Prayut returns as prime minister

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Thai PM’s 3-month salary to be turned into COVID-19 ‘survival boxes’

Three months of Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s salary, and those of some the government spokesperson’s team, will be spent on COVID-19 “survival boxes”, to be distributed to people in the “Dark Red” zone, according to Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri.

Earlier in July, the prime minister, along with several cabinet members, declared that they will forego their salaries for a few months to help in the fight against the current wave of the pandemic, which is the most serious since the spread began early last year. Today (Wednesday), Thailand recorded yet another high of 13,002 infections, as opposed to only a few hundred per day last year.

The boxes will contain necessities for people who think they may have contracted coronavirus but can take care of themselves. Among the items will be thermometers, oximeters, pain killers, Thai herbal medicine Fah Talai Jone, surgical masks and sanitiser gel, said Mr. Anucha yesterday.

The “Dark Red” zone, or “maximum controlled and restricted” areas, are subject to strict semi-lockdown measures, which include a curfew between 9pm and 4am, voluntary staying at home, a maximum amount of working from home for state enterprises, interprovincial travel restrictions, closures of several venues, a ban on dining in and online classes only.

The zone includes Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thai, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Chachoengsao, Ayutthaya, Yala, Pattani, Songkhla and Narathiwat provinces.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thai-pm...urvival-boxes/

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Prayut files defamation charges against rapper

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is taking legal action against more celebrities after a young singer faced defamation charges for criticising him on social media.

Rapper Danupa "Milli" Kanaterrakul, 18, arrived at the Nang Lerng police station in Bangkok on Thursday morning.

She had earlier been summoned to acknowledge the charge involving her tweets late in June about Gen Prayut’s handling of the Covid-19 situation.

She confessed to the charge and paid a 2,000-baht fine.

As discontent grows over the deteriorating Covid-19 situation, actors and celebrities have been pressured to help people "call out" for better quality of life, medical treatment and management of the Covid-19 situation.

Apiwat Kanthong, who heads one of Gen Prayut’s committees, filed a complaint against her on July 9 on behalf of the prime minister.

Asst Prof Pornsant Liangboonlertchai at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Law, disagreed with the charges. He said the cabinet, including Gen Prayut, was a public entity or public officials who represented people — they were not a private entity.

Tongthong Chandransu, a former dean of the Faculty of Law at Chulalongkorn University, also posted on Facebook: "A government is not a juristic person. It therefore cannot be the damaged party in a criminal case."

Pol Lt Gen Piya Tavichai, deputy Bangkok police chief, said police were considering similar accusations against 25 more celebrities. Some of them were filed by Mr Apiwat's team while others were lodged by Sonthiya Sawasdi, an adviser to the House committee on laws, justice and human rights and former Palang Pracharath Party member.

On Tuesday, Digital Economy Minister Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn warned people, especially celebrities, against posting "false information" on social media.

"Actors are influencers or public figures whom people love. Please don’t exploit this advantage for their political agenda by attacking the government. It is tantamount to distorting information and spreading fake news," he said.

"You keep saying a lot of people died of Covid because of inferior vaccines and blaming it on the government. Is it true? Please don’t look from only one side. You have to think of what the government has done as well — procuring good vaccines that meet standards just like what our neighbours do," he added.

However, on Thursday Mr Chaiwut wrote on Facebook that he had read posts by celebrities and did not find any wrongdoing because they only voiced dissatisfaction with the government’s responses to Covid-19.

Last year, Gen Prayut appointed Mr Apiwat to chair a 10-member committee tasked with monitoring and taking legal action against people who propagate on social media false information about him and his cabinet.

To date, it has filed hundreds of complaints. Critics say the setup of such a committee might not be legitimate because it uses taxpayers’ money to stop criticisms, even when they are not personal.

The committee is authorised to file complaints on behalf of the prime minister without having to wait for his greenlight.

Most of the charges are defamation under the Criminal Code and offences under the computer crime law. Some of them involve royal insult.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...against-rapper

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Prayut orders stimulus rejig

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered responsible state agencies to re-evaluate existing consumption stimulus packages, particularly the "Ying Chai Ying Dai" (the more you spend, the more you get) e-voucher cashback scheme, which has attracted fewer participants than expected.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said Gen Prayut issued the order at a meeting of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) on Thursday to consider the possibility of reinstating the "Shop Dee Mee Khuen" scheme that offers a tax deduction for individual taxpayers of up to 30,000 baht when purchasing goods or services.

The government used the scheme to promote domestic shopping between Oct 23 and Dec 31, 2020.

Gen Prayut said the Sho Dee Mee Khuen scheme should be reinstated if the measure can be made more effective at stimulating spending among people with high purchasing power.

According to Mr Anucha, at a meeting between the premier and 40 business leaders on Wednesday, the private sector proposed the government reintroduce a tax rebate scheme, with tax deduction raised to 100,000 baht to make the scheme more enticing.

The group said a tax rebate scheme similar to the Shop Dee Mee Khuen is more convenient and effective than an e-voucher system because buyers know immediately their eligible tax deduction.

The Finance Ministry opened registration for the Ying Chai Ying Dai scheme on June 21. The government expects full participation of 4 million people.

Participants receive vouchers in their Pao Tang e-wallets at a rate of 10-15% of spending, with a maximum limit of 7,000 baht per person. The e-voucher caps the amount it uses to calculate the cashback received at 5,000 baht daily, regardless of the daily amount spent.

As of July 14, only 453,864 people registered for the scheme. Given the low level, the cabinet on Tuesday cut the budget for the scheme to 9.8 billion baht from 28 billion and raised the cashback to 10,000 baht from 5,000.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/business...stimulus-rejig

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PM gauges virus review

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has estimated the intense Covid-19 situation will affect the country for the next two to three weeks or four weeks at most, said Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha.

Mr Sathit said Gen Prayut told this to a cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the PM added that relevant agencies must let people know the reality of the situation.

The country has logged more than 10,000 new cases daily in recent days with daily fatalities frequently topping 100.

The kingdom had a record high of 16,533 new Covid-19 cases and 133 new fatalities over the past 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday morning.

Mr Sathit said the prime minister has given a directive that in 14 days, the lockdown and the curfew will be reviewed and a decision will be made based on the severity of the situation at that time.

Any decision to step up the restrictions after 14 days rests with the Department of Disease Control and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, he said.

The deputy public health minister said the cabinet meeting discussed measures underway to bring down the Covid-19 curve, including sending those infected back for treatment in their home provinces so to alleviate overcrowding at hospitals and medical facilities in the hardest-hit provinces, including Bangkok.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...s-virus-review

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PM orders agencies to urgently crack down on individuals spreading Covid-related fake news

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered responsible agencies via his @prayutofficial Facebook page on Tuesday to take action against individuals spreading Covid-19 fake news that might cause public confusion during the pandemic.

His post came in response to social media rumours that the Bang Sue vaccination centre would be shut down to prevent overcrowding.

The premier insisted on Tuesday that the centre would remain open with social distancing measures employed.

“Each ministry must establish a task force to check and correct fake news that are related to their responsible areas. It must also pursue legal action against the spreaders,” Prayut wrote.

“The Anti-Fake News Centre [under the Digital Economy and Society Ministry] must check and verify the information and announce on their website within 24 hours that they are aware of the news or that a public inquiry has been submitted,” the premier said.

“Furthermore, the Government Public Relations Department, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission and spokespersons of all ministries must notify the public of this verified information via all available channels to ensure comprehensive coverage,” Prayut instructed.

He also ordered the Digital Economy and Society Ministry and the police’s Technology Crime Suppression Division to take legal action in a swift and transparent manner with complete impartiality against those spreading fake news.

“All violators will be treated under the same law regardless of their social status,” Prayut said. “Celebrities, media outlets or owners of popular Facebook pages will be slapped with charges of spreading fake news if they violate the laws,” the PM warned

“I will personally follow up on this anti-fake-news operation, which must be carried out as soon as possible. All agencies must report the progress of their operations to me before the next Cabinet meeting and will have to present updates before every Cabinet meeting,” he added.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003853

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Bang Sue vaccination centre will not be shut down, Prayut insists

The central vaccination unit at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district will remain open, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha made it clear to public health officials during a meeting via videoconference on Tuesday.

His statement came in response to rumours that the centre would be shut down to prevent overcrowding, news and photos of which have been circulating on social media earlier this week.

“The Bang Sue vaccination centre will continue providing jabs to people who have preregistered online. It will rearrange vaccination areas and employ social distancing practices to prevent crowding,” Prayut said.

“From August 1 to 31, the government will allow people aged over 18 to register for Covid-19 vaccinations at Bang Sue Grand Station. People over 60, pregnant women of more than 12 weeks and those who have seven underlying health problems can register as well,” the premier said.

Prayut also said that measures would be employed to ensure faster services, such as having elders receive jabs in the morning and other groups in the afternoon, or allowing people under 60 who are healthy to skip the blood-pressure test.

“By streamlining the vaccination process, Bang Sue Grand Station is capable of imparting 25,000 to 30,000 doses of vaccine per day,” he added.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40003851

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Not a good idea to give a time

PM gauges virus review

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has estimated the intense Covid-19 situation will affect the country for the next two to three weeks or four weeks at most, said Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha.

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Fearmongers targeted under Prayut new order

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered internet service providers to immediately block the internet access of anyone who propagates information that may frighten people.

The order, issued under the emergency situation decree, was published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday night and takes effect on Friday.

It prohibits anyone from "reporting news or disseminating information that may frighten people or intentionally distorting information to cause a misundertstanding about the emergency situation, which may eventually affect state security, order or good morality of the people.”.

Under the order, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) shall notify internet service providers to check from which IP address such information has come. After that, the ISPs are to notify the NBTC and block internet access of the IP address in question.

The NBTC will then give the information to the police for legal action.

Academics earlier criticised the announcement that gives Gen Prayut the power to issue such an order. They argued no one should be prosecuted for sharing truthful information, even when it is frightening.

Under normal channels, authorities, mainly the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, ask the court to ban content suspected to be illegal. If the court approves by issuing an order, the operator of the platform hosting the content shall be asked to comply.

The new order speeds up the process of censoring by requiring the ISPs to block the content immediately before legal action is taken.

However, it is unclear how authorities can achieve this since most home users are assigned different IP addresses, or dynamic IPs, each time he turns on a router or after using the internet for a predefined period of time, known only to the ISPs.

Blocking one IP address, therefore, does not mean a user won’t be able to use another IP. He could be stopped only by having his internet account suspended altogether. Besides, a virtual private network (VPN) service can always be used to mask the IP address of a user.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...ayut-new-order

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Prayut vows not to resign

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted he will neither resign nor dissolve the House as the country struggles to contain Covid-19.

He also warned politicians not to exploit the crisis and incite hatred as that will only worsen the situation.

Meanwhile, Thailand logged 17,345 new Covid-19 cases, and 19 new fatalities on Friday.

Gen Prayut made the remarks in a video clip released online soon after his order to ban the distribution of "fake news" or information causing public fear across all media platforms was published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday evening.

During a 36-minute interview with Nathreeya Thaweewong, director of the Office of the Government Spokesperson, Gen Prayut answered a series of questions that had been put forward by media representatives earlier.

Most concerned Covid-19 containment, vaccines, lockdown measures, relief packages for the worst affected and whether the government coalition would remain stable.

Responding to a question over whether he had lost heart and would consider dissolving the House and stepping down, Gen Prayut said: "It is not the time. I am working hard every day... I try to do my best by listening to the people and getting updates from doctors and public health officials."

"I am begging you, politicians. You represent the people, and you are supposed to show sound judgement. Politics should not be used to create hatred because the country is in trouble now. Don't take this opportunity to cause any further trouble," he said.

Asked if he had anything to say to the public, Gen Prayut said he felt sorry for those who had lost loved ones and that he wanted to extend his moral support to all those involved in fighting the pandemic.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...-not-to-resign

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Court accepts petition against internet blocking

The Civil Court has accepted a petition by a group of human rights lawyers, media companies and reporters seeking the revocation of a regulation restricting free speech.

The court will issue an order on the case at 1.30pm on July 6.

The Human Rights Lawyers Alliance and 12 media companies on Monday filed a complaint against Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, prime minister and head of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

They want the revocation of the 29th regulation, which empowers the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) to cut internet access of social media users posting content that may frighten people.

The petition listed three arguments. First, the ban of content “which may frighten people” is ambiguous and may run against criminal law principles.

Second, the regulation empowers the NBTC to check and block access to the internet, which is illegitimate. The emergency situation decree in effect now does not allow blocking communication among people. Only the serious emergency situation decree allows it, but it was not in effect today.

Third, it runs against Section 35 of the constitution which endorses freedom of the press. If the government wants to block content, it needs to do so by piece — it may not block an entire platform or channel such as a certain IP address.

The court on Monday heard Thapanee Iadsirchai from The Reporters online news outlet, who told it the regulation was illegitimate because related laws and the constitution did not give such power.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...ernet-blocking