September 2007 : Coup Anniversary Only corruption problem is being investigated after first anniversary of the September 19 coup. 3 cabinet members resigned after found holding shares more than 5 per cent as allowed by graft law. NLA passed 3 organic laws relating to election. 2008 fiscal budget is set at Bt 1,660,000 million. EC won’t sign MoU poll with EC. Poll result showed 48% of Thai wanted government to urgently solve economic problems. One-Two-Go airliner crashed in Phuket took 90 lives and 41 injuries. The Anti Money-Laundering Law is being revamp to make 9 non-finance businesses to report cash transaction exceed Bt 1 million. NLA appointed a committee to study amendment law on 2 and 3 digits lottery. 3 different working hours proposed for state officials to ease traffic problems. Minimum wage in Bangkok raised from 191 to 193 baht per day. Cabinet approved Bt 174 million to remedy noise problem around Suvarnabhumi airport. Sea gypsy finally get Thai nationality. An acheivement at the first coup anniversary In a year since the military take over in September 19, 2006, though Thailand’s political landscape has seen some significant changes, only 1 of 4 reasons why the coup took place is in the remediation process while the rest are vague and unclear. When Gen Sondhi Boonyaratglin top army commander headed the Council for National Security to stage the coup d’etat to ousted Thaksin Shinawatra, he cited 4 charges; 1) endemic corruption, 2) monarchy institution offensive, 3) interference of administrative and independent organs check-and-balance system, and 4) create national disunity. However, after one year passed only corruption problems were evidently tackled by appointing an ad hoc agency – Asset Examination Committee (AEC) who has frozen Thaksin and his family Bt60 billion bank accounts. However, corruption charge is still missing against other politicians as criticized by a leading social critic Theerayuth Boonmi of Thammasart University during his remark on the commemoration of the coup first anniversary while the other 3 charges are non-progress, too. . 3 cabinet members quit on share holdings Three cabinet members; Deputy Commerce Minster Oranuj Osatananda, Information and Communication Technology Sitthchai Pookaiyaudom and Interior Minister Aree Wongsearaya resigned from the post on grounds that they held stakes in companies in excess of the 5 percent allowed under the graft law of 2000. Previously NCCC spokesman Klanarong Chantik named the three and said none of them could be charged due to the suspension of the 1997 constitution but Oranuj and Sitthichai offered to resign immediately to avoid damaging the government and Aree tendered his resignation later. 3 election related laws passed The National Legislative Assembly on September 26 passed 3 organic laws on 1) the Election Commission, 2) the political party and 3) the election of the member of the parliament with 165-1, 167 and 165-1 votes respectively. The three laws were hotly debated during the vetting on several issues such as the changing of votes to nullify, or give red light, the candidates in the election, from unanimous to 4-5 of the EC members and the dissolution of the political party and 5-years disband of its executive upon found guilty of electoral fraud. NLA passed 2008 fiscal budget The National Legislative Assembly on September 5 voted 108-0 to pass the 2008 Fiscal Budget Law of Bt1,660,000 million after some NLA members remarked on the allocation of common budget to a few ineffective projects similar to the previous government. The 2008 budget was cut at Bt 9,736 million and the Ministry of Education is ranked top to receive Bt 300,000 million. In his address to the NLA, Prime Minister Surayut Chulanont said the 2008 budget, though Bt 160,000 million deficit, will not effect the national economy since the growth rate is 5 per cent annually and the overall inflation rate is 3 per cent. The government adopted His Majesty the King’s philosophy of sufficiency economy and focuses on the country’s sustainable development. EC won’t sign poll MOU The Election Commission (EC) on September 11 voted unanimously not to sign an MoU (memorandum of understanding) with the European Union on electoral observers citing there was no such a code practice in the history. Any foreign observers are welcome and the EC is confident it can supervise a free and fair election and meet international standard on voting. The EU previously insisted the Kingdom would have to sign a MoU to formally allow a team of European observers to monitor the general election, scheduled for December 23. Poll address to the government The National Statistic Bureau disclosed the poll results of opinions of 5,800 people of 18+ years old that was randomly selected during August 9-12 that the people wanted the government to urgently solve problems on 1) economic: the rising cost of living and commodity goods, 2) political: corruption and 3) social: education loan. The three issues were addressed at 48, 6.7 and 10.1 percent respectively. The internal security issue is also another significant concern and the people wanted the violence in the three southern provinces to be urgently solved. Phuket air crash 90 people were killed and 43 survived when a airliner crashed-landed at Phuket airport in bad weather conditions on September 16 afternoon. The One-Two-Go flight OG 269 is a low-cost airliner with a total of 130 passengers and crew, lost balance while touching down and skidded off the runway to slammed into trees and an earth embankment before exploding and breaking into fire. All injured passengers had been sent to the hospitals in Phuket and some were transferred to Bangkok. The minor injured and improved were allowed to return home while all dead had been recovered and brought back by their families. The airline company responsible all the hospital expenditure and immediately paid each death with a Bt 100,000. A negotiating to increase each death a compensation pay from USD 130,000 to 150,000 is undergoing with the insurance company. The incidence drew attention to the low cost airline industry. Cabinet gave nod to revamp money-laundering law The cabinet meeting on September 18 agreed in principle to revamp the Justice Ministry proposal to revamp the money-laundering law on grounds that there is a loop-hole in money transaction that non-finance entrepreneur can execute money-laundry. After the amendment, 9 businesses namely; 1) investment consultant, 2) jewelry and precious stones, 3) vehicle renting, 4) real estate broker, 5) personal loan, 6) financial electronic card, 7) credit card relating, 8) antique dealer and 9) other businesses as stated in the ministerial regulation, must report their cash transaction exceed Bt 1 million to the Anti Money-Laundering Office. The new law complies with international standard while increasing national confidence, investment capability and competitiveness in the global dimension. The law is being send to the Council of State before submit to the NLA. NLA to study 2-3 digits lottery law The National Legislative Assembly meeting on September 19 agreed to appoint a special committee to study the draft amendment lottery law to legalize the two-and three-digit lottery. The government had initiated the process but the issue was still and not yet being sent to the NLA. Suspension of the issue led to the revival of the underground lotteries. It is expected that if the 2 and 3 digit lotteries is legal, more income could be spent on education projects initiated by the previous government in a more transparent manner. The committee will co-study the law with the Finance Ministry and it is expected that the amendment process could start this October. Alternate working hours proposed to ease traffic problem The cabinet meeting on September 18 agreed to allow state agency officials in Bangkok Metropolitan and peripheral provinces to voluntary choose three different working-hours between; 1) 07.30-15.30, 2) 08.30-16.30 and 3) 09.30-17.30. It is expected that the balanced different working hours will alleviate the traffic problem in the area. Minimum wage in BMA rises to Bt193 per day The subcommittee in wages voted 8 to 5 to raise the minimum wage in the Bangkok Metropolitan area by Bt2 per day, from 191 to 193, despite of the representative from employee sector objection that the figure is too low compare to the state enterprise salary increase is marked up by 4 per cent and the consumer index is 1.9 per cent. Employee in the other 76 provinces shall have their wage increase later after the national wage committee consideration. Bt 174 million to remedy noise problem around Suvarnabhumi airport The cabinet meeting on September 11 agreed to allocate Bt 174 million to the Airport Authority of Thailand to solve noise problem around Suvarnabhumi airport. The money shall be given to those who reside within the noise-effected area. Another Bt 3.6 billion is set for the construction of additional runway and taxi way. Sea gypsy to get Thai nationality The cabinet meeting on September 18 agreed on the principle to endow the “Morgan” or Sea Gypsy who were not born in the country but have official certificates and have been consecutively living in the Kingdom for more than 10 years. Lastly, they should not have any criminal record. However, a Thai nationality, already endow to the locally born from both non-Thai nationality parents can also be purged upon found violates the national security.