“Super Board” set up to oversee state enterprise boards: Prayuth

Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha.

A so-called “Super Board” was set up to formulate policies and measures for exercising tougher control over various state enterprise boards, according to army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha.
Gen Prayuth, also a leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) said there was no intention to cause damage to business operations or to accumulate benefits for NCPO.
“We want to adopt transparency measures and provide equal benefits for the public and the nation. In the next phase, we will revise the system of determining clear proportions of benefits sharing among the state, stockholders and the public, he said during his weekly TV address late Friday.
In tackling problems of corruption, Gen Prayuth said that the current corruption scrutiny process has been carried out over the past month by the NCPO.
For any work plans or projects of governmental agencies that were found to be suspicious or have sound evidence of the wrongdoing, the cases will be expedited.
“Currently we are in the selection process for members of the State Audit Commission, to be completed within 60 days. The Commission will examine any projects deemed to be problematic,” he said.
As for the rice-pledging scheme, Gen Prayuth said that NCPO have started inspections and found that at least 80,000 - 90,000 sacks of rice worth about Bt60-70 million were missing from the rice mills.
The 100 inspection teams set up by the NCPO would inspect rice mills nationwide in conjunction with auditing past accounts from before May 22 for their accuracy. (MCOT)

Green Boulevard condo opens bookings

Poramet Ngampichet (3rd left) and Santsak Ngampichet (2nd left) congratulate executives from developer BS Property and architects PPA Power Group on the Green Boulevard Condominium opening its doors for bookings.

Jetsada Homklin
Current and former government officials were among those offering congratulations when the Green Boulevard Condominium opened its doors for bookings.
Former MPs Poramet and Santsak Ngampichet, ex-deputy ministers from the deposed Pheu Thai government and local politicians presented flowers to executives from developer BS Property and architects PPA Power Group at a June 27 party thrown to mark the opening of bookings.
First announced in February 2013, Green Boulevard is BS Property’s second “green” condo development after the Green Living Condo in Nong Plalai. It comprises two eight-story buildings totaling 156 rooms on Sukhumvit Road next to Underwater World near the junction with Jomtien Second Road.
Developers claimed the project will be completed in April 2016.
Prices start at 1.3 million baht for a 26.5 sq. meter unit. Other floor plans offer 31.2, 51.5 and 65.5 sq. meters. All rooms are fully furnished and the property located opposite the busy Pattaya Floating Market will boast 40 closed-circuit television cameras to ensure security.
For more information call 083-586-4466 or 083-586-1166.

Agriculture ministry approves master plan for fishery workers

The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry as well as state officials and the public sector involved in Thailand’s fishery industry on Saturday, July 5, approved a master plan designed to solve problems for workers engaged in the industry.
The master plan was agreed on only two weeks after the US downgraded the kingdom, after accusing Thailand of allowing forced labor and human trafficking to remain unresolved.
The plan was approved by representatives of state officials and the public sector during a meeting chaired by Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives Chavalit Chukajorn.
Chavalit said after the meeting ended that participants approved the master plan, proposed by the Ministry’s Fisheries Department.
The plan would be forwarded to a policy committee for further consideration.
The master plan contained guidelines for good labor practices and laid out regulations for Thai fishing trawlers prohibiting violations of fishing laws and human trafficking, he said.
These two issues were urgent and have to be implemented immediately, he said.
Other issues include a plan to speed up registering of migrant workers in the fishing industry, providing support for inspection of trawlers and workers, providing training to concerned officials, and to boost confidence for Thai fishing products overseas, said Chavalit.
Mongkol Sukcharoenkana, vice president of Thai Fisheries Association, said that the approved roadmap was a fine plan and contains proactive measures, as Thailand has been attacked without response in the past.
On June 20, Washington downgraded Thailand in its annual report on Trafficking in Persons as it dropped the country to “Tier 3” after holding the kingdom on the Tier 2 warning list for four consecutive years.
The US has accused five Thai industries - shrimp, textiles, sugarcane, pornographic materials and fisheries - of using child and forced labor. (MCOT)