The Supreme Court yesterday sought help from the Constitution Court to decide the fate of the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC), which was set up to investigate and prosecute alleged corruption by the Thaksin Shinawatra government when it was in power.
CYCLONE NARGIS
The Burmese government will allow a Thai medical team to help victims of Cyclone Nargis, although Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday failed to persuade the junta to allow other foreign aid workers into the country. The 30-member medical unit, which will leave on Saturday, will be the first foreign aid group to enter Burma.
Thaksin Shinawatra is interested in developing another casino and entertainment complex in the Cambodian province of Koh Kong, Cambodian Defence Minister Teah Banh said yesterday.
ENERGY
The Energy Ministry yesterday ditched its oil price subsidy policy in a move to make all sectors find their own way to save energy.
HIV/AIDS
RAYONG : The final phase of an Aids vaccine trial in Thailand which is due to be completed next year has showed promising results as the latest results revealed that the number of volunteers who contracted the virus was lower than expected, experts say.
COLD-STORAGE TRUCK DEATHS
Fifty-six illegal Burmese workers who survived last month's cold-storage truck tragedy will be deported to Burma next week, while another 11 will remain in Thailand to testify as witnesses.
PATTAYA : A British man charged with blackmailing Tesco last year was arrested on the same charge yesterday. Alexander John Winstone, 37, was nabbed in Pattaya after having spent time behind bars last year for a similar crime.
POLITICS
Three former election commissioners yesterday lost another fight in the Appeal Court, which upheld the two-year jail terms and a 10-year political ban imposed on them for stalling the investigation into the Thai Rak Thai party's electoral fraud. They lost a separate case last month in the Appeal Court, which then jailed them for four years. The three former commissioners now face a total of six years in jail.
NEWS THINK
The Monday vote for veteran politician Chai Chidchob as new House speaker reflects the powerful influence of his son Newin Chidchob in the ruling People Power party (PPP).
SOUTHERN UNREST
Large numbers of people in the far South are suffering from psychological trauma due to the ongoing violence, according to a survey released by the Department of Mental Health yesterday.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday claimed success in regaining 1,300 rai of encroached land through the courts, saying it was a milestone for his government after only three months in office. Interior Minister Chalerm Yubamrung threatened to remove the governor of any province where forest cover is found to be shrinking due to encroachment. Undeterred by polls which show his popularity falling, Mr Samak appeared satisfied with the government's small success in battling the land encroachment problem.
EDITORIAL
Yesterday's decision by the Supreme Court to refer consideration of the two- and three-digit lottery case against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and 46 others to the Constitution Court, translates as yet another setback for the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC).
COMMENTARY
We thought we had it bad. Our 2004 tsunami, however, pales in comparison with the cyclone disaster in Burma which has killed more than 100,000 people. And more are still dying due to lack of timely rescue and aid.
ANCHORMAN
Reader discretion is advised. The following article is not meant to incite but rather to provoke thought on the dilemma faced by the country in the current political situation. I'm not actually encouraging that we have a coup d'etat!
THAI POLITICS
When the military coup transpired in September 2006, the popular and organically crafted Constitution of 1997 was abolished and thrown into the graveyard to join its many predecessors.
ABOUT POLITICS
For veteran Buri Ram politician Newin Chidchob, it took blood, sweat and tears to bring his father Chai to political heights.
PostBag
Re: Bangkok Post editorial of May 13, "Gangs which enable crime." Yes, Bangkok has for years been known as a centre for false documentation. But there is one aspect of this which the editorial missed, although it is secondary.
In Media
A major cabinet reshuffle should be carried out following the resignation of Sutha Chansaeng from the social development and human security portfolio last Thursday.
WEATHER
The central and the eastern parts of Thailand can expect continuing heavy rain due to the arrival of low pressure zones, the Department of Meteorology said yesterday.
