FOCUS / THAILAND'S NORTH
Is Chiang Mai habitable by humans?
All urban air is 'dangerous' to some degree: civilisation produces air pollutants, and these damage health. However, for a significant portion of the year, Chiang Mai's air is more polluted than that of most cities
By JOHN MACGREGOR
Chiang Mai has been blanketed in carcinogenic smoke for many weeks. For a large part of the year, Chiang Mai's air is more polluted than that of most cities. This is because of the high level of burning around the city and beyond, and the northwestern Suthep Range, which blocks the northwesterly and southeasterly winds - winds which would otherwise wash out air pollution - during the cool and rainy seasons, respectively. In addition, a drier dry season in the North means there is less rain to settle pollutants.
Thus, according to one study, in six of the seven categories of air pollution measured in both cities, Chiang Mai had higher concentrations than Bangkok - in most cases far higher concentrations. More specifically, Chiang Mai's level of particulates of less than 10 microns (
In 1999, 45% of Chiang Mai residents suffered from respiratory problems, according to Duangchan Charoenmuang, who has studied Chiang Mai's air at the Urban Development Institute Foundation. As for ultra-small particles - the
The broader Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of most known air pollutants. The AQI is frequently elevated above dangerous levels in Chiang Mai, on and off, for several months of the year - usually the January-March "burning season", but frequently longer. The city's AQI readings are more often than not higher than those of other Thai cities, including Bangkok.
Some of Chiang Mai's smog is carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide from industrial and vehicle emissions and cooking fires; and dust from building projects. The levels vary across the municipality, e.g. they are much higher at Wararot Market and along Thapae Road. But most of the "smog" is smoke, and this comes from the deliberate burning of crops and other vegetation, and of forests (often by villagers to trigger the growth of wild thob mushrooms, or by poachers to flush out game); and also from non-deliberate forest and grass fires. These smoke sources are local (Chiang Mai province), regional (northern Thailand) and international (Burma and Laos; but also the "Asian Brown Cloud" stretching from eastern China through Southeast Asia to Pakistan). No one knows proportionally how much smoke comes from each area.
As lowland agriculturalists in the North allegedly only burn selectively, and because so many forest fires are raging in the highlands, many deliberately lit, the current theory is that these highland forest fires - coupled with an abnormal cold front from China that is trapping haze in the northern valleys - are the prime source of Chiang Mai's recent pall of smoke. However, there is a certain capacity for denial and misattribution of blame in Thai officialdom, so this theory needs to be taken with a grain of salt for the moment.
In the short term, Chiang Mai's smoke gives residents coughs, headaches, sore throats, red streaming eyes, sneezing fits and more serious bronchial illnesses. It caused dozens of heart attacks in 2007. In 2003, there were 704,800 hospital cases of respiratory disease recorded in Chiang Mai province - roughly twice that of 10 years earlier. The Chiang Mai-Lamphun Air Pollution Control Project states that patients with general respiratory diseases in Chiang Mai outnumber those in Bangkok. Over the three days to March 20, 2007, the number of respiratory patients in Mae Hong Son rose from 416 to 3,541; in Chiang Rai, from 1,780 to 11,148; and in Chiang Mai from 1,370 to 4,514.
In the longer term, Chiang Mai's smoke raises the rates of lung cancer and other chronic or fatal ailments. Chiang Mai has the second-highest lung cancer rate in the world, according to Prof Sumittra Thongprasert from the Medical Ecology Department of Chiang Mai University - and higher than any other region of Thailand. The city's 139 lung cancer cases per 100,000 population is almost six times the world average.
An academic study, and a separate news report citing an academic expert, both claim that Chiang Mai, despite its vastly smaller population, has a higher number of lung cancer patients than Bangkok. Other studies have found Chiang Mai's "total suspended particulate (TSP) concentrations to be higher than those of Bangkok, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City".
The Public Health Bill of 1992 prescribes that any person who violates the bill by burning their garbage "can be imprisoned for up to six months or fined up to 10,000 baht or both, and will be fined 5,000 baht each day if they continue polluting the environment". But the failure of Chiang Mai's provincial government to attack the problem of air pollution - or even recognise it - has been close to absolute, the recent sabre-rattling notwithstanding. Activists and academic experts have been hammering away at the government for nearly a decade, to little avail.
Dr Duangchan, who has spent a number of years studying air pollution in Chiang Mai, and who has discussed the problem with the mayor among other civic leaders, believes the city authorities have no intention of doing anything about the problem. She believes politicians are afraid that publicly acting against air pollution might lose the city tourists; but more generally she adds: "Frankly, they are just not clever enough to combat such a vast problem."
Chiang Mai City Clerk Ken Santitham has commented: "I think that the academics exaggerate. Our air problems are not that severe."
Regarding the action taken to date, Mr Ken states: "I think that our record has been impressive." The City Clerk employs an environment department of one. This employee, Rongrong Duriyapunt, takes a different view: she believes her department's budget (400,000 baht) is far too small to achieve anything much.
The Thai media are on the case, but are credulous and prone to print wild inaccuracies. The Bangkok Post, at the height of the recent emergency, reported straight-facedly a government claim that a major source of the smoke was Korean barbeque restaurants.
No major media outlet has yet asked why no fire-starters have been charged, fined or jailed; or whether there is any science behind the government-ordered practice of spraying water out of planes, or having fire trucks hose the streets to "raise humidity and induce rain".
No Thai reporter has answered for us the $64,000 question: exactly where does the smoke come from?
In January-March, the same three-month period that firebugs were not arrested, fires were not systematically fought, and Korean restaurants were being ordered to douse their barbeques, http://www.thaivisa.com posters reported deliberately-lit fires all over the north of Thailand. Satellite fire maps showed more than 4,000 fires throughout the North in the first half of March. More than half the time, Chiang Mai's dangerous levels of air pollution begin in January and end late March or early April. However, they have begun as early as August and ended as late as late June. It's not clear if the smoke problem is getting worse - 1999 had more "dangerous"
These are the number of days per year
Four bad years out of eight suggests a 2:1 probability of getting a bad year in any given year. But even if there were two or three "good" years in a row, averages assert themselves in time: a Chiang Mai resident will inevitably end up with a higher bodily load of carcinogens and general pollutants than residents of other Thai cities, and of most other places in the world. We don't need to guess about this, or extrapolate from the daily pollution readings: it is borne out by the city's extraordinary lung cancer and respiratory illness rates.
In a nutshell, the Chiang Mai resident faces: 1) Two of Thailand's most entrenched cultures - rural burning and government apathy; 2) No concrete proposal to change either (talk notwithstanding); 3) On average, dangerously high pollution levels, on-off, through about 25% of every second year; 4) An elevated probability of lung cancer, respiratory ailments and other illnesses (children and the elderly being the most vulnerable); 5) Frequent media misinformation as to the causes and extent of the problem, and a failure to identify wrongdoers.
In light of the above, does one keep one's self and one's family in northern Thailand, or does one move to somewhere like Surat Thani, which from a quick scan of 10 years of data has never had a day where
That is up to you.
Journalist John Macgregor is moving from the northern valley to the southern coast.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
EDITORIAL
Tackling human trade forcefully
With appropriate fanfare, the United Nations this week launched a global initiative to highlight the horrors of human trafficking and end a vile trade it said had reached epidemic proportions in the last decade. The campaign, grandly titled ''The Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking'', brings together a host of UN agencies, member governments and NGOs, and came as Britain was marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. Goals are to raise awareness among potential victims and those who buy services or products resulting from such coercion, and to get governments to toughen legislation and prosecute those responsible.
Spearheaded by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the official launch in London produced some startling facts and figures. Some 2.5 million people throughout the world are, at any given time, the victims of human trafficking, which accounts for more than US$31 billion a year in illicit profits _ half of it in industrialised nations.
Thailand once again found itself on a long list of countries named as both trafficking sources and destinations. This failed to acknowledge our efforts to stamp out the trade and the draconian prison terms our courts have been giving those traffickers police have actually managed to catch and convict. Possibly that was because such arrests have been few in number.
What did come as a surprise in the aftermath of the campaign launch was the apparent naivety of certain members of participating NGOs, who clearly believe human trafficking to be a new phenomenon born out of globalisation and nourished by the growth industry that is the internet. While these might have changed the logistics of human trafficking and broadened the customer base, the scourge itself has been around for centuries. If anything, globalisation and the resulting international pressure has increased awareness, forcing governments to share information and databases, seek to cut supply and demand, tighten border controls, beef up legislation and penalties and warn gullible citizens not to trust strangers.
This evil is neither local nor confined to sexual slavery. Royal Thai consulates throughout the world are accustomed to pleas for assistance from victims who have managed to elude their traffickers, with those in Bahrain and South Africa coming under the most recent pressure. Back home, poor people in the provinces find themselves indebted to ruthless loan sharks. And job descriptions that dishonest and manipulative brokers give for overseas work are not always the same on arrival as they were on departure.
Although women and girls abducted into forced prostitution undergo one of the most horrific of human experiences, their plight is frequently ignored because of the power of the coercive forces behind this trafficking.
Twenty-three years have passed since five girls were burned alive in a brothel fire in Phuket because they were unable to escape from the beds to which they had been shackled. Six years ago, a police raid in northern Bangkok freed 30 women who had been forced into the flesh trade. Their treatment had been so barbaric that one girl was still in the iron shackles which enslaved her. A year ago, police rescued 47 Lao girls from the brothel in Chachoengsao province into which they had been sold. And these cases are thought to represent the tip of the iceberg because all too often there is no proper investigation or prosecution of those responsible, including the authorities who had turned a blind eye, because of the influence of the local mafia.
Our priority must be to eliminate the mindset which gives rise to sexual slavery and tacitly condones it by ignoring it. So long as human traffickers and customers see themselves as being immune from punishment, and there remains the lack of a strong political will or public outcry, this evil will persist.
The campaign launched by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and participating agencies must receive our full support. At the same time, we must put our own house in order.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Tackling human trade forcefully
With appropriate fanfare, the United Nations this week launched a global initiative to highlight the horrors of human trafficking and end a vile trade it said had reached epidemic proportions in the last decade. The campaign, grandly titled ''The Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking'', brings together a host of UN agencies, member governments and NGOs, and came as Britain was marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade. Goals are to raise awareness among potential victims and those who buy services or products resulting from such coercion, and to get governments to toughen legislation and prosecute those responsible.
Spearheaded by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the official launch in London produced some startling facts and figures. Some 2.5 million people throughout the world are, at any given time, the victims of human trafficking, which accounts for more than US$31 billion a year in illicit profits _ half of it in industrialised nations.
Thailand once again found itself on a long list of countries named as both trafficking sources and destinations. This failed to acknowledge our efforts to stamp out the trade and the draconian prison terms our courts have been giving those traffickers police have actually managed to catch and convict. Possibly that was because such arrests have been few in number.
What did come as a surprise in the aftermath of the campaign launch was the apparent naivety of certain members of participating NGOs, who clearly believe human trafficking to be a new phenomenon born out of globalisation and nourished by the growth industry that is the internet. While these might have changed the logistics of human trafficking and broadened the customer base, the scourge itself has been around for centuries. If anything, globalisation and the resulting international pressure has increased awareness, forcing governments to share information and databases, seek to cut supply and demand, tighten border controls, beef up legislation and penalties and warn gullible citizens not to trust strangers.
This evil is neither local nor confined to sexual slavery. Royal Thai consulates throughout the world are accustomed to pleas for assistance from victims who have managed to elude their traffickers, with those in Bahrain and South Africa coming under the most recent pressure. Back home, poor people in the provinces find themselves indebted to ruthless loan sharks. And job descriptions that dishonest and manipulative brokers give for overseas work are not always the same on arrival as they were on departure.
Although women and girls abducted into forced prostitution undergo one of the most horrific of human experiences, their plight is frequently ignored because of the power of the coercive forces behind this trafficking.
Twenty-three years have passed since five girls were burned alive in a brothel fire in Phuket because they were unable to escape from the beds to which they had been shackled. Six years ago, a police raid in northern Bangkok freed 30 women who had been forced into the flesh trade. Their treatment had been so barbaric that one girl was still in the iron shackles which enslaved her. A year ago, police rescued 47 Lao girls from the brothel in Chachoengsao province into which they had been sold. And these cases are thought to represent the tip of the iceberg because all too often there is no proper investigation or prosecution of those responsible, including the authorities who had turned a blind eye, because of the influence of the local mafia.
Our priority must be to eliminate the mindset which gives rise to sexual slavery and tacitly condones it by ignoring it. So long as human traffickers and customers see themselves as being immune from punishment, and there remains the lack of a strong political will or public outcry, this evil will persist.
The campaign launched by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and participating agencies must receive our full support. At the same time, we must put our own house in order.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Abdullah : 11 held in South not Malaysians
Wan Nor : Wada plays no role in insurgency
POST REPORTERS and AFP
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied militants captured recently in Narathiwat with a cache of weapons and money are Malaysian citizens and were trained in Malaysia, according to reports yesterday. Mr Abdullah said there was little evidence the group of 11, caught on Wednesday by soldiers in Narathiwat province, were Malaysians.
''They could be Thai nationals. It is only that they had Malaysian currency with them when they were arrested. Maybe they wanted to enter Malaysia,'' he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
''However, without any other solid evidence, I deny that those people were Malaysians or that they were trained in Malaysia,'' he was quoted as saying from Saudi Arabia during a trip there.
In a related development, former interior minister Wan Muhammad Nor Matha yesterday led the Wada group in a press conference to deny the group's involvement in the southern insurgency.
He was responding to an allegation by Council for National Security chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin against the group.
''He should have studied the issue more carefully and be mindful of the consequences of his remark,'' said Mr Wan Nor.
He dismissed as incredulous a confession by a suspected insurgent arrested earlier who claimed to be a Wada member. Mr Wan Nor said suspects had a tendency to lie to get themselves off the hook.
He said the group, which he heads, has carried out political activities in an open and accountable manner.
''The group has never thought of joining forces with the separatists,'' he said.
The southern office of the Internal Security Operations Command may ban motorcycle pillion riding by males and also ask Muslim women not to wear the all-enveloping clothes in public.
Chamlong Khunsong, the office's chief-of-staff, said it was the wish of local residents to impose a ban on pillion riding, saying it could help reduce the number of drive-by shootings.
The cooperation on clothing was sought after recent protests in the deep South saw women protesters wearing long veils to cover their faces, except the eyes.
Maj-Gen Chamlong said the army would consult Muslim religious leaders before enforcing the ban.
If all goes well, the ban could be in effect by the weekend.
Alhamad Somboon Bualuang, a former member of the National Reconciliation Commission, said the proposed ban was not a solution. ''It would only fan distrust.''
Two separate bomb attacks rocked Pattani yesterday, killing one military officer and injuring five others while they were making routine patrols.
In Sai Buri district, an elderly man died after a gun attack on his house yesterday.
In Yala, security troops detained Masuedee Kami, 16, who was wanted on an arrest warrant, and seized an M16 assault rifle and an 11mm pistol from him following a raid on his hideout in Yaha district yesterday.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Wan Nor : Wada plays no role in insurgency
POST REPORTERS and AFP
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied militants captured recently in Narathiwat with a cache of weapons and money are Malaysian citizens and were trained in Malaysia, according to reports yesterday. Mr Abdullah said there was little evidence the group of 11, caught on Wednesday by soldiers in Narathiwat province, were Malaysians.
''They could be Thai nationals. It is only that they had Malaysian currency with them when they were arrested. Maybe they wanted to enter Malaysia,'' he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.
''However, without any other solid evidence, I deny that those people were Malaysians or that they were trained in Malaysia,'' he was quoted as saying from Saudi Arabia during a trip there.
In a related development, former interior minister Wan Muhammad Nor Matha yesterday led the Wada group in a press conference to deny the group's involvement in the southern insurgency.
He was responding to an allegation by Council for National Security chief Sonthi Boonyaratkalin against the group.
''He should have studied the issue more carefully and be mindful of the consequences of his remark,'' said Mr Wan Nor.
He dismissed as incredulous a confession by a suspected insurgent arrested earlier who claimed to be a Wada member. Mr Wan Nor said suspects had a tendency to lie to get themselves off the hook.
He said the group, which he heads, has carried out political activities in an open and accountable manner.
''The group has never thought of joining forces with the separatists,'' he said.
The southern office of the Internal Security Operations Command may ban motorcycle pillion riding by males and also ask Muslim women not to wear the all-enveloping clothes in public.
Chamlong Khunsong, the office's chief-of-staff, said it was the wish of local residents to impose a ban on pillion riding, saying it could help reduce the number of drive-by shootings.
The cooperation on clothing was sought after recent protests in the deep South saw women protesters wearing long veils to cover their faces, except the eyes.
Maj-Gen Chamlong said the army would consult Muslim religious leaders before enforcing the ban.
If all goes well, the ban could be in effect by the weekend.
Alhamad Somboon Bualuang, a former member of the National Reconciliation Commission, said the proposed ban was not a solution. ''It would only fan distrust.''
Two separate bomb attacks rocked Pattani yesterday, killing one military officer and injuring five others while they were making routine patrols.
In Sai Buri district, an elderly man died after a gun attack on his house yesterday.
In Yala, security troops detained Masuedee Kami, 16, who was wanted on an arrest warrant, and seized an M16 assault rifle and an 11mm pistol from him following a raid on his hideout in Yaha district yesterday.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
CHIANG RAI / WILDLIFE
Important wetlands and birds 'under threat' from resorts
THEERAWAT KHAMTHITA
Chiang Rai _ Waterfowls in Chiang Saen Lake, one of Thailand's most important wetland sites, are under threat from the construction of resorts and public facilities in the area, according to a local conservationist. Daorung Danlammajak said more than 10 resorts had been built around the lake, which straddles Chiang Saen and Mae Chan districts of Chiang Rai.
Ms Daorung said she was doubtful the resorts met with all legal requirements for construction in the area, as they were located on hilly areas near the lake.
However, even if they are lawful, the resorts still pose a major threat to the local ecosystem and migratory birds, she said.
The construction by local authorities of a public toilet to the north of the lake was also causing major damage to the lake's fragile ecosystem, she said.
Waste water from the toilet is released into a 300-400 rai bird-watching area that serves as a safe habitat for some 80 bird species, including waterfowls, she said.
Ms Daorung said she had formed a youth group with some 50 members to launch a campaign to raise local people's awareness of the importance of the lake. However, their efforts to date had failed, she said.
The lake, covering over 2,712 rai, is ranked as the country's fifth most important wetland, and is 1,101st internationally under the Ramsar Convention.
Vachirayu Kiartibutr, head of the Nong Bong Khai No-Hunting Area, said his agency had no authority to ban the construction of the resorts around the lake since they were on private land. The public toilet was built for use by tourists, he added.
He also denied untreated waste water was being released from the toilet, adding that the toilet was located a long way away from the bird-watching area mentioned by Ms Daorung.
He also said the area was located on a private plot left vacant by a local resident, and was not part of the lake.
Natural resources are still in abundance around the lake, with more than 10,000 migratory birds visiting and staying in the area annually, Mr Vachirayu said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Important wetlands and birds 'under threat' from resorts
THEERAWAT KHAMTHITA
Chiang Rai _ Waterfowls in Chiang Saen Lake, one of Thailand's most important wetland sites, are under threat from the construction of resorts and public facilities in the area, according to a local conservationist. Daorung Danlammajak said more than 10 resorts had been built around the lake, which straddles Chiang Saen and Mae Chan districts of Chiang Rai.
Ms Daorung said she was doubtful the resorts met with all legal requirements for construction in the area, as they were located on hilly areas near the lake.
However, even if they are lawful, the resorts still pose a major threat to the local ecosystem and migratory birds, she said.
The construction by local authorities of a public toilet to the north of the lake was also causing major damage to the lake's fragile ecosystem, she said.
Waste water from the toilet is released into a 300-400 rai bird-watching area that serves as a safe habitat for some 80 bird species, including waterfowls, she said.
Ms Daorung said she had formed a youth group with some 50 members to launch a campaign to raise local people's awareness of the importance of the lake. However, their efforts to date had failed, she said.
The lake, covering over 2,712 rai, is ranked as the country's fifth most important wetland, and is 1,101st internationally under the Ramsar Convention.
Vachirayu Kiartibutr, head of the Nong Bong Khai No-Hunting Area, said his agency had no authority to ban the construction of the resorts around the lake since they were on private land. The public toilet was built for use by tourists, he added.
He also denied untreated waste water was being released from the toilet, adding that the toilet was located a long way away from the bird-watching area mentioned by Ms Daorung.
He also said the area was located on a private plot left vacant by a local resident, and was not part of the lake.
Natural resources are still in abundance around the lake, with more than 10,000 migratory birds visiting and staying in the area annually, Mr Vachirayu said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
SUVARNABHUMI
Firm promises poor security will improve
AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK
The airport security provider for Suvarnabhumi is promising to improve its service to meet the needs of Airports of Thailand (AoT) and save its contract. Karn Thongyai, managing director of Asia Security Management, part of the Loxley-ICTS Consortium, which provides security, said yesterday the consortium was determined to give the best service at Suvarnabhumi airport and was ready to listen to criticism and correct flaws.
He admitted its security service had been poor but said this had only been during initial operations at Suvarnabhumi when things were rushed and not ready. Those flaws were already resolved and the consortium was giving the best service it could, he said.
He also said that the consortium did not want to compromise in its work because failure to meet requirements meant a huge fine. A lack of security guards resulted in a fine of 2,000 baht per guard per shift, he said.
As for the report that AoT is considering terminating the consortium's contract, Mr Karn said he needed to talk with AoT's management. Losing the contract would be a great loss since it had to pay 36 million baht a month to its security guards.
Since Sept 27 last year, AoT has not paid for hiring the security service which costs 42 million baht a month. The consortium has demanded that 180 million baht overdue as of January be paid.
AoT chairman Saprang Kalayanamitr said yesterday the payment was postponed because AoT was evaluating the security service quality.
Chirmsak Pinthong, spokesman of the AoT board, said the security service provided by the consortium was flawed. In some areas, only one guard absent could spell disaster, he said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Firm promises poor security will improve
AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK
The airport security provider for Suvarnabhumi is promising to improve its service to meet the needs of Airports of Thailand (AoT) and save its contract. Karn Thongyai, managing director of Asia Security Management, part of the Loxley-ICTS Consortium, which provides security, said yesterday the consortium was determined to give the best service at Suvarnabhumi airport and was ready to listen to criticism and correct flaws.
He admitted its security service had been poor but said this had only been during initial operations at Suvarnabhumi when things were rushed and not ready. Those flaws were already resolved and the consortium was giving the best service it could, he said.
He also said that the consortium did not want to compromise in its work because failure to meet requirements meant a huge fine. A lack of security guards resulted in a fine of 2,000 baht per guard per shift, he said.
As for the report that AoT is considering terminating the consortium's contract, Mr Karn said he needed to talk with AoT's management. Losing the contract would be a great loss since it had to pay 36 million baht a month to its security guards.
Since Sept 27 last year, AoT has not paid for hiring the security service which costs 42 million baht a month. The consortium has demanded that 180 million baht overdue as of January be paid.
AoT chairman Saprang Kalayanamitr said yesterday the payment was postponed because AoT was evaluating the security service quality.
Chirmsak Pinthong, spokesman of the AoT board, said the security service provided by the consortium was flawed. In some areas, only one guard absent could spell disaster, he said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
LOCAL GOVERNMENT / ELECTION PREPARATIONS
Women in politics campaign
ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security yesterday launched a campaign to try and help women gain the skills and confidence to give men a run for their money in the local administration elections later this year. The campaign is aimed at promoting the role of women in local politics and hopes to double the number of female officials in local government.
Ten organisations have signed up to support the campaign, including the Provincial Administration Organisation Council, the Tambon Administration Organisation (TAO) Council, the Interior Ministry, and the Election Commission.
At least 2,000 women will take part in the project, which begins next month, including 440 leaders from 88 TAOs and 1,750 female candidates from 350 TAOs.
Assoc Prof Achara Chittaladakorn, of Sukhothai Thammathirat University which is responsible for the training, said the course will provide the candidates with election skills to shape policies, improve their persona and canvass for votes.
Statistics from the Interior Ministry show that women account for just 6.73% of TAO members, and 5.8% in local administrative bodies.
Tuenjai Buraparat, chairperson of the Association of Women Leaders for Thai Community Development, said most women lack the confidence to run against men and are afraid of losing in elections.
Deputy Social Development and Human Security Minister Poldej Pinprateep said the training would help boost women's confidence to contest for top positions.
He said women are often polite, tender, and more compromising than their male counterparts. The input of a female perspective in problem solving can make a real difference, he said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Women in politics campaign
ANJIRA ASSAVANONDA
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security yesterday launched a campaign to try and help women gain the skills and confidence to give men a run for their money in the local administration elections later this year. The campaign is aimed at promoting the role of women in local politics and hopes to double the number of female officials in local government.
Ten organisations have signed up to support the campaign, including the Provincial Administration Organisation Council, the Tambon Administration Organisation (TAO) Council, the Interior Ministry, and the Election Commission.
At least 2,000 women will take part in the project, which begins next month, including 440 leaders from 88 TAOs and 1,750 female candidates from 350 TAOs.
Assoc Prof Achara Chittaladakorn, of Sukhothai Thammathirat University which is responsible for the training, said the course will provide the candidates with election skills to shape policies, improve their persona and canvass for votes.
Statistics from the Interior Ministry show that women account for just 6.73% of TAO members, and 5.8% in local administrative bodies.
Tuenjai Buraparat, chairperson of the Association of Women Leaders for Thai Community Development, said most women lack the confidence to run against men and are afraid of losing in elections.
Deputy Social Development and Human Security Minister Poldej Pinprateep said the training would help boost women's confidence to contest for top positions.
He said women are often polite, tender, and more compromising than their male counterparts. The input of a female perspective in problem solving can make a real difference, he said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
COMMERCE / FREE TRADE DEAL WITH JAPAN
Court rejects FTA bar appeal
PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN
The Supreme Administrative Court yesterday rejected an appeal from activists seeking to prevent the signing of a Thai-Japanese free trade agreement by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont in Tokyo on Tuesday. The court used the same reason as the Central Administrative Court did on Thursday. It said it is not empowered to decide on the issue because it is not an administrative case.
Saree Ongsomwang from the Foundation for Consumers said the free trade agreement plan had not undergone a public hearing as required by a cabinet resolution on Dec 19 last year.
Lawyer Nitithorn Lamlua said a seminar on the Thai-Japanese free trade agreement at Chulalongkorn University on Dec 12 could not be considered a hearing, as the government had argued, because only 11% of participants voiced their opinions.
Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Krit Garnjana-goonchorn said Gen Surayud would sign the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement on Tuesday. He said the agreement had been carefully prepared. Care would be taken with the agreement's provisions relating to hazardous imports from Japan and Thailand's intellectual property on micro-organisms, he said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Court rejects FTA bar appeal
PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN
The Supreme Administrative Court yesterday rejected an appeal from activists seeking to prevent the signing of a Thai-Japanese free trade agreement by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont in Tokyo on Tuesday. The court used the same reason as the Central Administrative Court did on Thursday. It said it is not empowered to decide on the issue because it is not an administrative case.
Saree Ongsomwang from the Foundation for Consumers said the free trade agreement plan had not undergone a public hearing as required by a cabinet resolution on Dec 19 last year.
Lawyer Nitithorn Lamlua said a seminar on the Thai-Japanese free trade agreement at Chulalongkorn University on Dec 12 could not be considered a hearing, as the government had argued, because only 11% of participants voiced their opinions.
Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Krit Garnjana-goonchorn said Gen Surayud would sign the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement on Tuesday. He said the agreement had been carefully prepared. Care would be taken with the agreement's provisions relating to hazardous imports from Japan and Thailand's intellectual property on micro-organisms, he said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
SOCIETY
Nude snaps charity stunt snubbed by Aids temple
Wat Phra Bart Nam Phu temple, which cares for abandoned Aids patients, has turned down an offer of cash donations to be raised from an Aids charity edition of Fame magazine containing nude pictures of male and female celebrities, models and actors. The temple abbot, Phra Udom Prachathorn, widely-known as Phra Archan Alongkot, said the temple would not accept donations from such activity.
He added the temple in Lop Buri knew nothing about the plan, nor had any hand in organising it, even though the magazine may have used the temple's name in connection with the auction for the nude photos, to be held sometime between April 5-9.
The organiser had faxed the temple to say it was sending a representative to provide a cash donation.
An organiser, who declined to be named, said the magazine was having second thoughts about the project.
The Ministry of Culture also turned its nose up at the proposed charity event.
The magazine is yet to come out, but promotional pictures released this week have already caused a stir. Culture Minister Khunying Khaisri Sri-aroon said there were better ways for celebrities to raise money for Aids victims than posing nude for a magazine.
Although she conceded that some of the pictures could be regarded as ''artistic'' rather than simply being lewd, some of the poses were sexually provocative. One in particular showed a model bending down.
Raising funds for charity was a noble thing, but the method chosen was inappropriate, she said.
The minister was responding to reports ahead of the release of the magazine that will showcase 32 celebrities, models and actresses who posed nude to raise funds for Wat Phra Bart Nam Phu, a major sanctuary for Aids sufferers.
''Taking off your clothes for photography is a different matter [from raising money for charity],'' said Prisana Pongtatsirikul, secretary-general of the Office of the National Culture Commission.
''I would like them to cover themselves. Being naked is not beautiful, nor is it a practice of decent women,'' she said.
Any charitable efforts should be socially responsible and keep within the boundaries of Thai culture especially that of dress in order to set a good example to young people.
Aids patients would be glad to receive the kind of assistance that would not adversely affect society, she said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Nude snaps charity stunt snubbed by Aids temple
Wat Phra Bart Nam Phu temple, which cares for abandoned Aids patients, has turned down an offer of cash donations to be raised from an Aids charity edition of Fame magazine containing nude pictures of male and female celebrities, models and actors. The temple abbot, Phra Udom Prachathorn, widely-known as Phra Archan Alongkot, said the temple would not accept donations from such activity.
He added the temple in Lop Buri knew nothing about the plan, nor had any hand in organising it, even though the magazine may have used the temple's name in connection with the auction for the nude photos, to be held sometime between April 5-9.
The organiser had faxed the temple to say it was sending a representative to provide a cash donation.
An organiser, who declined to be named, said the magazine was having second thoughts about the project.
The Ministry of Culture also turned its nose up at the proposed charity event.
The magazine is yet to come out, but promotional pictures released this week have already caused a stir. Culture Minister Khunying Khaisri Sri-aroon said there were better ways for celebrities to raise money for Aids victims than posing nude for a magazine.
Although she conceded that some of the pictures could be regarded as ''artistic'' rather than simply being lewd, some of the poses were sexually provocative. One in particular showed a model bending down.
Raising funds for charity was a noble thing, but the method chosen was inappropriate, she said.
The minister was responding to reports ahead of the release of the magazine that will showcase 32 celebrities, models and actresses who posed nude to raise funds for Wat Phra Bart Nam Phu, a major sanctuary for Aids sufferers.
''Taking off your clothes for photography is a different matter [from raising money for charity],'' said Prisana Pongtatsirikul, secretary-general of the Office of the National Culture Commission.
''I would like them to cover themselves. Being naked is not beautiful, nor is it a practice of decent women,'' she said.
Any charitable efforts should be socially responsible and keep within the boundaries of Thai culture especially that of dress in order to set a good example to young people.
Aids patients would be glad to receive the kind of assistance that would not adversely affect society, she said.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
4,000 join pro-Thaksin protest
PM signals end to ban on political activities
POST REPORTERS
Protesters turned out at City Hall and Sanam Luang despite Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont's new bid to defuse tension by hinting that a ban on political activities may be lifted in September. About 4,000 people converged at City Hall's Lan Khon Muang public ground for a rally led by PTV, the satellite-based television station launched by former members of the Thai Rak Thai party founded by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Chatuporn Prompan, Nattavuth Saigua and Veera Musikhapong took turns criticising the Council for National Security (CNS) for its handling of southern unrest and appointment of the new board of the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) chaired by CNS deputy secretary-general Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr.
Korkaew Pikulthong, a rally leader, told the crowds that distorted facts are behind the problems at Suvarnabhumi airport. He said the AoT board made the problems out to be corruption when they were actually physical flaws.
''The board is out to destroy Mr Thaksin with Suvarnabhumi airport as the symbol of its mission,'' Mr Korkaew said.
Mr Natthavuth said the CNS could not solve the southern insurgency and instead had decided to blame it on the Wada political group, which was formerly affiliated to Thai Rak Thai.
Chakkrapob Penkair, another speaker, said that on the day democracy returns, the people who usurped power will have to face the music.
The demonstrators at City Hall were urged to sign a petition urging Gen Prem Tinsulanonda be removed as president of the Privy Council, and to boycott a public referendum on a new charter now being drafted. They dispersed without incident at about 11pm.
PTV speakers had suggested at the rally last Friday that Gen Prem may have been the main backer of the Sept 19 military coup.
The rally participants were largely the same group as those who joined the PTV rally at Sanam Luang on March 23, and landless farmers who had earlier camped out at the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry.
Off stage, Mr Chatuporn said PTV would not suspend its rallies even though the station obtained a licence to go on air.
Meanwhile, some 100 coup opponents, under the leadership of the Pirap Khao group, turned out at Sanam Luang, defying a ban on use of amplification equipment and make-shift stages at the public ground. Authorities made not attempt to intervene.
The rally leaders criticised the CNS and Gen Prem's involvement in politics.
Both the rallies at Lan Khon Muang and Sanam Luang proceeded under tight security.
Political parties felt Gen Surayud's proposal to lift the ban on activities conducted by political parties would come too late.
They said if the ban was lifted in September as proposed, they would be left with too little time to prepare for the general election, expected to be held in the middle of December.
Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the ban effectively kept politicians from receiving public input, which was the key to shaping up national administration policies.
''We are not the kind of people who wait for a bell to ring before we jump into the ring. We have a job to do,'' said Mr Abhisit.
Acting Thai Rak Thai leader Chaturon Chaisaeng said the elections would not be an effective democratic process if each party simply told voters to vote for their candidates.
''You did not come from elections, so you do not care and do not understand that parties have to talk with academics and other groups and explain their policy platforms to people. We do not just go out and tell them to vote for this party,'' he said.
Somsak Thepsuthin, leader of the Matchima political group, said lifting the ban in September could result in the polls being deferred, as new parties would not be able to finish registering in time.
Akapol Sorasuchart, deputy leader of the Mahachon party, said each political party should have at least 180 days or six months to prepare for the general election.
Somsak Prisanananthakul, a deputy Chat Thai party leader, said the government had decided to return the mandate to the people and so it should not worry about party activities. Besides, parties could help the government and the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA), educating people about the charter, he said.
The CDA anticipated that the public referendum could be held in September and the general election some time in late-December.
Gen Surayud said the CDA chairman, Noranit Sethabutr, had suggested the most appropriate date for the general election was either Sunday, Dec 16 or Dec 23.
''We did not discuss [the prospect of] lifting the ban in September. But we talked about a time-frame which parties should have to prepare for elections,'' he said.
''We will give them enough time.''
Gen Surayud's move was seen as an attempt to pre-empt confrontation.
On Wednesday, he talked about setting Dec 16 or Dec 23 as election day, after refusing to invoke emergency powers.
In the face of mounting protests, acting national police chief Pol Gen Seripisuth Temiyavej yesterday laid down extra security precautions and guidelines for handling of demonstrations.
In an order issued to senior commanding officers, he put Pol Gen Sombat Amornwiwat, deputy police chief for security, in charge of handling protests, with Pol Gen Vichian Potphosi and Pol Lt-Gen Adul Saengsingkeow as his assistants.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
PM signals end to ban on political activities
POST REPORTERS
Protesters turned out at City Hall and Sanam Luang despite Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont's new bid to defuse tension by hinting that a ban on political activities may be lifted in September. About 4,000 people converged at City Hall's Lan Khon Muang public ground for a rally led by PTV, the satellite-based television station launched by former members of the Thai Rak Thai party founded by deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Chatuporn Prompan, Nattavuth Saigua and Veera Musikhapong took turns criticising the Council for National Security (CNS) for its handling of southern unrest and appointment of the new board of the Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) chaired by CNS deputy secretary-general Gen Saprang Kalayanamitr.
Korkaew Pikulthong, a rally leader, told the crowds that distorted facts are behind the problems at Suvarnabhumi airport. He said the AoT board made the problems out to be corruption when they were actually physical flaws.
''The board is out to destroy Mr Thaksin with Suvarnabhumi airport as the symbol of its mission,'' Mr Korkaew said.
Mr Natthavuth said the CNS could not solve the southern insurgency and instead had decided to blame it on the Wada political group, which was formerly affiliated to Thai Rak Thai.
Chakkrapob Penkair, another speaker, said that on the day democracy returns, the people who usurped power will have to face the music.
The demonstrators at City Hall were urged to sign a petition urging Gen Prem Tinsulanonda be removed as president of the Privy Council, and to boycott a public referendum on a new charter now being drafted. They dispersed without incident at about 11pm.
PTV speakers had suggested at the rally last Friday that Gen Prem may have been the main backer of the Sept 19 military coup.
The rally participants were largely the same group as those who joined the PTV rally at Sanam Luang on March 23, and landless farmers who had earlier camped out at the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry.
Off stage, Mr Chatuporn said PTV would not suspend its rallies even though the station obtained a licence to go on air.
Meanwhile, some 100 coup opponents, under the leadership of the Pirap Khao group, turned out at Sanam Luang, defying a ban on use of amplification equipment and make-shift stages at the public ground. Authorities made not attempt to intervene.
The rally leaders criticised the CNS and Gen Prem's involvement in politics.
Both the rallies at Lan Khon Muang and Sanam Luang proceeded under tight security.
Political parties felt Gen Surayud's proposal to lift the ban on activities conducted by political parties would come too late.
They said if the ban was lifted in September as proposed, they would be left with too little time to prepare for the general election, expected to be held in the middle of December.
Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said the ban effectively kept politicians from receiving public input, which was the key to shaping up national administration policies.
''We are not the kind of people who wait for a bell to ring before we jump into the ring. We have a job to do,'' said Mr Abhisit.
Acting Thai Rak Thai leader Chaturon Chaisaeng said the elections would not be an effective democratic process if each party simply told voters to vote for their candidates.
''You did not come from elections, so you do not care and do not understand that parties have to talk with academics and other groups and explain their policy platforms to people. We do not just go out and tell them to vote for this party,'' he said.
Somsak Thepsuthin, leader of the Matchima political group, said lifting the ban in September could result in the polls being deferred, as new parties would not be able to finish registering in time.
Akapol Sorasuchart, deputy leader of the Mahachon party, said each political party should have at least 180 days or six months to prepare for the general election.
Somsak Prisanananthakul, a deputy Chat Thai party leader, said the government had decided to return the mandate to the people and so it should not worry about party activities. Besides, parties could help the government and the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA), educating people about the charter, he said.
The CDA anticipated that the public referendum could be held in September and the general election some time in late-December.
Gen Surayud said the CDA chairman, Noranit Sethabutr, had suggested the most appropriate date for the general election was either Sunday, Dec 16 or Dec 23.
''We did not discuss [the prospect of] lifting the ban in September. But we talked about a time-frame which parties should have to prepare for elections,'' he said.
''We will give them enough time.''
Gen Surayud's move was seen as an attempt to pre-empt confrontation.
On Wednesday, he talked about setting Dec 16 or Dec 23 as election day, after refusing to invoke emergency powers.
In the face of mounting protests, acting national police chief Pol Gen Seripisuth Temiyavej yesterday laid down extra security precautions and guidelines for handling of demonstrations.
In an order issued to senior commanding officers, he put Pol Gen Sombat Amornwiwat, deputy police chief for security, in charge of handling protests, with Pol Gen Vichian Potphosi and Pol Lt-Gen Adul Saengsingkeow as his assistants.
Bangkok Post
Saturday March 31, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
ECONOMY BUSINESS SENTIMENT
Poll : Politics tops list of entrepreneurs' concerns
PHUSADEE ARUNMAS
Continuing political uncertainty has been singled out as the major threat to the country's economic growth and the overall business environment, according to a new survey.
The finding emerged in a survey conducted by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce of 800 entrepreneurs nationwide between March 7 and 16. It measured the factors that affect economic growth and business activity, ranging from interest and exchange rates to oil prices, political and security matters.
Lack of political confidence was the main factor behind the economic slowdown, followed by security concerns lingering from the unsolved Dec 31 bombings in Bangkok, said Thanavath Phonvichai, director of the university's Center for Economic and Business Forecasting.In the survey, 88.2% of the respondents said they were being hard hit by political instability, and 45.5% said they would suspend new investment. Only 2.9% said they would expand their businesses.
A total of 53.7% of the respondents said the government's priority should be to speed up addressing political instability. They also called for political reconciliation, a new general election and better transparency.
Respondents also urged authorities to attempt to keep the baht between 34.50 and 35.50 to the US dollar, although they said they would prefer an exchange rate around 37.50.
The baht was trading yesterday around 34.80 and survey respondents said they expected the rate to average 35 for the year.
Other recommendations from the survey were for the government to improve economic stimulus policy, make fiscal and monetary policy clearer, and increase competitiveness through logistics and infrastructure development.
''In the sample group, more than 50% said the economy would grow at a rate of less than 4% this year, now that the political uncertainties are expected to prompt investors and business community to draw back their investment and marketing plans. In the meantime, consumers are expected to delay their spending,'' said Mr Thanavath.
The university has projected that economic growth would range from 4.0% to 4.5% this year, while the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has a forecast of 4.5% compared with 5% in 2006.
However, Mr Thanavath said the university might consider revising the economic figures after Songkran festival.
Bangkok Post
Tuesday March 20, 2007
Poll : Politics tops list of entrepreneurs' concerns
PHUSADEE ARUNMAS
Continuing political uncertainty has been singled out as the major threat to the country's economic growth and the overall business environment, according to a new survey.
The finding emerged in a survey conducted by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce of 800 entrepreneurs nationwide between March 7 and 16. It measured the factors that affect economic growth and business activity, ranging from interest and exchange rates to oil prices, political and security matters.
Lack of political confidence was the main factor behind the economic slowdown, followed by security concerns lingering from the unsolved Dec 31 bombings in Bangkok, said Thanavath Phonvichai, director of the university's Center for Economic and Business Forecasting.In the survey, 88.2% of the respondents said they were being hard hit by political instability, and 45.5% said they would suspend new investment. Only 2.9% said they would expand their businesses.
A total of 53.7% of the respondents said the government's priority should be to speed up addressing political instability. They also called for political reconciliation, a new general election and better transparency.
Respondents also urged authorities to attempt to keep the baht between 34.50 and 35.50 to the US dollar, although they said they would prefer an exchange rate around 37.50.
The baht was trading yesterday around 34.80 and survey respondents said they expected the rate to average 35 for the year.
Other recommendations from the survey were for the government to improve economic stimulus policy, make fiscal and monetary policy clearer, and increase competitiveness through logistics and infrastructure development.
''In the sample group, more than 50% said the economy would grow at a rate of less than 4% this year, now that the political uncertainties are expected to prompt investors and business community to draw back their investment and marketing plans. In the meantime, consumers are expected to delay their spending,'' said Mr Thanavath.
The university has projected that economic growth would range from 4.0% to 4.5% this year, while the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) has a forecast of 4.5% compared with 5% in 2006.
However, Mr Thanavath said the university might consider revising the economic figures after Songkran festival.
Bangkok Post
Tuesday March 20, 2007
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