Former ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan dies aged 68
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on November 30, 2017
Former ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan died aged 68 on Thursday (Nov 30). Dr Surin, who was also a former Thai foreign minister, died of an acute heart attack, Thailand's Democrat Party said. He collapsed before giving a speech in Bangkok and was rushed to Ramkhamhaeng Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon.
Thai PM Prayuth's 5th Cabinet To Be Sworn In
Originally published on Channel NewsAsia on November 30, 2017
We look at the latest cabinet reshuffle of Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who earlier announced that there'll be more civilians and less military officers at the table. So how many are there really and who's new, who's out?
TRANSCRIPT
Ever since the takeover in the coup of 2014, Thailand’s military has posted itself here at Bangkok’s Government House and has been ruling the country for three-and-a-half years and that has been very much reflected in the cabinet line-up.
Until very recently, 12 out of 36 cabinet members, including deputy ministers, have been from the armed forces.
Earlier this month in November, Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha, who is also the head of the military junta, has announced he would nominate more civilians in the next reshuffle and after many speculations, rumors and constant nagging by reporters, the 5th cabinet of the Prayuth administration has been endorsed by King Maha Vajiralongkorn last Friday.
Yes, there are now 13 civilians among the 18 ministers. But in the whole cabinet line-up there are still 11 military members, which is just one less than the previous one.
And contrary to earlier, many of the government’s senior heavyweights are still staying where they are, that includes Deputy Prime Minister Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan - who also remains as Defense Minister - as well as Interior Minister Gen. Anupong Paochinda and Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak.
In total there are 10 new faces at the table - most prominently at the Ministries of Agriculture and Energy - while at the same time 9 have to leave their jobs entirely, most notably Tourism Minister Korbkarn Wattanavrangkul.
A spokesman for Prime Minister says the reshuffle is aimed to improve the efficiency of the government’s work, but experts say that they’re already preparing for the next year.
THITINAN PONGSUDHIRAK, Director Institute of Security and International Studies, Chulalongkorn University:
"The public perceptions of the military junta and the military government have shift a little bit. I think that this junta was in power, was accepted in power in order to oversee this very sensitive, moving, profound event - the cremation of the late King. But now that it has passed I think that the sell-by date has gone by as well. I think this latest reshuffle was very clear, it is a reshuffle to maintain performance in order to pave the way for the continuity of power after the election."
In October, Prime Minister Prayuth announced that democratic elections will be held in November 2018, so far the most concrete date we heard after may postponements and delays.
The new cabinet will be sworn in by taking an oath in front of King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Thursday evening.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok
Excessive pesticides found in popular fruits and vegetables in Thailand
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on November 27, 2017
Health authorities are on high alert after a non-governmental organisation found excessive levels of pesticides in samples of 13 fruits and vegetables sold in major supermarkets in Bangkok and four other provinces.
Halal-Tourism: Drawing Muslim visitors to the Land of Smiles
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on November 21, 2017
Muslim-friendly hotels and mall prayer rooms pop up in Thailand as the Buddhist-majority country vies for a slice of the growing halal tourism market.
TRANSCRIPT
At first sight this street could be in Damascus or Beirut, but this busy alley is actually in the heart of Bangkok: Soi Nana 3 is a hub of the local Muslim community and another place in the capital that could see more visitors in the near future.
SAKSITH SAIYASOMBUT; Bangkok, Thailand:
"A record 32 million tourists visited Thailand in 2016 and that number is likely to go up this year. While the majority of visitors still come from China, there’s an emerging group that the tourism industry is trying to woo to come here: Muslim tourists from South-East Asia and the middle east. Many businesses are already gearing up to welcome these guests."
Thailand's tourism authority says 5 million tourists from Muslim majority countries visited Thailand in 2016, with the majority coming from Indonesia, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.
Market research agency for halal travel destinations, Crescent Rating, says the halal tourist market is one of the world's fastest growing, thanks to the growth of budget flights and a booming Muslim middle class.
And Thailand’s tourism industry was able to catch the trend early, says the managing director of a publication on Muslim-run businesses in Thailand.
EKKARAT MUKEM; Managing Director "The Alami" Magazine:
"I believe that business owners have increasingly seen the potential, the purchase power, the opportunities in muslim tourists. So the trend for halal tourism has been steadily going up and up in the past 4-5 years."
Some big malls in Bangkok already provide halal-only food options and dedicated prayer rooms for their Muslim customers.
But it's the hotels in this mainly Buddhist country that have taken the lead in providing halal facilities and services.
Located a little off the city center in Bangkok, the Al Meroz is the first Muslim-friendly hotel in the capital.
Its general manager says running a halal hotel goes beyond more than not serving alcohol and pork.
SANYA SAENGBOON, General Manager Al Meroz Hotel:
"Because halal is not just H-A-L-A-L, you know, it’s something to do more than just a word saying that. Because- who supplies the food for us? How [do] they grow [it]? How [did] the animal got slaughtered?"
All the rooms in the Al Meroz are designed for its Muslim guests - a prayer rug, prayer timetables and also an indicator pointing towards Mecca, Islam's holiest city.
There's also a Qur’an at the bedside table.
The focus on the Muslim tourist has surprised some, with Thailand a pre-dominantly Buddhist country. But the travel industry as a whole is trying to cash in on that trend and standards for halal tourism in Thailand are being considered.
ITTIRIT KINGLEK; Tourism Council of Thailand:
"The committee from the tourism ministry has not set any guidelines for halal and muslim-friendly tourism. The ministry is currently coming up with a muslim-friendly tourism strategy by getting scholars on board in order to identify our (industry’s) strengths and weaknesses and our capabilities to welcome these tourists."
With up to six million Muslim tourists expected to arrive each year, the Land of Smiles wants to be sure it's ready to give its visitors a happy experience.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok
Thais warming up to e-payment systems after PromptPay launch
Originally published on Channel NewsAsia on November 20, 2018
Early this year, the Thai government launched its national e-payment system ‘PromptPay’, the first step towards a cashless society. Here's my recap for Channel NewsAsi.
TRANSCRIPT
The hassles of modern banking are familiar to many: keeping track of bank account numbers and transfer fees, just to name two of them.
But early this year, a new electronic transactions system for Thailand kicked in, the first step towards a cashless society.
SAKSITH SAIYASOMBUT; Bangkok, Thailand:
“In January this year, the Thai government launched its national e-payment system ‘PromptPay’ to make money transfers much easier. So how does it work? Essentially, people can send money between bank accounts by using only their phone or national ID numbers instead of a bank account number. This can be done via online banking, a smartphone app and also on the ATM machine.
Banks are aggressively promoting to get customers to sign up for the service, for example, they're waiving fees for inter-bank transfers of up to 5,000 Baht or US $150; or touting that the government can send you tax refunds, pensions or other benefits right away instead of waiting for a cheque in the mailbox.”
These incentives seem to have worked.
By August, individuals and businesses registered 32 million accounts,
and the e-payment system has seen transfers to the tune of more than 30 billion US dollars.
But some users feel the e-payment system should have more options, while others had concerns about safety and privacy.
VOXPOP WOMAN:
“I don’t feel quite comfortable giving my ID or phone number to strangers. I wish there’d be a different reference number, that’d be more safer for me.”
VOXPOP MAN 1:
“I got a few deals here and there and I’m concerned whether or that there’ll be additional taxes coming along when I sign up for it. I heard that from a friend.”
VOXPOP MAN 2:
“They should expand it to more services, for example paying for credit card or other bills, so it can complete the payment cycle. That should be able to be integrated.”
More e-payment options are in the pipeline for PromptPay, and the recently announced link-up with its Singapore counterpart PayNow, carries definite potential, even though not right away.
TANAWAT RUENBANTERNG; Analyst, Maybank Kim Eng Research:
“Because both systems between Thailand’s PromptPay and PayNow from Singapore were built separately. So it needs some time to connect those two systems together and also to educate people to use this kind of service too. It’ll not be easy, it will take some time but sooner or later not only Thailand and ASEAN people, the whole world is moving to that direction.”
While it will might take some time until you can pay for your street food snacks with your phone, more Thais are already seeing the convenient benefits of e-payment systems, even though this is just the beginning.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok
Thai PM Asks Another 6 Questions About Political Future
Originally published on Channel NewsAsia on November 13, 2017
Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha has invited citizens to give their two cents about Thailand's political future again. This time it's six questions about the Thai junta's own governance and what they think about elected politicians. But critics say the questions are suggestive and are an excuse to find a reason to cling onto power.
TRANSCRIPT
Thai Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-Ocha has invited citizens again give their views on another six questions he posed, concerning the future of Thai politics.
The six questions can be summarized up with whether or not people are satisfied with the performance of the Thai military government, which has been in power since the 2014 coup and what their opinions are of political parties and elected officials.
Now, with any political activity by other political parties still being banned, the government insists that this form of survey are merely to get a sense, to get a feedback of what people are thinking. But it has also sparked a lot of criticism, especially from political parties, saying that the government is trying to find an excuse to cling on to power.
DR. TITIPOL PHAKDEEWANICH, Dean Faculty of Political Science, Ubon Ratchathani University
“I think it’s meant to continue to discredit politicians in Thailand this kind of syncronizes with the previous rhetoric before the coup, because if you look at the protests before the coup, people were attracted by the rhetoric of ‘bad politicians’ and ‘we have a bad system and now we have to remove them’, so we need a kind what they call in Thailand a ‘khon dee’ - a good person - to be in charge, so we can purify the political system. ”
Those interested can come to one of these 'Soon Dhamrongdhamma', which is a sort of a civil complaint center here in Bangkok and all across the country and they can come in here and fill out this form, but they have to do it the old fashioned way with pen and paper, but they also have to identify themselves with their names on the form itself.
This is could be one of the of the reasons why not may people are coming to one of these centers and this could also be the reason why earlier this year there weren’t many people either, when PM Prayuth was posing 4 questions about Thailand’s political future. Now, the results of that public survey have never been publicly disclosed or even mentioned ever since.
In October, PM Prayuth announced that democratic elections will take place in November 2018. That is, after multiple delays, the most concrete date for new polls so far.
Most recently, the government has failed to deny or reject persistent speculation of setting up their own political party to compete in elections, and that’s why these six questions come in at a very peculiar time.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok
Thailand approves shopping tax break to spur year-end consumer spending
Originally aired on Channel NewsAsia on November 9, 2017
The Thai military government has approved a tax break incentive just in time for the holiday shopping season, where people can claim taxes back as much as $450. But while Thailand’s economy is slowly recovering, not everyone will profit from this scheme.
TRANSCRIPT
Christmas comes early in shopping malls, and while this special day is not originally part of Thai tradition, one aspect certainly has been adopted quickly here: the year-end shopping spree.
For the third year in a row, Thailand’s military government is introducing a shopping tax break just in time for the holiday season.
Dubbed "Shop to Help the Nation", it is a bid to boost the nation’s economy before the end of the year.
SAKSITH SAIYASOMBUT; Bangkok, Thailand:
"This is not the first time the military government has introduced such a measure, but never this early in the holiday shopping season. The tax-break incentive usually starts mid-December but this year, it’s starting this Saturday, and it’s only November.
So how does it work? Well, basically during this period, you can go shopping for many things, almost anywhere, and simply file a tax refund claim later. Depending on how much you buy, you’ll be able to get a deduction of up to 15,000 Baht or about 450 US dollars in taxes.
But since you need the receipts to claim for this, shopping in traditional markets, or any place that doesn’t issue receipts, is off-limits. Also, the claims process can be fairly tedious, and the additional paperwork you have to go through might be enough to scare some people off from even taking part. The other thing that might be a deterrent is that there's no tax break for items such as alcohol, tobacco, vehicles, and fuel."
Thailand’s economy may be slowly growing again - with an expected GDP of up to 4 per cent for this year, mostly bolstered by tourism - but public consumption and consumer confidence is still relatively low.
So, to get people spending, the government's taken to giving tax breaks on shopping, but experts say the policy is losing steam.
AMONTHEP CHAWLA; Senior Vice President, CIMB Thai Bank Public Company Limited:
"We see effectiveness of the policy has been diminishing. Because people tend to delay their consumption until the end of the year."
Another problem is that not everyone is benefiting from this.
AMONTHEP CHAWLA; Senior Vice President, CIMB Thai Bank Public Company Limited:
"Those who would benefit from this tax break would be middle class, this who pay taxes - which are not that much in Thailand, there are only 3-4 million people. But those who really need this programme would be a lot more: 20 million people in the labour force who are in the informal sector, in the SMEs, in the agriculture sector - and they don’t have the policies to stimulate their purchasing power to stimulate their income. So the point is, we would rather see pro-income distribution rather than a pro-growth policy."
The government estimates this year's tax break will cost it 60 million US dollars, and although it expects consumer spending to the tune of 300 million dollars, it's going to take more than a year-end shopping spree to help the economy.
Saksith Saiyasombut, Channel NewsAsia, Bangkok