Showing 91 - 100 of 213
China rice deal real, or illusion?
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 17/09/2013
» It was no surprise when Democrat deputy party leader Korn Chatikavanich expressed his suspicions on his Facebook page on Monday about an announcement by Commerce Minister Niwatthamrong Bunsongphaisan that China would buy 1.2 million tonnes of stockpiled rice and 200,000 tonnes of rubber from Thailand this year.
A lese majeste case that should not be
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 13/09/2013
» A family feud between two brothers led one of them to take the other to court on a lese majeste charge for activities in the confines of a private home. Only in Thailand, some might say.
Why pay them pensions?
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 06/09/2013
» A life-long pension of 15,000 baht a month for former lawmakers may not seem a huge amount of money these days, but the handout begs a big question: is it justifiable to continue paying these politicians, who are already better off than most people in this country.
Southern planters should rethink their tough stand
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 30/08/2013
» With most rubber planters in other regions accepting the government's offer of a subsidy and rejecting the call for a Sept 3 nationwide protest, southern growers find themselves isolated in their demand for guaranteed higher prices.
The making of a 'husband-and-wife' parliament
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 20/08/2013
» As public attention is diverted to the much-hyped political reform forum, the government is attempting to amend the charter to transform the Senate into yet another tool to fulfill its ambition of complete control of parliament.
Costly clocks and other wasteful spending
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 16/08/2013
» Compared with the 2.2 trillion baht high-speed trains mega-project and the 350 billion baht water management project, 15 million baht for the purchase of 240 LCD digital clocks by the office of the secretary-general of the parliament may seem insignificant.
25%+ is too high a price to pay
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 26/07/2013
» Twenty-five plus is the average percentage of under-the-table fees - or gao jia (dog eats) as the Chinese call it - that businessmen are made to pay to corrupt politicians and bureaucrats in order to secure a concession, procurement or construction contract from government agencies these days.
Auctioned rice must be quality guaranteed
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 23/07/2013
» Rice exporters are complaining they have not been given the chance to examine the first lot of rice - 150,000 tonnes of 5% white rice and 200,000 tonnes of broken milled rice - the Commerce Ministry is to auction off on July 29.
Another victory for the environment
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 19/07/2013
» The Central Administrative Court's ruling against a coal transporting firm in Samut Sakhon and three local agencies is indeed welcome news given the incessant assault on the environment by greedy business operators working hand in glove with corrupt officials.
Commerce Ministry, land of fairy tales
Veera Prateepchaikul, Published on 12/07/2013
» The Commerce Ministry is quite the expert in keeping us amazed by the fairy tales it has continually pulled from its sleeves since the launch of the rice pledging scheme - which should be renamed the rice buying scheme - two years ago.