Thailand held "Digital Big Bang 2017"

Thailand just recently staged "Digital Thailand Big Bang 2017" as part of what is termed Digital Transformation Thailand. It is part of a broader plan to reform the Thai economy and society called Thailand 4.0

Thailand 4.0 is an ambitious vision involving the fourth stage of economic development that is meant to transform Thailand's economy and society by technological innovation.

In Stage 4.0 the economy is to be transformed from an industry-driven economy to one driven by innovation. For example agriculture must become more modern, adopting new technologies which are expected to enrich farmers. Small and medium enterprises must transform themselves into smart enterprises and startups making use of new technologies. The service sector should concentrate upon high value services rather than the low value services prevalent at present.

The 4.0 program intends to use public-private partnerships as a model. To achieve this Thailand must have quality communications and telecom infrastructure so that sectors may have smooth connectivity. All sectors must join in building 4.0 if the transformation of Thailand's economy is to be successful.

The Big Bang

The Big Bang 2017 exhibition brought together more than 120 companies engaged in digital technology to share their insights into transformation. The event took place at Challenger Hall in Muang Thong Thani a satellite city of Bangkok, with special facilities for large conferences at Impact.

The Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said: “Digital Thailand Big Bang 2017 is the milestone event which propels the whole nation into the digital era. It is organised by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), Digital Economy Promotion Agency (DEPA) and co-organised by the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC). " He said that the government had maximised the use of digital technology in three aspects.

The Big Three

First it has been used to create new opportunities for economic growth as well as improving the delivery of government services to the people. The Pracha Rat Internet had provided high speed Internet access to 74,700 communities within a year. The government was aiming to apply technology so that people can run their businesses online.

E-health developments would allow swift information exchange between experts and individuals. E-education offers many opportunities for distance learning for people in remote and rural areas. E-agriculture would help farmers become entrepreneurs. Finally e-service would serve as a central information center that would make it easier for people to obtain public services.

Secondly, a large Digital Park Thailand is slated to be built in Sri Racha, Chon Buri as the center of the Eastern Economic Corridor. It will give support for the Internet of Things (IoT) to local tech startups. It will also provide smart city initiatives. Through helping to develop smart cities Digital Park will improve the quality of life and the local environment and help the country use resources more efficiently.

Thirdly, the government will increase global connectivity by facilitating through international cooperation the setting up of digital platforms. The government is developing a one-stop service related to setting up business. The government intends to improve the ease with which global partners can do business.

The Chinese tech giant Huawei set out plans for 10 major Thai industries including energy and agriculture: "The company showcases its products and solutions including Smart City, Smart Energy, Smart Parking, Digital Railway, Smart Airport, Smart Government, Smart Agriculture, among others, at its booth at the Digital Thailand Big Bang, the largest digital technology expo in Southeast Asia."

Qiang Hua, managing director of Huawei Thailand said that Huawei had been working on a strategy called Embrace Digital Life that was consistent with the theme of the Big Bang conference and would contribute to Thailand 4.0. The conference took place from September 21 to 24

Majority of Thai voters vote in favor of military-approved constitution

A majority of voters in Thailand approved a new draft constitution that was written by a committee appointed by the army. An unofficial tally showed over 61 percent in favor of the document.

When the military took power back in 2014, it rejected the old constitution. Those who support the new constitution claim it will bring stability to Thailand. However, it seems clear, as critics claim, that the aim of the constitution is to entrench military control in Thailand while providing a democratic veneer so that it will be more acceptable to some countries. The Thai Senate will consist of members who are all appointed by the military including six seats reserved for commanders. Voters also approved a second measure that says the Senate will be involved in selecting a prime minister. The target figure for turnout was 80 percent but only 55 percent participated.

From the very beginning, the process was rigged and undemocratic as campaigning against the constitution was banned and dozens of people were arrested for trying to do so. The largest parties in Thailand rejected the constitution. There were about 200,000 policy officers maintaining order. Independent observer groups had requested to be accredited to monitor the vote but were denied. As a result, one cannot even be sure as to how valid the official results are. The military is intending to hold an election by the end of 2017. The voting system is set up so as to likely produce a weak coalition government that can be dominated by the Senate and other unelected bodies controlled by the army. A BBC article calls the result a "guided democracy". It seems it is more a military government with a veneer of democracy.

Wayne Hay of Al Jazeera said that in a normal situation the result would be accepted given the turnout and the percentage win but the situation was not normal. As Hay points out: "In the lead-up to this referendum there were some very harsh laws put in place by the military government banning any public debates or criticism of the referendum or the constitution ... Indeed many people were arrested. So to a certain extent, for opposition figures, for critics of the military, there was something of a climate of fear leading up to this. So it certainly wasn’t a normal situation."To put the matter differently the situation was entirely against any democratic norms for holding a free and fair vote.

The constitution itself is undemocratic as well in that future governments will have to rule on the military's terms rather than the military being subject to civilian rule. Nevertheless, the ruling military-backed Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) described the referendum as a major step on the way to a "fully functioning democracy." Punishment for criticism of the draft constitution was punishable by up to ten years in jail. Political rallies were banned ahead of the referendum.

Even though, prime minister and army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha claimed that Thailand was a democracy and all should come out and vote he had banned debate about the constitution and arrested people campaigning against it. Significantly it was the impoverished rural northeast of Thailand who had voted strongly for a government turfed out by the army, which was one region that voted against the constitution.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak, an associate professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok said the passing of the constitution reinforced a trend not just in Thailand but globally in which people are disillusioned with politicians, money, politics, and corruption. He said :“The military has been astute to capitalise and exploit this popular will against the political class. They’ve had effective propaganda in demonising politicians as being corrupt and corruption being the root of Thailand’s problems. Before [the NCPO] had no popular mandate – they took power by force, and since then they’ve been running on empty. This time, they will claim some legitimacy and go full steam ahead. The danger now is that they will be overconfident.”

They may claim some legitimacy which they could use to clamp down further on opposition. The Thai people may end up replacing corrupt politicians that they could at least vote out with corrupt military rulers who suppress any opposition and cannot be removed by votes.

Thailand closes off two more islands to tourists to protect coral reefs

Less than 2 weeks ago, the Thai government closed Koh Tachai island indefinitely. On Wednesday, the government chose to ban all tourist activities at three more islands: Koh Khai Nok, Koh Khai Nui, and Koh Khai Nai.

All three of the islands are just off the coast of the popular tourist destination Phuket. The Thai Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DCMR) claims that natural resources around the islands are fast being depleted as tourism has increased. Regional chief of the DCMR, Watcharin Na Thalang, at a meeting with tour operators and guides on Tuesday, said that coral damage is being caused by the coral bleaching process. He said that although the process occurs naturally, human activity accelerates it. At present, up to 60 speedboats visit the three islands each day with tourists staying up to 3 hours snorkelling and engaging in other activities in the water. Already, tourist facilities are being removed from the islands and shortly shops and restaurants will be vacated.

When Koh Tachai was closed, it was announced it was due to excessive tourism. The shoreline, beaches, and coral reef, will be off-limits to all visitors beginning next October 15. However, all Thai marine national parks are already closed during the monsoon season until October 15, so in effect the island is closed now. Koh Tachai is part of Similan National Park. The closure is part of a resource management plan throughout the Andaman Sea.

Thon Thamrongnawasawat, deputy dean of the Faculty of Fisheries at Kasetsart University told a Thai newspaper:

"A beach on the island can hold up to 70 people. But sometimes the number of tourists was well over 1,000 on the beach. If it's not closed now, we'll lose Koh Tachai permanently."

Phuket is a southern province in Thailand. The province consists of the main island of Phuket, and 32 smaller islands. The province is off the west coast of Thailand in the Andaman Sea. Phuket island is the largest in Thailand. There is a bridge from the island to the mainland. On Boxing Day of December 2004, a tsunami caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean killed up to 250 people in Phuket but that does not include almost 1,000 illegal Burmese workers who were building new beach resorts. By February 2005 many damaged businesses were up and running again. Now almost no tsunami damage is visible except on remote beaches. It is not clear yet how much damage banning tourists from several of the smaller islands will cause to the local tourist industry.

Elderly Thai bridge players arrested for having too many cards

In the resort town of Pattaya a group of elderly bridge players were arrested for having too many unregistered playing cards.

The local paper, Pattaya One, said the bridge players broke a 1935 law, the Playing Cards Act. The act prohibits individual players from possessing more than 120 unregistered playing cards. The Thai military government is on a campaign to crack down on corruption and crime. The group said they were not playing for money.

In all, 32 foreigners were arrested including British, Swedish, Norwegian and Australian citizens. There was also a Dane, a Canadian, and a New Zealander. Among those arrested was an 84-year old Dutch woman. After being held in custody for 12 hours the group were released on bail. The seaside resort town of Pattaya is popular with tourists and retired people. The group will receive some help from the president of Thailand's bridge league, who has gone to Pattaya to explain to the police how bridge is played. Gambling is strictly prohibited in Thailand.

Pattaya is renowned for its go-go bars and links with organized crime. As a Global News report put it: Add aging Western bridge players to the list of desperadoes in Thailand’s seaside resort of Pattaya, a sin city rife with prostitution, corruption and foreign and home-grown gangsters.

Colonel Suthat Pumphanmuang superintendent of the Pattaya police claimed the group were arrested for gambling: "There were 32 people, all of them foreigners, arrested for gambling." He also said the raid was conducted after a complaint to the anti-corruption center by a member of the public. In spite of strict laws on gambling, Thailand runs a lottery and allows bets on some animal fighting. The police superintendent noted that the chairman of the bridge club said they were not gambling. All those arrested were released on payment of $140 bail except one person who did not have enough money to pay and remained in jail.

The Jomtien and Pattaya Bridge Club is popular with elderly foreign bridge players. It meets three times every week above a restaurant. The Club has been operating bridge nights since 1994. The crackdown on corruption and gambling and a military government has not slowed down the tourist trade with a record 29.9 million tourists visiting Thailand last year.

Drug dogs fired for urinating in unauthorised areas

What a pity! If the dogs were unionised they could just fly in the Dog Whisperer to train them to urinate only in approved areas!

Airport's canine drug agents fired for peeing on luggage
Last Updated: Monday, June 11, 2007 | 10:37 AM ET
CBC News
Two of Thailand's top canine agents in the country's war against drugs have been fired for "unbecoming conduct" that included urinating on luggage and rubbing up against female airport passengers.

Despite having two of the highest seizure rates on record, the sniffer dogs working at an airport near the notorious "Golden Triangle" opium-producing region were fired after passengers complained about their behaviour.

The mixed-breed dogs, Mok and Lai, were pressed into service as part of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's drive to turn strays into police dogs, the Bangkok Post reported on Sunday.

One police officer noted that while the two were successful at finding drugs at Chiang Rai Airport, their manners could not be ignored.

Mok and Lai have been sent to a farm where they now spend their days herding chickens and pigs.