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THAI TAKES
By PHILIP GOLINGAI
ON New Year’s Eve, a Malaysian friend who was visiting Bangkok SMSed me, asking where to celebrate the death of 2008. I replied: Try Zeta, an all-women’s club.
Santika, a mega-club whose crowd Lonely Planet’s Bangkok city guide describes as comprising a “predictable cross-section of Thai jet-setters, children of politicians and luuk khrueng (offspring of Westerner/Thai couplings) models”, had crossed my mind.
But I dismissed it. Santika was too predictable. Zeta was a delicious novelty.
As fate would have it, moments after the New Year countdown, an explosion (probably from fireworks) was heard inside the three-storey Santika. A fire started on the top floor, and spread swiftly. The death toll was 61 people (including foreigners).
It was a horrifying start to 2009 just as Thailand ended a politically turbulent 2008 that saw a record four prime ministers occupying office in a year, the seizure of two Bangkok airports (which wrecked the country’s vital tourism industry) and bloody street protests.
On the first morning of this year, I read Thailand’s two English-language newspapers, The Nation and Bangkok Post, to get a feel of what was in store for the kingdom.
Bangkok Post’s editorial was gloomy: “Tighten your belts for 2009. The writing is on the wall: the Year of the Ox will be a very tough and unhappy year for most of us, economically and financially.” The Nation’s editorial was the exact opposite: “A new year, a new chance to reconcile. Thais must begin 2009 not with a sense of doom but with unified determination to end division.”
Needing more details on Thailand’s political future, I spoke to Michael Nelson, a German academic specialising in Thai politics. Nelson presented three factors that the newly-formed coalition government led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, the 45-year-old leader of the Democrat Party, should look out for.
The Democrats came into power by cobbling together a coalition with parties that had been part of the previous government. How long the fragile government will last, according to Nelson, depends on whether the Democrat Party can contain an expected conflict with its coalition partners.
The positive point about Abhisit’s coalition government is that the Bangkok-based elite – media, the military and Privy Council that advises the Thai king – backs it.
“The mass media strongly supports the Abhisit-led government. We’re not going to see a heavy onslaught (by the media) against the PPP,” the German academic noted, adding that the defence minister (a former army chief) had the military’s backing.
“Prem (Tinsulanonda, a retired general who is Privy Council president) is in favour of Abhisit. And having the backing of Prem is very important.”
(On Dec 28, when the premier and his Cabinet members called on Prem to exchange New Year’s wishes, the Privy Council president proclaimed that Thailand was fortunate to have Abhisit as the prime minister.)
The outside threat for the Abhisit government, observed Nelson, is the pro-Thaksin red-shirt protesters. And they’ve imitated the tactics of the anti-Thaksin PAD (People’s Alliance for Democracy), which had stormed Government House, parliament and Bangkok’s two airports besides heckling former prime minister Somchai Wongsawat of the PPP.
On Dec 29, thousands of red-shirted protesters surrounded parliament, forcing the new prime minister to postpone his maiden speech to the next day and to change the venue to the foreign ministry.
And on New Year’s Day, about ten Thaksin supporters – armed with foot-shaped clappers, banners and wreaths – heckled the premier. Their goal: to pressure Abhisit to call for an election.
“The red-shirts can create nuisance but I doubt they can muster enough strength to bring down the government,” Nelson says, adding that the movement might not have the staying power of the PAD, which was supported by the Bangkok-based elite.
Taking into account these three factors, Nelson predicts there is a higher probability the Democrat-led coalition government will be relatively stable.
Thai politics, however, can be as unpredictable as a blaze at a nightclub.
(Published in The Star on January 3, 2008)
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Fire and fury mar New Year
Posted by Philip Golingai at 10:53 am
Labels: Thai Takes
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Our international panel’s summary recommendations for investigations in connection with the New Years Eve disaster in the Ekamai/Thong Lo District of Bangkok:
1. Mayor of Bangkok – potential gross inconsistency of administration and dereliction of responsibility wherein on the one hand investing hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ Baht in firefighting equipment and on the other hand failing to set and/or enforce fire-life safety codes, standards and regulations for public places such as restaurants, bars and nightclubs including setting inspections for safe ingress/egress, hazardous materials such as flammable insulation, maximum occupancy standards, etc. The civil and criminal investigations must focus on the degree to which Mayoral failures of setting and enforcing various codes, standards, regulations and ensuring regular inspection lead to or contributed to loss of life and injury. Thai law provides for significant prison sentences and fines and confiscation of property of public officials convicted of dereliction of responsibility.
2. Police Precinct Captain - dereliction of responsibility in failing to enforce fire-life safety codes, standards and regulations for public places such as restaurants, bars and nightclubs including maximum occupancy standards, etc. The civil and criminal investigations must focus on the degree to which the Police Precinct Captain’s failure to enforce regulations lead to or contributed to loss of life and injury. Thai law provides for significant prison sentences and fines and confiscation of property of public officials convicted of dereliction of responsibility.
3. Fire Battalion Commander - dereliction of responsibility in failing to enforce fire-life safety codes, standards and regulations for public places such as restaurants, bars and nightclubs including maximum occupancy standards, regular inspections for hazards and flammable materials, safety and adequacy of emergency exits, etc. The civil and criminal investigations must focus on the degree to which the Fire Battalion Commander’s failure to enforce regulations lead to or contributed to loss of life and injury. Thai law provides for significant prison sentences and fines and confiscation of property of public officials convicted of dereliction of responsibility.
4. Building Owner – building owners in Bangkok who lease their facilities for public use such as restaurants, nightclubs and other retail operations are required by law to ensure that their tenant (s) operate in the best interests of public safely. Building owners who ignore unsafe practices including presence of flammable materials, operations that exceed safe occupancy and lack of emergency equipment and emergency exits are liable for civil and criminal prosecution and risk significant prison sentences, fines and confiscation of property including forfeiting their title to land and buildings on which such improper activities take place. Building owners are also liable for personal injury and death settlements to individuals and families who sustain injury and loss of life. Further, such building owners are precluded from engaging in the lease of any other properties they may own for public uses for up to 100 years.
5. Business Owners/Operators - business owners/operators including silent partners and investors in Bangkok whose business(es) operate facilities for public use such as restaurants, nightclubs and other retail are required by law to ensure that they operate in the best interests of customers and public safely. Business owners/operators who ignore unsafe practices including presence of flammable materials, operations that exceed safe occupancy and lack of emergency equipment and emergency exits are liable for civil and criminal prosecution and risk significant prison sentences, fines and confiscation of property including forfeiting their business assets. Business owners/operators are also liable for personal injury and death settlements to individuals and families who sustain injury and loss of life whether caused by their actions or lack of action including overall responsibility for all acts or lack of action of employees and contracted service providers such as performers. Further, such business owners/operators are precluded from engaging in the lease of any other properties they may own for public uses for up to 100 years.
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