THE PHUKET NEWS
FRIDAY, JUNE 8, 2012
Phuket Dems fight contentious bills
Paritta Wangkiat reporter3@thephuketnews.com
epresentatives of the Democrat Party organised a “casual” gathering at Dragon Park in Phuket town last Friday night (June 1) with the aim of “educating and encouraging” people to keep abreast of Thailand’s political situation. Political heavyweight Suthep Thaugsuban, the former party secretary-general and former deputy premier, and Trairong Suwannakhiri, a politician known as ‘parliament’s star debater’ along with Phuket Party List MP Anchalee Vanich Theppabutr, delivered sharptongued speeches to crowds of more than a thousand. The main focus of their speeches was to “expose the truth” behind four contentious reconciliation bills discussed in House sessions since May 30. One of the four bills in contention was drafted by
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Democrat heavy-hitter Suthep Thaugsuban was in fine oratorical form at the rally. the 2006 coup leader, Army General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, while other similar ones were draft by Pheu Thai MP Niyom Vorapanya, Red Shirt leader Natthawut Saikua and Samart Kaewmeechai. During the drafting, and according to Pheu Thai supporters, the bills were claimed
to solve long conflicts in the country by Metta – loving kindness – and forgiveness. However, on Friday night Mr Suthep said that parts of the bills will allow exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin to be freed from corruption convictions and regain B46 billion confiscated from him.
Mr Thaksin’s money was confiscated when he was found guilty of a conflict of interest and corruption for enacting policies that benefited his private companies when he was Prime Minister. “The reconciliation bills will become laws used to wipe out Thaksin’s guilt,” Mr Suthep
PHUKET NEWS
told the Phuket rally, referring to the part of the bill that states that every political convict who has committed an offence since September 2005 will have his or her conviction expunged when the bill is passed. “We can’t allow these bills to be approved. They will change the administrative structure and destroy the country’s legal principles,” said Mr Suthep. “The Democrat Party will go against it both inside and outside Parliament House.” Due to the tension in the House meeting, House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont decided to postpone the deliberation of the bills indefinitely. Before arriving in Phuket, the Democrat Party had organised mobile gatherings in Chumporn, Surat Thani, Songkla and Nakorn Sri Thammarat. Led by Kon Rak Phuket (We Love Phuket) Club, the gathering attracted about 2,000 people from around the island. See also page 10
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IN BRIEF Ranong rocked by 4-Richter quake Residents of Tambon Ngao in Ranong fled their homes on Monday afternoon (June 4) after a quake rocked their sub-district, about 20 kilometres from Ranong Town The quake registered 4.0 on the Richter scale, and no injuries or serious damage were reported.
US sailors do 99th ‘ComRel’
Sailors from the American destroyer USS Momsen, in Phuket for a bit of R&R, went up to Soi Dog in Mai Khao on Monday (June 4) to do some painting and to install kerbs in the car park. This was the 99th ComRel – or community relations exercise – by US Navy crew members in the past five years.
Booze ban for poll
With elections for Phuket City Municipality taking place a week tomorrow (June 16), a ban on sales of alcohol will be in force in the municipality area from 6pm on Friday June 15 to midnight at the end of June 16.
electrocution Kids learn recycling at camp Brit’s accidental - inquest THE SRI SOONTORN MOO 8 waste management campaign team organised a youth camp at Khao Phra Teo Wildlife Conservation Centre last weekend (June 2-3) to cultivate environmental awareness in young people as part of the drive “to create a green future”. Moo 8 is a pilot village for a Phuket experiment in environmental awareness at a community level, supported by Sri Soontorn Municipality, Thalang Community Development Office and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation. In recent months the team has organised activities such as waste management education,
a waste-collecting parade and a “garbage market” in the village. At the youth camp about 30 young residents of the village learned about waste management. They were taught the basics of garbage separation and urged to apply that knowledge at home.
“The first step is to start from individuals,” explained Sanut Sirotod, who led the camp. “Later, we hope they will use their experience and apply it on a larger scale – villagewide or even country-wide. This is our message to the coming generations.”
Some of the 30 children at the camp, with volunteers.
TWENTY-ONE YEAR-OLD British student Charlie Thomas was electrocuted and suffered an ‘accidental death’ on Bangla road last year, according to a coroner’s inquest held in the UK last Friday (June 1). Mr Thomas was in Phuket on August 26 last year when torrential rains hit and flooded Bangla road in Patong. He decided to seek refuge under the roof of department store Ocean Plaza Patong. The floods were so high that he inadvertently touched a live socket and was killed instantly from its power surge. Upon hearing the evidence,
South Manchester deputy coroner Joanne Kearsley returned a verdict of ‘accidental death’. The Daily Mail reported her as saying, “Cases like this are just an absolute tragedy. Charlie was a young man, from a loving family, enjoying his summer break. There is nothing he could have seen or done to know what was going to occur, in just seconds.” His father Anthony Thomas said Charlie was a quiet and kind man who loved to travel. He said, “He touched the lives of many people and will be missed by all his family and friends.”
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