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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PM Yingluck Mulling Extra New Year Holiday

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2 October 2013, 20:54

The ever-busy Bangkok main roads are mostly empty during the New Year 'long holidays' as many residents leave the capital for vacation

(2 October) Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had announced the government is considering a plan to declare 30 December as a public holiday, in order to lengthen the New Year 'long holiday' period and boost the nation’s tourism industry.

If the plan, originally proposed by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, is adopted, Thailand will enjoy a stretch of 5 holidays from Saturday 28 December 2013 to Wednesday 1 January 2014.

According to Mr. Kittirat Na Ranong, Deputy Prime Minister, the 5-days long public holiday will help boost the national economy, particularly the tourism sector. He expressed his confidence that the cabinet would agree with the proposed plan.

Mr. Sampan Paenpat, Honorary Consultant of Thai Hotel Association, suggested that the plan could help stimulate the spending over year-end activities.

According to his estimation, the day off on the 30th December could generate 10,000 million baht spending, considering each of 2 million tourists to spend 5,000 baht per day in costs like accommodation and food.

Mr. Yutthachai Soonthornrattanawatch, President of Domestic Tourism in Thailand, also agreed with the plan, as it will greatly encourage "Thai people to celebrate the season in a most fulfilling way". Nonetheless, he said, the government must simultaneously take a step to promote domestic tourism, as there is a possibility that Thai tourists could end up planning their trip abroad during long holiday.

Although the cabinet has not voted on the matter, the Prime Minister said at Government House today she is doing everything she can to enact the extra holiday.

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Chinese Tourist Drowned In Phuket

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2 October 2013, 16:40

(October 2) A Chinese tourist was found dead in Koh Rachayai Island, Phuket Province, after being swept by 2 metre high waves off the coast.

The man, identified as Mr. Lin Hunhing, was described as wearing yellow vest and black swimming pants at the time of his death.

According to one of the witnesses, the man tried to swim back to shore, but was swept away by the gigantic waves. The beach guard team then tried to perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but failed to save Mr. Lin’s life.

A postmortem investigation will be conducted at Vachira Phuket Hospital within a few days, police said.

The southern region of Thailand is known for stormy weather and dangerous sea waves during its annual rain season.

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Garbage Collector Stabbed Dead By Colleague

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2 October 2013, 16:30

(2 October) Police in Mueang district of Samut Prakarn province said a garbage collector had been stabbed death by his colleague as they were performing their duty earlier this morning.

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Fellow garbage collectors had been holding an 18 year old suspect, who is also the nephew of the victim, when the police arrived.

The suspect confessed that he had killed his uncle, Mr. Satit Sae-huam, 40, explaining that he and Mr. Satit often engaged in fights, because Mr. Satit liked to scold him while they are at work.

At the time of the incident, the suspect said that Mr. Satit kept complaining and insulting him, causing him to be angry and leading him to throw a rubbish bin at his uncle. The suspect claimed that Mr. Satit became enraged and attempted to fight him, so he pulled out a knife and stabbed the man in self defense.

Mr. Satit was pronounced dead at the scene. Other staff held the suspect, preventing him from fleeing the scene, until officers arrived.

Another fellow garbage collector told police that the occasional fights between the pair had become a common sight for other colleagues, so the staff did not expect the verbal exchanges this morning to escalate into a manslaughter.

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Man Stabs Wife To Death For 'Denying Him Sex'

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2 October 2013, 12:58

(2 October) Police in Mae Ai district, Chiang Mai province, said a Lahu ethnic man stabbed his wife to death because she refused to have sexual intercourse with him.

Ms. Napohsee Eueuu, 35, who was also a member of the Lahu tribe, was found dead on her bed. On her body, police discovered several wounds, presumably caused by her husband, Mr. Jajah Mochai. The man was also injured as he tried to killed himself with the same knife he allegedly used to stab his wife.

When the police arrived, the man had been severely injured and was sent to the hospital straight away.

The couple’s neighbours told police that Ms. Napohsee was upset with her husband for spending too much money buying fertilizer for their vegetable farm. She then reportedly tried to avoid having sexual intercourse with him, sparking arguments between the couple.

Police believe Mr. Jajah was enraged with Ms. Napohsee′s rejection, before he fatally stabbed her.

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Transport Dept Planning 'Lady Taxi' Program

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1 October 2013, 23:32

(1 October) Mr. Attachai Rattanadilok Na Phuket, Deputy Director of Department of Land Transport, said that his department is planning to launch a ‘Lady Taxi’ campaign, in order to offer women safer taxi service.

A number of female passengers have been robbed or sexually assaulted by taxi drivers in Bangkok.

According to the Deputy Director, the campaign is still in the planning process. The taxi vehicles, he said, might be painted in pink, or have some specific details that signify their involvement to the campaign.

The taxi might also offer a slightly higher fare, as it requires female drivers to provide the service.

The campaign, according to Mr. Attachai, may be proposed to Mr. Chatchart Sittipan, Minister of Transport, by the end of this year.

So far, Chiang Mai province has already offer the service exclusively to female passengers, and charge a fixed rate starting from 150 baht per ride, within the Chiang Mai Metropolitan area.

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Anti-Dam Documentary Delayed, Not Cancelled, says MCOT

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1 October 2013, 20:44

(1 October) The director of state-owned Channel 9 has insisted that he did not censor a documentary about the campaign against the government-backed dam construction project in northern Thailand.

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The documentary program ?Kon Khon Kon? (literally, Human Searching Human) had been scheduled to air an episode on 28 September featuring Mr. Sasin Chalermlar, an environment activist , who had walked for 388 kilometres from Mae Wong National Park to Bangkok to protest the construction of a dam there.

The much-anticipated episode was pulled out at the last minute, causing much puzzlement and uproar on the social network.

The dam itself had already posed as an issue against the current government, as it is concluded in the 350 billion baht ‘Water Management Programme’ and situated in the National Park in Nakhon Sawan and Kampaeng Pet provinces.

Mr. Sasin, who also serves as the secretary-general of Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, argues that the dam would irreversibly damage the lush forest in the area. Other activists accused the government of conducting insufficient research into the project, and attempting to cover up the negative effects to the dam construction.

The opposition to Mae Wong Dam also gained momentum among urban middle class citizens in Bangkok, many of whom harbour deep hostility toward the government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

To anti-government critics, the cancellation of “Khon Khon Khon” emphasized the belief that the government was trying to interfere with freedom of information.

On 30 September, Mr. Anek Permvongseni, President of MCOT which operated Channel 9, said in a press conference that the ?Kon Khon Kon? documentary "was not banned", but it was merely "delayed".

Speaking alongside Mr. Prasan Inkanant, Deputy Manager of TV Burabha, the producer of ?Kon Khon Kon?, Mr. Anek said the episode regarding Mr. Sasin involves sensitive issues, and may have caused negative effects to the polarised society.

Therefore, MCOT has suggested that the production company should re-edit its content to be "inclusive" for the audience, such as adding different opinions about Mae Wong Dam, before airing the show, Mr. Anek said.

The President also insisted that his company had not been intervened by any group, and confirmed that the show will finally be broadcast on 12 October. He stressed that the relationship between MCOT and TV Burabha is still good.

Meanwhile, Mr. Prasan of TV Burabha said the producers would fix the content as suggested by MCOT, in order to reach a compromise with the station, and expressed his belief that the situation should represent a good example of how to fight something in a peaceful manner.

“It is the best option to release the show”, said Mr. Prasan, “Considering the impact that many people have seen the controversy as a political issue.”

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