Bangkok Post : Weekly highlights

The spy drama seems to have come to a close after the release of the convicted spy. But Thai-Cambodian relations remains strained and will not be normalised in the foreseeable future. The baggage scandal at THAI is undermining the reputation of the national flag carrier. Meanwhile, the North Korean arms cache saga is slowly unfolding..

The release of convicted Thai spy Sivarak Chutipong from Cambodian prison after being granted a royal pardon by King Norodom Sihamoni was the biggest news on Monday although the spy drama was seen by critics as a setup.

Sivarak was accorded VIP treatment by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, very unusual and unbelievable for someone accused of breaching Cambodian national security for passing information about ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s flight arrival details to a Phnom Penh-based Thai diplomat.  Grinning from cheek to cheek, Hun Sen walked hand-in-hand with Sivarak in the company of the Thai engineer's mother, Simarak na Nakhon Phanom, senior Cambodian officials and a handful of Puea Thai MPs who were conveniently on hand to bring the convicted spy home.

Before flying home in the evening of the same day, Sivarak said the person he wanted to see most was Kamrob Pallawatwichai, first secretary of the Thai embassy in Phnom Penh, who asked him for the flight details of the plane which carried Thaksin to Phnom Penh -- a telephone conversation which led to  his being jailed for espionage. He also denied that the drama was a set-up.  

Coincidentally, the day before Sivarak’s release  Thaksin jetted into Phnom Penh.  Upon his arrival, he went to see Sivarak at the prison and reportedly enquired about his flight plan and its possible link with, he believes, a plot by the Thai government to assassinate him.  The ex-premier was not present at Sivarak’s show-case handover ceremony at Hun Sen’s residence.

Although the spy drama is over for now, the chance that Thai-Cambodian diplomatic relations will ever be normalised appears as remote as it was when the two countries recalled their ambassadors last month.  The Thai government said that relations between the two neighbours would be normalised once Cambodia complies with its legal obligation to have Thaksin extradited to Thailand to serve his two-year jail term.

In his latest diatribe against the Thai government, Hun Sen said that relations between the two countries would be restored to normalcy only when the Abhisit government is out of the office.

The seizure of the weapons shipment from an aircraft at Don Mueang airport last Saturday continues to capture front-page headlines as investigators dig deeper into the case.

The arms shipment, about 35 tonnes, was loaded in Pyongyang and was believed to be destined for the Middle East.  Worth about 600 million baht, it comprises missiles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and ammunition.  Five crewmen, one Belarussian and four Kazaks, are in custody  were denied court bail.

It was suggested the arms shipment might be linked to Victor Bout, the alleged Russian arms trafficker  currently in Thai custodym, but this was not verified.  In New Zealand, however, an investigation was under way to determine if a New Zealand-registered company is linked to the plane.

The baggage scandal engulding the executive chairman of Thai Airways International, the national flag carrier, Wallop Pukkanasut, threatens to spiral into a conflict between the Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties.

Mr Wallop is a protégé of Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum of Bhumjaithaiand he is reported to be at odds with the THAI new president, Piyaswasdi  Amranand, who is backed by the Democrats.

The scandal broke when that THAI labour union accused Mr Wallop of abusing the privileges granted by the airline to top executives by bringing with him 40 bags weighing about 500kg in excess of the weight limits on a flight to Bangkok from Tokyo on Nov 14.  The official record declared the baggage weight at just 127kg.  Also, all the bags did not go through customs formalities but were left at the lost baggage section and later cleared without customs formalities.  The union has demanded that he resign.

Mr Wallop claimed the weight of his own baggage was within limits and that the excess bags belonged to others and contained fruit meant for an abbot at Wat Paknam.

Under pressure from the public and the union, the THAI board is due to discuss the matter.  Meanwhile, several THAI staff donned black as a gesture of protest.

It is doubtful that the board will sack Mr Wallop, but the board also cannot ignore the scandal as the case has again painted the national carrier in a negative light.  A possible wayout of this scandal is that Mr Wallop will finally be pressured to step aside to spare the board further embarrassment.

The cabinet on Tuesday decided to extend for another three months from Jan 1 the five measures to help ease the cost of living of low-income earners --  free bus rides on some "hot" buses in Bangkok; free travel on some third-class train carriages; free tap water for households using up to 20 cubic metres a month (down from 30 units); government subsidy on cooking gas; and free electricity for small-volume consumers.

In order to subsidise these populist measures, the government has set aside 12 billion baht this fiscal year. They will be reviewed in three months.

But the news which seemed to cause the biggest concern is a pig which was reported to have caught type-A(H1N1) human influenza at a Kasetsart University research centre in Saraburi.

Although it is just one pig and apparently caught the bug from a student, public health officials said that all the officials and students at the research centre were put in quarantine for observation. People living nearby were tested but there were no infections.

Officials were adamant that pork remains safe to eat, just make sure it's properly cooked.