DUJIANGYAN, CHINA : Heavy storms and wrecked roads hampered efforts to reach areas hardest-hit by China's worst earthquake in three decades as the death toll rose above 12,000 yesterday.
BURMA CYCLONE
His Majesty the King has urged Thai people to help Cyclone Nargis victims in Burma, and Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej will leave for the neighbouring country this morning to convince the junta to open up to international assistance. Addressing staff of the Rajaprajanugroh Foundation under royal patronage, the King said the Thais were generous and should do their best to help other people regardless of race and languages.
POLITICS
A football match between the government and the opposition yesterday was supposed to be a friendly but it turned into an ill-tempered match marred by a walk-out and verbal sparring resembling a chaotic parliamentary session. The match at the Army stadium pitted Democrat members and senators against the government, comprising a large number of MPs from the coalition-leading People Power party (PPP).
NEWS THINK
The saying "too many cooks spoil the broth" could apply to Thailand's relations with Burma if the kingdom mishandles international pressure on the Burmese junta to open the country to international assistance for survivors of Cyclone Nargis.
Bangkok University has denied any involvement in the trading of smuggled antiquities after the director of its ceramics museum, Roxanna Brown, was arrested in the United States.
HEAVY FLOODING
Three districts in Surat Thani were yesterday declared disaster zones after rain-induced run-off forced hundreds of families to be evacuated to safety, said local authorities. The run-off from Kaeng Krung National Park and Khlong Yan Wildlife Sanctuary inundated Wipawadi, Khiri Ratthanikhom and Phanom districts. The water in some areas was 1.5 metres.
A dispute between the Assets Scrutiny Committee and the Office of the Attorney-General became tense yesterday when the ASC petitioned the Supreme Court over comments by public prosecutors on the two- and three-digit lottery. The case is pending a decision today by the Supreme Court's Crime Division for Holders of Political Positions on whether to accept it for consideration.
MCOT BOARD
The MCOT Plc's board of directors has finally gone ahead and appointed the five nominees opposed by small shareholders as members of the new board. The list had earlier been turned down twice.
POLITICS
PM's Office Minister Jakrapob Penkair yesterday shrugged off the opposition's move to seek his removal from the cabinet for ordering the state media not to present reports appearing to favour another coup.
The cabinet yesterday approved a special monthly allowance of an average 500-600 baht, or a 6% increase, to help low-ranking government employees make ends meet, effective retroactively from May 1 this year. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said the special cost-of-living allowance will benefit about 300,000 low-ranking officials below C5 level _ covering employees in the civil service, police, soldiers, staff in the education sector and other permanent employees.
PIRATED GOODS
A major producer of pirated movies and music was arrested in Bangkok's Thawee Wattana area yesterday, the Department of Special Investigation commander said. Shinnapat Piyapan was apprehended during a raid on his three-storey house at Rungroj housing estate.
COST OF LIVING
A lunch-together scheme has kicked off at all divisions under the Metropolitan Police Bureau, to help compensate for the rising cost of food. City police chief Pol Lt-Gen Assawin Khwanmuang said he has arranged for free rice to be delivered to all 31 divisions in the city.
AGRICULTURE
The cabinet yesterday approved the Commerce Ministry's directive that paddy be purchased directly from rice farmers in order to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their produce. The decision followed widespread protests by farmers in many rice-growing provinces, where farmers have complained that they were taken advantage of by rice millers as they had been offered unusually low prices for their grain.
BURMA
Whenever Burma faces a political or humanitarian crisis, Burmese and foreign observers monitor the reclusive military leaders from a distance, trying to gauge their reactions, guessing what shapes their decisions and where possible conflicts within the leadership lie. The question Burma watchers are quietly asking this time is: has the cyclone managed to instil fear in strongman Senior General Than Shwe and his hard-core military cronies? Are they trembling or are they standing firm?
EDITORIAL
A memorial to the pro-democracy protesters slaughtered by the military on May 17, 1992 - known as the Black May incident - is finally to be completed next year. It has been 16 years now, yet as we approach another anniversary can we say for sure that the country has matured politically? Can we say Thailand has come a long way from pitching contentious opinions to the point that they boil over and some general says the military must step in to restore order?
COMMENTARY
It is back-to-school time and as several hundred thousand students are busily preparing for the new semester, they may have little, if any idea, about a new plan to instil more patriotism in them.
SPOTLIGHT
When it comes to water problems, the Thai government usually thinks about building more dams, installing more pump stations and digging more groundwater wells.
PostBag
The government is urging a switch from gasoline to gasohol. I kept careful records of distance, litres and speed for three months, using gasoline 91. I then did the same with gasohol 91. (I drive a Honda jazz). While these are not accurate laboratory studies, I managed to duplicate both conditions almost to the litre and distance. I concluded that although gasohol might be 2-3 baht cheaper per litre, it also gave me 20% less distance per litre than gasoline 91.
In Media
The crisis caused by Cyclone Nargis could be an opportunity for the ruling junta in Burma and its political opponents. In terms of lives lost and damage done to property and farmland, the severity of this natural disaster is beyond belief. Foreign weathermen had alerted Burma to the impending arrival of the cyclone, but due to its own problems with communication and its perception of information coming in from foreign sources, the Burmese government was not prepared for the disaster.
VISIT NEAR PREAH VIHEAR
Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni will give alms to the poor at a site close to the controversial Preah Vihear temple on the Thai border during his three-day birthday celebrations, officials said yesterday.
