Thai Economy 'Largely Unaffected' By US Govt Shutdown

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5 October 2013, 17:23

Furloughed federal workers protest outside the U.S. Capitol to demand an end to the lockout of federal workers caused by the government shutdown October 4, 2013 in Washington, DC. (AFP)

(5 October) Minister of Industry assured that the Thai economy will be "largely unaffected" by the ongoing US government shutdown crisis, despite Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra′s concern that the tolls may fall on Thai small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

Mr. Prasert Boonchaisuk claimed that "there are no worrisome circumstances at the moment," and that the crisis will not bog down Thai investment sector as some have feared.

Meanwhile, Director of the Office of Industrial Economics (OIE), Mr. Somchai Hanhiran, added that the US shutdown would only restrain short term consumption within the United States, which will not damage Thais industry and export sectors.

The OIE boss also pleaded for "calm" among the investors by noting that the US government shutdown had ‘happened before’, and the discussion about the US public debt ceiling is expected be concluded before 17 October.

The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) President, Mr. Payungsak Chatsuthiphol, echoed the sentiment, saying that he has not receive any reports about exporters struggling to cope with the situation.

FTI President also expressed his belief that the US Congress should be able to solve the issue within three months.

However, Mr. Payungsak warned that the foundation of the US economy was not as strong as before, and that the warring US Representatives’ attempt to prolong the decision would only worsen the American economic recovery.

Ms. Yingluck has previously urged the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) and the Financial Ministry to closely monitor the situation in the US, after it had been reported that the Government Shutdown might stagnate American economy in the third quarter for 0.1 percent.

Prior to the shutdown, it was expected that the US economy would grows 2.5% it the last quarter (Q4). However, if the temporarily closure of one-third of the federal offices lasts longer than one week, the US economy might face at least 0.2-0.3% stagnation.

The Prime Minister said she feared Thai SMEs would be indirect victims of the American financial mayhem.

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No Plan For Cabinet Reshuffle: PM Spokesman

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4 October 2013, 21:46

(4 October) Deputy Spokesman of the Prime Minister Office insisted Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra has no plan for Cabinet shake-up at the moment, contrary to the widespread rumour.

"It′s just a rumour. I haven?t heard the Prime Minister discussing about it, " said Mr. Pakdeeharn Himathongkum, who noted that the latest Cabinet reshuffle took place only 3 months ago.

He added, "We won?t be shifting the Cabinet positions this soon, because the current Cabinet is working on the government policies. If we reshuffle them now, it would cause chaos and delay the works they have been doing".

Mr. Pakdeeharn also denied the allegation that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is pulling the strings behind the ongoing Cabinet reshuffle plan, saying that Ms. Yingluck is the sole person who has the power to enact changes in the Cabinet.

Mr. Thaksin, the brother of Ms. Yingluck, is seen as the influential figure behind the ruling Pheu Thai Party, despite his overthrow in a military coup 7 years ago.

During the last Cabinet shake-up, prominent Pheu Thai figures reportedly flew to meet Mr. Thaksin in Hong Kong, where the former leader is living his exile.

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Thais Hunting For 'Lucky' Mobile Phone Numbers

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4 October 2013, 20:25

(4 October) The price for phone numbers starting with "09" are increasingly expensive, as many Thais believe the number would provide them with divine fortunes in lives.

Vast majority of the mobile phone numbers in Thailand start with 08, but the 09 series are also starting to appear in the market.

The number is associated with good luck by the Thais as 9 (gow) sounds like "step", so any serial number starting with 9 is equivalent to "taking a step forward"(gow nha). Such obsession with number 9 is found in vehicle license plates, banknotes, and other objects.

The numerology also helps reinforce the semi-god status of His Majesty the King – the 9th monarch of Chakri Dynasty – in the perception of many Thais.

Although the 09 mobile phone number series emerged several years ago, it has recently become popular due to many celebrities who express their belief in the "good luck" phone numbers to the press, Prachachart has reported.Customers who already have other numbers are buying new simcards in order to enjoy the benefit of the divine number. The promotion of the superstitious belief via social media by the celebrities also helps raise the price of the good-luck-numbers simcard.

While the general starting price is around 1,000 baht, some specific numbers can raise up to 100,000 baht, depending on the interpretation of the serial numbers.

It should be noted that these 09x-xxx-xxxxx numbers are provided by "Truemove-H" as part of its product campaign To-Yok-Guan ("Chatty Gang"), which allows the users to acquire the number by exchanging discount "stamps" issued by 7-11 convenience stores for a simcard.

The trend had caused many simcard retailers to search for particular numbers. Some had gone as far as phoning the number owners and offering to buy the simcards.

However, in near future Truemove-H will no longer enjoy the monopoly of mystical numbers, as a rival company i-Mobile recently announced plan to sell them under its campaign "Lucky Numbers With Positive Force For Your Life"

i-Mobile, with the collaboration of Mr. Karin ?Man? Satayu, an actor who also offers horoscope services, will provide its users a simcard with numbers "certified" as "lucky" by horoscope experts at the price of 199 THB. But it remains to be seen whether those numbers would be as highly sought-after as the 09 series.

Another source told Prachachart that there are approximately 20 major dealers capable of selling the 09 lucky numbers at expensive rates, due to the fact that the business needs large amount of money to cover its turnover rate. Generally, the dealer must spend at least 100,000 THB to buy a lucky simcard, before reselling it at a higher rate.

"It works like the amulet market", said the source.

Prachachart reports that by now, many numbers starting with 095-4xx-xxxx are already in the hands of these major dealers. Statistically, lucky numbers appear at the ratio of only 20 per 10,000 numbers.

Nevertheless, there is still a chance for other 500 minor dealers to compete with the major ones, as National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is expected to release another set of 099-xxx-xxxx numbers in the near future, which is bound to fuel the dynamics of the market yet again.

Mr. Korkit Danchaiwichit, Deputy Secretary of the NBTC, said that organisation is trying to manage the numbers to be sold in orders to prevent the waste of inactive numbers, namely the numbers considered undesirable by superstitious customers, which could lead to the dramatic change to 11-digits system.

The decision could mean that network providers will no longer be allowed to choose the numbers, and hence took advantage of the perceived lucky charms.

NBTC additionally requires network providers to return 2G numbers to be reused as 3G-capable numbers. Users of 2G simcards are aslo allowed to transfer to 3G network under the protection of Mobile Number Portability Act.

Police 'Returning' 5 Rohingya Refugees To Bangladesh

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4 October 2013, 17:46

(4 October) The Immigration Bureau is sending five Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh after its authorities confirmed their citizenship.

The five, all men, were among a group of Rohingya ethnics who had fled the sectarian violence in Myanmar into the neighbouring Thailand, and were eventually arrested in Songkhla province for illegally crossing the border.

The Rohingyas had been detained in a detention centre in Nong Khai province, but later started a riot in the facility, demanding to be expatriated to a third country rather than being sent back to Myanmar where they might be subject to human rights abuses.

The violence has caused some damages to the facility, and a number of Rohingya detainees were separated to holding cells in different police stations within the province.

The Immigration Bureau said this morning that the five men who had been detained at Mueang Nong Khai Police Station will be deported to Bangladesh, as the Bureau has received notification from the Bangladeshi Consulate recognising the men′s citizenships, and requesting their transfers to their ?homeland?.

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Thai League Football Referee Shot In Nonthaburi

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3 October 2013, 19:35

(3 October) A football referee has been shot and injured in Nonthaburi province.

Mr. Nakhon Sa-ad was sent to Rama III Hospital this morning after he was shot during his morning exercise in the park at his gated community.

Police believe 2 suspects shot Mr. Nakhon for several times before fleeing the scene.

Mr. Nakhon has been involved in a dispute concerning the match between Rayong FC and Singhatarua FC he refereed on 31 August. Rayong won the match by 2-1, but Singhatarua manager had protested the result, claiming that Mr. Nakhon displayed bias as he performed his duty.

The Thai football association eventually suspended Mr. Nakhon from his duty for 1 year and 6 months.

Although the police said the football dispute may be behind the shooting, the officers stressed that they have not ruled out any other potential motive, and that the investigation is ongoing.

Last month, another well-known referee, Mr. Tanorm Borikut, was also shot and injured at the Rajamangala Stadium in eastern Bangkok. The police have not arrested any suspect nor concluded the motive for the shooting.

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Indian Tourist Decapitated By Pattaya Speedboat

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3 October 2013, 19:15

(3 October) Speedboat accidents in Pattaya claimed a new fatality, as an Indian tourist had been decapitated by a boat′s engines after she fell into the sea.

Reports say the tourist had been para-sailing with a speedboat when the wind suddenly changed direction, causing her to fall into the water. The speedboat engine then reportedly dragged both the parachute and the body of the tourist underneath its engine, killing the victim instantly.

The tourist has been identified as Ms. Shilpi Agarwal, a 36-year-old Indian national.

The speedboat driver told police he was in fact trying to help the tourist by pulling back the boat to lift her up from the water. Unfortunately, the motor ended up killing the tourist.

The Marine Department has previously stated that many boat owners in Pattaya fail to appoint skillful drivers to provide the service, despite the fact that the boats have been registered for commercial purpose, serving many tourists.

Meanwhile, Minister of Tourism and Sports, Mr. Somsak Pureesrisak, said that the incident had affected tourists? confidence in Thailand’s tourism safety.

He also vowed to tackle the issues of repeated speedboat accidents in popular tourist attractions.

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Journalist 'Intimidated' By Chiang Mai Taxi Organiser

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3 October 2013, 18:10

Taxi drivers protesting hike in license fee at Chiang Mai Airport

(3 October) A reporter based in Chiang Mai province said he had been threatened by an organiser of the local illegal taxi service.

Previously, many news agencies in the province have reported about the so-called ?Black License Plate? taxis which operate near Chiang Mai Night Bazaar.

According to the reports, the taxi intrusively hawk their service to foreign tourists and charge them extortive fare later. The reports followed many complaints from the tourists.

Today, Mr. Manit Khemkham, 56, the deputy editor of Chiang Mai News, told police that he had been receiving threatening phone calls from Mr. Nirand Panarakworakul, who Mr. Manit said is the organiser of the illegal taxi group.

According to Mr. Manit′s statements to the police, Mr. Nirand told the reporter he would beat him up until he passed out. Mr. Nirand also allegedly threatened Mr. Manit that any news agency that continues to report about the taxi service would be attacked by "thugs".
The police said they will investigate the matter together with Chiang Mai Provincial Land Transport Office.

Mr. Chanchai Keelaplaeng, Directorate General of the provincial land transport, said that his authority had been alerted about the "taxi gang", and asked the police to arrest its members after they had threatened the journalists.

“Causing nuisances to the tourists and threatening journalists count as criminal offence. The police should respond to the gang behaviours, as they are tasked to do, in order to wipe out such problems” said Mr. Chanchai.

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Govt To Issue 'Free Transport Pass' For The Poor

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3 October 2013, 17:02

(3 October) Transport Minister Chatchart Sittipan has announced a plan to issue free transport cards for low income earners, replacing the existing program under which only a number of buses and trains are free of charge.

The scheme was first launched under the government of former Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej during the last stage of his term, before he was deposed by a court ruling in 2008.

The program had proven so popular that the preceding government of Ms. Abhisit Vejjajiva repeatedly renewed it, in spite of the Democrats? self-proclaimed opposition toward "populist" policies of Mr. Samak.

Since the program started in July 2008, successive governments had spent over 14 billion baht to support the free transports by subsidising 10 billion baht to the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) and over 3 billion baht to the State Railway of Thailand.

Although Mr. Chatchart said he would renew the program for another 6 months, he acknowledged that the scheme "did not pose the right answer to ease the burden of low-income earners".

He pointed out that under the current program the free buses do not run in every route, and well-off passengers and foreign tourists can also take advantage of the program, whereas the intention of the program is to specifically help the poorer population.

“Free transport has been accessible to too many people and it has not accurately responded to its objective as a policy to support the low-income earners,” said Transport Minister, “So we have come up with a resolution, creating a free-pass card for a specific group of people.”

The card, according to Mr. Chatchart, would carries photographs and a bar code indicating the information of its holder, such as the limits of how many services they can use.

The Transport Minister believes that the idea will allow low-income earners to have better access to the services. "As the BMTA will not renew the current free buses program in the future, the card would let the low-income earners to be able to access the private-led buses, too, on the budget of the government subsidy," he said.

However, in order to identify who qualifies for the right to free transports, the Ministry of Transport will have to discuss the plan with Ministry of Interior and the BMTA.

“We still have about 6 months to discuss about the plan … we will need to gather information about their income and spending, perhaps based on their annual income and their utilities bill payments,” said Mr. Chatchart.

“The card should have no trouble to access the buses free service, as the user can paste the card on the card-reader machine,” explained the Minister “the same service should also apply to the train”.

In the meantime, the renewal of the existing program will require the government to subsidise another 2,085 million baht for free trains and buses services from 1 October 2013 to 31 March 2014.

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Lese Majeste: Prachatai Webboard User Sentenced To Jail

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3 October 2013, 15:40

A protester in a rally against Article 112, the "lese majeste" law, which criminalised insults of monarchy

(3 October) The Appeals Court has found a woman guilty of lese majeste (insults of monarchy), overturning the verdict of the lower court which ruled that there was no sufficient evidence to prove her guilt.

Ms. Noppawan Tang-udomsuk has been accused of posting contents defamatory toward the monarchy on the webboard of Prachatai news website in October 2008. She has been charged under Article 112 of the Criminal Code, which criminalise insults of the Royal Family, and computer crime act.

Under the strict Thai lese majeste law, remarks deemed offensive of the Royal Family are punishable by up to 15 years in prison per offence.

The lower court eventually ruled that the evidence presented against her, namely the IP Address, was not sufficient to pinpoint the defendant′s wrongdoing, and subsequently acquitted her of the charges. However, the prosecutors appealed the ruling soon afterwards.

Yesterday, the Appeals Court read out its verdict that, although the prosecutors lacked evidence which clearly proved the defendant as the poster of the offensive comments, officials from the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology have insisted to the court that technical data pointed to the defendant.

The judges noted that the recorded data of internet connection at the time the comments were posted matched with the defendant′s account and usage time.

Since the prosecutors' witnesses are state officials who "perform their duties in a straightforward manner", the court said, there is no reason to believe the defendant was being unjustly implicated during the investigation.

The court also dismissed the defendant′s insistence that her IP address had been "hacked" by a third party, saying that such interference is not possible.

Therefore, the court sentenced the defendant to 5 years in prison for"defaming, discrediting the monarchy".

Ms. Noppawan contested the verdict, and has been released on a bail of 1,000,000 baht.

Previously, Ms. Chiranuch Premchaipon, the editor and webmaster of Prachatai, had been found guilty of lese majeste and sentenced to 2 years of suspended jail term for her failure to erase offensive comments about the monarchy posted on its webboard "quickly enough".

Critics of lese majeste argue that the law′s definition of insults against the monarchy is so vague and sweeping that it virtually penalises any public discussion of the monarchy in Thailand.

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New Arrest Of Loris Handler Follows Rihanna's Tweet

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2 October 2013, 21:08

(2 October) Phuket police have arrested another suspect accused of hawking the slow loris to take photos with tourists following an American pop star′s Tweet which showed her with the protected animal during her trip to the popular island province.

The internationally famous singer had posted a picture of herself with a slow loris – a furry animal with huge eyes – with a caption "Look who was talkin [sic] dirty to me!" during her visit in Phuket 2 weeks ago.

Yesterday, a joint task force in Kathu district stopped a man who had been loitering with a small loris in public in order to charge tourists for taking pictures with the animal.

Police then asked Mr. Warawuth Sai-Udom, a Kalasin resident, to provide documents regarding his right to possess the loris. The man failed to do so and was promptly arrested.

Mr. Warawuth told police that the slow loris was delivered to him by a man known as ‘Mr.Wichien’.

Mr. Weera Koedmongkol, Director of Kathu district, said that the suppression against illegal possession of protected animal has been conducted continuously by the Phuket provincial authority. However, despite several arrests, the crime still persists, he said.

A week after Rihanna left Phuket for her Diamond World Tour in Singapore, Mr. Weera and his team had arrested 2 men for illegally possessing the animal. He was quoted by the Associated Press that Rihanna′s Tweet had alerted the police to crack down on the trade.

The sheriff expressed his belief that Mr. Warawuth, the suspect arrested yesterday, was "only a pawn" in the larger gang of loris trafficking.

Kathu police then pressed charges against the man for possessing animals of protected species. The penalty of the charge is 4 years imprisonment or 40,000 baht fine.

Police said the slow loris will be taken to the Wildlife Conservation Centre in Phang-Nga province.

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