The resurgence of rubber could become a political weapon in the next election v PM steps into the fiasco over the connection between the Blue and Purple transit lines v Yingluck makes a desperate effort to thwart the seizure of her assets
Putting bounceinto farming
The regime's Thailand 4.0 initiative was rolled out some time ago and all sectors of society have been coming up with schemes thick and fast to comply with the policy, which is meant to turn the country into a value-based economy.
Topping them all is the rubber industry which has a plan that is said to be ahead of its time. It has caught the eye of the military government which has been struggling to shore up rubber prices which at one point plunged to 25 baht per kilo, coming off a one-time high of 200 baht per kg.
Of late, the price of rubber sheet has bounced back to almost 90 baht per kg as demand grows.
Former deputy prime minister Phinij Jarusombat, the veteran politician of Bung Kan, has been active in encouraging residents to grow rubber trees, which are more commonly grown in the South, in the northeastern province which now boasts the region's largest rubber plantations.
Mr Phinij, who is chairman of the Thai-Chinese Culture and Relationship Council, has coordinated efforts with Thai authorities and the private sector to organise the World Rubber Fair in Bung Kan for the past several years.
He has also invited investors from China to build rubber-processing plants in the province and sought business deals with China to buy rubber products from Thailand.
At the 2016 World Rubber Fair in Bung Kan, the organisers unveiled a road project that uses a mixture of latex with assistance from King Mongkut's University of Technology, North Bangkok (KMUTNB).
At this year's event -- formally known as Bung Kan Red Cross and Rubber Day 2017" and being held from Feb 16 to 22 -- one of the highlights is expected to be an automatic tapping machine. This is a revolutionary innovation to help rubber farmers harvest latex and which could maintain the country's competitiveness as a rubber producing country.
The machine, which is based on Chinese technology, will be developed with the assistance of KMUTNB which is expected to keep the cost to no more than 4,000 baht.
The tapping machine, designed to use solar energy, is said to be able to tap a tree in less than one minute. The machine is attached to the tree and programmed to harvest latex without causing damage.
Faced with a shortage of skilled labour, it could prove quite a boon to the industry.
The rubber fair features numerous related exhibitions that have the support of Rubber Land, the country's first and only rubber museum, and KMUTNB. It is drawing investors from throughout the Indo-China region.
In a recent interview, Mr Phinij said Thailand was likely to maintain its status as one of the world's largest rubber producers despite heavy flooding in the southern region. This year's output is likely to drop from over 4 million tonnes to between 3.5-3.7 million tonnes.
"We've seen the light through development and creating opportunities through the rubber fair. State agencies can share technological know-how with rubber planters," he said.
"This year's rubber fair can be called 'Bung Kan 4.0'. There will be innovations in the rubber industry including the tapping machine which is fully developed."
There are a number of rubber-related innovations being showcased at Bung Kan 4.0 that are worthy of government consideration if it decides to upgrade the agriculture sector as it continues to play a vital part in the Thai economy.
Observers say it remains a question of whether discussion of rubber innovations and production can be converted into political capital in time for the next general election.
What is likely is that influential politicians have a tendency to look at cash crops as a tool to woo broad-based rural electorates. They know to get an early start on "re-connecting" with the voters who they have seen little of since the military takeover.
Prayut and the missing link
One of the main grievances for Bangkok's electric train commuters has been the distance they have to travel to catch a connection, resulting in a lot of inconvenience.
One major case in point is the "gaping hole", as commuters call it, between the Blue and Purple electric train lines. The two lines are meant to be linked, and connecting tracks and other infrastructure have been put in place.
But it all lies dormant because of a lack of signage and, most importantly, an operator. This situation has gone on for months, forcing commuters to catch either a bus or a taxi to get from one line to the other.
Complaints about the persistent inconvenience have reached the ears of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who became so impatient with the lack of progress in building the missing station that he signed an order under Section 44 of the interim charter to hire a contractor to do the job as early as possible.
Commuters and critics, however, can soon enjoy a much-needed breather from their travails after it was reported earlier this week that Tao Poon-Bang Sue, the "missing link" on the Blue Line rail route, will be connected with the cabinet flashing the green light for Bangkok Expressway and Metro (BEM) to be hired to operate the link.
The hiring conditions and draft contract were approved at the cabinet meeting yesterday. Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said this will allow BEM to install the rail systems and to operate the train service on the 1km section.
The missing link straddles the Blue Line which connects Hua Lamphong and Tao Boon and the Purple Line that shuttles people between Tao Poon and Bang Yai.
The BEM has pledged to speed up the work of having the missing link up and running for commercial operation by Aug 12, a goal critics find to be overly ambitious. The critics feel the company has given itself too little time to complete the work.
The whole physical system of signage alone needs at least six months to be laid, plus the added time for a system test run. The proposed Aug 12 deadline comes across as being less than realistic and may not be achievable, according to the critics.
The saga surrounding the absence of the link has dragged on for a long time. It was initially thought the Blue Line should have been extended to include the missing link so as to prevent a disruption -- and save money as well as time -- from having to pay a separate contractor to undertake the project.
The frustration expressed by Gen Prayut with the missing link issue has been heard by the media loud and clear.
He declared publicly at least three times that he would see to it himself that the project materialises sooner rather than later, if he had to.
He also issued a veiled warning to those in charge of making a smooth transition of the rail projects that they must shape up or ship out.
A source familiar with the transport matter said the missing link issue may have served as a pointer to flaws in the bureaucracy, blamed by some for holding back progress.
A cry in the wilderness
Former premier Yingluck Shinawatra was at loggerheads with Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam early this week over the government's administrative order to seize her assets in connection with the loss-ridden rice-pledging scheme.
She complained about the lack of justice, saying that this "shoddy treatment" the government was giving her will get its reconciliation efforts exactly nowhere.
Ms Yingluck took to Facebook to rebut Mr Wissanu's comments that the authorities can now start moves to seize her assets in connection with the corruption scandal in her administration's loss-ridden rice-pledging scheme without waiting for a court ruling.
Mr Wissanu has insisted the seizure of assets belonging to Ms Yingluck can be undertaken without having to wait for the Central Administrative Court's say so.
Ms Yingluck last month filed a petition with the court requesting an injunction against the government's administrative order to seize her assets.
The former prime minister is accused of dereliction of duty over her alleged failure to stop the loss-ridden rice-pledging scheme. The current government pursued an administrative order to seek compensation for the damages from the scheme from Ms Yingluck worth 35.7 billion baht, or 20% of the total damage evaluation.
Ms Yingluck said in her Facebook post that "the fact that you insist that the Legal Execution Department can seize my assets immediately means that you won't wait for the court's order. I want to ask what will happen if the court issues an injunction, but assets already seized cannot be returned".
"I want to ask where the justice is and whether you still can foresee any reconciliation," Ms Yingluck said.
But Mr Wissanu, who oversees the government's legal affairs, responded by saying that while the rice-pledging case is still going on in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions, the government's administrative order to seize her assets still stands and the Legal Execution Department can press ahead with seizing her assets. This has nothing to do with the Supreme Court.
"I will say no more about this case. How you understand this case depends on you," Mr Wissanu said.
Regarding her remarks that the lack of justice and fairness could derail the government's bid to forge national reconciliation, it seems that those in the government are aware that this is a move by the Pheu Thai Party to test the waters and gauge the government's reaction over a proposal for an amnesty.
Both Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his deputy Prawit Wongsuwon have said unequivocally that the bid to build unity will not involve striking a bargain with politicians, and that no amnesty will be granted to those involved in corruption.
The government let it be known that if Pheu Thai politicians complain too much, they would be sidelined from the discussions on national reconciliation, which kicked off on Valentine's Day.
After being left to wonder whether the party will miss the chance to jump on the unity bandwagon, Pheu Thai's acting secretary-general Phumtham Vechayachai yesterday revealed that the party had received an invitation from the Defence Ministry to attend the unity talks at a date to be set later.
The unity talks, which will extend over three months, are being initiated by a government committee on national reconciliation chaired by Gen Prawit.
About 70 political parties will be asked to meet the committee in alphabetical order to contribute ideas on how national reconciliation can be achieved.
Several parties, including the Democrats, have already met for talks with the committee since Valentine's Day.
