Thawil is govt official, not Democrat man : Suthep

"Khun Chalerm reasoned that NSC chief should be removed because he was given the position when the Democrats were in government. Thus Thawil is a man of the Democrats. That's wrong," former deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban said on Monday.

Chalerm's attitude towards government officials should be reviewed, as a government servant is not a man of any political party, Suthep said.

In the law, there is clear separation between political appointees and government officials. Political appointees took jobs with the parties and finished the jobs when the parties left power.

Suthep said if Chalerm ordered the transfer of any officials he thought were Democrat's supporters, the officials would be in trouble.

Chalerm announced he would reassign Gen Wichean Potephosri from police head to NSC chief. Thawil threatened last week to file a complaint with the Central Administrative Court over the reported change.

The row over the NSC chief's job stems from a move to make Priewpan Damapong - brother-in-law of ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra and cousin of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra - head of police.

Thawil said on Friday he would also seek assistance via regular channels with the Office of the Civil Service Commission's ethics committee

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had said she would talk to Thawil about plans to transfer him to an unspecified post.

"I will find some time to talk to Thawil, but I don't know when. Now I have to do my work first, then we will talk," she said.

Asked what she would do to prevent conflicts and negative impacts from the transfer, the PM said she had yet to discuss the move in detail and whether it was suitable.

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Riots at Pattani prisons leaves one dead and two injured

Muslim inmates in the Pattani Prison rioted Monday morning, killing one Buddhist inmate and injuring two others.

Pattani Deputy Governor Lertkiart Wongphophan said the Muslim inmates rioted out of anger that Buddhist inmates, who were appointed as assistant prison officials, had allegedly rationed foods unfairly to them.

The riot took place at about 8.20am. The Pattani Central Prison has about 2,000 inmates. Some of the inmates have been transferred from Narathiwat and Yala.

About 300 police were deployed to try to control the situation, Lertkiart said. Officials managed to rescue the injured inmates and they were rushed to hospital, the deputy governor said.

The authorities had yet to retrieve the body of the slain inmate, identified as Phanuwat Khong-in. At press time, negotiations between the provincial governor and the inmates was still ongoing.

The deputy governor said the rioting inmates submitted a seven-point demand. These are: that the prison relax the rules for controlling the inmates; the prison must appoint Muslim inmates to be in charge of kitchen and the assistant prison officials, who check belongings of visiting relatives, must be Muslims only.

The work assignment system of the prison must be changed. The officials in charge of work assignment for prisoners must be changed and Buddhist inmates, who are working as assistant prison officials and have had conflicts with Muslim inmates, must be transferred to other prisons.

The last demand was that the Muslim inmates, who took part in the riot, must not be transferred.

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Floodwaters rise in north, northeast; Bangkok on alert

The Yom River running through the northern province of Phichit has exceeded critical flood level by almost two metres, flowing over its banks and flooding more than 5,000 houses. 

Forest runoff from Kamphaeng Phet combined with the river-borne flood, has submerged homes in Pichit's Pho Prathap Chang district. The floodwaters are as deep as two to three meters, cutting off many roads.

Domestic tap water supplies are no longer safe for drinking with residents of three sub-districts lacking potable water.

In the northeastern province of Ubon Ratchathani, the water level in the Mun River increased by two to three metres in one day as rains continued.

Members of more than 100 households along the Mun River were forced to evacuate to safe areas after flooding hit the provincial seat and Warin Chamrap district.

Meanwhile, in Bangkok, the Metropolitan Flood Control Centre under the Department of Drainage and Sewerage reported that the water situation in the Chao Phraya River reached its highest point of 1.4 metres above mean sea level, measured at Pakklong Talad.

The water volume at the downstream end of the Chao Phraya dam was measured at 2,390 cubic metres per second. Officials are monitoring the amount of rainfall, high tide period and northern run-off around the clock until October.

Both sides of the Chao Phraya River outside the flood prevention dykes are still at risk and residents in those areas are advised to keep up with the news.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra met with governors of nine flood-stricken provinces at Government House on Sunday.

Addressing the problems of damaged and destroyed crops, she ordered integrated assistance for flood victims and help to farmers in addressing the problem. Mobile toilets will be distributed and urgent flood responses are focusing on pumping out the floodwaters and dredging waterways.

She affirmed that the government has sufficient budget for flood relief operations.

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From where Siam set sail

The recently opened Royal Thai Naval Dockyard Museum offers a look at early shipping on the Chao Phraya River and the origins of the Thai Navy. It also promises the younger generation a chance to discover their roots.

As part of the commemorations for His Majesty the King's 84th birthday in December, the dockyard has turned a century-old wooden house into a museum. On displays are rare old portraits, die-cast models and venerable marine gear, all enlivened by video presentations.

The building itself is a must visit. The two-storey building in the Thonburi dockyard was erected during the reign of King Rama IV, utilising the charming "gingerbread" architecture style of the Victorian era.

The museum, which opened officially just last month, is meant to be an education in boat construction and the industry's history.

Visitors first see an exhibit called "From the Palace to the Royal Dockyard", which tracks the earliest uses of the Chao Phraya and its banks.

On view is an old drawing - someone's portrait - and a scale model of Thonburi and vicinity, the Kingdom's strategic and commercial focus after the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767.

The museum is on Arun-Amarin Road. It's open daily from 9am to 3pm.

For detailed preview of the museum, visit www.nationmultimedia.com/life

Visits can be arranged at (02) 475 4185 and www.Navy.mi.th/Dockyard

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BoT chairman would welcome sovereign wealth fund

MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul, chairman of Bank of Thailand, said today that he welcomed the proposal to establish the sovereign wealth fund, but this must be carried out in a thorough manner.

At a seminar hosted by Fiscal Policy Office, he said that there was a discussion on this idea during the previous government. Back then, he proposed that some US$10 billion from foreign reserves be channelled to the fund, so that it could be invested in equities. At present, the reserves can be invested only in low-risk bets like high-rated government bonds and gold. He also suggested that the committee to manage the sovereign wealth fund consist of members from the central bank with two representing the Finance Ministry.

"It is true as Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala said, the money belongs to the nation, not the central bank," he told reporters, insisting that he is not totally against the idea.

Thirachai was adamant that the reserves must be put into better use. On fears that the fund would encounter a loss, he said the central bank also witnessed a loss on its bond investment. Last week, he ordered BOT Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul to present him with studies on four issues including the sovereign wealth fund establishment and solutions to the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF)'s debts.

On the debt issue, Chatu Mongol said that he did propose to the previous government to make use of monetary reserves worth Bt1 trillion. The reserves could be deposited at banks, and at the interest rate of 3 per cent, they could generate annual return of Bt30 billion - sufficient to reduce the FIDF debt burden.