turbulent year of 2008 when separate court rulings managed to oust two Prime Ministers allied to Mr. Thaksin.

Pheu Thai Party cadets have insisted that they will not quietly go away this time, should the verdict turn out badly for them. Their staunchest move came this morning, when representatives of over 300 MPs and Senators in the government faction announced in a joint statement that they do not recognise the legitimacy of Constitutional Court in hearing the case.

Leader of the group, MP Amnuay Klangpha, said Parliament is guaranteed the rights to amend the Constitution by the Constitution itself. "No section or provision grants the Constitutional Court to scrutinise the [parliamentary] effort to revise the Constitution," Mr. Amnuay insisted.

He also asserted that the Constitutional Court does not have the rights to take up the case in the first place, as Section 68 of the 2007 Constitution indicates that the case would have to be processed by the General Attorney first, whereas the judges have decided to skip the procedure entirely.

Speaking next to Mr. Amnuay, Senator Direk Thuengfang claimed that the Constitutional Court is "dangerously" extending its powers beyond the legitimate boundary by interfering with the powers of the Legislative Branch.

He added, "If we accept the power of the Constitutional Court, the Court will be able to extend its own boundary indefinitely. The result will be like the Constitutional Court operating under its own Constitution".

Amendment of the 2007 Constitution, which was drafted by the military-appointed panel after the 2006 military coup, has been a prominent policy campaigned by Pheu Thai Party. The party insists that revision of the "dictatorship-rooted" Constitution would bear the fruits of democracy for Thailand.

But the effort has not been without controversy. News reports have documented possible frauds committed by some Pheu Thai MPs who allegedly voted on behalf of their absent colleagues. Pheu Thai Party has repeatedly denied the allegation.

Meanwhile, the mass arm of the Pheu Thai Party, the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) has mobilised its Redshirts supporters to stage an overnight rally in Rajamangala Stadium this evening, an event described by UDD as a show of support for the democratically-elected in the eve of the Constitutional Court′s verdict.

Notable Redshirts leaders and Pheu Thai MPs have been taking turn in berating the Constitutional Court′s alleged abuse of power on the stage throughout the night. Over 50,000 Redshirts are expected to attend the rally.

Earlier in the evening, Ms. Thida Tojirakarn, chairwoman of the UDD, told reporters that today′s rally is a "show of strength by the majority population who stands by democratic system. They are here to listen whether the court ruling will be problematic toward democracy".

She also portrayed the rally as a peaceful assembly which has no intention in intimidating either the court or the anti-government protesters who are organising their own rally in Ratchadamnoen Avenue, at the other side of the capital city.

"You can see we assemble in a sports stadium, which is a closed venue," Ms. Thida said, "We are not here to intimidate the Constitutional Court, or to pitch one group of protesters against the other. If we wanted to do that we would have met at Ratchaprasong Intersection".

Nevertheless, if the Constitutional Court handed down a "negative" verdict, the UDD might prolong their rally to 24 November, according to Ms. Thida. "We want to show the protesters at Ratchadamnoen Avenue who want to overthrow Thaksin Regime with their so-called people revolution that the Redshirts are standing by democratic system".

Another UDD leader, Mr. Weng Tojirakarn, added that the Redshirts have agreed to stand firm and wait for instruction from the UDD leadership regardless of how the verdict turns out.

"We will fight with peaceful means, under a political strategy. We will not resort to violence, because there is no point to destabilize our elected government," said Mr. Weng.

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Battle Between Banks And Skimmers Continues

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19 November 2013, 18:51

Police officers in Udon Thani province inspecting an ATM to look for skimming device, following cases of widespread skimming scheme, 19 November 2013

(19 November) The spree of ATM frauds which, according the police estimate, has illegally funneled over 1 billion baht from numerous bank accounts in recent months has unnerved many Thais, reports Prachachart.

The fact that these crimes also took place in the busy, affluent areas of Bangkok such as Lumpini and Phayathai has only compounded the fears shared by many Bangkok citizens that their ATM cards would be at risk anywhere in the city.

The scheme, known as ?ATM skimming?, involved placing device on digit pad and card insertion point of an ATM which would read the card data and passwords punched in by unsuspecting victims. The use of small camera to secretly monitor the victims? passwords is also known in some cases.

Although two Russians and a Thai tourist police officer suspected of skimming in Bangkok and other provinces have been arrested yesterday, the police believe more suspects might be involved in the illicit operation.

For many Thais, the cases raise their awareness about the safety and potential risk of their cards, and the advantages of ?chip and pin cards? which would provide more security for debit and credit cards are once again being suggested by a number of experts.

In fact, the Bank of Thailand, citing these benefits, has previously suggested that every commercial banks in Thailand should adopt the chip and pin system within 2 years.

Many banks are understood to be studying the issues, while some have already applied the new system to their card circulation, such as Bangkok Bank PCL, which is considered to be the first bank in Thailand to import the technology.

Khachornwut Tayanukorn, Deputy Manager of Bangkok Bank, explained that under the chip and pin system, the chip card will contain a small CPU inside the cards. Once a card is inserted into the machine, the information stored in the magnetic tab and the CPU must match each other.

Additionally, the main information about the account will be stored inside the chip and needs another password and a separate system to reach.

"Even if the card is skimmed, the tampered machine will only reach part of the information," said Mr. Khachornwut, "The information stored inside the chip will be unavailable to the skimmers.".

However, he added, the disadvantage of the card is that it can only be used with Bangkok Bang’s machines. "We’ve got 8,300 machines and so far it was more or less ok. But if the entire ATM system changed to the [chip and pin], it would benefit our customers more.”

Kris Chantanotoke, Executive Vice President for the Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri), said that the bank is currently choosing the appropriate software and possibility to improve the ATM system, and that there is possibility Krungsri ATMs will eventually adopt chip card as well.

But the bank will be required to spend an enormous sum of money to change the operating system, Mr. Kris noted. According to Mr. Kris, each cash machine costs at least 200,000-300,000 baht to replace.

Meanwhile, Pongsit Chaichatphonsuk, Executive Vice President of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB), said the bank has previously tried to equip anti-skimming systems to its ATMs, but the skimmers successfully cracked the defence and find ways to skim the users? information afterwards.

“I personally think there is no system that can prevent the fraud completely 100%," Mr. Pongsit asserted, "The conversion to chip card system will not guarantee that it could prevent the fraud neither."

He added, "Also, considering all the potential costs involved, it might take a thousand years to earn the profit".

SCB operates about 9,000 ATMs and 70% of them are incapable of reading chip cards, Mr. Pongsit said, with over 10 million debit and credit cards in circulation. "The overhaul is going to take a lot of time and a lot money, and we cannot push the burden to our customers".

Mr. Khachornwut, of Bangkok Bank, agrees that chip and pin will not be a permanent answer to the problem of skimming.

"The customers should always be vigilant of their account activities regardless of the developed technology in fraud prevention, because the skimmer gangs are also developing their own technologies to reach the money holders? information," Mr. Khachornwut said.

He suggested that the customers can act on their own preventive measures by choosing safe locations of ATMs, e.g. inside or around the bank′s branch, noticing any irregularity of the machine, and changing passwords frequently.

Another option is to sign up for SMS alert to see the movement of the account, only at 10 baht a month, which amounts to less than 1 baht a day in exchange for safer services.

Ms. Chanatip Jariyawiroj, director of Financial Consumer Protection Centre (FCPC) which operates under the Bank of Thailand, also advised the customers to be their own last line of defence.

“Technology has developed rapidly, and we must learn how to prevent the risk”, she was quoted as saying.

Ms. Chanatip said that if the customers notice anything suspicious at the ATMs, they should warn the machine operators as soon as possible.

Debit and Credit card users are also encouraged to check out the latest update to prevent risks of becoming skimmer victims by visiting www.facebook.com/hotline1213 or consult the FCPC call centre at 1213 hotline.

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Another 13 Million Baht Loss For Chao Phraya Express Boats

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19 November 2013, 16:56

(19 November) Chao Phraya Express Boat Company, which operated the public boat routes along Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, is expecting a total loss of 26 million baht at the end of this year.

Mr. Parinya Rakwathin, General Manager of the company, said this morning that his company has lost 13 million baht throughout last year, and is expected to lose the same amount of money by the end of 2013.

He blamed the loss in the company revenue on the refusal of the Ministry of Transport to approve a fare hike requested by the company. In late 2011, Chao Phraya Express – a private company – submitted a letter asking for an additional fare of 2 baht which would be applied to the distance traveled by each passenger.

“Our service fee is currently based on the oil price at 22 – 25 baht per litre,” said Mr. Parinya, “and the Minister of Transport had previously assured us that there will be other compensation, such as subsidy in fuel price, but nothing has yet been done.”

It is estimated that the Chao Phraya Express service receives over 30,000 passengers a day.

Mr. Chatchart Sittpan, Minister of Transport, confirmed that the Ministry has not considered the plan to increase the express boats fare proposed by the Chao Phraya Express, but he insisted that the Ministry will arrange other compensations to support the company.

For example, he said, the Ministry will persuade more customers to use the service by altering other public transport routes, such as public buses, to be connected with the piers.

The piers would also be organised to be easily accessible by cars and other vehicles, while a strict safety standard and an improved service would be imposed on the boat service. This way, according to Mr. Chatchart, would help the boat provider to enjoy more customers and meet their breakeven point.

“Increasing the fare will be our last option” said Mr. Chatchart, “And if it becomes unavoidable, we are considering to increase the fares in the less-popular routes”.

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Omani Man Briefly Detained For Counterfeit Money

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19 November 2013, 15:51

(19 November) An Omani national has been briefly detained by the police in Pattaya after he attempted to exchange a counterfeit US dollar banknote to Thai baht.

The police were alerted by a clerk at Bank of Ayuddhaya Currency Exchange Unit in the seaside town when the clerk discovered that one of the four US banknotes the man would like to exchange was fake.

Mr. Khalid Mohomed Saif, 39, later told the police he had acquired the banknotes from Dubai and was not aware that one of the banknotes was a counterfeit.

After conducting a search in Mr. Saif′s room, the police found no suspicious item, and concluded that it was not Mr. Saif′s intention to use the false banknote, while the bank similarly did not pursue any allegation against him. Mr. Saif was eventually released without any charge.

A police captain in Pattaya said Mr. Saif′s fake money was obtained here in Thailand, and would like to assure visitors there is no known problem of counterfeit US dollars in Pattaya at the moment.

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Anti-Govt Protesters Apprehend 'Redshirts Spy'

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19 November 2013, 15:18

(19 November) Volunteer guards of the anti-government protests at Ratchadamnoen Avenue have apprehended a man who claimed to be a paid agent of the rival pro-government Redshirts.

The man, in a yellow shirt, caused a scene at 10.30 today by lifting plastic chairs at the protest campsite and started hitting random protesters who were relaxing in their tents. The protesters then responded by beating up the man and subduing him, before the security guards in the area rushed to separate him from the crowd.

After a brief interrogation behind the rally stage, the man, who did not give his name, said he had been paid 200 baht by the National United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) to infiltrate the anti-government protests and commit violent acts along with two other accomplices who, he claimed, had escaped amidst the chaos.

However, the man refused to name the persons who hired him and his specific objectives. The anti-government guards later escorted him to the police for further legal prosecution.

The UDD is also organising a mass rally in Bangkok today to show support for the government.

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Houses Burned Down By Loy Krathong Balloons

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18 November 2013, 21:49

(18 November) Numerous Thais are left complaining of the menace caused by low-flying balloon lanterns released throughout the Loy Krathong celebration last night.

Two houses are reported to have been burned down due to the lanterns, which resemble rudimentary hot air balloons, while a number of incidents with lesser damages has been reported in many parts of the country, police said.

One of the razed properties was a shop-house at a market in Pathum Thani province. Teams of firefighters spent 30 minutes putting out the blaze, which Mr. Thanin Phanuwattanawong, the son of the shop owner, said was started last night by a balloon lantern that landed into the store.

“We tried to put out the the fire, but it spread very fast, because there are foam products in the storeroom”, said Mr. Thanin.

The other establishment believed to have been burned down the similar cause was a wooden house in Mae Sod district of Tak province. The owner, Ms. Rasmi Naengyaem, 45, said she was attending the Loy Krathong festival nearby when she was informed about the fire via her mobile phone.

Ms. Phew, a Myanma national, alerted Ms. Rasmi when she spotted a lit balloon lantern falling into the house. However, the house was already completely engulfed in flame by the time she returned, Ms. Rasmi said.

Investigation for both incidents continue.

Elsewhere in the country, the lantern balloons also caused minor damages, as they landed in the fields, parks, and electric poles. Netizens on the social network shared stories and photos of damages caused by the balloons.

Officials at Lampang Airport in Lampang province said they had retrieved 108 such balloons which landed on the 1.9 kilometre-long runway of the airport throughout the night. Around 20 more balloons fell down around the airport vicinity.

An official said the balloons would have disrupted the planes landing and departing, so a number of ground staff had been placed along the runway to keep it clean from balloons.

Although Loy Krathong is more often associated with floating of Krathong onto the rivers and canals, the release of these hot air balloons, a practice which originated in the northern region of the country, has become increasingly popular among urbanites in recent years.

The authorities have advised against releasing of the balloons in urban areas, but the instruction has been largely unheeded. Lantern balloons were openly sold – and released – in many venues where celebration of Loy Krathong festival were held, sometimes under the gazes of law enforcement officials.

Ms. Benchasai Keeyapaj, deputy spokeswoman of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), said lantern balloons have caused 6 small fires in Bangkok last night, which were quickly brought under control.

Officials are drafting regulations which would require balloon lantern manufacturers to comply with safety standard, such as limiting the fuel underneath the balloons to last no more than 4-8 minutes, depending on their size, according to Ms. Benchasai.

She said there is currently no legislation that specifically regulate the sales and purchases lantern balloons.

Meanwhile, Mr. Pichai Kriangwattanasiri, director of BMA′s disaster prevention and relief office, has rare good news concerning Loy Krathong: according to the official, no drowning has been reported in Bangkok throughout the festival, in contrast with large number of drownings in previous years.

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NZ Man Misidentified As Crash Victim Due To Police Errors

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18 November 2013, 20:22

(18 November) An error in police investigation has led to the misidentifcation of a New Zealander as the deceased victim of a car accident on Koh Samui Island last week.

On 15 November, a local Khaosod correspondent was informed that a foreigner has been killed in a road accident after he crashed his car into a garbage truck on the island.

As a standard practice, our correspondent received information concerning the incident from a police officer, who claimed that the victim had been identified as a New Zealand citizen by the name of Brown Frank. Khaosod headquarters in Bangkok ran the story inaccordance with these details.

However, after the story was published, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand released a statement indicating that Mr. Brown Frank had not been killed in the accident.

Questioned by our correspondent about the matter, the police officer today admitted there was indeed a mistake during the investigation. The police simply identified the victim based on the vehicle registration documents found inside the car, which belong to Mr. Frank.

In fact, the officer said, the police later found out that Mr. Frank had lent the car to a Canadian man, who was the victim killed in the accident.

The mistake was pointed out at the hospital, the officer added.

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Bill Dispute At Songkhla Karaoke Bar Kills 1

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18 November 2013, 19:22

(18 November) A man has been killed by the owner of a karaoke bar in Songkhla province, while the owner himself has been stabbed by a knife, police said.

Initial police investigation reported that the deceased, Mr. Wichian Thipchamnong, 41, and his friends visited the bar, called Chiang Rai Karaoke, on the night of 17 November. The group drank at the bar until it closed down at 02.00, at which point a waitress reportedly presented them with a bill.

However, according to police reports, the men said they were unable to pay for it, and the waitress informed the owner of the bar, Mr. Khian Yodchai, 54, who was sleeping upstairs. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Khian reportedly came down to settle the bill with a shotgun in his hand.

Seeing the shotgun, Mr. Wichian and his friends suddenly tried to wrestle the weapon from Mr. Khian, police said. In the confusion, Mr. Khian was stabbed and a friend of Mr. Wichian was also injured, while Mr. Wichian himself was shot by Mr. Khian once he recovered his firearm.

Mr. Khian′s condition is described as severe. It is not immediately clear whether the police have already pressed any charges against any suspect.

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Bangkok Authority Braces For Red-Yellow Protests

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18 November 2013, 17:29

Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban handing out Buddhist amulets to volunteer guards of the anti-government protests, 18 November 2013

(18 November) Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) says it is prepared to handle two rival mass protests due to take place in the capital city tomorrow.

Coinciding with the ongoing anti-government protests organised by the Democrat Party at Ratchadamnoen Avenue, the official leadership of the Redshirts are planning an overnight pro-government rally at Rajamangla Stadium in western Bangkok from 19-20 November.

The Redshirts rally will also overlap the high anticipated judgment of the Constitutional Court, scheduled to be delivered on 20 November, which will dictate whether the ruling Pheu Thai Party′s push to amend the 2007 Constitution is constitutional.

To cope with the situation, Mr. Vasan Meewong, spokesman of the Bangkok Governor, said the BMA has convened a meeting and delegated relevant officials to oversee the rallies in respective areas.

He added that mobile toilets and water tanks will be dispatched to the Rajamangala Stadium to service the Redshirts protesters. "The BMA will take care of all protest groups equally," said Mr. Vasan.

However, the spokesman voiced his concern that the work capacity of BMA officials have been greatly stretched by the ongoing protests. The additional duty of overseeing the political rallies has forced the officials to downscale services in other areas, according to Mr. Vasan, and the BMA has to apply for more budgets.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ekkanat Prompan, a spokesman of the anti-government protests, told reporters at Ratchadamnoen Avenue that the protests leader, Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban, has met with many security volunteers and instructed them to be extra-vigilant in maintaining the safety of the protesters.

Mr. Ekkanat said the meeting with the guards followed the concerns that a "third hand party" might be planning to infiltrate the protests and stir up violence on 24 November, the day which the protest leaders expected at least 1 million citizens to join the rally.

The spokesman of the protests said he is confident that the major rally on 24 November would be decisive enough to score victory for the protesters.

Mr. Ekkanat also called on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to take responsibility for her governmental "minions" who have accused the anti-government protesters of plotting an unrest. As for the Redshirts? rival rally on 19 November, Mr. Ekkanat said the Redshirts should refrain from putting pressure on the Constitutional Court.

"How the Redshirts leaders have threatened to reject the verdict and to escalate their campaigns if the ruling is unfair toward the government is a clear violation of the judicial powers," said Mr. Ekkanat.

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