Thai PM allows New Year countdown event

 Thailand’s Centre of COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has been assigned by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to discuss with businesses how a New Year countdown event can be held in a way which will not lead to a COVID-19 resurgence.

The prime minster told the media that he is pleased with the slowdown in new infections over the past several weeks which, he said, is a healthy sign and that the government is preparing to ease lockdown restrictions further, citing the New Year countdown event as one example.

He said that he has told the CCSA to try to conclude talks with the private sector about the New Year event within a week and that it must be held outdoors with measures taken to prevent a new round of infections.

Although the Omicron variant has not been detected in Thailand yet, the prime minister said that he has instructed officials to try to track down the remaining travellers from eight African countries already in Thailand for RT-PCR tests, to make sure they are free from the Omicron variant. – ThaiPBS

Source - BangkokJack

 

VISA AGENT  /  How to register for: THAI PASS

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Expats now need THREE MILLION BAHT health insurance

Foreigners applying for non-immigrant (O-A) visas for stays in Thailand of up to one year are now required to have a health insurance policy with minimum coverage of three million baht for in-patient medical fees, instead of the previous 400,000 baht.
Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said yesterday that the new rule is intended to ensure that they will receive proper medical treatment if they fall ill during their long stay in the country.

According to the Thai Immigration Bureau and the Department of Consular Affairs, 3,768 foreigners were granted non-immigrant visas last and this year.

The insurance policies can either be purchased in Thailand or in their home country, but the coverage amount of foreign issued policies must be on a par with the sum stipulated in policies issued in Thailand.

The announcement will likely be met with displeasure and backlash from international travellers hoping to make Thailand their home long-term, or at least for one year.

It is especially difficult for those hoping to retire in Thailand as insurance policy premiums are infamous for skyrocketing once the applicant passes a certain age, increasing exponentially with age under the assumption that older people are more prone to illnesses and accidents.

As Thailand releases plan after plan to lure back tourists, many complain that the complicated entry process, the rising costs, and constant changes to immigration policy, not to the benefit of international travellers, seems to be simultaneously pushing away the same expats with money that the country claims to be encouraging.

Source - BangkokJack

VISA AGENT

Thai gov’t already warning of new Lockdowns to come

Thailand may be locked down again if people don’t observe Covid-19 preventive measures once the country reopens, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul warned on Tuesday.
It would seem that some government ministers are hell-bent on sabotaging any hope the Thai people have of returning to something resembling the prosperous country they had until only 18 months ago.

After all, how many tourists are going to risk Thailand as a holiday destination this season if the government is threatening to shut the entire country down again, at any moment,  on a whim.

To add to the mixed messaging the Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced in a televised address on Monday that he has instructed the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration and the Public Health Ministry to only ‘look into’ opening the country on November 1.

Initially, tourists from 10 low-risk countries will be allowed to travel to Thailand without having to quarantine provided they are fully jabbed and test negative.

The list will be expanded to cover more countries in the first week of December and then again in January 2022.

This morning, Anutin said that the detail of the 10 countries was under discussion and will be proposed to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on this Thursday.

Asked about a tendency to close the country again, the heath minister said it depends on Thai people. If they don’t follow the preventive measures strictly, Thailand tends to be shut again.

Meaning, if people don’t do exactly what we tell them too them we will lock them all up at home again.

In addition, Anutin added that risk places like entertainment venues will be monitored seriously, in a bid to prevent the new outbreaks of the sniffles.

Source - BangkokJack

Our VISA AGENT

Confusion reigns as Thai PM announces end of quarantine and alcohol restart "spoiler"

It was supposed to be Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's chance to announce the end of quarantine and the opening of the country's nightlife and serving of alcohol.

Instead it has just created more confusion if the online reaction is anything to go by.

Posters on ASEAN NOW seemed more confused than ever and criticized the lack of clarity as par for the course of a government that has chopped and changed at every turn throughout the pandemic but especially over the last six months.

Many felt the proposed relaxation had not gone far enough and that nothing should have been announced before the decisions were set in stone.

Many posters said this kind of "might" and "mull" philosophy was hopeless for foreign tourists who have to plan for a visit well in advance.

Prayuth's Monday televised address was also just a precursor - a spoiler if you like - for the actual decision that will be made by the CCSA on Thursday.

Will they tweak the proposals or reverse them? Tourists both foreign and domestic, expats, and operators in the industry are all desperate to know the score.

Desperate for an ounce of clarity.

As it stands Thai Rath reported what has been announced internationally.

That tourists from ten countries including Singapore, Germany, the US and the UK will not need to quarantine but will need to have been double vaxxed and have tests before and after arriving.

But what other documents they will need and what other countries are on the list remained unclear.

China was also on Prayuth's lips - but there has been no announcement from the Asian giant that they are allowing their citizens to travel. So that is effectively a moot point.

When it comes to alcohol the situation is still utterly unclear.

About as cloudy as a Pernod and water.

The Thai media interpreted the PM's announcement that alcohol would be allowed in restaurants from December 1st.

But that pubs, bars and nightclubs would only be allowed to reopen.

It wasn't stated that the blanket alcohol ban would be lifted for all establishments.

Prayuth has stated that the tourism industry cannot stand another decimated high season. He has avowed that the risks of reopening outweigh the continuing calamity caused to the economy by the pandemic, especially its tourism sector.

But his comments about the possibility of reversing these "decisions" remains if cases spike, as they are expected to even by the PM's own admission.

Others like the Rural Doctors group have stated in the last 24 hours that Thailand's infection rate is not dropping as official stats state.

Yet another example of "you pay your money and take your choice" when it comes to believing police and stats coming out of Thailand.

Thursday's Center for Covid Situation Administration meeting may provide a little more clarity.

Source - ASIAN NOW

Our VISA AGENT

Thailand can earn THB1.5 trillion by opening on Nov 1

 

The government hopes to reopen Bangkok and some towns in four provinces to foreigners without a quarantine requirement from November 1, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana has said.
The towns waiting to reopen are Muang, Mae Rim, Mae Taeng and Doi Tao in Chiang Mai, Hua Hin in Prachuap Khiri Khan, Cha-am in Phetchaburi and Pattaya City, Bang Lamung and Sattahip in Chonburi.

“These places will be reopened provided there are no big or serious infection clusters between now and November 1,” he said. “The other conditions for visitors are that they must be fully jabbed and test negative for Covid-19 before arrival.”

Thanakorn added that the government expects revenue from tourism in 2022 to reach 1.5 trillion baht, of which 850 billion baht will come from Thai tourists who are expected to take 160 million trips in total and 650 billion baht from 15 million foreign tourists.

“The 1.5-trillion-baht target is about half of the total tourism revenue earned in 2019 before Covid-19 hit Thailand,” he added.

Thanakorn also said that as of September 27, the Phuket Sandbox scheme which kicked off on July 1, has generated 2.33 billion baht in revenue.

As of Thursday, there were 43,026 arrivals under this scheme and most of the tourists came from the United States, Israel, United Kingdom, Germany and France. – The Nation

Source - BangkokJack

Our VISA AGENT

#Thailand - More easing of lockdown to be announced on Monday

The government is finalizing further relaxations in lockdown measures and will make the announcement on Monday, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said on Friday (June 26).

He said that there are five matters to be finalised on June 29, as people await further relaxations in the fifth phase for pubs, bars, entertainment venues, and massage parlours.

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Among the likely decisions are:

▪︎Limited entry into the country for foreigners, though allowing tourists under travel bubble agreements has been postponed to August;

▪︎Extension of the state of emergency;

▪︎School opening confirmation for the minority children on the border;

▪︎Easing the one-metre social distancing measure in public transport to at least one-foot distance and compulsory wearing of masks by passengers throughout the journey.

As Thailand reached 32 days without a domestic case, Dr Taweesin warned against complacency, citing the example of China which once did not have any cases for 52 consecutive days before being jolted by an outbreak last week. New Zealand also has reported new cases recently.

Source - Pataya One News

Government okays three more golf courses in northern #Vietnam

Three golf course projects worth VND3 trillion ($129 million) in the northern provinces of Bac Giang and Hoa Binh have been approved.

Under an investment plan approved by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, a 36-hole golf course will be laid in Bac Giang’s Viet Yen District, covering an area of 14 hectares. It will be built by the Truong An Golf Investment JSC at an estimated cost of over VND1.2 trillion ($51.6 million).

Another 36-hole golf course and resort will be built in Bac Giang by Truong An Luc Nam Golf JSC on an area of 140 hectares. The project, with a total investment of VND739 billion ($31.8 million) will be located in Luc Nam District.

The third project involving a golf course will be constructed on an area of 188 hectares in Ky Son District, Hoa Binh Province by the An Viet Hoa Binh Golf JSC with a total capital of over $1.13 trillion ($48.6 million).

All three projects will have a 50-year operational license.

According to a government decision in 2009, Vietnam planned to have 89 golf courses by 2020. But so far according to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, only 30 have been built and put into operation, and many of these are reportedly not doing well.

Source - VN Express

Thailand Wins: Notify gov’t everywhere you go with new COVID tracking app

Because it’s never too soon to declare “mission accomplished,” a new app will put Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s favorite refrain when addressing  the nation –  “Thailand will win!” – into your hand while tracking every place you go.

Polawat Witoonkolchit of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society said Thursday at the Government House that the COVID-19 task force has developed a smartphone app called Thai Chana (“Thailand Wins”) to track people’s movements – solely for public health purposes, of course.

The application will launch tomorrow along with further details.

Polawat explained that it will require businesses such as restaurants, barber shops and stores to register online and post a QR code for customers to scan with their smartphones.

Customers would use the app to check in and out of venues, Polawat said. Anyone who has visited a venue where they might have been at risk will get a notification that they should be tested for COVID-19. 

Addressing privacy concerns, Polawat said registration would only require people’s phone numbers, which may provide little relief given that all SIM card owners are already registered with the government. Don’t worry, he said, all personal information will be kept secret by the authorities.

“This is the relaxation for the new normal, and all of us are responsible for it,” Polawat said. “Initially, it might have some obstacles, but if we all cooperate, Thailand will definitely win.”

It was not said whether an effort would be made to require its use by all members of the public.

Source - Coconuts / The Thaiger

Tropical Bali looking to reopen to tourists in October

Indonesia's tropical holiday island of Bali could reopen to tourists in October, thanks to its success in controlling the coronavirus outbreak, the government said on Friday.

As of Friday, Bali had reported 343 coronavirus cases and four deaths, a much lower fatality rate compared with 16,496 cases and 1,076 deaths in the whole archipelago.

If the infection curve continued to improve, the tourism ministry is looking to revitalize destinations and do promotional work for some parts of the country, including Bali, between June and October, Ni Wayan Giri Adnyani, secretary of the ministry, said in the statement.

Partial reopening of those areas, which also include the city of Yogyakarta and Riau islands province, may begin in October, she said.

Bali's economy depends largely on visitors. Its gross domestic product (GDP) contracted 1.14 percent on-year in January-March, compared with a 2.97 percent GDP expansion nationally.

Foreign tourist arrivals into Indonesia plunged more than 60 percent in March, compared to the year-earlier month, with Chinese arrivals sliding more than 97 percent  

Source - TheJakartaPost

Somkid urges BOT (Bank of Thailand) action on baht

THE government’s economics chief has voiced his concerns over a strong baht with his central bank counterpart, citing the impact on farmers and calling on him to be ready to put the brakes on further gains in the currency.

Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak yesterday said the government was worried that a chain reaction would set in as farmers across the country struggled with burden of an appreciating currency.

Somkid said he had aired these concerns with Bank of Thailand (BOT) governor Veerathai Santiprabhob and asked him to ensure that the baht won’t be allowed to rise too rapidly.

 “The governor understands the issue but the central bank cannot quickly bring the value of the baht down due to the many influencing factors,” Somkid said of his talks with Veerathai. Somkid said the central bank’s stance is understandable and that the government cannot intervene in the policymaking of the BOT.

Somkid’s comments follow a meeting he held with senior officials from the many ministries that are formulating economic policies aimed at helping low-income earners. Officials raised the issue of the impact of the appreciating baht on farmers, which makes their commodities less competitive on the global markets.

Somkid said the government plans to set aside Bt12 billion for fiscal 2020 on economic policies that benefit the poor.

 In a separate news conference, Veerathai vowed he would take action on the baht’s strength and has called for other parties to coordinate in actions to remedy its impacts.

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He defended the central bank’s actions in raising the policy rate in December, to 1.75 per cent. Veerathai said the move did not cause to the baht to rise against the US dollar, not did it encourage capital inflows.

This year, capital outflows from the bond market are at US$400million, while inflows into the stock market are just US$100 million, resulting in net outflows of $300 million, he said.

The weaker dollar, combined with the high current account surplus, has contributed to the baht’s rise, he said.

He expressed his concern that a less resilient economy would encounter difficulties with exchange rate volatility.

The currencies of some countries have experienced higher volatility than the baht but their economies are coping with it better than the Thai economy, Veerathai said.

He said that some experts may want the baht fixed at 31,32 or 33 to the dollar but the exchange rate cannot be fixed due to the many external factors that are beyond Thailand’s control.

“The most important is how to make sure the economy can absorb the exchange rate volatility,” he said.

This means that the competitiveness of Thai firms largely depends on pricing, he said in respond to exporters who have complained about the impact of the baht appreciation. 

Importers have been prudent as they have use financial tools to hedge against the risk stemming from exchange rate volatility, but exporters have not yet hedged against such risks on regular basis, Veerathai said.

He promised to make the forwards market more transparent and competitive in order to help businesses to cut hedging costs. Banks‘ clients do not understand how banks run the forwards market and are unclear on the competitiveness of this market, he said.

Veerathai encouraged exporters and importers to rely more on local currencies rather the US dollar.

Thailand’s exports to the US represent 10 per cent of the total, but they quote prices in US dollar on up to 70 per cent of total exports, he said.

He advises businesses to quote their product prices in yuan , yen, ringgit and other currencies of the country’s trading partners.

Thailand should also take advantage of the stronger baht to import capital goods for domestic investments, he said, referring to the relatively weak investment as the major cause of the current account surplus.

Thailand had a relatively high current account surplus of US$37 billion last year, due to surpluses in goods exports and income from tourism.

According to the central bank, the baht has risen 3.93 per cent against the US dollar, hovering above Bt31 since the beginning of the year.

“The rise of the baht is in the middle of the group among currencies of emerging economies. For example, the Russian rouble and the Indonesian rupiah have risen much more rapidly,” Veerathai said,

Source - TheNation

 

#Thailand - Can Thaksin make a political comeback?

“ELECTIONS are finally here – on March 24” was the front page headline on Thursday of The Nation, an English-language newspaper in Thailand.

Finally, almost five years after ousting the elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shina-watra with the barrel of a gun, the military junta has called for an election.

The March 24 elections will end the military rule that began in 2014. Army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha led a bloodless coup that toppled the government then led by the Pheu Thai party. The coup leader took over as prime minister.

What happened to Shinawatra then was history repeating itself.

In 2006, the military launched a coup against her brother, then Prime Minister Thaksin Shina-watra, when he was in New York City to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

I remember that coup. At that time, I was The Star’s Thailand correspondent based in Bangkok and also the Asia News Network (ANN) editor.

That night, I was home in Bangna near Bangkok when I received a phone call saying there was an ongoing coup. I rushed to the nearby The Nation office where I worked.

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 Thasong Asvasena, a journalist from The Nation, told me not to worry as friendly soldiers had arrived to secure the newspaper’s premises. I looked out the window and saw armed soldiers surrounding the building. 

 It was called the Happy Coup as many Bangkokians hated Thaksin. They were delighted to see the end of his reign.

But that was not the end of Thaksin’s political grip on Thailand. The billionaire is like the Terminator. He’ll be back – through political parties linked to him.

Although he was in self-imposed exile, his party, the People Power Party (PPP, a reincarnation of his Thai Rak Thai party which had been banned by the military junta) won the election in 2007.

A year later PPP lost power in a “judicial coup” in which Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, who is married to Thaksin and Yingluck’s sister, was forced from office by a Constitutional Court ruling. The court disbanded PPP for electoral fraud and barred its leaders from participating in politics for five years.

Opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, from the Democrat party, formed a coalition and became Prime Minister.

In 2011, an election was called. Pheu Thai (the reincarnation of the banned PPP) won in a landslide victory and Yingluck became Thailand’s first female prime minister.

In 2014, the military seized power. It was the country’s 12th coup d’etat since the first in 1932.
Now, in 56 days, Thais will go to the polls. The big question is, can the self-exiled Thaksin, whose party has never lost an election, make a political comeback through his Pheu Thai alliance?

On Friday in Bangkok, I met Sean Boonpracong, a former national security adviser to Prime Minister Yingluck, and Cod Satrusayang, the managing editor of ANN, to get their insights into Thai politics.

“Can Thaksin make a comeback?” I asked them in separate interviews.

“Absolutely, because essentially the Thai Rak Thai, PPP and Pheu Thai parties – which are the incarnations of Thaksin’s political base – know how to capture the political aspirations of the people,” said Boonpracong.

After more than four years in power, the military junta could not deliver what the people wanted, he said.

Boonpracong said early polls – by various credible pollsters – indicate that Pheu Thai and its allies, such as Thai Raksa Chart and Future Forward (led by auto parts billionaire Thanathorn Juangroong-ruangkit), could win 272 to 300 seats for MPs out of 500.

“It looks like Pheu Thai will still win. Despite the odds stacked against them, despite the military drafting a Constitution that’s supposed to be anti-them, despite the redrawing of the constituencies, they will still win,” said Satru-sayang.

The question now, said the ANN editor, is not whether Pheu Thai will win – “But whether they’ll win by a large enough margin so that the other side can’t call in the clause that can put in place an unelected prime minister who is not an MP,” he said.

The electoral odds are stacked in favour of the military junta, though.

There will be 750 representatives – 500 MP posts (constituency and party lists) from the lower house of Parliament (like our Dewan Rakyat) up for grabs and 250 from the upper house (like our Dewan Negara) comprising junta appointees and military brass. These 750 people will decide who will be prime minister.

In theory, the junta needs parties aligned to it, such as Phalang Pracharat, to have 126 MPs win seats as it has 250 senators (who are not elected, remember). The math is 126 + 250 = 376, which is a simple majority.

Whereas Pheu Thai and its allies have to have 376 MPs win to form the government, as the 250 senators are all junta appointees.

In a nutshell, the junta leaders can still remain in power even without an elected representative majority.

Even if Pheu Thai and its allies win most of the votes, there is no guarantee that it can form the government because the electoral system favours the military junta, said Boonpracong.

“Pheu Thai (and its allies) have to win the lower house seats overwhelmingly,” he said.
When I was working in Bangkok from 2006 to 2010, Thailand was divided into two groups: “I love Thaksin” and “I hate Thaksin”. There was no middle ground. And those who loved Thaksin hated those who hated Thaksin. And those who hated Thaksin had no love for those who loved Thaksin.

Thaksin has been in voluntary exile since 2006, and I was curious to know whether he is still a divisive figure.

Well, after more than four years of junta rule, the divisiveness – based on social media postings – has reduced, Boonpracong said.

“As he has not been in power for 12 years, essentially, they (those who hate him) can’t blame Thailand’s ills on the bogeyman that is Thaksin,” he said.

Satrusayang said Thaksin is really popular in rural areas, especially in the north-east and north. The former prime minister, he said, is still popular among the poor because of his populist policies, such as cheap health care and loans when he was in power.

“They also have a feeling that they voted for this guy and the Bangkok elites keep overthrowing him over and over again – as if they know better. There’s an us (the poor in the north and north-east) against them (elite Bangkokians) mentality,” he said.

Boonpracong said: “Thaksin is just a politician who we should not overpraise. But overall he has he has done a lot of good for the people on the periphery who make up 70% of the bottom rung of Thai society.

“He has moved the earth to make their life better economically,” he said.

Bangkokians, Boonpracong feels, are less angry at Thaksin. “They feel that Thailand’s economic performance the last five years under the junta has been less dynamic than our neighbours’,” he said.

Satrusayang, however, feels that Thaksin is still hated by most Bangkok people. But there’s not as much intensity between the red shirts (pro-Thaksin) and yellow shirts (anti-Thaksin), he said.

“The yellows and reds agree that they hate the military more because it has been in power for too long,” he said.

“The yellows aren’t going to vote for Pheu Thai and reds won’t vote for the Democrats (or junta aligned parties) but the military is the central figure of hate now.”

According to Satrusayang, this is because when the military came into power it promised that it would be gone in a year.

“Now it has been more than four years. They kept on postponing the elections, they keep on lying, they keep on infringing on civil liberties.”

The military junta, except for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, is not popular, said Satrusayang.

“Prayut is decently popular because he is seen as a funny uncle. But Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan is hated because of his watch scandal,” he said. (Wongsuwan is said to own a collection of undeclared luxury watches.)

It looks like Thaksin’s alliance will win the popular vote but it won’t be easy for it to form the government.

It needs about 100 senators to switch sides or for the junta (under pressure from a higher power) to blink on polling night.

Source - TheNation

Thailand becoming ‘garbage bin of world’

Waste policies encourage wrong choices; reducing, reusing and recycling should come first, say environmentalists.

EXPERTS on waste management and environmental protection are warning that Thailand could become the garbage bin of the world, as the government’s policies to promote the waste-to-energy industry have already resulted in plastic waste imports to the Kingdom.

Ecological Alert and Recovery Thailand director Penchom Saetang said the country’s recent waste management trends run counter to correct waste management methods. 

The government’s current path will prevent a proper solution to waste management problems and unintentionally lead to waste from other countries being dumped in Thailand, she said.

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Penchom singled out for criticism the promotion of private investment in small waste-to-energy projects across the country.

“Waste-to-energy is one of the most polluting methods for both waste management and power generation, because not only will burning garbage emit toxic pollutants, but the leftover ashes are also very hazardous and require very careful disposal in a secured landfill. And so building many small waste-to-energy plants is a very bad decision,” Penchom said. “I do not contest the advantages of waste-to-energy, as it is one of the acceptable measures to deal with unrecyclable waste, but we should have only a few big waste-to-energy plants that are properly equipped with all pollution control measures.”

Highlighting her concern over the small size of the waste-to-energy projects now being promoted by the government, Penchom said it was not cost-effective for the investors to install expensive pollution-control systems. 

They are forced to reduce the money spent on environmental protection in order to keep their investment profitable.

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According to the five-year waste management masterplan, local administrative organisations are required to manage waste. However, the private sector is also encouraged to invest in waste disposal plants, based on the assumption that they are more able and ready to properly oversee waste disposal.

Forty-four provinces meet the criteria, allowing them to initiate private-sector investment in waste-to-energy plants. Those criteria include the availability of a feed-in powerline, ability to ensure a feedstock of at least 300 tonnes of garbage. In contrast, a total 102 areas in 49 provinces have the capacities for investment in refuse-derived fuel (RDF) processing plants. 

For the less populated areas that have below 50 tonnes of waste generated per day, the authorities and residents are advised to locally process their waste into fertiliser and bury the leftover garbage in a local sanitary landfill.

Read continue -

#Thailand - Prayut ignored report on Yingluck’s UK asylum bid

PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha did not pay attention to report that former premier Yingluck Shinawatra would seek asylum overseas because it was a personal matter, Government spokesperson Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said yesterday.

Sansern said Prayut showed no interest in the matter because he was focused on his obligation to legal enforcement, which in this case involved attempts to have the fugitive ex-leader extradited to serve her prison time under the Thai justice system. Concerned agencies, Sansern added, have been working within local and international law to proceed with the case.

Sansern confirmed that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had unofficially acknowledged that Yingluck had travelled to the United Kingdom, but whether she would seek asylum there was her personal business. 

Criteria for asylum seeking in the destination country would be taken into consideration in her case, the spokesperson said.

Yingluck was sentenced in absentia on Wednesday to five years’ imprisonment for malfeasance involving her administration’s fraudulent government-to-government rice deals. 

She disappeared from public view in the days before August 25, when the verdict in her case was first due to be read.

On Thursday, Prayut said that Yingluck was in Dubai, where her brother, former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, has reportedly been living in self-exile.

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Some international news outlets, including CNN, said she was in London and seeking political asylum in the UK, citing their source as her Pheu Thai Party.

The British Embassy in Thailand, told The Nation that “the [UK] Home Office does not comment on whether an individual is in the UK or not”. 

Thaksin and his family are said to be staying in London in a house worth Bt260-million. None of the family has so far have indicated whether Yingluck is also in the UK capital. 

A legal source had told The Nation that an individual has full rights to seek political asylum in a destination country with which he or she has some connection. The host country might take diplomatic relations into consideration, he said, noting that it has the full authority to grant or reject any application. 

Thaksin’s eldest daughter Pintongta on Friday posted on her Instagram account, showing her twin daughters asking her why they never met their grandpa Thaksin in Thailand. She was apparently posting from London, saying she had made the right decision to make a trip to be with her father at a difficult time.

Thaksin’s daughters have been posting family photos along with morale-booting messages since mid-September before the court verdict was eventually issued against Yingluck.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has received a letter from the Royal Thai Police requesting it to revoke Yingluck’s passport.

The ministry is now considering the matter following its regulations concerning passport issuance, according to Busadee Santipitaks, the ministry’s spokesperson and chief of the Department of Information.

Meanwhile, the Suan Dusit Poll has surveyed opinions of around 1,000 respondents nationwide on the impacts of the court verdict on Thai politics and reconciliation.

Around 33 per cent, the highest share, said the verdict had quite an effect on reconciliation efforts as major parties and their members would not give their cooperation in future political activities. About 24 per cent viewed that it would greatly affect reconciliation efforts, as the rift among groups would be widened. Around 21 percent viewed that it would not have much impact because the government could control the situation and this was a personal matter, while the people just wanted to see peace and order.

Around 37 per cent viewed that the verdict would have quite an effect on politics because different groups would use the issue to attack one another. Around 27 per cent viewed that it would greatly affect politics as it has directly impacted on politicians’ credibility, and politics from now on would be under close watch. Only 19 per cent viewed that it would not affect politics much and the government could control the situation.

Source - TheNation

#Thailand - Will Shinawatras stir the political pot from abroad?

SIBLINGS Thaksin and Yingluck, fugitives from justice, will reunite somewhere abroad. But will they join hands to turn the world against Thailand, or emerge as a threat to the junta? Jintana Panyaarvudh and Kasamakorn Chanwanpen analyse the possibilities.

THE DUST has yet to settle on the dramatic escape of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra late last month and the whole speculation about her whereabouts. All leads point to the former PM joining her brother in exile in either Dubai or London.

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha revealed on Thursday that according to information he had received Yingluck was in Dubai. 

Dubbed “The City of Superlatives”, Dubai was not a surprise choice for Yingluck to escape the Thai justice system. Her brother, former PM Thaksin, has a villa in the Gulf city whose stunning growth from a sleepy port to a world-famous business crossroads within a single generation has been a spectacular success story.

Thaksin chose Dubai as his home base in 2008 because of its convenience, Isra News Agency quoted from “Conversations with Thaksin”, a book written by American Tom Plate, who interviewed him in 2010.

Thaksin was sentenced in absentia to two years in jail in 2008 for conflict of interest during his five years in office. 

 The residence is located in the exclusive Emirates Hills, a gated community in Dubai named after Beverly Hills. Emirates Hills is largely home to the expatriate community of Dubai, as it consists of the first freehold properties that were sold in the city.

 

The 68-year-old former PM told the author he likes Dubai as he feel like he is at the centre of the world. From there, he can travel around the world and as it is not too far from Thailand, his families and friends can also visit him.

The book described his house as a seven-bedroom, two-storey-plus-basement villa with adequate room to accommodate the occasional visiting relative.

During the past decade, Thaksin has always welcomed visits from his family, many of his former MPs and supporters at his villa. 

If government information is to be believed, this is the second time the Shinawatra siblings had reunited after his sister was toppled by the coup in May 2014.

The elder brother and sister reunited in July 2014 for the first time in Paris for Thaksin’s 65th birthday celebrations. Yingluck was permitted by the junta to go on a 20-day trip to Europe. 

But it is believed Thailand’s first female prime minister may not be too comfortable in the heat of the Gulf country where temperatures fluctuate between 10 degrees Celsius in winter to 48 degrees in the scorching summer. Yingluck may prefer to spend her time in London, which has a climate very different from Dubai.

CNN and Reuters reported that Yingluck is now in London and seeking asylum there, although the government contradicted that report. Speculation that Yingluck may choose the UK for life in exile makes sense, as Thaksin owns a manor in Surrey, near London, worth more than Bt260 million.

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Recently, Thaksin’s daughters Pintongta and Paetongtarn posted their photos with their father in London since September 15 on social media. However, there is still no sign of Yingluck.

Irrespective of which city the two siblings set up their base in, their political future appears dim. 

The door for a political comeback seems to have been almost shut on the two siblings after a new organic law on the criminal procedures for political office holders came into effect last Friday.

If the 50-year-old Yingluck wants to appeal against her five-year imprisonment sentence for negligence in preventing corruption and irregularities in her government rice-pledging scheme, she will be required to appear in court in person. An arrest warrant has been issued for her after her conviction.

The law also affects Thaksin as it allows the prosecution to ask the court to bring four cases related to him for trial in the court in absentia and there would also be no statute of limitations for the cases.

Irrespective of whether they choose Dubai or London, the real question is whether the Shinawatra siblings, who lie at the centre of Thailand’s political conflict, would together make active political moves from abroad. Thaksin used the strategy of “turning the world against Thailand” in his initial years in self-exile.

Critics believe the two siblings have limitations in making moves to attack the junta.

Titipol Phakdeewanich, dean of the Faculty of Political Science at Ubon Ratchathani University, said that the recent remarks of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan seemed to suggest there was a deal between the Shinawatras and the military under which Yingluck would not to make any political moves.

“In the current political circumstances, the power and influence of the Shinawatras are limited by the military and the ongoing anti-Shinawatra sentiment, especially among the Thai middle class,” Titipol said.

Chamnan Chanruang, a Chiang-Mai-based political scientist, said Yingluck may avoid being as direct and hard as her brother, as she might be seeking asylum.

Usually, the country providing political asylum would bar involvement in political activity during stay in that country.

“Yingluck has been very much loved thanks to her sweetness and humility,” he said.

Only a slight move on the social network could draw a lot of sympathy for her, which would be uncomfortable for the coup-installed regime, Chamnan added.

Thaksin had once confirmed that he had applied for asylum in Britain, but dropped the plan as it would have restricted his freedom to speak out. Aside from that, Chamnan also pointed to the Krung Thai Bank money laundering case involving Thaksin’s son Panthongtae. The fact that Thaksin’s son was currently being probed could deter the siblings from attacking the junta, he said.

However, Titipol said the Shinawatras would continue to maintain their relations with their international allies in order to pressure Thailand to return to democracy, despite the alteration of US foreign policy stance under the Trump administration.

“I don’t think the Shinawatras will fade away from Thai politics in the long term. Once democracy is resumed, there will be room for the Shinawatras to make their political moves,” Titipol said.

A top Pheu Thai Party figure, who is a close aide of Yingluck, told The Nation that Yingluck could end up anywhere. “International leaders love her. Her image [when she travelled abroad for international meeting] in their eyes is a strong person,” he said.

“There are more people who love PM Yingluck than those who hate her. She does not have to go along with Khun Thaksin. Both can travel separately,” the source said.

Her supporters are waiting for her first remarks. “I think once she settles down, she would explain her decision. She is a former prime minister, so she cannot disappear forever,” the Pheu Thai figure said.

Source - TheNation

Black day in Thailand

Fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been sentenced to a five-year jail term. 

The Supreme Court took almost four hours on Wednesday to read the verdict on Yingluck’s alleged negligence in her government’s rice-pledging scheme.

#Singapore - Female President Elected without an election. What a joke.

Singapore - An establishment stalwart was named Singapore's first female president Wednesday but the milestone was overshadowed by criticism her selection was undemocratic after she was handed the job without a vote.

    Halimah Yacob, a former speaker of parliament from the Muslim Malay minority, did not have to face an election for the largely ceremonial post originally due this month after authorities decided her rivals did not meet strict eligibility criteria.

    It was not the first time in the affluent city-state -- which is tightly controlled and has been ruled by the same party for decades -- that the government has disqualified candidates for the presidency, making an election unnecessary.

    But there was already unease about the process as it was the first time that the presidency had been reserved for a particular ethnic group, in this case the Malay community, and the decision to hand her the job without a vote added to anger.

    Social media was abuzz with criticism as Halimah, a bespectacled 63-year-old who wears a headscarf, was formally announced as the president-elect, with Facebook user Pat Eng writing: "Elected without an election. What a joke."

    "I will call her President Select from now on," said Joel Kong on the networking site, while some posts were marked with the hashtag #NotMyPresident -- echoing the message used by upset Americans after the election of President Donald Trump.

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Halimah, a member of parliament for the ruling People's Action Party for nearly two decades before resigning to contest the presidency, tackled the doubts about the selection process in a speech to a cheering crowd after she was named president-elect.

 

    "I'm a president for everyone. Although there's no election, my commitment to serve you remains the same," she said.

    Authorities had decided to allow only candidates from the Malay community to put themselves forward for the presidency, a bid to foster harmony in the city-state of 5.5 million people which is dominated by ethnic Chinese.

    Singapore's head of state has limited powers, including vetoing senior official appointments, but an establishment figure has always held the role and there are rarely tensions with the government. //AFP

#Cambodia - Breaking news: CNRP leader Kem Sokha arrested for 'treason'

Phnom Penh - Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha was arrested early Sunday accused of treason, the government said in a statement, the latest in a flurry of legal cases lodged against critics and rivals of strongman premier Hun Sen.

 His surprise arrest raises the stakes as Hun Sen's political opponents, NGOs and the critical press are smothered by court cases and threats ahead of a crunch general election next year.

Hun Sen is determined to extend his three decade rule and withstand the burgeoning popularity of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

The government statement alleged "a secret plan of conspiracy between Kem Sokha, his group, and foreigners that harms Cambodia," adding he was arrested early Sunday.

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"The above secret conspiracy is the act of treason," the statement said, without giving further details of the alleged crime.

Kem Sokha is the leader of the CNRP which has been battered by court cases, bans and threats against its key figures.

He was handcuffed and "taken away by 100-200 police without warrant after they raided his home," his daughter Kem Monovithya said in a Twitter post.

On Saturday night, a pro-government website -- Fresh News -- alleged that Kem Sokha had discussed overthrowing Hun Sen with support from the United States.

It did not provide any evidence for the claim.

Last week the US expressed "deep concern" over the state of Cambodia's democracy after the government there ordered out an American NGO and pursued a crackdown on independent media.

Among the media in the firing line is the well respected Cambodia Daily, which often criticizes the government.

It faces closure on Monday if it fails to pay a $6.3 million tax bill, a threat it says is a political move to muzzle its critical reporting.

Source - TheNation

#Thailand - Foreign media probe Tanasak about Yingluck’s passport

Deputy Prime Minister Tanasak Patimapragorn on Tuesday declined to say whether the government will revoke the passport of fugitive former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra after she fled the country days before hearing the court verdict in her negligence case.

Tanasak, in Sydney after overseeing a troupe of 56 Khon mask dancers who performed at the Sydney Opera House, was asked by foreign journalists if the government plans to revoke Yingluck's passport.

Tanasak, who oversees the Foreign Ministry, said: “The Thai government practices the rule of law. As an administration, we can not intervene in the judgment of the court.

"In your country, can you intervene in the court?

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"Thailand is the big country and the government gives freedom to citizens. We don’t follow individuals in terms of where they are going or when they leave the country. So we're following the rule of law. Just as another country."

An arrest warrant was issued for Yingluck by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions last Friday after she failed to turn up for the reading of the verdict.

Her negligence case is linked to her then government’s controversial rice-pledging scheme.

The court postponed the reading of the verdict until September 27 and ordered the seizure of Yingluck’s Bt30-million bail.

Source - TheNation

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#Thailand - Massive security force to be fielded for Yingluck verdict.

4,000 officers to be stationed at court as 3,500 supporters of ex-pm expected.

ABOUT 4,000 security officers will be deployed to maintain order at the Supreme Court on Friday, when up to 3,500 people are expected to gather in a show of support for former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

On that day, the high court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders is scheduled to deliver its verdict in the case, in which Yingluck is accused of negligence in connection with her government’s corruption-plagued rice-pledging scheme.

Security measures will also include 40 more surveillance cameras and three walk-through metal detectors installed in the area, in addition to three patrolling helicopters, 20 riot trucks and four ambulances, according to Metropolitan Police deputy chief Pol Maj-General Panurat Lakboon.

Of the nearly 16,000-square-metre court premises, 1,500 square metres would be allocated for Yingluck’s supporters, Panurat said yesterday. 

Barricades would also be erected and officers posted to prevent Yingluck’s supporters – or “third parties with bad intent” – from trespassing in restricted court areas, he said. 

Authorities have repeatedly warned of unidentified “third parties” that could try to create chaos during the event.

The crowd will be monitored using CCTV, the Bangkok deputy police chief said, adding that anyone who violated the law or provoked the crowd would be recorded by the cameras and could expect to face an arrest warrant. 

Supreme Court officials yesterday also told the media planning to cover the verdict that security measures had been laid out including a plan to set up checkpoints at every gate at the Chaeng Wattana government complex, with free access only at the main gate near the Administrative Court.

News reporters were advised to submit their car licence numbers in advance to avoid any difficulties.

A police source said security checkpoints would also be set up in various areas across the country starting from tomorrow ahead of “judgment day”. Any suspicious movements would be blocked and the people involved could be detained, he said.

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#Thailand - PM denies court interference.

Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is surrounded by supporters as she arrives at the Supreme Court yesterday to make her closing statement in the case linked to her government’s controversial rice-pledging scheme.

‘No concern’ about mobilization ahead of August 25 verdict.

PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday rejected allegations by former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, insisting that he had never interfered in the judicial process as she alleged during her closing remarks to the Supreme Court yesterday. 

Yingluck earlier said in court that junta chief Prayut, who staged a coup to topple her government three years ago, had implied in a recent statement that she was guilty in the case relating to her government’s rice-pledging scheme, otherwise she would never have been brought to court. 

Prayut said yesterday the junta government had only provided testimony as witnesses for the plaintiff, which is the government itself.

“I never led [the decision] of the court. I don’t have to order them,” the premier said. “The judicial system is always independent. They have inspected the issues based on facts and they’ve finished.”

Yingluck is accused of negligence and malfeasance for allegedly ignoring corruption related to the rice-pledging scheme conducted while she was in office, despite a warning from the Office of the Auditor-General. 

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