31st January 2007

Repairs to the runway and taxiway cracks at Suvarnabhumi have been put on hold until a thorough investigation by the board of the Airports of Thailand Plc into the cause of the cracks is completed. Designiated chief investigator Tortrakul Yomnak said on Tuesday the repair halt is to prevent faulty repair methods from being employed and to protect visiting aircraft. Mr Tortrakul, an AoT board member, heads the official investigative committee of experts which must find the exact cause of the cracks that have appeared on the runways and taxiways of the four-month-old airport. The probe includes the boring of soil 30 metres deep under the runways and taxiways to collect samples of their foundations. The boring will tell the physical aspect of the soil under the airport, the construction of runways and taxiways and their subsidence level. Damaged areas have been sealed off. The Tortrakul panel, set up by AoT chairman Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr, was formed on Jan 23 and must conclude its investigation by Feb 9.
Suvarnabhumi airport director Somchai Sawasdeepol has ordered a separate investigation into the partial and abrupt closure of the western runway last Thursday, which caused the diversion of four flights to U-tapao airport on that day. He said neither he nor the other executives were notified of its closure in advance. An initial inquiry found that a pilot of Thai AirAsia had informed air traffic controllers of dangerous objects that could compromise flight safety on the southern end of the western runway, Mr Somchai said. Airport flight safety officials then inspected the site and had air traffic control inform other pilots of the need to close one end of the runway. The runway was partially closed at 2pm when Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen and his delegation were inspecting cracks on taxiways at the airport. Large carriers could then only use the eastern runway and four of the visiting flights were asked to land at U-tapao airport for refuelling. Mr Somchai has asked his deputy and engineer Chat Hanpatananant to head the investigation. An AoT source believes that Thursday's partial closure of the runway was unnecessary and it could be an attempt to divert attention from the AoT board's investigation into alleged irregularities by the AoT management. However, Passakorn Surapipit, Suvarnabhumi's security chief, confirmed that safety officials had followed normal procedures by first inspecting the runway and then ordering its partial closure last Thursday because it was considered essential. The chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia Tassapon Bijleveld has not been able to confirm whether the pilot who had informed traffic controllers about the need to close the runway was indeed an AirAsia pilot, but said the AoT should not ignore the issue in its investigation.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has denied responsibility for the problems that have cropped up at Suvarnabhumi airport, saying there is an attempt to discredit him and his government by linking them to the problems, according to his lawyer, Noppadon Pattama. Mr Noppadon said yesterday that he had talked to the deposed premier who was concerned that the airport's problems were being used for political gain. "The problems could be a political responsibility of Mr Thaksin and his government. But the contractors who built the substandard runways, taxiways or the water pipelines and those who hired them should be the ones held directly responsible for the problems," he said. "Isn't it too much to force the former premier to take responsibility for the pipeline leakage at the airport?" he said.

The Agriculture Department owned up yesterday to removing the ''missing'' eight-tonne emblem of His Majesty the King at the Royal Ratchaphruek exposition in Chiang Mai. Department head Adisak Sesunpagit told a press conference that the disc-shaped symbol was not missing. It had been mistakenly displayed before royal approval was received, so department staff had removed it from the expo site. Former deputy police chief Salang Bunnag earlier lodged a complaint with crime suppression police, saying the emblem had mysteriously disappeared. The emblem is two metres across, made of bronze and covered with gold. It was put on display at the flora expo site to allow visitors to pay their respects to the King. Mr Adisak said the department decided to move the emblem on Jan 18 after the Secretariat of the Prime Minister said the display had yet to receive royal approval. The department will seek a royal pardon for the incident, he said.

The United Nations will send experts to Thailand to help the government reform the police force. Kittipong Kittiyarak, secretary-general of the committee on police reform, said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) will send four specialists to Thailand to conduct a workshop and seminar on police reform in March. The two sides met on Saturday when UNODC's deputy executive director Dimitri Vlassis and criminal justice reform unit head Mark Shaw were in Thailand en route to India and Cambodia. Mr Shaw is a former police officer who has helped develop a police reform blueprint in South Africa. Jaran Pakditanakul, permanent secretary for justice, was also at the meeting. Mr Kittipong, also deputy permanent secretary for justice, said the UN approach was no different than Thailand's. Both favour involving the public in police restructuring, decentralising the force and ensuring police work more closely with the public, he said. The UN experts coming in March specialise in establishing roadmaps for police reform, Mr Kittipong said. This involves outlining the process of decentralisation, setting up a police board and forming an independent committee to receive complaints from the public, he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Kittipong plans next week to distribute to the public tens of thousands of handbooks on police reform to make known what the committee is doing and the benefits that will result. ''After distributing the handbooks, the police will understand that reform is not intended to destroy the former structure under deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra,'' he said. On the contrary, police will be politically neutral and need not fear influential persons, Mr Kittipong said. The transfer process will be fairer and unnecessary work will be delegated to community personnel, he said. Police will also get better funding, which will improve work efficiency, he added.
There is no proposal to close the police cadet school, Mr Kittipong said. But the school should be run as a Special Delivery Unit with experts to train police in skills related to their profession, he said. At a seminar on Jan 19, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont pledged to begin the process of police reform during the year-long term of his interim government. He emphasised the importance of public participation in the process and said the government wanted to enhance public trust in the police.
Advocates of decentralisation say the 270,000-strong police force is too large to answer to only one commander.
Meanwhile, the Police Cadet Academy will open a master's degree course for the first time since it was established in 1902. Pol Lt-Gen Pongsaphat Pongchareon, academy director, said the academy has joined hands with the US-based Sam Houston State University to offer the two-year course in criminal justice. The course will be conducted in English at the academy in Nakhon Pathom's Sam Phran district.

30th January 2007

Two explosions occurred early on Tuesday morning along the main road in northern Bangkok. There were no casualties reported in the blasts near the Daily News newspaper and Rama Gardens Hotel Bangkok. The blasts are suspected to be grenades, probably fired from a military-type grenade launcher from the Don Muang Tollway, which runs above the Viphavadee Rangsit road, where the explosions occurred.
One went off around 1 a.m. just in front of the Daily News newspaper building, which is about 200 metres back from the main roadway. It blew a hole about 30 cm (one foot) wide in the ground. The second blast, not long after, occurred about 30 metres from the first, in the parking lot of the Rama Gardens Hotel. It blew out most of the lights in the parking area, and caused a foot-wide crack in a wall. At both scenes, police found explosive debris, which they were analysing this morning. Officers and bomb squad members said they believed the explosives were "projectile devices fired from a launcher on the Tollway."
The blasts bore little resemblance to the bombing waves on New Year's Eve, but were likely to increase pressure on authorities to solve that incident. The New Year's bombings involved actual time bombs, set in public areas to go off when large numbers of people were around. They killed three Thais and wounded more than 40 Thai and foreign bystanders. The attacks this morning likely were by grenades. While they landed at public areas, they were fired at a time and place when both damage and casualties were likely to be light. In the event, they caused only superficial damage and no known casualties.
The Thai military and elite police forces have thousands of grenade launchers in their inventory. The standard M40 grenade launcher and rounds can be purchased reasonably easily on the weapons black market. Both weapons and ammunition date back to the Vietnam war era, and have become common throughout Thailand and the region.
Such terrorist-type bombing was unknown in Bangkok until New Year's Eve. Through the communist wars of the 1970s and 1980s, and the southern separatist violence which has flared for 30 years, there has been no associated violence in the capital.

The government has decided to slash parts of several programmes calling for an aggressive approach to alternative energy by the former regime, and to adopt what officials say are more realistic projects. Viraphol Jirapraditkul, director-general of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, said the use of biodiesel (B5), a mix of 95% diesel and 5% used vegetable oil, will be cut by half from the existing plan of 8.5 million litres per day by 2011-12. The change reflects actual diesel demand, which is expected to decline to 60 million litres per day from an earlier projection of 80 million litres. The Agriculture Ministry is also revising a plan to promote oil-palm cultivation by slashing the area in half from the existing plan of 5.1 million rai by 2012. The government also terminated a plan to promote oil-palm cultivation in neighbouring countries, saying it was unnecessary at the moment. According to Mr Viraphol, the government would shift its focus from promoting biodiesel made from used vegetable oil in local communities. Authorities will use 200,000 tonnes of surplus palm oil each year as a priority for making biodiesel, instead of promoting large-scale oil-palm cultivation to use as feedstock for biodiesel.
The Energy Ministry will promote the use of 500,000 litres per day of biodiesel to be offered by 300 PTT and Bangchak refuelling stations. It also aims to produce four million litres of biodiesel per day to substitute for consumption of diesel by 7% by 2011.
The policy to promote cultivating jatropha, a cactus-like plant, remains unclear. Oil output from jatropha is worthwhile for investment in biodiesel.
Mr Viraphol also said the government would not stop distributing octane 95 gasoline due to uncertainty over local ethanol supply, because many factories licensed to produce ethanol for making gasohol were reluctant to go ahead with construction plans. Current demand for ethanol for making octane 95 gasohol is 800,000 litres per day, which is still more than the local supply of between 400,000 and 600,000 litres per day from the existing four or five producers. At present, a total of 24 factories are licensed to produce 4.4 million litres per day of ethanol.
As car firms have not yet guaranteed that more than 500,000 old vehicles still running on the streets can use gasohol, the government sees it necessary to keep octane 95 gasoline on the market. Current demand for octane 95 gasohol is 3.5 million litres per day out of total demand for octane 95 gasoline of eight million litres per day.
The ministry also plans to promote the production and use of octane 91 gasohol by pricing it at 1.50 baht per litre cheaper than octane 91 gasoline.
Mr Viraphol said the target to promote the number of vehicles nationwide to use natural gas (NGV) would also be revised down to 300,000 units in 2011 from the existing 500,000 units. Instead of promoting NGV for use in passenger cars, the ministry will shift its efforts to public transport systems, cargo trucks and taxis. The government has made it clear that it will gradually lift its subsidy on the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) price. Operators of 50,000 taxis powered by LPG will see their fuel costs rise after the subsidy on LPG has been scrapped.
The Energy Ministry hopes that 27,000 taxis this year will switch to NGV from 9,000 taxis that already run on NGV.

Former deputy police chief Salang Bunnag yesterday lodged a complaint with crime suppression police about the disappearance of an eight-tonne emblem of His Majesty the King displayed at the Royal Ratchaphruek 2006 exposition in Chiang Mai. The emblem, which resembles a large coin in shape, was built to commemorate the King's introduction of artificial rain-making in arid areas. It has pictures of His Majesty on the front and artificial rain-making on the back with the words "Royal Rain-Making Since 1955". Pol Gen Salang said friends who had visited the expo told him on Jan 18 that the emblem had disappeared. He then asked the expo organisers about it, but has not yet been given clear explanations. The royal emblem was built by the Salang Bunnag Foundation. Pol Gen Salang, who chairs the foundation, said it was worried that the coin might have been taken to an inappropriate area which might be disrespectful to the King. The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry asked the foundation to help it make the emblem for the three-month flora expo, which is being held as part of the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the King's accession to the throne.
The coin, with a diameter of 1.99 metres, is made of bronze and covered with gold. It was put on show at the Homage Garden zone to allow visitors to pay respect to the King, Pol Gen Salang said. Agriculture Department chief Adisak Sesunpagit said yesterday that the emblem was not lost, but was being displayed elsewhere. "It's impossible that the large coin would easily disappear," he said. Mr Adisak declined to give further details and said the department, which oversees the expo, will hold a press conference to clarify the reasons today. The three-month expo will end tomorrow.

29th January 2007

Chambers of commerce in eight northern provinces want the venue of the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2006 exposition, due to close on Wednesday, turned into a permanent horticultural learning centre to promote learning about plant species and boost the local economy.
Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce president Narong Tananuwat said he disagrees with the plan to turn the exposition site into a public park. The expo, which covers 470 rai, has high potential if it is developed into a horticultural learning centre, possibly the biggest of its kind in Asia, he said. The eight northern chambers of commerce will propose that the government turn the expo venue into a learning centre. The expo has helped spur the local economy and many locally-made products sold like hot cakes during the exposition. The expo not only generated huge income, but also created jobs for tens of thousands of local residents.
Last week, Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Rungruang Isarankura na Ayudhya said the committee supervising the management of the expo resolved to turn the 470-rai site into a new public park for Chiang Mai. The committee would soon submit the proposal to the cabinet.
Mr Narong said the proposed learning centre should be managed in a professional way. Professionals from various fields should be invited to sit on the board. If approved, universities and schools could use the venue for educational purposes. The centre could also serve as Thailand's orchid export centre and new markets for Thai orchid exports should be created in the 30 countries which presented their native flora at the expo. He said the newly-established Office of the Convention and Exhibition Promotion could play a key role in encouraging foreign tourists to visit the proposed centre.
Picharn Chinnasot, 42, a visitor from Rayong province, urged the government to extend the exposition period so that other Thais could see the beauty of the place and have a glimpse of the rare plant species as well.
The three-billion baht Royal Flora Expo was approved by the Thaksin government as part of celebrations to mark His Majesty the King's 60th year on the throne.
Located on land belonging to the Agriculture Ministry's farm research centre in tambon Mae Hia, the expo has over 2,000 plant species on display. Since its grand opening on Nov 1, the international event has drawn 3,620,867 visitors as of Jan 27. The highest number in a single day _ 65,354 _ visited the expo on Saturday. Heavy discounts on souvenirs and other products are being offered as the closing date nears.

The majority of business people in Bangkok believe corruption still exists at all levels of government although in varying degrees, according to the latest Abac Poll. While 54% believed that graft within the ranks of junior government officials was extremely serious, 66% thought the problem was also critical in grassroots administration organisations. The survey showed 41% believed corruption was moderately serious among high-ranking government officials. The findings were based on opinions of 1,639 business operators polled between Jan 1-27 in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. Asked to rate the dependability of previous, elected governments in practising good governance, only 25% said they were reliable. Only 28% felt the governments were transparent, and just 24% thought independent agencies were truly accountable.

There are many potentially contentious issues which could lead to the new constitution being shot down in a referendum, the Campaign for Popular Democracy (CPD) warned yesterday. CPD secretary-general Suriyasai Katasila said he was not at all confident the charter now being written would end the political crisis. There were many "hot issues" likely to be proposed for incorporation in the new constitution which could eventually bring it down, he said.
They included the selection of a prime minister, senators and members of independent agencies, a stipulation of Buddhism as the national religion, the renewal of local leaders' tenures, the election of provincial governors and the reduction in number of MPs and senators.
Mr Suriyasai also voiced concern that a provisional clause may be appended to the charter enabling the military-led Council for National Security (CNS) to retain its grip on power.
The CNS and the government must not try to influence the drafting of the charter, but encourage as many people as possible to participate in the writing process, he said. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont came under fire last week for suggesting, to the Election Commission, among other issues, that there should be fewer senators and MPs.
Mr Suriyasai said members of the Constitutional Drafting Assembly (CDA) should not express too many personal opinions about the charter in public as they could mislead people. He also urged political parties to outline their expectations of the new charter. The people on the streets should also put the drafting of the new charter on the national agenda, as they did the 1997 constitution abrogated by the Sept 19 coup which ousted the Thaksin government. Mr Suriyasai said the state-run media could also relay the people's input on the draft charter and provide a forum to debate it.
Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the new charter should remove the Senate's power to appoint independent agencies, which has invited interference from politicians in the past. The Senate should also no longer be able to impeach cabinet ministers and the prime minister. Mr Abhisit said the Senate's impeachment and appointment powers had long pandered to politicians' desire to control the upper chamber. Loss of these powers could be offset by making the Senate capable of initiating laws governing issues which the government or political parties show little interest in promoting. A legislative role would attract to the Senate people with political ambition who did not wish to be affiliated with a political party. He joined other politicians and academics in opposing a proposal for an appointed Senate, saying the idea ran counter to democracy.
Parinya Tevanarumitkul, of Thammasat University, said the Senate must be elected, or there should not be a senate at all. Unlike the United States, which had so many states to administer, Thailand could afford to go without an upper house.
Kanin Boonsuwan, who helped draft the 1997 charter, echoed a similar view, adding the new constitution must ban a person from becoming a senator if their spouse is an MP at the same time. Independent agencies "without teeth" such as the Ombudsmen's Office should be abolished, he said.
Vicha Mahakhun, a CDA deputy chairman, said drafting of the new constitution must be finished by June 24 at the latest.

28th January 2007

The government and airport executives are considering whether to reopen Bangkok's 90-year-old airport at Don Muang as attempts to fix the brand-new Suvarnabhumi Airport are causing disruption. On Saturday morning, one of the two runways was closed for repairs. About 100 cracks were found at the new airport's taxiways and runaways and damaged sections are being closed off while repair work is carried out. Transport Minister Admiral Thira Haocharoen told reporters the possibility of moving some flights back to Don Muang is being considered, especially for point-to-point domestic flights.
Don Muang was decommissioned as Bangkok's main airport in September when the new airport was officially opened but support for reopening the Don Muang facility is gaining momentum as more troubles are reported at Suvarnabhumi. The minister said that the move would speed up the repair work and help ease traffic congestion at the new airport, adding that government agencies and airline executives will discuss the issue next week. Adm Thira maintained that Thailand would not shut down Bangkok's spanking new US$3.8 billion international airport completely. He admitted there were doubts about whether it was appropriate to carry out repair work in sections before a detailed study of the damage at the new airport has been completed.
The cabinet on Tuesday decided to convene a panel of "independent" experts to determine how serious the cracks are and what has caused them. The head of the panel is a board member of Airports of Thaland, which runs the facility.
The airport, which was officially opened in September, was designed to handle 45 million passengers a year. The minister said problems at Suvarnabhumi would not only disrupt air traffic for several weeks, but also undermine the confidence of both the public and airlines.
More disruption was forecast for Saturday as the airport's east runway was closed from 2 to 6 a.m. for repairs, said Passakorn Surapipith, deputy director of the Suvarnabhumi Airport. He added that the 40 incoming and outgoing flights scheduled would use the west runway.

A delay in Council for National Security chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin's interview on CNN has triggered speculation about deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's international media campaign. Gen Sonthi's interview on CNN, which was initially scheduled to be aired on Friday evening, was postponed to tomorrow. The delay was widely discussed at the gathering of Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School alumni in Nakhon Nayok to mark the school's 49th anniversary. ''I don't know if CNN was sent (to interview me). The questions concerned the (New Year's eve) bombings and whether Mr Thaksin was involved,'' he told military top brass. Asked if he thought there was something unusual about the delay, he hesitated before saying that he did not know and that he was not the one who requested an interview. Gen Sonthi said he was informed by subordinates about satellite transmission problems which disrupted the airing of the interview.The 40-minute interview with CNN correspondent Dan Rivers was supposed to be aired at 7.30pm on Friday. The Democrats' Sirichoke Sopha expressed scepticism, saying the incident lent weight to media reports that Mr Thaksin hired lobbyists and public relations consultants to help him return to the country and protect his political interest.
CNN interviewed ousted prime minister Thaksin in ''Talk Asia'' which was to be aired on Jan 15 while the former leader was in Singapore. However, the broadcast was delayed by UBC, the cable television operator, amid CNS concerns that it would affect national security. The cable operator eventually aired the interview a few days later.
Mr Sirichoke claimed CNN made gains during the Thaksin administration, referring to advertisements of Thailand's Elite Card on CNN. Thailand Privilege Card (TPC), operator of the elite card, bought airtime on CNN worth 149 million baht.
CNN's office in Thailand said yesterday Gen Sonthi's interview could not be aired as initially scheduled due to technical problems. CNN's Narunart Prapanya said satellite transmissions experienced technical glitches on Friday, so CNN head office solved the problem by having its correspondent who interviewed the general clarify it via video-conference. He said Gen Sonthi's interview would be aired tomorrow at 6am.

27th January 2007

The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) yesterday decided to postpone renewing an international safety certificate for Suvarnabhumi as the airport prepared to close the eastern runway for repairs early this morning. DCA director-general Chaisak Angkasuwan said the authorities would reassess the situation at Suvarnabhumi after a new law is passed requiring all airports to meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Passakorn Surapipit, Suvarnabhumi airport deputy director for operations, said the eastern runway would be closed from 2-6am for tarmac repairs at its far end. Incoming flights could use the western runway during the hours when traffic is normally light, he added. Mr Chaisak said Suvarnabhumi could operate without the DCA's safety certificate but conceded that the lack of it would undermine confidence in the airport, that opened in late September of last year. ''Getting the certificate is not legally binding so Suvarnabhumi can operate without such a certificate,'' Mr Chaisak told AFP.
The DCA had been scheduled either to issue a permanent Aerodrome Certificate for Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday, or renew an interim document awarded on July 25 last year. The DCA certificate assures that the airport meets the ICAO's standards.
Airports of Thailand Plc board member Tortrakul Yomnak said Don Muang airport would serve as a back-up facility to avoid the need for arriving aircraft to spend long periods in holding patterns during the runway repair. Longer-term remedial work will take place when officials know the exact cause of the cracks, he said, noting that the cost of the task could range from 300 million baht to three billion baht.
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont confirmed yesterday that Suvarnabhumi would not be completely closed for repairs. He said the damage to parts of the taxiways and runways could be managed and flight services continued. In the meantime, officials could investigate to find the exact causes in two weeks and later work out permanent solutions.
Due to five hours of repair work on the western runway on Thursday, four incoming flights had to be diverted to U-tapao airport in Chon Buri province for refuelling after circling over Suvarnabhumi for longer than 30 minutes. The work forced approaching aircraft to queue up for the remaining eastern runway. Thai Airways International had its planes loaded with fuel to cope with the traffic congestion.
Cracked taxiways are blocking access to 12 of 50 aprons but Gen Surayud said this proportion was acceptable. Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen said the return of domestic flights to Don Muang airport had to be moved forward to relieve congestion at Suvarnabhumi. Gen Surayud said the confidence of international airlines depended on safety and Thai authorities had already given priority to this question. Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, chairman of the Council for National Security, briefly referred to problems at Suvarnabhumi airport during his interview scheduled for airing on CNN last night. He later said he made the reference while explaining corruption problems that prompted him to stage the coup d'etat on Sept 19 last year. Meanwhile, a sub-panel of the National Legislative Assembly's committee on Suvarnabhumi airport has found irregularities in King Power International Group's management of commercial space in the passenger terminal. According to sub-committee chairman Gen Pathompong Kaysornsuk, King Power had made adjustments in the terminal without receiving prior authorisation. They include locating its outlets in such a way that they obstruct passenger movement, modifying air-conditioning vents and leasing out space to the Louis Tavern Hotel which competes with AoT's Novotel Suvarnabhumi Hotel in the compound.

All 19 people detained for questioning in connection with the New Year blasts have been released for lack of evidence, a police source said yesterday. However, one civilian suspect, Krisdakorn Thipbodi, is being held by Prawase police for illegal possession of firearms, the source added. None of the fingerprints of the 19 men matched those taken from the blast sites and examination of other evidence is not ready yet, the source said. Comparison of evidence collected from the bomb sites with materials seized from houses in last Saturday's raids will take another week to complete, the source added. The 14 military officers and five civilians were released after being held for a week without being charged. The released men would be summoned for further questioning if new findings suggest they may have been involved in the attacks. Arrest warrants will only be sought if there is solid evidence linking them to the blasts, said the source.
However, all of the released have been put under surveillance on the orders of Pol Lt-Gen Panupong Singhara, assistant police chief and head of the investigation, the source said. ''Besides monitoring their movements, the team will also provide protection, especially to the five civilians,'' said the source. ''Some ill-intentioned group may attempt to intervene.''
Military detainees were handed over to their units which will decide how to deal with them. One of the civilians released, Thanapol Dee-iam, was sent to Surin province where he is wanted on extortion charges.
Council for National Security (CNS) chairman Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin yesterday denied he had been informed in advance of last Saturday's raids. ''No. We did not know anything,'' said Gen Sonthi, who is also the army chief. National police chief Kowit Wattana had been quoted as reporting to the CNS that Gen Sonthi gave him the green light for the raids on Jan 17, three days before the arrests were made.
Pol Gen Kowit met Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont for an hour yesterday to report the progress of the investigation. When asked if he was satisfied with the work of the police, Gen Surayud said the national police chief had dedicated resources to efforts to solve the case. Gen Sonthi has said repeatedly that Pol Gen Kowit would be held personally responsible for the investigation and has publicly warned the police chief against arresting scapegoats.
Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) will decide whether or not to launch a separate probe into the New Year blasts after the release of the suspects. He said that Gen Sonthi, as director of Isoc, will have the final say in the matter.

An end to martial law in all but 35 provinces was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday after it was royally endorsed by His Majesty the King. The publication, which made official the lifting of martial law rule in 41 provinces, including Bangkok, was announced yesterday.
Martial law was imposed on Sept 19, the day the Council for Democratic Reform, now known as the Council for National Security (CNS), engineered the bloodless coup which toppled the Thaksin Shinawatra administration. According to the Royal Gazette, 35 of 76 provinces will remain under martial law. In some of those provinces, however, the law is only enforced in selected districts and tambons.
Martial law is still in effect across all of the provinces of Kamphaeng Phet, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Narathiwat, Buri Ram, Pattani, Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Yala, Roi Et, Loei, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Nong Bua Lamphu, Amnat Charoen, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani.
The provinces where the law remains in place in some districts and tambons are Kanchanaburi, Chanthaburi, Trat, Tak, Nan, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phayao, Phitsanulok, Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi, Ranong, Satun, Songkhla, Sa Kaew and Uttaradit.
Some of the provinces still under martial law are situated on the borders while a number of others were strongholds of the former ruling Thai Rak Thai party where opponents of the government and the CNS are reported to be active.

26th January 2007

The new constitution should be ready by July 6, said a member of the charter writing panel. He said the drafting panel would have the first draft finished by April 15 and ready to be submitted to the main Constitution Drafting Assembly in the first half of June. Prof Somkid Lertpaitoon, secretary to the 35-member Constitution Drafting Committee, said that charter writers would spend the last two weeks of June polishing the final version. This work would finish by July 6, just a little more than five months from now. That would eventually be put to a referendum for the first time in Thai history. Assuming the draft is accepted by the nation, there will be new elections and the return to democracy in short order, as promised by the military rulers who came to power after the coup last year that ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Prof Somkid said the final draft constitution would be ready by July 6, meeting the six-month deadline.
The 35 panel members will start work immediately on Friday. They will be divided into three groups. The first group oversees the chapters on rights, freedom, public participation and local government. The second group is responsible for the chapters on political parties and institution and the last group looks after the chapters on the judiciary and independent bodies.

Council for National Security chairman Sonthi Boonyaratkalin is to give an interview to CNN this afternoon in a response to ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's recent media interviews against the CNS and the government. According to Thai media reports, Gen Sonthi agreed to give an interview with CNN after it contacted him.
CNN is interested to find out the truth in some of the issues that Mr Thaksin had referred to regarding the CNS and the government during his interview to the station when he was in Singapore, the reports said. CNN is also interested in Thailand's solution to the unrest in the southernmost provinces.
Mr Thaksin last week appeared on CNN's Talk Asia programme. When asked if he was involved in massive corruption, he replied, "It's baseless allegations, it's just a political tool...they still cannot find any evidence against me. It's just the allegations." In the interview, Mr Thaksin also said he did not break the law when selling Shin Corp shares without paying tax, nor did he accepted that he exacerbated the southern situation by the mishandling of the southern insurgency.

25th January 2007

Sanitsuda Ekachai

Should husbands be allowed to rape their wives? Yes, says the Justice Ministry. And for the sake of gender equality, the Justice Ministry will allow the wives to rape their husbands, too. Don't laugh. That is exactly what the Justice Ministry says in its draft amendment of the law regarding rape. According to the draft, rape and sexual offences will be punishable with a jail term from four to 20 years and a fine of 8,000 to 40,000 baht _ unless it involves marital partners. This draft is the ministry's response to years of pressure from human rights groups to redress gender violence and inequality in Thai law. It ends up being farcical because of the ministry's mechanical approach to justice and its refusal to tackle the heart of the matter, which is the oppression of women. The Justice Ministry's draft amendments to the rape and divorce laws was criticised in the National Legislative Assembly last week and a sub-committee has been set up to revise the proposed amendments. For although the amendments would bring several improvements to the current laws on sexual violence and divorce, continuing to endorse marital rape is totally unacceptable. At present, the law does not protect wives from rape by their husbands. By defining women as the only victims of rape and sexual offence, the law does not protect homosexuals, either.
Meanwhile, the laws on divorce and marital compensation support men's sexual promiscuity; it allows the husbands to use adultery as grounds for divorce, but not for the wives. To sue for divorce, the wife must prove that her husband financially supports and publicly honours another woman as wife. Proving the husband's unfaithfulness alone will not suffice.
The attempts by women's rights advocacy groups to change these oppressive laws goes back years. In 2002, their effort was shot down by the Council of State, the government's legal arm, which argued that the change would undermine the basis of marital relationship. The same thing happened with the effort to amend the divorce law so wives and husbands could both use adultery equally as grounds for divorce. In a mind-boggling rationale which challenges the constitutional principle of gender equality, the council argued that the crime of having a choo or lover, applies only to married women. So, the husband can divorce his wife for having a choo, but the wife cannot. Apparently, the Justice Ministry is trying to undo the damage done by the Council of State. Citing the gender equality mandate, it proposed the legal amendments which will allow wives and husbands to equally sue for divorce on grounds of adultery. Both can also sue the lovers of their spouses for compensation. In a commendable move, the draft amendment of the rape law will also protect homosexuals from rape and sexual harassment. But instead of getting rid of the wording in the rape law which endorses marital rape, the Justice Ministry simply made it equal for the husbands and wives to rape their spouses. So much for its mechanical definition of gender equality.
The cultural violence of patriarchy has caused many symptoms of gender discrimination which aim to keep women subservient and inferior to men. But they all stem from the same root: the belief that women are mere objects belonging to men, first to their fathers, then to their husbands and, in their old age, to their sons. That their main duty is to serve them. As wives, they then must submit to their husband's sexual will. This violent sexism is sanctified in the marital rape law. The attempts to fix sexist laws on divorce, family name, quota system and whatnot are all laudable. But they are only dealing with the symptoms of patriarchy. That is why we must do away with the marital rape law. For we must tackle the heart of women's oppression if we really want to bring the patriarchal system down.

Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor, Bangkok Post.

Email: sanitsudae@bangkokpost.co.th

Sqn-Ldr Prasong Soonsiri, backed by the military junta's Council for National Security, was elected as chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) on Thursday. Sqn-Ldr Prasong got 18 votes and narrowly beat Akrawit Sumawong, who received 17 votes. Charan Pakdithanakul came third. Sqn-Ldr Prasong, former intelligence chief, was among the 10-member charter writers hand-picked last week by the Council for National Security under its quota. Combined with another 25 members selected earlier by the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA), they together form the 35-member Constitution Drafting Committee, which is responsible for the drafting of the new Constitution. The Constitution writers have been tasked to complete drafting the new charter within six months. Then the supreme law will eventually be put to a referendum leading to a new general election as earlier pledged by the CNS.
On seizing power in a coup d'etat on Sept 19, 2006, the military council pledged to return power to the Thai people by holding the democratic election within one year.

Nearly 17 kilogrammes of heroin and raw opium extract were seized by a joint police and military task force in Chiang Mai yesterday. Officers seized the 9.4kg of refined heroin and 7.5kg of raw opium extract from two men and a woman after they were stopped and searched in their car on the main road from Fang district to Chiang Mai provincial town. The three were stopped and searched at a checkpoint at about 4.30am. The officers found 27 bags of high-grade, No. 4 heroin hidden inside the car's air bag and the raw opium extract behind the driver's seat, said Janya Saramatcha, Region 5 director of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board. The suspects were identified as Thanakorn Jeh-uma, 27, Lampha Khruthanee, 28, and Rusirot Weerasak, 18. They were charged with possessing drugs with intent to sell. Police said Mr Rusirot is a resident of Chiang Mai's Mae Ai district, but the other two suspects are from the South. The task force also searched Mr Rusirot's house for additional evidence.
According to Mr Janya, heroin is normally produced on a large scale in the northern region at this time of the year. Opium extract harvested last year would be used as raw material in the process. He said large amounts of the drug are expected to flood the market soon. As Thailand is often used as a transit country for heroin on its way to Europe, authorities are stepping up efforts to intercept all trafficking attempts, he said. Mr Janya said the quantity of heroin in the Thai market would be about the same as last year, despite attempts to curtail the trade. Its price, however, is likely to be the highest in five years. Prices have risen because the quality of heroin produced from clandestine factories in neighbouring countries has increased significantly, he said. Premium heroin produced by the United Wa State Army in Burma is now sold in northern border provinces at 350,000 baht per 700 grammes, he said.

24th January 2007

The Council for National Security (CNS) yesterday made another abrupt U-turn, scrapping its plan to launch a parallel inquiry into the New Year bombings. The about-face came after national police chief Kowit Wattana reported to the council on the progress of the blast investigation. Gen Anupong Paochinda, the CNS assistant secretary-general, said Pol Gen Kowit's explanation and information carried weight, making the planned new inquiry unnecessary.
CNS chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin had suggested a separate probe into the blasts on Dec 31 last year and warned against arresting scapegoats in the wake of growing scepticism over the police's handling of the case. Gen Anupong said police investigators had painstakingly collected evidence and questioned witnesses before detaining 18 people on Saturday. Most of the suspects were released yesterday, he said. About five were still being detained under martial law without being charged. The general said warrants were likely to be issued for the arrest of the five, who allegedly planted nine bombs in Bangkok and neighbouring Nonthaburi. According to Gen Anupong, a total of 177 police were involved in the Jan 20 raids supervised by another 70 senior police officers. The raids were given the green light by Gen Sonthi. He said another group of people would soon be summoned for ''talks'' with the CNS, but noted that they were not the same group as those who were called in on the night of the blasts.
A police source said yesterday the latest suspect, a non-commissioned air force officer based in Lop Buri, was detained yesterday morning for questioning. According to the source, the suspects would undergo a polygraph test which would take about a week to complete. Their fingerprints had been taken and sent to police investigators for matching with those collected from other blast scenes, said the source.
Meanwhile, former deputy director of the Internal Security Operations Command Panlop Pinmanee yesterday warned the CNS not to trust the police. He suspected many in the police force were in the same camp as the old power clique and they were trying to discredit the CNS and the government. Gen Panlop said there were attempts to link the suspects to Gen Sonthi and Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, both of whom served in the Lop Buri-based Special Forces.
Maj-Gen Khattiya Sawasdipol, an army specialist, echoed Gen Panlop's comment, saying the CNS was the target of a smear campaign. ''Several of the police are Mr Thaksin's sidekicks. Do not trust their information too soon,'' he said.
On Monday, Gen Surayud said he would assign the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to work with the police to investigate the blasts. Newly-appointed DSI director-general Sunai Manomai-udom said yesterday the agency was ready to cooperate with the police as soon as there was an official order from the prime minister. Justice permanent secretary Jarun Pukditanakul said the DSI staff were likely to act only as observers since he did not want the police to think the agency was interfering or finding fault with them. ''I believe Prime Minister Surayud's intention in ordering the DSI to join in investigating the case is because he needs transparency by allowing many agencies to take part,'' he said.

The military wants former national intelligence chief Prasong Soonsiri as chairman of the 35-member core Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC). Those 35 charter writers oppose the nomination. The Council for National Security (CNS) has pushed for the nomination of Sqn-Ldr Prasong to serve as chairman of the CDC, citing his ability to cope with criticism. A source in the CNS said Sqn-Ldr Prasong, a member of the National Legislation Assembly (NLA), was favoured for the CDC chairmanship as the 35-member drafting panel was likely to be bombarded with criticism in the next six months as the charter is being written. "Only a person with strong mental strength can survive (heavy criticism). A person with cold feet may bow out ([of the post) easily. "If the latter was chosen, we would be in trouble as we could not finish the new charter within the six-month timeframe," said the source, who declined to be named. "For the country's sake, Sqn-Ldr Prasong is the most suitable choice. "We've checked feedback from an NLA committee chaired by Sqn-Ldr Prasong and all legislators confirmed that he is a respected figure who can control meetings," said the source.
Putting Sqn-Ldr Prasong in the chairman's seat, however, would be against the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA)'s resolution on Monday, which bars non-assembly members from assuming the chairmanship.
But legal experts insisted the charter did not prohibit outsiders taking the chairmanship of the 35-member CDC. All 35 charter writers should have an equal chance for the chairmanship, they said. The CDC is made up of 25 members selected from among the 100 members of the assembly and another 10 selected by the CNS. Sqn-Ldr Prasong came from the CNS's quota. The CDA earlier said the chairman should be one of its 25 members, not one of those picked by the CNS.
A highly-placed source at the CDA confirmed the coup-makers wanted Sqn-Ldr Prasong, a former secretary-general of the National Security Council, to chair the CDC. The CNS has insisted it would not exert its influence in a way that would impose change on the contents or any provisions of the new charter, the source said. The coup makers had asked the CDA to propose a motion to alter its earlier resolution, which reserved the chairmanship for its members. The assembly had to go back on its earlier resolution so that the 10 CNS appointees could be qualified to head the CDC. But CDA member Chirmsak Pinthong disagreed with rescinding the resolution, saying this could jeopardise its credibility. "I don't support the idea because it means endangering the CDA's reputation. The assembly should allow the committee a free hand in making decisions. Don't push us to reverse what we had agreed," Mr Chirmsak said.
CDA deputy chairman Seri Suwanpanon revealed that 38 members in the assembly yesterday voted for a motion which allowed for a review of the resolution. Only 27 voted against the motion, while two abstained. CDA member Sermkiat Voradit said the resolution settled on Monday served more or less as a guideline setting a certain direction in the appointment of a chairman. A source in the CDC confirmed that a figure in the CNS had phoned him to lobby for the resolution to be altered and Sqn-Ldr Prasong to lead the CDC.

23rd January 2007

National police chief Pol Gen Kowit Wattana had an unscheduled meeting with Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont yesterday after receiving a cool reception from the Council for National Security (CNS) over the arrest of suspects in the New Year bombings. The two spent more than 40 minutes together before Pol Gen Kowit left Government House with a grim face. He declined to make any comment.
Before Pol Gen Kowit's meeting with the prime minister, CNS chairman Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin had warned police against arresting scapegoats for the New Year bombings, and said the national police chief would be held responsible for any mistakes in the investigation. Other CNS members questioned the credibility of the police information leading to the arrest of 18 suspects in raids on several locations on Saturday. The prime minister said he ordered the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to take part in the investigation of the New Year blasts in Bangkok and neighbouring Nonthaburi to ensure fairness. Asked what he would do if the police investigation team had made mistakes and the police chief was held responsible as Gen Sonthi warned, the prime minister said he would base his decision on reasoning and evidence rather than emotion. "The police chief told me himself those arrested were just suspects," Gen Surayud said. But the prime minister wanted the investigation to be carried out carefully.
A police source revealed a police plan to arrest two more groups of suspects. One is a militant group that had been involved in bomb attacks in the deep South. Another is a group of military officers suspected of being hired to take part in the bombings. The investigation team insisted that none of the suspects would be scapegoats as the inquiry was a joint police-military operation, said the source.
Among the 18 arrested suspects, 13 are military officers and five are civilians. The civilian suspects are in police custody at the Crime Suppression Division and the military suspects are detained at their respective military units, the source said. The investigation team had only detained the 18 suspects for questioning. Police have not pressed charges against any of them, said the source. The source added certain evidence collected from some suspects' houses could be linked to evidence from the bomb blasts on the night of Dec 31, and the explosions at the residence of Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda, at the Justice Ministry, at the Democrat party headquarters and at the Santi Asoke monastery. All 18 suspects were also connected to two senior military officers known as "Se Muk" and "Maj-Gen M," the source said.
CNS assistant secretary-general Gen Anupong Paochinda yesterday echoed Gen Sonthi's warning against scapegoats. The CNS has asked the First Army to send judge advocates to take part in the police interrogation, which is normal procedure, he said. The detained military officers are being held at the First Army's facilities in Bangkok and Lop Buri.

22nd January 2007

Council for National Security (CNS) chairman Sonthi Boonyaratkalin yesterday warned police against arresting scapegoats for the New Year's Eve bombings, and said the national police chief would be held responsible for any mistakes in the investigation.
His comments came after 15 people were taken in for questioning by police on Saturday. All suspects being detained have denied any involvement in the attacks. The army chief made clear that national police chief Pol Gen Kowit Wattana would be held responsible if police file criminal charges against people innocent of the crimes. Fifteen military officers and civilians were interrogated by the police after being detained in raids on 18 locations on Saturday. Gen Sonthi said police needed to continue their investigations as there was still no "exact information" to conclude whether the 15 suspects were involved in the bombings. "I have told the police to carry out their probe straightforwardly and to not use scapegoats," Gen Sonthi told reporters before he left for China yesterday.
The CNS chairman said he did not want to see the police repeat the same mistakes as the scandalous case of the murder of Sherry Ann Duncan some 20 years ago. The case was a slap in the face for the Thai justice system, as four people were arrested and wrongly convicted for the August 1986 murder of the Thai-American teenager. "That is a lesson," Gen Sonthi said. "If the investigation does not go straightforwardly this time, the national police chief must take responsibility."
Military officers are trying to ensure no mistakes are made and have ordered officers from the Judge Advocate-General's Department to accompany police when questioning detainees, First Army Region commander Lt-Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said. Interrogations were led by assistant national police chief Pol Lt-Gen Panupong Singhara na Ayutthaya. Police have already gathered evidence, including from the place where they believe the bombs were made, and have records of irregular mobile phone usage by suspects, a police source said.
Police believe the bombs were put together by soldiers at a radio station in Lob Buri, following orders from "someone" who probably had a conflict with the CNS, the source said. The police also found some suspects had been in frequent contact with each other over mobile phone in the month leading up to the Dec 31 attacks, even though they had never talked to one another before, the source added. However, a military source said the CNS was not fully confident in the police investigation as Pol Lt-Gen Panupong and his colleagues had worked with the previous government for five years. This could distort their investigation and eventually lead to the conclusion that the CNS masterminded the bombings itself, the source said.
The military leaders are keeping a close eye on the Panupong-led investigation and have already set up their own investigation team made up of representatives from the army, the Department of Special Investigation, and the Judge Advocate-General's Department, the source added.
Pol Lt-Gen Panupong's team suspect the 15 people arrested on Saturday might also have been involved in the attempted assassination of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in August last year when police discovered a car bomb near his house on Charan Sanitwong road. But Gen Sonthi said there were a lot more suspects on the list that needed to be investigated. Soldiers were not the only suspects, he said, adding "officers in all four colours," need to be put under close watch, in reference to the rest of the armed forces and the police.
If the perpetrators of the bomb attacks are brought to justice, they could face the death sentence as their actions were carried out during the time of martial law, he said.

The Constitution Drafting Assembly this morning approved the 35-member constitution drafting panel after it received a list of 10 drafters from the Council for National Security. The 35-member charter drafting panel is due to meet for the first time this afternoon to choose its chairman and vice chairman. Two candidates are tipped to be named the chairman. They are Prasong Soonsiri and Charun Pakdithanakul. CDA president Noranit Sethabutr said he could not say for sure whether the 180-day time table mandated for the completion of the new constitution should be extended by one of the 35 writers, Thanaboon Chiranuwat. He however said that the assembly would this afternoon consider the working guidelines of the 35 charter writers.

21st January 2007

Amidst some confusion following the reports in the Australian press yesterday, a joint task force of police and military commandos have arrested 15 suspects allegedly involved in the nine New Year's Eve bomb blasts in Bangkok and nearby Nonthaburi. The suspects were detained after the task force searched 18 locations in Bangkok and other central provinces. Authorities also confiscated their mobile phones and bank accounts for further investigation, said a high-level police source. The source said assistant national police chief Panupong Singhara na Ayutthaya had ordered 100 commandos from the Crime Suppression Division to take part in the mission. The operation was launched after Gen Sonthi Booyaratkalin, who is the army chief and chairman of the Council for National Security, told national police chief Kowit Wattana last week that intelligence reports from the military and the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) had identified 18 people as being behind nine bomb blasts on the night of Dec 31 and early hours of Jan 1, which killed three people and injured 42. The suspects were both military officers and civilians.
The source said the intelligence reports had implicated several high-ranking military officers and civilians as being involved.
The police investigation team led by Pol Lt-Gen Panupong planned their search operations several days in advance to make sure they found suspects at each of the 18 locations, before seeking reinforcements from the military. Operating under martial law, the joint task force exercised its authority to confiscate items and to detain suspects for questioning for seven days, the source said.
Housing for military officers at 13 locations in Bangkok, three locations in Lop Buri, one location in Suphan Buri and another location in Saraburi were searched.
The police investigation team also suspected that the 15 people arrested might be connected to the alleged car bomb attempt targeting then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra near his Charan Sanitwong residence in August last year. Authorities would ask each suspect for his whereabouts during the time the alleged car bomb attempt was taking place and his relationship to suspects in the car bomb case, said the source.
Among the arrested suspects is Pipop Junglueang-on, 50, who runs minibus services between Bang Bon and Mo Chit. The source said the investigation team believed Mr Pipop is a close aide of Surapol Supradit, a key suspect in the alleged car bomb case. The authorities also arrested Col Surapol and another car bomb suspect Lt Thawatchai Klinchana, and Suchat Katsoongnoen from Erawan Camp's special warfare command in Lop Buri. Other suspects included Lt-Col Suchat's two subordinates, Sgt Sommai Tharaphool and Sgt Jesdaporn Fongjamorn, and Chief Warrant Officer Karun Suwicha. The suspects who are military officers have been detained at the 11th Infantry Division, the source said. One suspect still at large is Maj Manas Sukprasert, an aide of former Isoc deputy director Gen Pallop Pinmanee. The joint military task force has searched for him at his homes in Suphan Buri and Lop Buri, but to no avail, said the source.
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Pol Gen Kowit had reported to him about the operation. All suspects were fairly treated. "It doesn't mean they are perpetrators. We have to give them justice," he said. Investigators would find out whether the bombings were politically motivated. Police must have clear evidence before taking action against suspects.
Gen Sonthi said authorities could arrest and take action against any suspects, no matter whether they were people in uniform or civilians. The army would set up its own panel to look into the case, but he declined to give details.

Police have announced they are holding and questioning six more men on suspicion of involvement in the New Year's Eve bombing in Bangkok. The announcement did not make clear how many people are in custody altogether. Police sources on Saturday indicated that 15 people were arrested in a series of coordinated raids around Bangkok and in Lop Buri. The Crime Suppression Division said on Sunday morning that three of the additional suspects are military men. One is a colonel who was assigned to the Army's Special Forces headquarters in Lop Buri province, north of Bangkok. The others are enlisted men. It is not known if the military men are being held separately from others being held in the bombing case. Last evening, an announcement said, police arrested a man and took him directly to the Crime Suppression Division command in central Bangkok for additional questioning. He was identified as Songdet Saengpratheep, and police officers said he was also brought from Lop Buri province.

20th January 2007

An Austrlian news report this morning says that some Thai intelligence officers believe that the regional terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah and southern separatists planned and carried out the deadly New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok. "Operatives of the regional terror network Jemaah Islamiyah were directly involved in the New Year's Eve bombings in the Thai capital that left three dead and 40 wounded," said a report in The Australian newspaper this morning. The newspaper, in a story datelined Bangkok by reporter Ron Corben, said the bombing plot originated in meetings last month in Kuala Lumpur and in Narathiwat province between agents of JI and Pulo, the Pattani United Liberation Organisation. The news story directly quotes what it says are Thai intelligence reports which draw a direct link from JI and southern insurgents to the Bangkok bombs. "Masae Useng, the head of the Jemaah Islamiah in Narathiwat province and Ruslan Yumuraenae, the commander of the Pulo Sabotage Unit had met in the (informant's) home in Kuala Lumpur towards the end of December 2006," the newspaper report quotes the paper. Bomb materials came from Cambodia, the newspaper said. The purpose of the bombing was to "commit acts of sabotage aimed at intensifying the dispute between the Government and the former regime," the report said. "Such attacks would provide a significant boost to Separatist Front morale and would put the Siamese infidels off balance."
The commander of the sabotage unit was Lohmueli Yusoh, alias Rusdi Pohseng, a 38-year-old former Communist Party guerilla who had received military and sabotage training in Libya in 1983. Authorities have offered a one million baht reward for Rusdi's arrest. Ten "foot soldiers", young insurgents, working in Thai restaurants in northern Malaysia were selected to plant the bombs.
Intelligence sources said the bombings were instigated by supporters of the former Thaksin administration during a meeting in late November on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi.
On the Internet:
Bangkok bombings the work of JI
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21088087-2703,00.html

Seventeen people were killed and 33 injured in a road accident after a tour bus, taking teachers from Chanthaburi province on a study tour, took a bend too fast and plunged into a river in Chiang Mai province's Doi Saket district yesterday. Thirteen of the teachers were killed on the spot, while the other four died on the way to hospital. The bus, owned by the Thikhamporn tour company, was taking the teachers from the Nongthakong Phitthayakarn school in Chanthaburi's Pong Nam Ron district to Chiang Mai and was travelling on Highway No 118 when the accident took place. They were returning from a field trip in Chiang Rai. Police believe the driver, Kamron Bunrat, 48, was not familiar with the curves. The driver must have taken the sharp bend too quickly and that probably made him lose control of the vehicle, police said. The bus skidded off the road and rolled into the Kuang river below near Pang Fan village in tambon Pamiang. The roof of the bus was torn open and passengers on the upper deck of the double-decker were thrown out. The driver was detained for questioning.

The Justice Ministry is planning to launch a legal handbook for refugees living in camps along the Thai-Burmese border to help them learn more about the Thai legal system and combat crime in the often overcrowded camps. The handbook, written in Thai, is aimed at keeping the refugees from Burma away from crime, an informed source said. At the moment, Burmese immigrants follow camp regulations separate to the Thai legal system. The handbook should help refugees understand Thai legal procedures better and therefore help curb problems in the camps, particularly with serious crimes like rape and murder, the source said. Camp regulations are still applied for minor crimes like theft, said the source.
The handbook is being produced with cooperation from the National Security Council and the justice and interior ministries, along with the United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR.
Around 150,000 refugees from Burma are currently living in nine camps spread throughout Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi, and Ratchaburi provinces.
The Justice Ministry began discussing the idea with the leaders of Burmese refugees in the camps two years ago and has received good cooperation, she said. The ministry will introduce three ways to try and settle disputes through compromise, arbitration and family group conferences.

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra could return to Thailand, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said during an interview with Channel 11 Saturday. "It depends whether Mr Thaksin would like to return or not," Gen Surayud said. "If he wants to, then we can discuss with him about his movements. If both Council for National Security and Mr Thaksin's family reach an agreement, then he can come back." Gen Surayud added that, "Mr Thaksin himself is the one deciding not to come back now."
Turning to the government's retaliation against the Singaporean government after its deputy prime minister allowed a meeting with Mr Thaksin, Gen Surayud insisted that it was necessary. "They (Singapore) view that the relations with us are secondary to the meeting (with Mr Thaksin)," Gen Surayud said.

19th January 2007

At least 1,628 spy cameras are to be installed across Bangkok, as part of a security plan cobbled together after the New Year's Eve twin bombing waves that killed three people. The city administration's plan to install security cameras at 1,628 locations across Bangkok is taking form. The move is part of measures to boost security following the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok and Nonthaburi. Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin had invited suppliers of security camera systems, including Genius Co and True Corp, to give details of their devices before bidding opens, a source said. Deputy Bangkok Governor Panich Vikitsreth said the first installation phase would cover 504 locations within 4-6 months. Priority would be given to risk spots such as pedestrian bridges, areas around Sanam Luang and BTS skytrain's Mor Chit station. The cost for the first phase is put at 66 million baht. Ratthapol Meethanathavorn, deputy city clerk, said the BMA would propose that state and private agencies coordinate to avoid redundancy. It would soon raise the matter with the cabinet. A source said the city wanted an advanced system which could link with other surveillance networks.

Former prime minister Chuan Leekpai suggested that the Council for National Security should not create conditions that ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra might use as excuses to stage movements abroad. Mr Chuan said Mr Thaksin might use these excuses to damage Thailand's reputation. The CNS should not ban Mr Thaksin from returning to Thailand because it was his right, he said.
On telephone tapping, Mr Chuan also said such thing happened back five to six years ago, in the Thaksin administration. However, he said he had never known about tapping telephones from outside the country, or in Singapore. Telephone tapping has become a hot issue, after CNS chairman Sonthi Boonyaratkalin alerted assets scrutiny committee that their telephones might have been tapped.

18th January 2007

Noranit Sethabutr sees challenges in his new job as chairman of the Constitution Drafting Assembly. In an interview with the Bangkok Post, he admits that the charter drafters partly selected by the military are held in some suspicion.

Following are excerpts from the interview.

Was there any sign, or were you told in advance that you would be elected chairman of the CDA?
They asked me if I wanted to be a member of the 2,000-member National People's Assembly (NPA). With the country in this situation, I replied yes. No-one told me that I would be given the CDA chairmanship. Who can determine this? If they picked me, I would take up the post as I am now free. I did not win a landslide vote [51 out of 100 votes]. I don't consider this job is the proudest assignment in my life. But neither should I not be proud of the job or hold it in contempt. But it is a challenging job. If I was asked whether the political situation is normal, I would tell you it is not. If I was asked if the drafting of the charter is the starting point of normal politics, I would agree. So I want to take part in it. When I was asked to present my vision on my first day, I said that we could not overlook public referenda. This process is hard to control. We can aim to finish drafting the charter in 180 days but we cannot force people to accept the draft. The new constitution may be good, but people may not accept it. Or the constitution may turn out to be bad, but they support it. Anything is possible. The charter may be good or bad depending on the draft.
During the debate on the 1997 draft charter, you supported the draft as a senator.
I voted for the draft and argued in support of it though I disagreed with several articles. However, I now support some provisions, such as the counting of ballots at polling units, which I earlier opposed.
How do you compare public support for the drafting of the 1997 charter and that of the new charter?
The atmosphere is quite different. For the earlier draft, most members of the public did not want the 1991 constitution, which had been altered five or six times. The fate of the charter which I am going to draft, is not known. People may oppose it as the military's charter. They are entitled to think that way. People looked at the 1997 draft charter positively. We are aware of this. At that time, the draft would be considered however it turned out. As we will begin drafting the charter, we are held in some suspicion. Moreover, public perception of the CDA is linked to sentiments towards the government and the Council for National Security (CNS). Compared with the 1997 constitution drafters, we are viewed suspiciously. I understand that other CDA members also know about this. The selection processes are different as we derive from the NPA. It's up to you to judge but there is diversity.
What is the biggest risk factor for the present drafting process.
It's the political factor. We think that the completion of the new charter will lead to a normalisation of the political situation which is necessary for the country, the economy, and its people. Prolonging the political trouble will adversely affect the whole economy, not just the prices of shares in the stock market.
Is the 180-day deadline another risk factor?
I am not worried about this as all charter writers know their tasks, barring things beyond our control. We know we will be in trouble if we cannot finish the work within the timeframe. People will see who caused the delay. I have told the drafters that if the work is not finished, the country will suffer. Most people think it is a great task. I don't. Our reputation is at the stake if we cannot finish the work. But more than that, the country will be damaged. I pray that the charter sails through public referenda. The new constitution can be amended but change should be made after the situation returns to normal. One issue that society is watching closely is whether the constitution will be drafted to pave the way for a power succession.
Whose power succession? The military's or the charter writers'?
I cannot imagine how the charter will pave the way for a power succession by the military. Can society accept this? I cannot speak on behalf of the CNS. Our charter drafters are held in some suspicion. The constitution drafting process which allows the participation of people, including views from over 140 universities, is set by the CNS. The council also wants public referenda to be held to decide the fate of the charter.
Some people say that the CNS set up the CDA as it wanted to shift public attention to the drafting of the charter. But the council's goal may not be the charter as there have been rumours about a new coup.
I don't know what that means. And I also don't know if there will be a new coup, but the recent bomb blasts in the capital are a fact. If we think the political mess was caused by the previous constitution, we have to amend it or write a new one. The charter writers believe the new one will improve matters.

The Council for National Security is analyzing and assessing impacts of the interview that ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra gave to CNN on Monday, said deputy CNS secretary-general Saprang Kalayanamitr. Gen Saprang said CNS wanted to find out whether Mr Thaksin had an intention to refer to CNS or the government during the interview or not. "We are analyzing his intention because he gave the interview and refered (to CNS) in a precarious way," said Gen Saprang during an interview with a radio station Thursday morning. Gen Saprang added that it was the responsibility of the government to create a better understanding on the economic issues after Mr Thaksin gave an interview with the Asian Wall Street Journal and criticised negatively the government's economic policies. Mr Thaksin claimed that the government had caused financial damage amounting to almost 800 billion baht to the country. On the military relations between Thailand and Singapore, Gen Saprang confirmed that they remain intact. However, he admitted that he was concerned about it. "I've to admit that I'm worried about this." he said. "But I can express my concerns to my military colleagues and they can echo them." Gen Saprang said he hoped the two countries would not fight over the conflict about Mr Thaksin.

17th January 2007

There has been strong criticism of the Council for National Security (CNS) following it's decision to stop the broadcast of a CNN interview with deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The following commentary by Veera Prateepchaikul Deputy Editor-in-Chief appeared in the Bangkok Post :-

Whatever the denial by the Council for National Security (CNS) chairman Sonthi Boonyaratkalin that he had nothing to do with the UBC pay television's ''censorship'' of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's interview with CNN, the writing on the wall is too obvious to miss.
The CNS request for cooperation from the broadcast media - not to cover any activities of the deposed prime minister - has, apparently, driven the editor of UBC to apply self-censorship so as to avoid what one CNS member said bluntly: ''Use your discretion properly or we impose our own discretion''.
Whether this is described as just a ''request'' or a veiled threat, it amounts to direct interference with the performance of the media, whose duty is only to provide the public with access to information in an unbiased, balanced manner. In so doing, the CNS is no different from Mr Thaksin who, during his past five years in office, has resorted to all the tricks to silence the media and journalists who are critical of him or his administration.
Shooting the messenger as the CNS is now doing is a big mistake. It is also deplorable as it goes against the spirit of democracy that the CNS earlier pledged to uphold.
Clearly, the CNS is over-nervous about Mr Thaksin, although the ex-premier is partly to blame for his seemingly endless politically related activities, by himself or through his lawyer, Noppadon Pattama, to wrestle control of the media space and airwaves.
Instead of blocking the CNN interview with Mr Thaksin in which he said nothing earth-shattering, the CNS should have allowed the broadcast and seized the opportunity to strike back. The CNS should also realise that there is no way to completely deprive the people of access to what Mr Thaksin actually said in the CNN interview or with the other media outlets.
A close scrutiny of Mr Thaksin's interview revealed certain discrepancies which can be exploited to the benefit of the CNS. For instance, Mr Thaksin claimed he had ''sacrificed'' his time and even his life throughout his six years in the government for the good of the country. His insistence of ''sacrifice'' is questionable and, I hope, quite a few people will beg to differ. Perhaps, Mr Thaksin's definition of ''sacrifice'' is far different from the one which we have understood.
A person who prides himself of being sacrificial must, foremost of all, must be selfless. If Mr Thaksin really possesses such a quality, there should not have been all the scandals about his practice and acceptance of conflict of interests, let alone all the other corruption allegations against him, his family and cronies.
Then there was his appeal for the return to democracy and Press freedom - an appeal which made a mockery of his own authoritarian rule and wide practice of Press intimidation and even Press co-opting.
Mr Thaksin treated the media with contempt while he was in power and unnecessarily created enemy among the media. The CNS should not repeat this blunder by Mr Thaksin but should forge a cordial and friendly relationship with the media. Critical media, after all, provides a mirror for the CNS to reflect on itself.

Singapore's government on Wednesday said it regretted Thailand's decision to cancel its foreign minister's visit to Bangkok, which was made in response to ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra's visit to the city-state. "The Singapore government hopes that Thailand can appreciate Singapore's position," a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said, adding that there was no reason for the city-state to turn Thaksin away. "The Thai government did not notify us that Dr Thaksin has been charged with any offence," it said, adding that there is no restriction on where he can travel.
Thailand on Tuesday informed Singaporean Ambassador Peter Chan that it was cancelling a visit to Bangkok by Foreign Minister George Yeo planned for later this month and was also cancelling civil aviation cooperation talks. The Thai government called the city-state's stance toward Thaksin "inappropriate" and expressed concern over a meeting between Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar and Thaksin last week.
An earlier statement issued by the Singapore foreign ministry described Jayakumar as an old friend of Thaksin and said their meeting was "purely social and private." Thaksin "had chosen to make a visit to Singapore on his own," the latest ministry statement said. "Thai nationals do not require visas to visit Singapore. There is no reason for Singapore to turn Dr Thaksin away." Singapore also noted that Thaksin had visited several other countries "without any protest by the Thai government," referring to trips to China, Hong Kong and Indonesia. "We are therefore saddened that the Thai government has chosen to take this course of action," the foreign ministry said. "We hope Thailand will respect Singapore's position as that of a sovereign country. We value the longstanding friendly relations with Thailand."
Thaksin was ousted by the military in a bloodless coup on September 19, while he was attending an annual UN summit of leaders in New York, and has been living in exile since. The military appointed a new government to take his place. Thailand's new prime minister, Surayud Chulanont, said Singapore's ambassador was told the city-state should be more cautious about allowing such movements "since we have already revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport." The meeting between Thaksin and Jayakumar, "even though it was a low-key affair, sends the wrong signal to the Thai public," said a Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Relations between Thailand and Singapore have been strained since January last year when Temasek Holdings, the Singapore government's investment arm, bought Shinawatra's 49 per cent holding in Shin Corp, Thaksin's business empire, for 1.9 billion dollars in a tax free deal. Many Thais saw the purchase as selling off national assets to a foreign company.
Thailand's military-appointed government last week revoked Thaksin's diplomatic passport, making it difficult for him to travel without visas.
While in Singapore Thaksin gave an interview to CNN - censored in Thailand - in which he vowed to stay away from Thai politics in the future. He also denied any involvement in the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok that killed three people and injured 40.

16th January 2007

The Assets Scrutiny Committee yesterday accused deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, former cabinet ministers and agriculture ministry officials of dishonesty in the procurement of rubber saplings for distribution to farmers. About 70 politicians and officials, including former deputy agriculture minister Newin Chidchob and other members of the Thaksin cabinet in 2003, are implicated in the 1.44-billion-baht purchase, a source in the ASC said. Charoen Pokphand Seeds Co, which won the bid for the project, and two other companies competing in the bid, Resort Land Co and Ekcharoen Agriculture Co, are accused of collusion. ASC spokesman Sak Korsaengruang said the proposal, consideration and execution of the project were planned to help the affiliate of the Charoen Pokphand Group win the bid. The company signed a contract with the Department of Agriculture in late 2003 to supply 90 million rubber saplings between 2004-2006 to promote the rubber plantation programme. Mr Thaksin and his cabinet are accused of dishonest performance of duty at the policy level because in 2003 they issued a cabinet resolution to take the 1.44 billion baht out of the rubber export fee budget of the Office of the Rubber Replanting Aid Fund, which was against the law, said Mr Sak. The fee is only allowed to be used for replanting rubber plants, he said. They will be charged with criminal offences under Articles 157 and 83 of the Criminal Code, said Mr Sak.

The government is assessing Thaksin Shinawatra's meeting with Singapore's senior leadership and will soon announce its position regarding the deposed premier. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said on his return from the Asean summit yesterday that he had entrusted the matter to the Foreign Ministry. "It will be an expression of our position on what has happened,'' he said. Shortly afterwards, the Council for National Security (CNS) pulled the plug on a scheduled 7pm CNN interview with Mr Thaksin in which he promised to quit politics and return to civilian life. The CNS  asked for the "cooperation'' of cable TV provider UBC and Thaicom to delay the airing of the interview. UBC overrode the signal with a recording of the previous hour's sports report. Foreign Ministry spokesman Kitti Wasinond said the ministry was carefully assessing Mr Thaksin's trip to Singapore, where he met Deputy Prime Minister S. Jayakumar and some other ministers. A ministry source said Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram raised the matter at the Asean summit with his Singapore counterpart George Yeo, particularly Mr Thaksin's meeting with Mr Jayakumar. He had replied the meeting was private. Singapore's clarification stated that Mr Thaksin had requested the meeting with Mr Jayakumar. Mr Nitya believed a "friend'' of Thailand would understand the situation, a ministry statement said. Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr, deputy CNS secretary-general, said the generals had to give priority to national security. A source close to the CNS said the generals asked for a tape of the CNN interview and would discuss it today.
In an interview with the Asian Wall Street Journal published on its website and carried by AP, Mr Thaksin said he would not try to return to power but would remain a member of Thai Rak Thai. He was critical of the government's economic policies, saying Thailand must better prepare for economic competition. The recent about-face on capital controls had destroyed investor confidence. He said he broke his silence to counter suggestions that some of his supporters may have planted bombs that killed three people in Bangkok on New Year's Eve.
According to a Reuters report on the CNN interview, Mr Thaksin was asked if he planned another shot at power if he was ever allowed to return home.  "No, enough is enough,'' Mr Thaksin said.", it's time for me to go back as a private citizen and contribute to Thai society outside the political arena.''

15th January 2007

Poor driver-to-driver communication led to two trains colliding head on, killing three people and injuring 93 others at Prachuap Khiri Khan in Hua Hin district yesterday, police said. A north-bound Chumphon-Thon Buri train, with about 100 passengers, went through a red light and ran into the Bangkok-Yala sprinter, carrying more than 300 passengers, near Ban Nong Kae station. The Yala-bound train was waiting for the train from Lang Suan, in Chumphon, to pass so it could continue south. The crash happened at about 2.30am.
Three railway employees on the sprinte, driver Paijit Chuyada, crew member Wanida Popa and mechanic Teerapol Boonchai , died at the scene of the accident, police said. Ninety-three passengers were admitted to hospitals in Hua Hin. Most were allowed to go home later yesterday, but nine were still receiving medical care last night.
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) launched an investigation into the crash. Initial inquiries indicated the Thon Buri-bound train ignored a red light, officials said. The driver of the Bangkok-Yala train reportedly tried in vain to contact the other train to inform the driver of his position and ask him to slow down and wait until his train moved to another track so they could pass. According to initial investigations, the north-bound train gave no response and ploughed head on into the sprinter.
Deputy Interior Minister Banyat Chansena, who visited injured passengers in Hua Hin yesterday, said the SRT must find the cause of the accident to avoid a recurrence. An SRT spokesman said damage was estimated at 200 million baht. It will take at least two days to remove the damaged carriages from the area.
The railway at Ban Nong Kae village was reopened to traffic later yesterday.
Social Security Office secretary-general Surin Jirawisith said compensation would be paid to all injured passengers who are members of the fund. They would receive half their monthly salary while they were being treated and unable to work.

Train service in three southernmost provinces resumed this afternoon after it was temporarily suspended following a bomb blast at a rail track in Narathiwat province in the morning. Mr Thanonsak Pongprasert, head of the southern centre of the State Railway of Thailand, said that southern insurgents blew up the rail track in Ra-ngae district. The blast destroyed two concrete sleepers and injured three border policemen. The incident forced the SRT to temporarily halted the train service while a bomb disposal unit was rushed to the scene to scour for more bombs which might be planted in the area.
Meanwhile in Bajoh district of Narathiwat, insurgents detonated an explosive device at the foot of a concrete bridge on Ban Tuku-Ban Torn road. The blast caused minor damage to the bridge but there were no casualties.

14th January 2007

Yesterday's childrens day events went ahead without incident despite a slightly nervous atmosphere in the wake of the bombs at the start of the year.

Thousands of stateless children at schools in Chiang Rai are to receive temporary identity cards - a vital document that can be used to prove their Thai citizenship, a member of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) said. Tuenjai Deetes said the students in Chiang Rai have been chosen for a pilot project aimed at granting 13-digit ID cards to about 33,000 stateless students across the country as a gift on the occasion of Children's Day. The presentation will take place next month. The project is part of a plan by the Interior Ministry to give away 200,000 identification cards to stateless people - most of them ethnic minorities living along the Thai-Burmese border. According to Ms Tuenjai, students with the temporary ID cards will be entitled to education in Thailand and will be given permission to travel to study at education outlets in other provinces for up to six years. Currently, they are required to ask for travel permission that needs to be renewed every six months. Some have to travel long distances from school back to their village every six months just to renew their consent. Ms Tuenjai, chairman of the NLA's committee on solving the problem of stateless people living in Thailand, said the panel will submit a plan to procure a fingerprint recognition scanner to verify the identity of recipients of the ID cards. Interior Ministry officials have called on the government to issue guidelines for dealing with the issue, she added. She said officials will be sent to survey and register the birth of every child born in Thailand, Thai or alien, to prevent any ambiguity concerning their status. In addition, she urged the government to allow communities to have a role in verifying stateless people. "Thailand has become a centre of illegal migration. There are at least three million non-Thais," she said. "Some are illegal labourers who sneaked across the border to work. But others are ethnic minorities left out from the ministry's civil registration that have difficulties in proving their identity." She said the ministry should encourage villages under the project to set up committees to help the state verify the background of stateless people. Without that help, illegal labourers and human traffickers would exploit the loopholes, she said.
"This is not a leeway to give Thai nationality to any stateless person. But it is a way to give basic welfare to children of ethnic groups - those who were born here but were not registered on the ministry's civil database," she said.
Amporn Prasit, an official at the ministry's Civil Registration Division, confirmed a survey was underway to classify stateless people before the 13-digit temporary ID cards were handed over. The project, to be carried out between March and June, follows a cabinet resolution issued on Jan 18, 2005 by the then Thaksin Shinawatra government that instructed the Interior Ministry to give ID cards to stateless people who can prove they were born of Thai parents or had stayed in Thailand over a certain period of time.

13th January 2007

Security authorities are raising their guard nationwide as families go out to celebrate Children's Day today in the wake of false alarms that kept nerves on edge yesterday. Council for National Security chief Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin said security had been stepped up across the country although attacks were ''unlikely''.

The plan to move non-connecting domestic flights from Suvarnabhumi back to Don Muang airport should be finalised by early next month at the latest, according to Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen. He said yesterday he had acknowledged the decision of the Airports of Thailand (AoT) board to move point-to-point domestic flights back to Don Muang. He is waiting for the details before making a decision. Adm Theera said he would agree to the partial return on condition that it would not affect Suvarnabhumi's goal of becoming a regional air transport hub, or the convenience of passengers who need connecting international flights.

A bomb, hidden in a soldier's pickup truck, exploded in front of Sirindhorn military camp in Pattani's Yarang district yesterday. No injuries were reported. The bomb was planted on the underside of a pickup truck belonging to Sgt-Maj Ammat Hayeewani, 53. It exploded just before he drove the vehicle into the camp which houses the headquarters of the Southern Border Provinces Peace-building Command, destroying the truck. Sgt-Maj Ammat escaped unhurt.

The general elections are likely to be called by the end of the year, according to Chalit Phukphasuk, deputy chief of the Council for National Security (CNS). He said the drafting of a new constitution will not take too long as most of its content will be modelled on the 1997 constitution. The charter drafters will only correct some weaknesses of the previous charter, to come up with an improved version.

12th January 2007

The board of Airports of Thailand Plc yesterday approved the use of Don Muang for domestic flights with no international connections and set March 15 as the possible date for the relaunch of services at the old airport. This will allow for further work to be carried out at Suvarnabhumi airport which has had a number of problems since it openned in September 2006.

The board of Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) is filing a corruption complaint as a damaged party against individuals, including ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and a former transport minister, over the allegedly inflated price of the CTX baggage scanners. It has filed the complaint with the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC), which established there are grounds to the allegation, in a fact-finding process.

The Council for National Security (CNS) has played down its ban on broadcast media coverage of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, saying it was aimed at uniting Thai society. CNS chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin dismissed the idea that the ban was an attempt to stifle the freedom of the press, saying the CNS was asking for cooperation on a voluntary basis. The move drew protests from the media.

11th January 2007

An niterview with Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin, the man who led the Sept 19 coup d'etat to topple the Thaksin Shinawatra administration.
Will it be necessary to issue any new laws to empower the CNS in your attempt to quell the old power clique? We don't need to issue any new laws. We can exercise our power under martial law which is still in place. His Majesty the King hasn't endorsed the cabinet's proposal to lift martial law yet. More than 20 articles in martial law give soldiers powers we haven't exercised yet. And I've tried to avoid using this power. This is because we're adhering to the reconciliation principle, so we've tried to enforce just laws used in normal situations.
Which articles in martial law do you intend to enforce and when? We'll do it soon. Martial law authorises the military to search premises, prohibit actions, seize items, evict people, and detain individuals for questioning.
Did the fact that the CNS has not yet enforced any stringent measures cause anti-coup groups to be over-confident? Even Noppadon Pattama [Thaksin Shinawatra's legal adviser] has come out to fearlessly criticise the CNS. That is something we have to look at carefully. But we will have to assess the situation to see if the consequences of our measures turn out to be positive or negative. Then, we will do it more stringently. I believe the pressure will be relieved in four months.
What are the findings from security cameras' footage taken of the blast locations? We watched them all. We'll summon the suspects in the footage for questioning. They are in the footage from cameras at Seacon Square. It's the same footage as that which Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh has talked about.
How certain are you that the bombings in Bangkok have nothing to do with southern insurgents? I'm more than 100% certain. There's no doubt. Even in the deep South, it's no longer easy for insurgents to perpetrate attacks. To do this kind of thing, the assailants must be very well acquainted with the areas where they want to plant bombs. My men still get lost in Bangkok.
They might have prepared for this several months in advance, mightn't they? Impossible. We really believe that it's done by a group that has lost its [political] interests. The police have also changed their assumptions. Before, they thought southern insurgents could be responsible. Now, they've changed their minds.
It is said you got a tip-off before the bombings. What was this? As I said earlier, the attacks could have involved hundreds of assailants. The operation covered a large area, so the information about the bombing plan had leaked out for some time. For this reason, the prime minister learned about it and issued an advance warning. To prevent further attacks, we're training staff in the business sector.
If we could have arrested them [the perpetrators] beforehand, could we have prevented the bombings? Well, those people will keep changing their methods, just like the southern insurgents. One day, insurgent militants burnt a school, the next day they bombed another place. They have done it repeatedly. The Bangkok attackers copied the strategy of the southern insurgents, but they [the attackers] are not southern insurgents.
Do the military and police know who the attackers' leaders are? The police have their own way of finding which group is responsible.
Have the police been cooperative? I think so.
Why did the prime minister insist that the police chief will not be dismissed despite little progress in the bombing investigation? We should give him time to work. Similar to the deep South, even in small communities, authorities have been unable to arrest anybody.
Those suspected to be behind the bombing in Bangkok are much smaller in number compared to the southern insurgent groups. Why can't the authorities arrest any of them? The group isn't that small. Political canvassers are all around the country. People who have lost their [political] interests are all over the country.
Turning now to the arson attacks on Kamphaeng Phet schools, for example, do we know who the arsonists are? There's a problem. If we arrest them and we can't find any witnesses, we will have to release them anyway. In short, we have to catch them red-handed.
Nam Yimyaem, chairman of the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC), said civil
servants did not file complaints against corrupt politicians and so his committee couldn't take any action in the CTX [bomb scanner] case and the land scandal [related to Khunying Potjaman's land purchase]. This problem is solved and all relevant parties are assigned to perform their roles.
Did the Shin Corp share transaction case make staff at the Finance Ministry, the Bank of Thailand and the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) refuse to give information to or file any complaints with the ASC? The Finance Ministry has ordered all agencies in the ministry to be cooperative.
Have civil servants been reluctant to give the ASC information because they fear the old power clique will soon get back its political power? I wouldn't put it as pessimistically as that. Thai people are rather too paranoid now. We don't know who are on which side. When the ASC get its hands on solid information, it's not inclined to share it with anybody. It tries to do everything carefully. All Thais should be cautious about whatever they think or whatever they want to say as well.
Are you afraid that after Mr Thaksin returns to Thailand, he will try to take revenge against family members and subordinates of the CNS, and the armed forces? No, I'm not. My children are all grown up. They can take care of themselves. As for the armed forces, he can't do anything. I'll make the armed forces strong. One of my policies is to strengthen and unite the armed forces. Some members of the pre-cadet school class 10 [classmates of Mr Thaksin at the Armed Forces Academies Preparatory School] are also on my side.
As for the lawsuits against Mr Thaksin, does the former prime minister need to appear before the court? There are other ways. He may send in letters or talk through a video conference system. We'll use a similar method of communication as in the Constitution Tribunal. Even the Criminal Court could adopt the same approach. We don't want him to return yet as we have to give the utmost priority to restoring peace in the country.
Is there any chance of a counter-coup? No way. Nobody can do it. It's just an idea floated by people out to split the CNS. They won't be able to do it anyway.
The old power clique has a lot of money. Could they hire junior military officers to stage a counter-coup for them? No way. No group can do it, no matter how much money they have.
Are you worried about possible sabotage on Children's Day? We'll do our best. I think the New Year's Eve assailants are now more cautious. They know they have made several mistakes.

The government and the Council for National Security (CNS) have tightened their grip on Thaksin Shinawatra by revoking the deposed prime minister's diplomatic passport.

Panthongtae Shinawatra, son of deposed prime minister Thaksin, failed to answer many questions raised by the Assets Scrutiny Committee's tax investigators about the operations of Ample Rich Investments yesterday. He insisted his role was just to sign papers, the head of the inquiry, Viroj Laohaphan, said. Mr Panthongtae had presented a two-page written explanation of the Shin Corp share deal in January of last year between Ample Rich and Singapore's Temasek Holdings. He asked the investigators to get a detailed explanation from Karnchanapha Honghern, a secretary to his mother Khunying Potjaman, because she had handled the business for him.
Mr Viroj said his team would ask Ms Kanchanapha on Friday to answer the questions which Mr Panthongtae failed to elaborate on. Sak Korsaengruang, a member of the inquiry team, said the information from Mr Panthongtae was useful.
A source on the sub-panel said Mr Panthongtae was questioned about Ample Rich, but there was no discussion of tax issues.
Mr Thaksin's son insisted that his purchase of Shin Corp shares from Ample Rich Investments in January last year was a fact, said the source. ''He said there was a payment [for the shares] through Switzerland-based UBS bank. This means we'll have to trace it,'' added the source.
The inquiry panel has looked into alleged tax evasion in the purchase of 329.2 million Shin Corp shares by Mr Panthongtae and his sister Pinthongta from Ample Rich outside the stock market at one baht apiece while the market value was 47.25 baht per share. A few days later the pair sold the shares through the market to Temasek Holdings at 49.25 baht per share. The team has agreed that in principle the pair were liable to pay income tax of about 5.8 billion baht on about 15 billion baht they gained from the difference between the purchase price and the actual value, whether the shares were sold later inside or outside the market. It is believed that a claim from the Revenue Department that there was no actual financial transaction involved in the deal prompted the investigators to wait for further proof of the claim before making a decision. The same source added that the content of the two-page paper presented by Mr Panthongtae was just a summary of what Suvan Valaisathien, a Shinawatra family tax planner, had said during a press conference last year. ''We asked Panthongtae why Ample Rich didn't sell the shares directly to Temasek,'' said the source. ''His answer was that he wanted the money to be kept in Thailand.'' The hearing also asked him about the real number of shares held by Ample Rich. He said the company had a registered capital of US$50,000 which was later increased to US$10 million. The firm had a paid-up capital of US$5 from the original sum of US$1.
Mr Panthongtae walked through a storm of cameramen, accompanied by a group of his followers which included his youngest sister Paethongtarn and a lawyer, before spending three hours with the inquiry team yesterday at the Office of the Auditor-General. ''I have confidence in the information I provided today,'' he said after the hearing. Asked if he talked to his father beforehand, Mr Panthongtae said he had talked a bit about it with him.
Noppadon Pattama, a lawyer for the Shinawatra family, said the deal between Ample Rich and Temasek was transparent, and that advice was given by the Revenue Department. The tax investigators are set to question Mr Thaksin's daughter Pinthongta on Jan 24 and Mr Suvan on Feb 1 about the same issues.

10th January 2007

The cabinet yesterday approved in principle amendments to the 1999 Foreign Business Act that limit foreign investors to holding no more than 50% of the shares or voting rights in Thai companies. Economic ministers insisted the changes would help improve the investment climate as they would boost compliance with the law. But deputy Democrat leader Kiat Sittheeamorn charged that it was a ''dangerous move'' that would undermine confidence in the country. Businesses which violate the rules on voting rights will be required to inform the Commerce Ministry within one year. Those in violation of the foreign ownership limit will have to reduce their holdings to 49% within two years.The new law will apply to businesses on Lists 1 and 2, but exempt most businesses on List 3. The cabinet will forward the draft amendment to the Council of State for its constitutionality to be checked. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister M R Pridiyathorn Devakula said the amendment would ease uncertainties over the country's regulatory framework, after an investigation which began last year into nominee issues with Kularb Kaew Co, a shareholder of Shin Corp. ''If we leave the matter as it is, businesses will remain uncertain of their compliance with the law. New investment is unlikely to happen,'' he said. The current law allows some foreign businesses to dominate ownership of Thai firms through majority voting rights, the finance minister said. But Mr Kiat said there were ''other things'' the government should have done. ''So far it has chosen to implement measures that undermine confidence in the country's economy. First, capital controls. Now, the foreign business law,'' he said. He called on the government, in particular the Commerce Ministry, to clarify why it needed to impose the rule. The regulation was likely to draw protests from investors who would find more favourable terms in other Asian countries like Vietnam and China, Mr Kiat said. ''This is a dangerous move for the country. It is unlikely to benefit the nation.''
M R Pridiyathorn believed the impact on the investment climate would be slight as businesses under all three lists of the current law total 10,00-20,000 companies, compared with the total of 500,000 foreign-owned businesses in the country. ''In considering the amendment, we have taken into account the impact on the investment climate. The country has allowed improper procedures to prevail for a long time. We want to nurture the investment climate. This amendment will help clear the air,'' M R Pridiyathorn said. He noted the government had exempted List 3, which mainly comprises companies in the service sector, because local operators on the list appeared to have adapted to active foreign participation.
Commerce Minister Krirk-krai Jirapaet said the move was part of the government's efforts to close the loopholes abused in the past. Foreign companies had used these loopholes to operate in businesses restricted to Thais, he said. The amendment was likely to make investors feel more optimistic about investing in Thailand. ''I do not think that foreign investors should take this as a negative move. On the contrary, it should help increase confidence as there have been abuses in the past,'' Mr Krirk-krai said. ''The investment environment should improve and so should corporate governance, and the new laws will make things more progressive,'' he added. Separating some industries from List 3 to come under their own laws, such as banking and insurance, would be beneficial to the country in the long run, the minister said.
Kanissorn Navanugraha, director-general of the Business Development Department, said his department would start to make random checks on companies listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand, especially those that fall under Lists 1 and 2 to see if they are in breach of the law or not. However, this will be done after the voluntary 90-day registration has expired. He said there are 40,000 foreign investors listed on the SET among the 500 odd firms on the local bourse.

Nine bombs, not eight, exploded in Bangkok and Nonthaburi at the New Year, the chief of the Bangkok bombing investigation team Pol Lt-Gen Panupong Singhara na Ayudhya admitted yesterday. The latest finding was unveiled as the organisers of a Rain concert decided to postpone the show set for Feb 3. It was the first postponement of an international event after the blasts. Rain, whose real name is Jeong Ji-Hoon, is one of the most popular South Korean pop singers in Thailand.
Pol Lt-Gen Panupong, also assi