All must heed King's advice

As he always has, His Majesty the King put the nation before himself even on his birthday on Monday.

He lifted the hearts of all Thais, but especially the large crowd that had gathered to catch a glimpse when he came out of Siriraj Hospital. 

His appearance in front of the entire nation on the balcony of the Chakri Throne Hall was emotional and remarkable. While all his subjects celebrated the seventh cycle birthday of His Majesty, the king was thinking of the country.

His call for national unity in the face of this year's terrible floods should be heeded _ immediately.

It would be worthwhile to follow the advice of the king on Monday as a token of the esteem he holds in all Thai hearts.

He stated that his words about the floods "are only recommendations, not an order". It could be a gift to His Majesty on the very auspicious occasion.

But there is a more important, vital reason to heed and follow the advice of the monarch. That is because he is right.

His Majesty has given several serious recommendations about this year's great floods, and in his speech from the balcony on Monday morning, he essentially summarised them into three points.

The first is that the flooding is not over, and there remain many victims; they must be helped as the first, urgent priority.

There is a fast growing tendency to think that the crest of the floods and high tides have passed, so that's that. Homes, farms, villages and communities remain under the insufferably polluted, stagnant floods.

Yet the government's Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc) insisted last week that it was time to wrap up its operations. 

Tens of thousands of people need aid, and the agency which supposedly is directing the entire effort to help flood victims wants to pack up and leave.

His Majesty then mentioned the second, necessary step. For a long time, successive governments have paid a little lip service to proper, national water management. 

The country has paid the price for ignoring the problem _ in 1983, in 1995 and now again.

Until now, the idea of a countrywide, sustainable plan for water management has been waved aside by most ministers, civil servants and qualified academics. 

As the king said, Thailand needs "to quickly solve the problem" and come up with sustainable projects, which are both effective and cost-effective.

And finally, there is the binding that is needed to achieve the twin goals: unity. There is no shortage of people in this country dedicated to this ideal. Over the past two months, one only had to look around to see Thais selflessly helping Thais.

The resourcefulness and resilience of the Thai people was tested _ and achieved. What His Majesty wants, and what most people want, is to approach national problems like water management with a single mind, to do what is best for the country.

There is no shortage of people dedicated to unity to achieve national goals. There have recently been too many, however, dedicated to wringing every last political point out of every action of every government. 

Calmer heads on all sides need to counsel and cool the extreme viewpoints. There is a time for tough politics, and a time to let it rest.

Setting a national goal of integrated water management is realistic. Once again, His Majesty has given his subjects wise advice. We need to take it.

Pressure on Supoj to declare assets intensifies

The National Anti-Corruption Commission will order permanent secretary for transport Supoj Saplom to declare the assets he had in his possession on the day his home was robbed.

Supoj: Denies he was summoned

NACC spokesman Klanarong Chanthik said the financial statement is being sought by a subcommittee which is looking into allegations of ill-gained wealth and asset concealment following a major cash theft from Mr Supoj's Lat Phrao home.

The subcommittee recently searched Mr Supoj's house and found bank deposits of 28 million baht, Mr Klanarong said.

He said the agency is likely to issue an order requiring Mr Supoj to submit a fresh asset declaration list in a few days. The permanent secretary has 30 days to respond.

Mr Klanarong said Mr Supoj declared his assets to the NACC on Nov 12 this year when he was a member of the Thai Airways International board.

However, it is too early to say if there is anything unusual about the asset declaration, he said.

Mr Klanarong said the subcommittee is authorised to summon Mr Supoj to clarify the assets again if it has questions.

Meanwhile, Pol Lt Gen Winai Thongsong, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, confirmed yesterday Mr Supoj would give a statement to police today as scheduled.

He said Mr Supoj has not so far made changes to the appointment and would contact police to inform them of the meeting venue.

The commissioner also said police were doing their best to track down the suspected theft gang leader, Weerasak Chualee, or Ko.

The suspect was reportedly in hiding in Laos but some people reported spotting him in Nakhon Phanom.

Pol Lt Gen Winai said police would have to consider the NACC's findings to decide whether they will press a charge of giving a false statement against Mr Supoj.

The permanent secretary initially told the police he lost 1 million baht in the robbery, but later reported a loss of 5 million baht in cash, which he claimed was a dowry from his daughter's marriage.

However, police investigators estimated that a group of men had made off with more than 200 million baht in cash. Eight suspects were arrested and 18 million baht has been recovered.

Mr Supoj said yesterday he did not receive any summon to give a statement to police or an order by the NACC to clarify his assets.

He said he is currently on leave but declined to say when he will be back at work.

Mr Supoj took leave from Nov 23 to Dec 2 after he was transferred to an inactive post at the PM's Office after the scandal.

Xayaburi vote to test Mekong friendships Analysis: Riparian nations are meeting in Siem Reap, with wider implications for Laos' relationship with downstream countries at stake as well as the future of a controversial dam project

Laos' relations with Thailand and other downstream countries in the Mekong River will be tested when their ministers meet with the future of the Xayaburi dam project at stake.

Members of the Network of Thai People representing eight Mekong provinces rally in Nong Khai yesterday to protest against the proposed Xayaburi dam upstream in Laos.

Laos will attend the three-day Mekong River Commission (MRC) Council meeting starting today in Siem Reap with confidence that the landlocked country can convince other MRC members _ Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam _ to back the project after completion of the consultation process.

"Laos will make sure that this dam will not impact countries in the lower Mekong River basin," the Vientiane Times newspaper quoted Lao Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines Viraphon Viravong as saying on Thursday.

Thailand has signalled its support for the project but distanced itself from environmental and ecological consequences should they occur after the dam's construction.

Thai backing was not surprising given the benefits of the project to Thailand, said Adisorn Semyaem, an analyst at the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University.

The Xayaburi dam will churn out 1,260 megawatts of electricity, 95% of which will be sold to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand. Ch Karnchang Plc is responsible for the construction.

"With the commitment to Thailand, there is no way for Laos to turn back," Mr Adisorn said.

The project was deferred in the MRC meeting on April 19 for further study.

Failure to get the green light for the project from other MRC members this time could send a negative signal to other foreign investors eyeing further dam projects in Laos, he added.

The main stumbling block for Laos is not the Thai government. Hanoi and Phnom Penh have cried foul about the project for fear of the impact downstream, especially on the fertile agricultural land in the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam.

The ruling Lao People's Revolutionary Party has close ties with the Communist Party of Vietnam and the People's Party led by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Laos has dismissed concerns about insufficient flow of water downstream as a result of the proposed dam. But Cambodia and Vietnam are still worried about the impact of the project on their rice basket in the delta.

Laos' success in pushing for the Xayaburi dam project to go ahead at the meeting could have an effect on relations with its Indochina allies, especially Vietnam, said Mr Adisorn.

"Vietnam will not be happy with the project approval. It will have impacts on Lao-Vietnamese relations to some extent," he added.

But Mr Adisorn predicted that "Laos will do everything to get it going", despite calls from Cambodia and Vietnam to put the project on hold.

Another stumbling block for Laos is strong opposition from regional and international environmentalists and ecologists who fear approval of the Xayaburi dam project will set off a race between MRC members to build 10 more dams on the Mekong River, adding to the ecological impacts.

Ahead of the Siem Reap meeting, the Save the Mekong Coalition even ran full-page adverts in several Thai and Cambodian newspapers opposing the project.

The umbrella of 39 civic groups is urging Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam to scrap the project for good.

"Our message is simple: Protecting the Mekong River is vital to ensuring healthy fisheries, abundant agriculture and supporting the livelihoods and food security of millions of people in the region," Chhtih Sam Ath of the NGO Forum on Cambodia said.

Arisman set to surrender to DSI today

Fugitive red shirt leader Arisman Pongruangrong has said he will turn himself in to the Department of Special Investigation Wednesday.

DSI chief Tharit Pengdit said on Tuesday that Mr Arisman had contacted authorities and said he would surrender at 10am.

Mr Arisman, a leader of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, faces charges in five cases, including his role in leading UDD protesters to storm parliament last year, the raid on Thaicom satellite broadcasting station in Pathum Thani, and terrorism in connection with last year's red shirt protests.

He fled the country following violent clashes between security forces and red shirt protesters last year and has reportedly been in hiding in Cambodia.

After turning himself in, Mr Arisman will handed to the prosecution on special cases, the DSI chief said.

Prosecutors will decide whether to grant his bail request.

Meanwhile, opposition Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva yesterday lashed out at Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung over his remark that the Reuters news agency had hired an independent team to investigate the death of its Japanese photographer Hiroyuki Muramoto, saying the minister was trying to politicise the issue. 

He accused Mr Chalerm of trying to influence officials handling the photographer's death.

Muramoto was killed while covering clashes on April 10 last year between security forces and red shirts at Kok Wua intersection in Bangkok.

The Democrat leader, who was prime minister during the red shirt unrest, said he had earlier asked the government to let officials carry out the probe. He said if Mr Chalerm had any evidence or information related to the case, he should give it to the officials.

Mr Abhisit said he was preparing for his testimony before the the Metropolitan Police Bureau's panel on Friday. He and former deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban are required to testify regarding their roles in handling the UDD rallies in April and May last year.

Politicians snap to action after the King's speech Flooded areas will be dry by New Year: PM

The government has vowed to take on board His Majesty the King's advice on flood management and will ensure all flooded areas are dry before the end of the year, Prime Minister Yingluck said.

The government's promise was in response to His Majesty the King's birthday message on Monday urging all sides to work together to solve flood problems and to come up with projects for sustainable water management.

The King also called on everyone to put aside their differences and support each other so their tasks could be achieved for the public good.

Ms Yingluck said after the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday that the government will follow the King's advice as guidelines on flood management efforts.

Ms Yingluck also said Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit has been instructed to supervise and expedite efforts to drain all flooded communities.

Editorial: Heed the King's Advice

The Finance Ministry has been told to consider how best to help people whose homes, cars and motorcycles were damaged by the floods, she said.

She also said Justice Minister Pracha Promnok, director of the Flood Relief Operations Command (Froc), had been told to ease conflicts among flood-hit people through peaceful means and understanding.

Deputy government spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said that between 80 and 100 communities in Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi were still flooded to varying degrees.

Ms Yingluck stressed that these communities must be quickly drained and dry by the end of the year so that people can return home in time to celebrate the New Year happily, Mr Anusorn said.

Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said City Hall will study details of royal projects introduced to tackle floods in 1995 to see how they could be implemented.

City Hall will also set up a committee which will work with the government and other provinces to prepare for the floods next year, MR Sukhumbhand said.

Seree Supratid, a member of the government-installed Strategic Committee for Water Management, said Ms Yingluck, who chaired a committee meeting yesterday, told the the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) to draw up a master plan for short-term and sustainable flood management. The plan must be submitted to the committee for approval within two weeks, Mr Seree said.

He said the prime minister is confident that when the master plan is implemented, Bangkok will be safe from flooding in the next six months when the new rainy season sets in.

NESDB secretary-general Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, as secretary to the committee, gave an assurance that the NESDB will complete the master plan within two weeks.

He said the plan will cover flood control engineering, a database system to predict amounts of water, construction of water retention areas, compensation, city planning, a flood management organisation and sources of funding to support the operations.

Budget Bureau director Worawit Jampeerat said Ms Yingluck will call a special cabinet meeting soon to review the budget for restoring flood-damaged public facilities to prevent duplication of projects proposed by various agencies.

Many agencies have asked for amounts that far exceed the emergency budget to fund flood relief which is set at about 120 billion baht, Mr Worawit said.

He said the cabinet will also review the approved 50 billion baht flood-relief budget to ensure more clarity in spending and to reduce duplication of proposed projects.

Mr Worawit added that a total 45.8 billion baht has been earmarked for post-flood rehabilitation of the economy.

Deputy army chief Dapong Rattanasuwan said the armed forces were ready to act on His Majesty's advice and will support the government's flood management efforts.

Gen Dapong said army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered concerned army agencies to draw up flood management measures to present to the government's agencies.

Army personnel are also willing to dig water catchment ponds, or kaem ling (monkey cheeks) to store water to prevent floods if asked to, Gen Dapong said.

Pramote Maiklad, former director-general of the Royal Irrigation Department, said all sides should heed the monarch's advice on flood management and that water experts and engineers must be brought in to brainstorm ideas on how to cope with floods and manage water resources.

The government must also make construction of floodways a national agenda, Mr Pramote said, adding that any projects to build floodways must be long-term and have to be followed up by future governments.

Mr Pramote stressed the need to make a serious attempt to correct unregulated town planning which is also to blame for serious flooding.