|
|
|
|
|
|
 March 2012 : Parliament debate reconciliation
Parliament debate reconciliation The House appointed an extraordinary panel, chaired by Matubhum Party leader General Sonthi Bunyaratglin, to find solutions for reconciliation and resolution of political conflict following the 19th September 2006 coup. General Sonthi was the coup leader before setting up his own political party. The Abhisit administration had appointed a previous reconciliation panel chaired by former Attorney-General, Kanit Na Nakorn, who proposed certain measures to the government. The House of Representatives during the Yingluck Administration, however, appointed a different panel. The Sonthi Panel asked the King Prachatipok Institute (KPI) to study how to conciliate the different warring groups. The resulting study contains short and long-term measures; short terms being to publish the truth of the events and to pardon wrongdoers by adopting one of 2 following methods:
The KPI study also recommended to void all acts of the Asset Examination Committee (AEC) on grounds that the AEC was appointed by the coup’s Council for Democratic Reforms. Three possible options were proposed as follow:
A House of Representatives panel, comprising of majority Phue Thai and minority Democrat members, hotly debated and voted by a majority to support the option of total amnesty and to nullify all AEC cases. The decision was then submitted to a joint parliamentary panel, in spite of criticism that there was insufficient information about political violence in 2009 and 2010 and a concern that the study would be used to enact an amnesty bill to free Thaksin Shinawatra. The KPI team reaffirmed its objective, in a written document, that the study was not a final conclusion and minority opinions must not be ignored. On 5th April, Parliament voted 307 to nil, with 3 abstentions and 3 no votes, to submit the study to the House. After the KPI study was published, Kanit Na Nakorn submitted to the Prime Minister that he believed no real reconciliation could be achieved now. He added that the government must handle the situation carefully by canvassing opinions from all societal groups and must avoid inciting new conflict. The KPI study team leader, Woothisan Tanchai, emphasized that the keynote to reconciliation is not a majority vote but dialogue forums where people can share views. He advocated small forums such as among political party members and their supporters before extending to cover all societal groups. Public opinions should be taken into consideration and he warned that his team would withdraw the study if it were to be used for political ends. Bowornsak Uwanno, KPI Secretary-General said that the study would be withdrawn if Parliament endorses and submits it to the government for implementation. He thought such an act would mean only justice for the winner leading to more conflict and violence. House committee re-voted constitutional amendment drafting members Subsequent to Parliament having passed 3 constitutional amendment bills and appointing a committee to read the bills on 28th March, the committee voted, in favor of the minority proposal for a constitutional amendment drafting assembly to comprise of 200 elected members. However, the next day, the issue was re-voted by the majority Phue Thai by 21 to 3 and the number was changed from 200 to 99, with 77 being elected from 77 provinces and 22 appointed. Afterwards, parliamentary session, due to end on 19th April, was extended indefinitely by the Cabinet. Phue Thai core leaders speculated that an enactment of an amnesty bill for Thaksin Shinawatra was imminent. Meanwhile, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) leaders were preparing to take Red Shirt supporters to meet Thaksin in Lao and Cambodia during the Songkran festival. Three explosions on same day in southern provinces On 31st March, 3 explosions occurred in Yala, Songkhla and Pattani provinces. The first in Yala municipality at 12.30 hours shattered and torched 10 commercial units. While security officers were extinguishing the fire, two more bombs exploded. The Yala bomb claimed 11 deaths and 120 injured. At 13.00 hours, a car bomb exploded in the underground car park of the Lee Garden Hotel in Had Yai district of Songkla province where 300 guests were registered at the hotel. It took almost 3 hours to extinguish the fire. This bombing claimed 6 deaths and almost 300 injured. Also at 13.00 hours, another car bomb exploded in Mae Lan sub-district of Pattani province setting fire to 10 houses. CCTV surveillance cameras revealed that the bombs were ignited by remote control and it is thought that the same group was responsible for all three blasts. A few days before these incidents, the Deep South Watch Organization of the Songkla Nakarin University, Pattani announced that between January 2004 and February 2012, there were a total of 11,542 violent incidents, causing 5,086 deaths and 8,485 injured. Of the 5,086 dead there were 1,951 Buddhists, 2,996 Muslims and 139 unidentified. Of the 8,485 injured, there were 5,141, 2,751, and 593 respectively. On 27th March, the deputy director of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center (SBPAC), Piya Kijtavorn, stated that insurgency in the south will be resolved within one year. He said that the SBPCA employs 71,916 civil officials and is currently adopting a strategy to access, understand, and develop the local people. Political analysis by Teerayut Bunmee On 18th March, the Director of the Sanya Thammasak Institute for Democratic Development, Teerayut Bunmee, commented on current political problems in which he called the “Thaksin-Grass Root- Populist Policy”. He suggested that current political problems are deeply rooted in over-centralization that has led to imbalance in income, quality of life and use of natural resources between urban and rural areas. As a result, local dignity and history were deprived and the gap between the elite and grass root widens with both sides increasingly alienated from each other. The two societal sectors recognize democracy: the former viewing it as a mean to better living and higher income, the latter in its abstract meaning. Without common perception, the current political conflict cannot be resolved. The grass root has the advantage of rapid growth while the elite is idle and declining in numbers. No solution is imminent but political conflict can be avoided if Thaksin and Phue Thai Party will not encourage their supporters to confront the elite. Unless different views can be resolved and readjusted at the structural level, Thailand cannot embrace political, administrative or institutional reforms. On 19th March, Thaksin’s legal advisor, Noppadon Pattama, responded in a written document that Teerayut is biased against Thaksin. His analysis did not take into account the 2006 coup and the injustice of the 2007 Constitution. Phue Thai policies are not entirely populist and the populist policies are not evil. EC asking Supreme Court to disqualify Senator Sak On 10th March, the Election Commission (EC) unanimously voted to ask the Supreme Court to disqualify Sak Korsaengruang from the Senate. The EC found that his nomination was unconstitutional contrary to Article 115[9] of the Constitution that states that a nominated person must not have held a political position for at least 5 years previously. If the Court accepts the EC’s petition, Sak will be temporary suspended until a decision is made. If the Court disqualifies him, he will be purged from the Senate, barred from electoral rights for 5 years and may be subjected to a lawsuit together with his nominating agency, the Lawyers Council. Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, a former senator nominee, complained to the EC that Sak had been elected to the Senate on 4th March 2000 during the promulgation of the 1997 Constitution. However, its transitional provision, Article 315, stated that a new Senate term commences after the previously appointed member ended his term. As the Senate ended on 21st March 2000, therefore, Sak’s first membership started on 22nd March 2000 and lasted for 6 years until 21st March 2006. As Sak was nominated for his second term on 6th March 2011, his former membership ended 16 days short of the requisite 5 years. He is therefore unqualified for the nomination. Apart from Sak, Ruangkrai also petitioned the EC to purge 32 other senators as 10 of these had failed to vote in elections. Two billion baht to compensate political victims On 6th March, the Cabinet approved a budget of 2 billion baht to compensate victims of political unrest between 2005 and 2010. Victims entitled to compensation are state officers, media personnel and the general public who died or were disabled, lost their organs or injured during the incidents. It is anticipated that there would be a total of 1,900 victims including families of the 100 who died. Application for compensation starts from 8th March. On 10 March, the unregistered spouse to the late Gen. Maj. Kattiya Sawasdipol, aka Seh Dang, Ms. Laddawan Polpruek submitted an application for compensation for her son, Nakrop Sawasdipol, who was born out-of-wedlock. Seh Dang was shot in the head on 13th May 2010 during the violence. On the same day, Seh Dang’s daughter, Kattiyaa, also submitted her application. Interior Minister, Yongyuth Wichaidit, said that all heirs would get a fair share according to the evidence regardless of whether they are legitimate or not. Increasing protection for bank accounts Regarding a new policy for the protection of bank deposits coming into effect on 11th August 2012, Finance Minister, Kittirat Na Ranong, announced that he had assigned the Fiscal Policy Office to look at ways to eliminate the different levels of protection between the state and commercial banks. Commercial bank deposit accounts will be protected up to 1 million baht per account, while there will be no limit on the protection accorded to state bank deposits. Currently there are 5 state banks: the Government Saving Bank, the Government Housing Bank, the SMEs Bank, the Islamic Bank of Thailand and the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation. District scholarships expanded Education Minister, Suchart Thamrongtadavej, announced that district scholarship conditions would be revised to widen the application pool. Currently only 300 out of total 928 scholarships had been approved. Qualifications will be amended to allow students from more affluent families to apply, minimum grade will be raised from 60 to 80 and scholarship funds will increase to 1 million baht per annum. Upon graduation, all scholarship recipients must return to work for their district. Insurers under 3 health programs admit to all hospital From 1st April 2012, everyone insured under the 3 healthcare programs: the Civil Servants Benefits Program, the Social Security Program and the Universal Healthcare Program are to be admitted to all public and private hospitals for emergency treatment. They are only required to show their ID cards and get immediate treatment without advance payment. All sectors except agriculture recovering The Fiscal Policy Office disclosed that economic growth in 2012 is 5.5% p.a., higher than the anticipated of 5.0%. Private investment increased from 7.3% to 11.9% and public investment increased significantly from -8.7% to +12.1%. Personal consumption is expected to grow from 1.3% to 4.5% and public consumption is growing at 1.4%. The Bank of Thailand Senior Director of the Domestic Economy Department, Methee Supapong, said that since February the Thai economy continues to recover with a positive trend. Expenditures and investments in the private sector increased significantly more than before the floods and higher than in the third quarter of 2011. Private consumption in February rose 4.6%, an increase of 6.6% to the same period last year. The automobile industry plays an important role with capital investments such as the import of automotive machinery. Private sector investments increased 9.1% from January, which is 8.8% higher than the same period last year. Manufacturing for domestic consumption has been revitalized and gaining confidence though there is concern over rising petroleum prices, cost of living and inflation. While all economic sectors are recovering, income in agricultural households is declining steadily since the fourth quarter of last year. Agricultural prices, particularly rubber, are decreasing. Economic revitalization programs after the floods and state official’s pay raises are key factors in stimulating the economy. However, heavy public expenditures resulted in a 119.4 billion baht deficit for the state in February. The President of the Thai Garment Manufacturer Association, Sukit Kongpiyacharn, stated that the top 15 investors in the garment sector had decided to stop their expansion in Thailand due to the 300 baht minimum wage policy. The lack of sufficient labour is also a driving force in their relocation in other countries such as Myanmar, Lao, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is estimated that investment loss from these 15 garment manufacturers is approximately USD 200 million. Small manufacturers, approximately 30% of the industry, are also threatened by higher costs and may have to close down their operations if they cannot compete. The Thai Chamber of Commerce University revealed its study on household debts from 1,237 samplings that the average debt is 168,515 baht per household, an increase of 5.7% from the previous year. Of these 55.6% are in the conventional loan system and 46.4% un-conventional; 79.8% have difficulty paying their debts and only 20% have no difficulty. Cabinet approved 1.32 billion baht for grocery store project On 20th March, the Cabinet meeting in Phuket province approved a budget of 1,620 million baht to alleviate economic problems. A sum of 1,320 million baht will be spent on setting up grocery stores in the community and 300 million baht to launch the campaign. It is anticipated that 10 million people will be able to get their groceries 20% cheaper and there will be a saving of 36 billion baht overall. However, there is no detail on how the budget will be spent. Diesel tax reduction re-extended On 20th March, the Cabinet resolved to extend diesel tax reduction for another month until 30th April. The reduction has been in effect since January 2012 and re-extended monthly. Flood walls to protect 6 industrial estates Industrial Ministry Permanent Secretary and President of the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT), Witoon Simachokedee, announced that the IEAT board had approved a plan to build flood walls around 6 industrial estates in flood-risk areas of Lad Krabang, Bang Chan, Bang Pli, Bang Pu, Samud Sakorn and Pichit. Construction costs, estimated at 5,415 million baht, will come from loans from the Government Savings Bank and state subsidies. Construction will take place in May to August 2012. Transport to get a 240 billion baht for flood protection On 13th March, the Cabinet approved the National Water Resources and Flood Policy Committee (NWRFPC) proposal to allocate a budget of 240 billion baht to the Ministry of Transport for implementation of 246 flood protection projects. The approval is only in principle, so project details, particularly the use of Buddhamonthon 4th and 5th as street canals and Western Ring Road as flood ways to the Sanamchai-Mahachai flood retaining ponds must be re-submitted to the Cabinet. Thaksin’s children had tax demand dismissed The Revenue Department Director-General, Satit Rungkasiri, announced that the Department has dismissed a tax demand against Panthongtae and Pinthongta Shinawatra on the sale of 329 million Shin Corp shares. The Revenue Department consulted the Attorney-General and the Tax Committee of the Finance Ministry and the consensus was that this sale carried no tax liability since the owners did not actually own the asset themselves; they only acted as proxies for their father, Thaksin Shinawatra. Moreover, the government had already seized part of the benefit according to the decision of the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions. In January 2006, a 49% stake in Shin Corp was sold to Singapore's Temasek Holdings, at 49.25 baht per share with the total transaction worth 73 billion baht. As a transaction on the Stock Exchange of Thailand was tax exempt, it was a question of whether the 329 million shares actually belonged to Panthongtae and Pinthongta. If the shares belonged to them, it would make them liable for capital gains, since they claimed they bought the shares at one baht each from Ample Rich, making the gain 48.25 baht per share or approximately 16 billion baht. Ample Rich is an offshore holding company controlled by the Shinawatra family. Ten countries signed up to double taxation treaties On 27th March, Parliament by a majority voted to approve double taxation treaties between Thailand and 10 countries: Zimbabwe, Papua New Guinea, Morocco, Brunei, Tajikistan, Kenya, Ireland, Lithuania, Philippines and Estonia. Henceforth, income taxed in one country will be exempted from tax in another treaty country. Cabinet approved 84 billion baht for 117 Andaman projects On 20th March, the Cabinet meeting in Phuket province approved a total budget of 84 billion baht for implementation of 117 projects in 5 Andaman provinces: Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Trang and Ranong. A sum of 24.873 billion baht will be used for development in 10 projects locate in the multi-provinces and another 59.263 billion for 107 projects in individual provinces. They are for development of logistics and infrastructure, public utilities and facilities, trade investment and tourism, public health and education. Cabinet approved Pollution Management Plan On 20th March, the Cabinet approved in principle the Pollution Management Plan of 2012-2017 and assigned the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to make an implementation plan. Principles of the plan are:
Telecommunication and broadcasting plans reaffirmed The Secretary-General to the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Committee (NBTC), Takorn Tantasit, announced that the Board meeting on 21st March voted 6:4 to approve 3 plans: the Frequency Management Plan, the Broadcasting and Television Plan and the Telecommunication Plan. These affirm revocation periods of allocated frequencies for radio, television and telecommunication as 5, 10 and 15 years respectively. DSI to investigate drug theft from hospitals On 26th March, the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) agreed to investigate the smuggling of medication containing Pseudoephidrine from many public and private hospitals. These are used for cold treatments, but Pseudoephidrine is addictive. During 2008-2011, the police seized 44.4 million Pseudoephidrine tablets stolen from hospitals, and it is estimated that the total loss is much higher. Smuggling rings with intricate networks are involved. National ID cards issued by Thai embassies On 13th March, the Cabinet approved ministerial regulations for the issuance of Thai national identification cards at any Thai embassy abroad for the convenience of people living or working overseas. Until now, they have to return to Thailand if they want to obtain or renew their national ID cards. It is anticipated that the service will be provided in every Thai embassy by 2013. |
 |
