Readbangkokpost Economics Business Blog http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/ en Copyright 2010 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:37:40 +0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/?v=3.2 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Thailand's new Free Trade Agreement with China: The China-Asean Free Trade Area (CAFTA) (10-02-10)

Thailand's new Free Trade Agreement with China:
The China-Asean Free Trade Area (CAFTA)

By Jon Fernquest

container shipAsian economies were the first to recover from the global economic crisis.

The impact of the crisis on Asia would have been much less if Asian countries did not rely so heavily on trade with the US and Europe.

The China-Asean Free Trade Area (Cafta) that came into effect at the beginning of this year promises to reduce this reliance by increasing the proportion of intra-Asia trade in the trade of Asian nations thus insulating Asia from problems in the larger world economy (at least in theory).

Today's article provides a lot of background on the new China-ASEAN trade. The article begins after the vocabulary.

China-Asean Free Trade Area (Cafta) - the FTA between ASEAN states and China that began this year (See Wikipedia)
intra - within
insulate - protect from the outside, reduce negative effects and impact

Economics
ASIA FOCUS: CHINA KNOWLEDGE

China links up with Asean to boost trade

8/03/2010
Charles Chaw and Tony Wang

For a long time, China relied on the European Union and the United States as its major trading partners. In 2009, the trade value between China and these two giants accounted for 16.5% and 13.5% of China's total foreign trade, respectively.

However, the global financial crisis, which broke out in 2008, caused demand from the EU and the US to stagnate and shocked China's export-oriented economy.

links - connections ความเชื่อมโยงกัน
links up with - connects with, makes connections with
boost - to increase; to strengthen เพิ่ม; ทำให้มีกำลังมากขึ้น
trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
partners - the companies owning part of the joint venture หุ้นส่วน
trading partners - other countries that your country trades with
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤต
break out - when some bad condition starts spreading (example: there was a break out of the fatal disease in the country)
demand - people or consumers wanting to buy goods and services ความต้องการ
stagnate - stop moving forward, changing and progressing
oriented - directed towards
export-oriented - directed towards exports

China, seeking other markets for its goods, turned to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. In 2008, Asean's gross domestic product exceeded US$1.5 trillion, and the association became one of the world's major economic powers.

Asean's foreign trade with China increased from less than $8 billion in 1991 to $2.1 trillion in 2009, accounting for 9.7% of China's total import and export value. Asean is now China's fourth-largest trading partner after the EU, the US and Japan, while China is Asean's third-largest trading partner.

In addition, China is a hot destination for investors from Asean member nations, especially Singapore. In the first 10 months of 2009, Singapore's direct investment in China reached $3 billion, accounting for 12.7% of China's total investment from foreign countries (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan), second only to Japan.Asean is also one of the key destinations for China's overseas investment (excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan). In 2008, China's direct investment in Asean countries accounted for 11.4% of its total overseas investment, a proportion higher than that of the EU, the US or Japan.

domestic - relating to a person's own country ภายในประเทศ
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)  - a measure of economic activity in a country, the value of the country's output of goods and services. GDP is defined roughly as: GDP = Household Consumption + Business Investment + Change in Inventories  + (Government Spending - Taxes)  + (Exports - Imports)  (See Economist Glossary)
exceeded - was more than
import - to buy or bring in products from another country นำเข้า
destination - the place where someone or something is going จุดหมายปลายทาง
hot destination - a place that many people like to travel to
investment - taking your money and putting it into projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds, real estate) การลงทุน
direct investment, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) - investing directly in production in another country, either by buying a company there or establishing new operations of an existing business (See The Economist's Glossary)
key - important คนสำคัญ

In a move to promote mutually beneficial co-operation, the China-Asean Free Trade Area (Cafta) was launched at the beginning of 2010.

Preparations for Cafta began in the 1990s, when countries Southeast Asian economies were badly hit by the Asian Financial Crisis. In 1999, China's then premier, Zhu Rongji, expressed the idea of strengthening China's economic ties with these countries and the Asean grouping agreed.

Ten years later, now that Cafta is finally set up, huge market benefits are expected.

beneficial - helpful or good มีประโยชน์
mutually beneficial - everyone gains benefits from it
co-operation - working together to achieve goals
promote mutually beneficial co-operation -
free trade area (FTA) - an area that includes one or more countries that have agreed to reduce tarriffs (taxes on imports) to zero or at least a very low level
launched - began เริ่ม, started เริ่มต้นดำเนินการ
premier - prime minister
ties - relations; connections ความสัมพันธ์
benefits - goods things that can happen from an activity ผลประโยชน์
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)

The region contains nearly 2 billion people, has a GDP of more than $6 trillion and generates about $4.5 trillion in trade. It is the most populous free trade area in the world.

Trade between China and Asean surged rapidly in the fourth quarter of 2009, much faster than trade with the US, the EU and Japan.

After Cafta was set up, more than 7,000 types of goods, accounting for 90% of the trade list, were tax-exempt. The free trade area will surely further improve the trade conditions between the two sides. In 2004, when some agricultural products were designated tax-exempt, the trade value of such products grew by more than 40.

generates - creates
populous - having a lot of people living there ซึ่งมีพลเมืองหนาแน่น
surged - increased quickly เพิ่มขึ้นอย่างรวดเร็ว
fourth quarter - the last three months of the year for business or government (one year = 4 quarters)
exempt - permission not to do something
tax-exempt - don't have to pay taxes
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
designated - formally chosen แต่งตั้ง, ที่ได้รับการแต่งตั้ง

However, along with huge market potential, come problems.

Asean and China, where labour-intensive industries dominate, are the most important manufacturing bases in the world. The similarity in industrial structures results in export goods of the same category.

potential - possible, what could be achieved, the possibility of success  ความเป็นไปได้, ที่มีศักยภาพ, ที่เป็นไปได้
market potential - the possibility of gaining large numbers of new customers in an area
intensive - involving a lot of effort, energy, or attention
labour-intensive - using a lot of labour (produced manually by workers, not automatically by machines)
dominate - to be the most powerful or most important thing in an area or situation มีอิทธิพลเหนือ, มีอำนาจเหนือ
results - what is produced in the end by an activity or task
category - a group of people or things that have similar qualities หมวดหมู่ ประเภท

Asean's top export product is electrical machinery, and so is China's. In 2008, Asean's exports of such products hit $175.5 billion, accounting for 23.4% of its total exports. The same year, China's exports of electric machinery hit $342.1 billion, accounting for 23.9% of its total exports. Exports of nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances, are all major export products for both Asean and China.

Therefore, the trade relationship between China and Asean is mostly competitive, not complementary. This is true because low costs and abundant labour are the main advantages for both sides. One month before the launching of Cafta, Indonesia's 14 industrial associations expressed concern over the zero tariff, which may damage Indonesia's own industries, in the hopes of delaying the agreement.

nuclear reactor - buildings and machines that create electricity from nuclear chemicals (See Wikipedia)
boiler - machine that heats water and provides hot water
mechanical - operated by a machine or system of moving parts (examples: a mechanical device, a mechanical wheelchair)
appliances - machine or equipment
competitive - involving competition มีการแข่งขัน
abundant - large amounts, more than enough มากมาย
industrial associations - an organisation that represents a group of companies in the same industry
concern - a worry ความกังวล
expressed concern over Y - told people they were worried about issue Y
tariff - tax on imports

Despite such efforts, Cafta was finally launched. Rather than intensifying competition between the nations, Cafta brought about opportunities to make the best use of the manufacturing facilities in the region.

Take steel products as an example. Asean has much higher steel production costs than China, and lacks sufficient steel output capacity. In contrast, China has excess steel capacity.

efforts - people trying to accomplish something, achieve a goal ความพยายาม
intensifying - increasing the amount of activity being done
opportunities - situations in which it is possible to do what you want or need to do
facilities - the buildings, equipment and services provided for a particular purpose สิ่งอำนวยความสะดวก
sufficient - enough พอเพียง
capacity - the amount of something that can be produced ความสามารถในการ (ผลิต)
excess - greater than is usual; too much of something มากเกินปริมาณที่พอดี
excess capacity - ability to produce that is not fully used

In the first 11 months of 2009, China's Guangdong Province saw its steel exports to Asean reach 418,000 tonnes, accounting for one-third of its total steel exports. China's Yunnan Province released a plan to make steel a key export to Asean. In December 2009, Indonesia's TPT held a meeting with China's Wuhan Iron and Steel, hoping to increase its imports of steel from China.

In addition to steel, there are other products, such as organic chemicals and fossil fuels. In a word, Cafta will be more beneficial than harmful. Together with Japan and South Korea, a large free trade region is forming in East Asia. Learning how to grasp the opportunity will be a crucial task for each player.

Charles Chaw is the Managing Director of China Knowledge Consulting based in Hong Kong, and Tony Wang is a research analyst with the firm in Chengdu, Sichuan. The firm provides corporate, financial advisory and market strategy to foreign businesses seeking opportunities in China. The opinions expressed are their own.

released - made available to the public 
meeting - when a group of people come together to discuss issues and make decisions การประชุม
organic - "organic compounds contain carbon and can produce energy" (See Wikipedia)
fossil fuels - fuels like oil and coal formed from fossils, dead organisms that decomposed over millions of years (See Wikipedia)
free trade region - same as "free trade area" above 
grasp - control
opportunity - a situation when it is possible to do something that you want to do (See glossary)
crucial - extremely important because it effects the result of something สำคัญยิ่ง
task - something that you have to do หน้าที่
firm - a business or company บริษัม
strategy - a plan to achieve long term goals ('strategy' gives the big picture, 'tactics' the details)

(Source: Economics, ASIA FOCUS: CHINA KNOWLEDGE, China links up with Asean to boost trade, 8/03/2010, Charles Chaw and Tony Wang, link)
 
]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/international_trade/thailands_new_free_trade_agree.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/international_trade/thailands_new_free_trade_agree.php International Trade Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:37:40 +0600 Thailand's Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij on the Thaksin assets seizure verdict (09-03-10)

Thailand's Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij
on the Thaksin assets seizure verdict

By Jon Fernquest

Finance Minister KornThailand's Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij reflected on the recent Thaksin assets seizure case in an important op-ed piece in the Bangkok Post last Friday.

Today's article is rich in vocabulary and begins after the vocabulary list below:
 
assets - things owned, especially property and money สินทรัพย์ things that can earn money for their owner (See Economist glossary) 
seizure - the act of taking control of something, especially by using power or force การบุกเข้ายึด
reflected on -  thinking deeply about a subject and relating it to your own experience
op-ed piece - a newspaper article that expresses the opinion either of the newspaper or an expert columnist
rich in vocabulary - has a wide variety of good vocabulary

OPINION

Personal reflections on the assets seizure case

5/03/2010
Korn Chatikavanij

It is now a week since the celebrated ruling on Thaksin Shinawatra's private assets was announced, and I have yet to air my opinion on the verdict.

Korn Chatikavanij: ‘‘I remember that all of Thaksin’s actions at that time indicated he was the real owner of the assets and had hidden all of his shareholdings all along.

reflections, personal reflections (noun) - thoughts by a person on a subject (what they think based on their own life and experience)
celebrated - admired publicly
ruling - a decision by a court of law คำตัดสิน คำชี้ขาด
air - to make known
air opinion - make known opinion, state your opinion so that people know it 
verdict - decision by a judge in a legal case (example: a verdict of guilty or innnocent in a criminal case)
X indicated Y - X did something to show that Y was the true situation

This is partly because I felt that many people have already been talking about the issue, but it is also because this is an issue close to my heart as I have been personally involved for some time. I also wanted my own opinion and emotions to crystallise before I spoke out.

Today my thoughts on this issue are more settled.

issue - a problem that needs to be considered, a subject that people discuss or argue about ประเด็น
personally involved - when you are part of it, included in it (so it has special meaning for you)
crystallise - grow into something, develop and become more well-defined
spoke out - say what you feel (even though you might be shy to say it)
settled - not changing all the time

I became involved with the assets concealment issue when Thaksin sold his shareholdings in Shin Corp to Temasek Holdings of Singapore in January 2006, a year after I became an opposition Member of Parliament. I remember that all of Thaksin's actions at that time indicated that he was the real owner of the assets and had hidden all of his shareholdings all along.

Thaksin flew to Singapore to negotiate the sale of Shin Corp shares while informing the public that he was on a leisure trip. He hurriedly amended the legislation on shareholding limits under the Telecom Act so that he could sell his shareholdings and he did everything he could in order to avoid paying tax.

concealment - hiding ซุก ซ่อน
opposition - of a political party that is not part of the government or a group which is against the government ฝ่ายค้าน ผู้ต่อต้าน
negotiate - to successfully travel on a road or path that is difficult to travel on or through ฝ่าไป
informing - telling, giving some information not yet known 
leisure - not part of business or work, just for fun
amended - change unrest
legislation - a law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official by a parliament กฎหมาย, การออกกฎหมาย
shareholding - owning the stock shares of a company

At that time, I did two things.

First, I pointed out that there was evidence at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) indicating that Thaksin secretly owned his Shin Corp shares via an account at Singapore USB Bank. Second, I filed a complaint with the Revenue Department that the transactions involving the transfer of shares to Thaksin's children carried a tax liability.

I recalled that it was difficult to receive cooperation from government agencies on this issue. Worse, there were attempts to look into my record in the securities industry to see if there was any information that could be used to discredit me.

pointed - direct, in a way that shows you are annoyed or do not agree with something ที่เด่นชัด
evidence - facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime หลักฐาน
account, bank account - the official location of money that people keep at a bank
filed - to take official action, e.g., to make a formal complaint ยื่นฟ้องร้อง
complaint - when someone says that something is wrong or not satisfactory การร้องเรียน
transfer - change ownnership, move funds or assets from one person to another โอน
liability - (legal) responsibility for something or someone ความรับผิดชอบ
recalled - remembered นึกทบทวน จำได้
cooperation - working together to achieve a result that will benefit all sides ความร่วมมือ, การทำงานร่วมกัน
record - the list of things that someone did and accomplished (goals achieved)
discredit - to cause people to stop respecting someone or believing in an idea or person ทำให้สูญเสียความเชื่อถือ,ทำให้เสื่อมเสียชื่อเสียง

Revenue Department officials also leaked my tax records, which are confidential, to Thai Rak Thai MPs. Fortunately, I'd never done anything to harm my reputation. Nonetheless, almost all of my relatives were threatened during that time.

The question I would like to raise is, if the coup did not happen in 2006 and the Assets Scrutiny Committee (ASC) had not existed, would we see justice being served in this case.

records - pieces of information describing something written down or stored on a computer บันทึุก
confidential - secret, often in a formal, business or military situation ที่เป็นความลับ
harm - damage ความเสียหาย
reputation - the opinion people have about how good or bad someone or something is ชื่อเสียง, ความนับหน้าถือตา
relatives - people in your family (not just husband, wife, kids, but also more distant cousins)
threatened - telling someone that if they don't do it, they will be punished
justice - fairness in the way people are dealt with ความเป็นธรรม, ความถูกต้อง, ความยุติธรรม (See Wikipedia) 
justice served - justice was done, was accomplished, achieved 

When the ASC was set up, I brought all the evidence to them, helped them analyse the information, and explained to them on matters regarding securities and securities trading, which was quite complicated and difficult to understand.

I remember the day I walked into the ASC office - the office space being temporarily borrowed from the Office of the Auditor-General of Thailand. There were many Thaksin supporters (not yet wearing red shirts at that time) surrounding the office, shouting profanities directly at us. That day, Khun Kaewsan (Atibhodhi), an ASC official responsible for the assets concealment case, was on the receiving end of most of the abuse.

matters - affairs, a situation that you must deal with that has problems
complicated - has so many parts connected in different ways that it is difficult to understand (for example, a complicated machine or a city with a complicated system of streets) ที่ซับซ้อน
temporarily - only for a limited time; not permanent ชั่วคราว
surrounding - all around a place บริเวณรอบๆ
profanities - saying bad words, four letter words
official - approved by the government or some authority ที่เป็นทางการ
concealment (noun) - the condition of being hidden so people cannot see it
abuse - cruel, violent or unfair treatment โหดเหี้ยม ทารุณ

Today, the crux of this trial was to prove that Thaksin actually did conceal his assets, and to prove that this was a conflict of interest between his policy and his assets. The Supreme Court ruled with a unanimous verdict that Thaksin concealed his assets.

Thinking back to the year 2006, Thaksin, Potjaman, Panthongtae and Pinthongta all came out to blatantly lie again and again that they in fact did not conceal assets. However, in the end the evidence was simply too compelling.

trial - the process of examining a case in a court of law and deciding whether someone is guilty (having committed a crime) or innocent (not having committed a crime) การไต่สวนคดี
conceal - hide, put it in a place where other people cannot see it
conflict - an angry disagreement between people or groups ความขัดแย้ง, ความไม่ลงรอยกัน
an interest in Y - will benefit in some way from the success of Y, owns part of Y  
conflict of interest - when personal gain conflicts with decisions that you must make for the benefit of the public
policy - a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)
unanimous - agreed by everyone เป็นเอกฉันท์
blatantly - in an obvious or open way โจ่งแจ้ง โอ้อวด อึกทึก

Back to the question, though: if there had not been a coup, would justice have prevailed.

And why can't Thai society not achieve justice without having to rely on coup-makers initiating the process? Does this mean that sometimes "undemocratic" actors place more emphasis on truth and justice than democratic ones.

justice prevailed - in the end there was justice in the situation
rely on - need, depend on
process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
initiating the process - starting or beginning the process
emphasis - special importance or attention that is given to one thing in particular การเน้นย้ำ

Maybe it is because the majority of Thais do not sufficiently care about truth and justice. As long as our businesses are doing well and there is food on the table, we Thais appear willing to live with corruption.

But is this mindset wrong? Truth and justice cannot fill empty stomachs. Perhaps, therefore, only the wealthy have the time and inclination to ponder on matters such as justice while the poor, who have to struggle to feed their families, do not have that luxury.

majority - most of the people in a group, more than 50% คนส่วนใหญ่, เสียงส่วนใหญ่, ส่วนมาก, เสียงส่วนมาก
as long as Y - while Y is true, only during the time that Y is true 
willing to live with corruption - it is ok with them that there is corruption (not going to try to get rid of it)
mindset - the general way that people think about things, their attitude
empty - having nothing inside ว่างเปล่า
wealthy - rich, has a lot of money and assets มั่งคั่ง ร่ำรวย
inclination - feeling that makes you want to act in a certain way
ponder - to think carefully about something, especially for a noticeable length of time
struggle - a very difficult task that you can do only by making a great effort ความพยายาม
have the luxury to do Y - having enough time and money to do activity Y

And when the majority is made up of poor people and the majority voice is what counts in a democracy, the resounding answer is seemingly "We don't care."

Having said that, we all know many businessmen and the well-to-do also "don't care". It's easy for anybody to say they want truth and justice, but just how many are prepared to sacrifice something to realise this.

voice - to express your feelings or opinions ออกความคิด
majority - most of the people in a group of people (greater than 50%)
majority voice - the opinion of the majority
what counts - what is important and valuable
resounding answer - the answer heard loud and clear (no question what the answer is)
well-to-do - rich
sacrifice - give up something you want to get something else เสียสละ
realise - make a situation or condition happen

If everyone acts according to their duty, justice will manifest itself. It will require no intervention - coup or otherwise. We wouldn't need to go searching for it.

This, I would say, is the most important message from this case.

In the end, over the past five days, I've had a growing sense that the court decision really was fair.

acts - actions การกระทำ
duty - something that you have to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do หน้าที่, ความรับผิดชอบ
manifest - show
intervention - a situation in which someone becomes involved in a particular issue, problem, etc., in order to influence and change what happens การแทรกแซง
message from this case - meaning that you get from reading about and studying this case
a growing sense that - a growing feeling that

Had it been my decision, I would have seized the entire 76 billion baht. My rationale would have been simple: by only seizing the "gained" portion, this meant Thaksin had essentially broken even on his scheme, even though he cheated.

But the truth is that there will be more lawsuits to follow. The Exim Bank, for example, was instructed to make cheap loans available to the Government of Burma to procure goods from Thaksin's company.

rationale - a reason for doing something มีเหตุผลที่ดีในการทำสิ่งนั้นๆ
simple - easy to understand; not complicated ง่าย,ไม่ยุ่งยาก, ไม่ซับซ้อน
portion - a part of something ส่วน
essentially - for the most part ที่สำคัญที่สุด
scheme - a plan for achieving something, especially something illegal or dishonest แผนการ (ที่มีท่าว่าจะผิดกฎหมาย)
cheat - secretly not follow the rules in order to succeed (pass a test, make money, win a game) 
Exim Bank, Export-Import Bank of Thailand - government bank established in 1993 to support both Thai investors overseas as well as local investors in business relating to export or business which earns or saves foreign exchange (See website)
lawsuits - a case in a court of law to end a dispute between two people
procure - buy

I know many people's reaction will be: "Isn't this enough? Can we get to work on reconciliation now.

But this is temperament talking, and reflects a lack of sense of duty.

reaction - the way you behave or respond as a result of something that happens ปฏิกิริยาตอบโต้
reconciliation - process of creating a new and friendly relationship again with someone you argued with or fought with การทำให้ปรองดองกันอีก,การคืนดี, ประสานสัมพันธ์, the  การปรองดอง
lack - does not have ขาดแคลน
sense of duty - a feeling that you should act in some way (your duty or responsibility)

As for me, I will continue to perform my role to the best of my ability in part because there needs to be a counter-force to Thaksin's destructive hypocrisy. To this date, Thaksin has not shown any remorse, nor a sense of responsibility for the crimes he has committed upon our country. Instead, he has chosen to play the role of the victim and has gone so far as to hold the country to ransom unless he gets his selfish ways.

I, for one, cannot and will not accept the terms of Thaksin's arrogant conditions - not because of any personal vendetta I hold against him, but because my present positions as Member of Parliament and Minister oblige me with certain duties I cannot renege upon.

role - a person's function or purpose in an activity บทบาท
counter - to take action to oppose or stop something ต่อต้าน
force - strong action กำลัง ความรุนแรง
destructive - causing great damage or harm ซึ่งเป็นการทำลาย
hypocrisy - claiming to have moral beliefs but not following them in your actions
remorse - sad feelings of guilt feeling about your wrong action
responsibility - 1. being blamed for something that goes wrong, 2. having to take care of some task as part of your job
commit a crime - act in a way that is a crime, that is illegal, that breaks the law
play the role of Y -
victim - someone who ahs been harmed, injured or killed as the result of a crime เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย
ransom - the amount of money that someone wants to be paid before they will let a person go or give back a valuable object เงินค่าไถ่
hold ransom - keep a person prisoner until money is paid to release them
terms - conditions; requirements ข้อกำหนด
arrogant - behaving in a rude way with over-confidence like you are better or more important than other people
vendetta, personal vendetta - acting out of anger, trying to harm other people who harmed you in the past 
oblige - do something that you must or should do, that you have a responsibility to do
duties - things that you must do, a legal or moral obligation
renege - not do what you promised to do

More importantly, if there is any lesson I have learnt during the past four-five years' struggle with Thaksin's regime, it is that we do not have the privilege nor the luxury to pass this difficult responsibility on to others.

I have written a rather lengthy note, in part because this note is a personal reflection for my own personal mental review.

regime - a government that controls a country, especially in a strict or unfair way รัฐบาลที่ขึ้นมาปกครองโดยการยึดอำนาจ
regime - a government that controls a country, especially in a strict or unfair way รัฐบาลที่มาจากการยึดอาำนาจ
privilege - a special benefit that is available only to a particular person or group เอกสิทธิ์ when some people get to do things that others can't (rich elite get to do it, but poor people cannot)
note - a piece of information on a topic or subject
mental - taking place in a person's own mind or brain 
review - go over, examine and think about all the information relevant to a situation or subject

Lastly, when I glance back at what transpired five days ago, I can still feel an air of sadness lingering over the court's decision. This is by no means because I disagree with the verdict, because I want to make clear that I am duly respectful and accepting of the verdict - which will be considered a great precedent and a genuine classic for the country's judicial system.

glance - look quickly at something
glance back - look and think about the past
transpired - happened
an air of sadness - a feeling of sadness (experienced by many people)
lingering - lasting a long time, especially when this is unpleasant or not necessary ที่อ้อยอิ่ง, ยืดเยื้อมานาน, อย่างอ้อยอิ่ง
by no means... - it is not true that...
clear - easy to understand
make clear - make it easy to understand
precedent - an action, situation or decision which has already happened and which can be used as a reason why a similar action or decision should be performed or taken มาตรฐานในการตัดสิน, ตัวอย่างหรือแบบอย่างที่มีมาก่อน
genuine - real; honest; sincere
classic - has very high standard and has become the standard of comparison and excellence for others (example: a classic novel)
judicial system - the system of courts in a country that makes decisions on legal cases

Nevertheless, I can't help but feel a sense of heartache over the fact that we as a country may not be able to truly appreciate the profound lessons that can be derived from this episode.

At the end of the day, I am left asking whether how much we, as Thais, do value the notion of truth and justice? More importantly, the bigger question is whether we are willing to sacrifice our personal liberty in order to protect public rights.

I worry about how most of us would answer the above questions, but I remain resolved in my endeavour to labour for the betterment of our country.

appreciate Y - like Y and know why Y is good
profound - has deep meaning, felt or experienced very strongly or in an extreme way ลึกซึ้ง
profound - very great; serious ยิ่งใหญ่
derived from - coming from or made from 
episode - one of the single parts into which a story is divided, especially when it is broadcast on the television or radio ตอน
notion - belief or idea ความคิด, ความเชื่อ, แนวคิด
sacrifice - give something up in order to obtain another thing for yourself or for others
liberty - freedom to live life in the way that you want without interference from other people or authorities such as the police or government
rights - something you are legally or morally allowed to do or have สิทธิ์ (See Wikipedia)
resolved - determined to succeed, feels that he will succeed for sure
endeavour - to try very hard to do something ความพยายาม บากบั่น
labour for the betterment of - work hard to improve

Korn Chatikavanij is Minister of Finance. He can be reached via email at: korn@mof.go.th

(Source: Bangkok Post, OPINION, Personal reflections on the assets seizure case, 5/03/2010, Korn Chatikavanij, link)




]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/shin_sale_and_coup/thailands_finance_minister_kor.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/shin_sale_and_coup/thailands_finance_minister_kor.php Shin Sale and Coup Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:51:23 +0600 Medical imaging software developed at a university in Thailand (03-03-10) medicalimaging

Medical imaging software developed at a university in Thailand

By Jon Fernquest

medical imagingMedical imaging software created at a university in Thailand is the topic of an insightful article in the Bangkok Post Database section this week:

(Photo on right of "Tele Diag" a one-stop solution for sending tele-images between radiologists at different hospitals, which will aid decision-making for clinics which are short-staffed.)

Tech News

Software to bridge gap between hospitals

Applications help ease shortage of experts
3/03/2010
Suchit Leesa-nguansuk

A shortage of medical experts in Thailand could be overcome by using advanced telecommunication technologies and software which can aid faster medical treatment decisions.

gap - a large difference between people or groups ช่องว่าง
bridge gap - end the difference, make the two groups equal
applications - computer programs or software
ease - to make less severe บรรเทา
shortage - when there is not enough of something การขาดแคลน
ease shortage - lessen the negative effects of the shortage
overcome - solve a problem or put and end to a difficulty, to succeed in controlling or dealing with something ต่อสู้อุปสรรคจนสำเร็จสำมารถดำเนินการต่อไปได้
aid - help ช่วย
treatment - the process of providing medical care การรักษา
one-stop solution - one system that takes care of everything, all steps combined
X-rays - well-known technology for looking inside the body with pictures, used by doctors to treat disease (See Wikipedia)
radiologists - doctors who specialize in X-rays (See Wikipedia)
clinics - places where people go to receive medical treatment
short-staffed - does not have enough workers to do the job

This could also create further opportunities for Thailand's reputation as a regional medical hub, as it could facilitate the pooling of resources between hospitals.

For example, a trading IT company has developed its own innovative application, Tele Diag, which could ease problems associated with the country's shortage of radiologists by offering a pioneering tele-radiologist service.

opportunities - a situation where it is possible to do something that you want to do โอกาส
reputation - the opinion people have about how good or bad someone or something is ชื่อเสียง
hub - the central or main part of something where there is most activity จุดศูนย์กลาง
facilitate - help achieve goals, make it possible or easier for something to happen ทำให้สะดวกขึ้น
resources - things such as money, workers and equipment that can be used to help achieve something ทรัพยากร
innovative - using new methods or ideas เกี่ยวกับการปรับปรุงใหม่, ที่เต็มไปด้วยจิตใจปฏิรูปใหม่
pioneering - being the first one to do or accomplish something

The company, Prodigi, a Thai software developer specialising in medical imaging technology, spent more than three months working with the radiology department at Mahidol University's Faculty of Medicine at Ramathibodi Hospital to develop Tele Diag.

The 10-million-baht solution features tele-imaging, which enables the sending and receiving of MRI, CT or other modality images, and combines them into a single file under the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) standard, which is used for the exchange of images and related information in healthcare.
 
spent - used ใช้ไป
MRI - Magnetic Resonance Imaging, a technique for looking inside the body at a "cross-section" that uses "nuclear magnetism" (See Wikipedia)
cross-section -
CT - Computed Tomography, a way of using X-rays to make three dimensional pictures of the inside of the human body, used by doctors to treat diesease (See Wikipedia)
modality images - ?
DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) - "a standard for handling, storing, printing, and transmitting information in medical imaging. It includes a file format definition and a network communications protocol" (See Wikipedia)
medical imaging - making pictures of inside human body in order to reveal, diagnose and examine disease (See Wikipedia)
file - to take official action, in this case, to make an official complaint ยื่นคำร้อง
healthcare - the treatment and prevention of diseases and other medical problems

Hospitals can choose to use only tele-imaging and send the images their own radiologists to interpret, or to send the image via the Tele-Reader service from the company's radiologist network team, which incurs a fee of 12-20 percent.

The company offers the application via a subscription or Software as a Service (SaaS) model in order to make it affordable at every level. The company sees this as a way to thank Thai society after it was established with the assistance of Thailand Science Park.

interpret - to decide what the meaning of something is อธิบาย,ชี้แจง
image - any picture or photo
network - a large system of connected parts, organisations, people, etc. เครือข่าย
fee - an amount of money that you pay to be allowed to do something ค่าธรรมเนียม, ค่าตอบแทน, ค่าบริการ
subscription - an amount of money that you pay regularly to receive a product or service or to be a member of an organization การบอกรับเป็นสมาชิก
affordable - does not cost too much, so people have enough money to use or buy it, not expensive ไม่แพง
established - started for the first time
assistance - help (given to someone)
Thailand Science Park (TSP) -  founded in 2002 as a center for research and development under the management of the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) , Ministry of Science and Technology. Its mission are to promote innovation and R&D activities in the private sector and to develop a critical mass of R&D human resource for Thailand (See website and previous article)

Normally, if a general hospital has to invest in its own system, it has to pay at least 10 million baht for the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) and its own storage.

Furthermore, it is common that rural hospitals may have adequate medical facilities but a shortage of radiologists, meaning the expensive equipment is under-utilised.

storage - the putting and keeping of things in a special place for use in the future การเก็บ
common - usual, ordinary
rural - connected with the countryside outside big towns and cities (farms, forests) ในชนบท, บ้านนอก
adequate - good enough or large enough for a particular purpose พอเพียง
facilities - the buildings, equipment and services provided for a particular purpose สิ่งอำนวยความสะดวก
under-utilised - not used much, could be used more

Under the SaaS model, the company charges 4,900 baht per month for unlimited use. This has so far been adopted by 20 hospitals nationwide, including Praram 9 Hospital and Vejthani Hospital in Bangkok, Srisawan Hospital in Nakhon Sawan and other provincial hospitals. The system has been used in more than 30,000 cases since October last year.

The solution allows radiologists to access the system from other hospitals or even from home via the internet and view the images and send back their interpretations.

charges - a payment that has to be made for something เงินที่เรียกเก็บ
adopted - they started using it
nationwide - including the whole country ทั่วประเทศ
access - the right or opportunity to have, use or get something ได้รับสิทธิ์หรือโอกาสในการใช้
interpretations - the meaning they found in it, after looking at it

The application guarantees a 30-minute turnaround time for sending and receiving.

We have great doctors and radiologists, especially in the leading hospitals, on standby 24 hours a day, but typically there are fewer patients in a night shift, so this [Tele Diag] service will help hospitals to maximise their staff efficiency as well as increase revenue," said Surachon Gunvijit, Managing Director of Prodigi.

turnaround time - the time it takes to do a job (here the time it takes to send and receive)
typically - usually; normally อย่างเป็นแบบฉบับ
shift - a period of work time in a factory, hospital or other place where some people work during the day and some work at night กะ หรือระยะเวลาทำงานเป็นช่วงๆ เช่น กะเช้า้ กะบ่าย กะกลางคืน
night shift - the group of employees at a company who work at night
maximise - make big, as big as possible
staff - workers, employees, people who work at a company พนักงาน
efficiency - waste little time, energy and resources in doing a task (minimize time, energy and resources in performing a task) (See glossary) การทำงานอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพ คุ้มค่าเวลาและใช้พลังงานหรือต้นทุนในการผลิตน้อย เพื่อให้ได้ผลผลิตมาก, operating without waste, getting the job done without using a lot of resources, doing a lot with a little resources
revenue - income from taxes or business activities รายได้

He added that the application received the Outstanding Telecom Application award in 2009 from the Telecommunications Research and Industrial Development Institute (TRIDI ).

This lends more credibility to the software and has spurred the company to enhance its features to support bigger file sizes, from the current 1 GB to 2 GB within this year. 

Telecommunications Research and Industrial Development Institute (TRIDI ) - Thai government organisation that supports telecommuncations research (See website)
credibility - believability, the degree to which something can be believed or trusted ความน่าเชื่อถือ,ความน่าไว้วางใจ
spurred - caused ก่อให้เกิด
enhance - to improve the quality, amount or strength of something ทำให้ดีเพิ่มขึ้น
features - the  special things that a product has that make it different from other similar products (example: a mobile phone with a camera or MP3 player)
support - help, by giving money, for example สนับสนุน
current - of the present time ปัจจุบัน

He also plans to expand this service to boost Thailand's profile as one of the region's leading teleradiology service providers and gain customers from India, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

However, a broader service would require a further investment of some 60 million baht to facilitate a bigger capacity data centre with backup storage and call centre support.

expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
boost - to increase; to strengthen เพิ่ม; ทำให้มีกำลังมากขึ้น, ทำให้มีกำลังมากขึ้น
profile - personal information on a website (a description of who you are, your work and your personal interests, likes and dislikes) 
profile - a description
investment - taking your money and putting it into projects to make a profit or earn interest (buying stock shares, bonds, real estate)
capacity - the largest amount that can be produced with current resources (factory, equipment, machines, facilities) ความสามารถในการ (ผลิต) ความสามารถ (ความจุ) ในการจัดการ
data - facts or information used for making calculations or decisions ข้อมูล
backup - after using a file on a computer, keeping a copy for looking at and using in the future (See Wikipedia)
backup storage - the hard drive or other device used to keep a copy  of a file
call center - a centralised office for receiving and sending a large amount of telephone calls to provide such things as product support or information requests from a company's customers, also outgoing calls for telemarketing, clientele, product services, and debt collection (See Wikipedia)
support -  help

It will take time to grow the business and this will also require further investment, but at this stage we have reached an informal agreement with Bumrungrad International Hospital, Vejthani Hospital and Bangkok Hospital as partners in a radiologists network to provide cross broader services," said Surachon.

stage - a particular point in time during a process or set of events จังหวะเวลา, ระยะเวลา ช่วงเวลา, ช่วง
informal - not official
partners - the companies owning part of the joint venture หุ้นส่วน
provide - to give someone something that they want or need
services - บริการต่างๆ things produced in service industries, not a physical good that can be bought, a waitress and a cook in a restaurant provide a service, technically: a sequence of activities that does not result in ownership of the outcome (See Wikipedia on services and the goods and services continuum)

Animals to benefit too

Surachon continued that this month Prodigi plans to introduce the first "TeleVet" in Thailand, allowing veterinary surgeries to send and receive laboratory results and digital X-rays.

The web-based application will improve tele-consulting between veterinarians at different surgeries through the exchange of images and information.

benefit - to get help or an advantage from something ผลประโยชน์
digital - using a computer (opposite: analogue)
laboratory results - what the tests say about a person's health and illness, tests that a doctor ordered a laboratory to do 
veterinary - relating to the care of animals that are ill or injured by veterinarians (animal doctors)
results - what is produced in the end by an activity or task
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
consulting - discussing something with someone in order to get their advice or their permission to do something หารือ

Currently, there are 1,000 animal clinics in Thailand, and the treatment of animal patients face similar difficulties as with their human counterparts. For example, there is also a lack of experts or specialists in this field - a problem which can also be eased with software.

The TeleVet application will help to reduce the physical and technological gap between veterinary surgeries and clinics in urban and rural areas.

clinics - places with doctors where people go to get treated for medical problems
counterpart - something with a similar function or position 
lack - does not have ขาดแคลน
field - a subject of study in a university or professional work such as architecture, law or medicine
physical gap - the physical distance between people (example: I am located in the city and you are located in the countryside farming area)
technological gap - the difference between the technology available in two places (example: low tech in rural areas and high tech in city)
urban - of or in a city or town ในเมือง

For example, a veterinarian in a rural area may require co-consulting from central hospitals when presented with special or unusual cases or symptoms, or diseases specific to certain animals.

Tele services help medical experts to reduce barriers and improve patients' quality of life," Surachon concluded.

veterinarian - a person with a medical degree trained to take care of the health of animals สัตวแพทย์
consulting - giving advice
co-consulting - consulting together with someone else ("co-" means that two or more people are doing the activity together)
symptoms - things in and on a person's body that tell a doctor that they have a disease
reduce barriers - get rid of and eliminate the things that prevent you from doing things
quality of life - a measure of the well-being of people in a country or place that includes things other than income such as "the  environment, physical and mental health, education, recreation and leisure time, and social belonging" (See Wikipedia)
concluded - ended

(Source: Software to bridge gap between hospitals, Applications help ease shortage of experts, 3/03/2010, Suchit Leesa-nguansuk, link)


]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/healthcare_industry/medical_imaging_software_devel.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/healthcare_industry/medical_imaging_software_devel.php Healthcare Industry Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:08:30 +0600 Thai government stops rice sales temporarily to shore up prices (03-03-10) new

Thai government stops rice sales temporarily to shore up prices

By Jon Fernquest

rice bagsFrom the very beginning, the administration of Prime Minister Abhisit was saddled with massive rice stocks accumulated by previous governments currying favour with the rural electorate.

Ever increasing quantities of rice were bought at inflated prices until there were no longer enough warehouses to store the rice in (See archives #1 and #2).

This, in a nutshell, was the unsustainable strategy of the Thaksin-backed Samak and Somchai administrations that preceded Prime Minister Abhisit.

Selling this rice without the Thai government and taxpayers losing a large amount of money is the big problem the current government faces now.

Thailand is such a big exporter of rice that the rice it puts into the world rice market could affect prices in this market.

Vietnam, another major rice exporter, has devalued its exchange rate recently (Read article).

With these conditions currently pushing the price of rice downwards worldwide, the Thai government is taking a "wait and see" attitude towards future rice sales.

Today's article begins after the vocabulary.

shore up - support, help make strong, prevent weakness (falling prices)
from the very beginning Y - from the very first Y, Y has been the truth or situation from the start (although the public may have forgotten this) 
administration - the government of a country
saddled with -  be given a big problem that you have to deal with and solve (example: the company was saddled with a huge debt)
massive - in large quantities and amounts
stocks - large amounts of something stored for future use
accumulated - to get more and more of something over a period of time
currying favour - doing things to make people like you
rural - in the countryside, in the farming areas
electorate - all the people who can vote in an election
inflated prices - prices that are too high  
warehouses - large buildings for storing goods and commodities such as rice in 
in a nutshell - a short summary
unsustainable - an activity that cannot be continued for a long time into the future (because doing it causes problems that require an end to the activity)
strategy - a plan for achieving a goal
X preceded Y - X came before Y
devalue exchange rate - to make the currency of a country less valuable compared to other countries (thus making the exports of that country cheaper)
devaluation (noun) - when a country devalues its exchange rate (to make its goods cheaper and more competitive on international export markets)
"wait and see" attitude - before making a decision "waiting" for a time and "seeing" what will happen first

Economics

Govt scraps sales of rice stocks

Move made to scotch rumours of huge sell-off
2/03/2010
Phusadee Arunmas

The government last week scrapped its second attempt in less than a month to sell rice from its stocks, citing "unacceptably low" bids from exporters.

It also vowed not to sell any rice stocks over the next 3-4 months to curb falling prices, which have weakened since rumours spread that the government would sell up to 2 million tonnes from its rice stocks over the next few months.

scrap, scotch - end
rumour - a story that people are discussing but which may or may not be true ข่าวลือ (See Wikipedia)
sell-off - sell everything (or at least large amounts)
scrapped - ended, cancelled, decided not to continue with something, such as a plan or event ยุติแผนที่วางไว้
citing - mentioning as a reason ให้ อ้างอิงเหตุผล
vowed - say firmly that you will do or not do something
curb - stop or reduce ลดหรือยุติ, ควบคุม, ระงับ
spread - to gradually affect or cover a larger area แพร่หลาย, แพร่กระจาย

An industry veteran said there are rumour-mongers who want to batter the rice prices and dismantle the government's price insurance programme for farmers in order to force a return to the previous rice pledging or intervention scheme.

The incumbent government first introduced the crop insurance or options programme for the 2009-10 harvest season to manage key crop prices and guarantee farmers' incomes.

veteran - a person who has a lot of experience in a particular area or activity ผู้อาวุโส
rumour-mongers - people who like to create rumours that aren't true in order to cause problems
batter - to make someone or something suffer or seem weak ทำให้พังยับเยิน
dismantle - to take something apart ที่รื้อถอน
insurance - a system of protection against loss, a person pays money every month (premiums) for a guarantee that the company will pay them money if they or their property is damaged or lost (See Wikipedia) การประกันภัย 
force - act strongly so that some event that you want happens
rice pledging - the old system of rice farmer subsidies (farmer deposits rice with government, gets loan that he never repays)
intervention - becoming involved in a situation and trying to change it การแทรกแซง
scheme - a plan that is developed by a government or large organisation in order to provide a particular service for people แผนการ โครงการ
options - choices ทางเลือก
harvest - gather in ripe crops เก็บเกี่ยว
key - important คนสำคัญ
guarantee - a promise that something will be done or will happen คำรับรอง, การประกัน (See glossary)

It replaces a pledging scheme, used by successive governments, which offered high prices and proved to be politically popular in rural communities.

The new price insurance scheme represents income support paid directly to farmers. Payments will be based on the difference between insured prices and benchmark prices, regardless of the market prices farmers receive when they sell their crop.

successive - one after another, one then another then another..... and so on...
rural -  in the countryside (farms, forests), not the city ในชนบท, บ้านนอก
communities - small local groups of people who live near each other and share their lives together
income - money that people receive from work or some other source, used for household consumption and savings
support - help, by giving money, for example สนับสนุน
benchmark - a standard that other things can be compared to and measured by เกณฑ,์ มาตรฐาน, เกณฑ์มาตรฐาน

The insured prices are based on average production costs and a profit margin of 30% to 40%. The benchmark prices were based on weighted average wholesale prices of rice in Bangkok equivalent to paddy with less than 15% moisture content.

The benchmark price will be set on the first and sixteenth days of each month.

average - the ordinary level or measurement, in the middle of a group เฉลี่ย
weighted average - some numbers or measurements used to make the average are more important (more heavily weighted) than others
profit, profit margin - money that you make from selling goods and services after all your costs have been paid กำไร
wholesale - relating to the business of selling large quantities of goods, especially to people who are going to sell them in a shop ขายส่ง
equivalent - the same as เท่าเทียมกันกับ
paddy - rice after it has been harvested from the field ข้าวเปลือก
moisture - water in the air or inside a substance (like rice)
moisture content of rice - how much water there is in rice being stored 

The programme is designed to benefit all farmers, particularly small-scale farmers. Compensation will be transferred directly to farmers by the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Co-operative (BAAC). Farmers will manage their own sales decisions in terms of when to capitalise on the spread between the insured price and the benchmark price.

Such rumours are possibly set up collaboratively by traders, millers and politicians who want to foil the government's crop insurance plan and force it to turn back to traditional intervention programme," said Nipon Wongtrangan, honorary president of Thai Rice Millers Association and ex-president of Thai rice Millers Association.

benefit - to get help or advantage from something ผลประโยชน์
scale - size (relative size)
transferred - moved, changed someone's job or responsibilities โยกย้ายตำแหน่ง
X in terms of Y - doing X using Y
capitalise on - make a profit from, make money from 
spread between price X and price Y - the difference between price X and price y
capitalise on the spread between the insured price and the benchmark price - make a profit from the difference between two prices (buying at a lower price and selling at a higher price)
foil - prevent people from doing something bad
traders - people whose business is buying and selling things
collaboratively - people working together to achieve shared goals
traditional - following the old and established ways of doing things

As we saw in the previous week, the prices of local paddy has significantly reduced to as low as 6,000 baht per tonne in certain areas, opening room for certain groups of millers to buy local grain at cheaper prices.

Once the prices fell, a group of farmers immediately staged a rally that was well equipped with loudspeakers and amplifiers. The farmers' rally seemed to be too well-organised.

local - in the small area that you live in ท้องถิ่น
significantly - in an important way อย่างสำคัญ
grain - the seed from cereal crops such as rice, wheat, or corn เมล็ดพืช
immediately - happening right after something else with no delay; right away ทันที
staged - carry out or do some large event (that needs a lot of planning and organisation)
rally - a large public gathering of people to support someone or to protest against something การชุมนุม
loudspeakers - a device that converts electrical signals into sounds loud enough to be heard at a distance (See Wikipedia)
amplifiers - an electronic device that increases the strength of a weak electronic signal, used to make music or sound coming out of loudspeaker louder (See Wikipedia)

Mr Nipon said the farmers protested even though they were fully aware that the government offers them 9,000 to 10,000 baht per tonne of paddy under the crop insurance programme.

Mr Nipon said declining prices also benefit investors in the futures market, as they could buy the futures cheaply and profit once the prices rose.

aware - knowing that something exists, or having knowledge or experience of a particular thing ทราบ
fully aware - knowing and completely accepting that something exists (not still evaluating or debating whether it exists)
futures - a contract to buy something in the future, a contract that is traded on a public exchange, so the price reflects current expectations about the value of the underlying asset (See Economist Glossary on derivatives) การซื้อขายล่วงหน้า

We believe the rice prices will gradually increase after the market realises the rumours are not true," said Mr Nipon. "The National Rice Policy Committee has insisted the government would not sell 500,000 tonnes from its rice stocks to curb supply.

Rice prices are unlikely to be on a par with last month, when milled rice fetched 16,000 to 17,000 baht per tonne, as the market realised second-crop harvests from Thailand, Vietnam and India would come out during March.

Milled rice is currently quoted at about 15,000 baht per tonne.

Mr Nipon predicted rice prices would rise from the middle of the year, as El Nino is expected to cause dry spells and cut crop output.

insisted - say firmly that something must happen or is true, and will not change mind
realised - achieved ทำให้เป็นจริง
quoted, quoted price - a price for goods that a seller tells possible buyers
expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
dry spells - periods of very dry weather when there is no rain

(Source: Govt scraps sales of rice stocks, Move made to scotch rumours of huge sell-off, 2/03/2010, Phusadee Arunmas, link)

]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/agriculture/thai_government_stops_rice_sal.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/agriculture/thai_government_stops_rice_sal.php Agriculture Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:49:06 +0600 Shocking details of Thailand's customs laws and the need for reform (26-02-10) customsaudti

Shocking details of Thailand's customs laws
and the need for reform

By Jon Fernquest

customs officerMost people probably do not know how the Customs Department in Thailand operates.

For example, that customs officials are motivated by personal gain rather than purely by justice in resolving cases.

By law they stand to personally gain money and wealth in the cases they investigate if they find suspects guilty.

An op-ed piece in the business section this week revealed all the shocking details.

customs - the government agency that controls goods coming into and going out of the country and collects taxes on them กรมศุลกากร
reform - improvement, changes to correct a situation that is wrong or unfair การแก้ไข การปฏิรูป
X motivated by Y - Y causes X to act the way they do 
personal gain - when you yourself make money (not what your employer or the public that you serve as a civil servant usually wants)
purely by - only by
justice - fairness in the way people are treated
resolving - solving and ending a problem
officials - people who hold positions of authority and who make decisions in an organisation
stands to gain from Y - will gain money or other advantage if Y happens  

Economics
TAX CORNER

Getting the facts behind a customs audit

23/02/2010
By Prangtip Anantavipat and Piphob Veraphong

If you need to know the consequences when you encounter a customs audit, this article will gives you a few ideas. Once a mistake arises, the customs authorities tend to accuse you of an offence under Section 27 of Customs Act B.E. 2469 (1926) with a jail term of up to 10 years. There is also a penalty of 400%, not of the deficient duties but of the entire imported value itself.

audit - the process of checking for irregularities or things that are wrong (See Wikipedia)
consequences - the things that happen as a result of a decision or event
encounter - to meet; to experience or deal with something, especially a problem เผชิญกับ (ปัญหา)
authorities - the people with power, the government เจ้าหน้าที่ ผู้มีอำนาจของรัฐ 
tend - to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic มักจะ
offence - a crime or illegal activity for which there is a punishment การกระทำผิดกฎหมาย
term - a period of time
jail term - a period of time that a person found guilty of a crime must spend in jail
penalty - a punishment, or the usual punishment, for doing something that is against a law โทษ
deficient - not enough
duties - tariffs, taxes paid on imported goods

Penalties also apply in case of importation of certain goods without a licence or without carrying out proper customs formalities, or mistakenly interpreting a free trade agreement (FTA). The outcome is always considered an offence by customs officers even if the mistake is caused by negligence or misinterpretation. The 400% penalty has been used as a tool by the customs officers to convince you to settle the case in exchange for a reduced penalty to 200% of the deficient duties (rather than of the import value) and the waiver of criminal charges.

X apply to Y, X apply in case of Y - X are used in case Y, X are true in case Y  
licence - an official document that gives someone permission to do or use something ใบอนุญาต
proper - right or correct
formalities - details you must follow if you don't want to break the law
Free Trade Agreement (FTA) - an agreement between a  group of countries to eliminate many tariffs, quotas and preferences on goods passing between them (See Wikipedia)
outcome - a result ผล
officers - people in an organisation who make the decisions (who have authority)
negligence - when you do not give enough care or attention to someone or something ความประมาท, ความไม่เอาใจใส่
misinterpretation - not getting the right meaning from a document or text
convince - make people believe or do something
settle - to reach a decision or an agreement about something, or to end a disagreement แก้ปัญหา
import - to buy or bring in products from another country นำเข้า
waiver - permission not to follow a rule
criminal charges - bring a criminal case against a person, accuse someone officially of committing a crime ตั้งข้อกล่าวหา

One of the known reasons for active customs audits is the reward-sharing programme. An amount equal to 30% of the penalties will be granted to people outside the Customs Department as a reward for identifying an offence. Another 25% is shared among officers participating in an arrest or investigation. Only the remaining 45% goes to the national treasury. With this incentive, any attempt to seek a waiver of customs penalties or an appeal process by an importer tends to be detrimental to the interest of people who have their shares in this reward programme.

active - doing a lot of an activity, doing activity intensely 
reward - money that someone receives for finding and returning something or for helping the police รางวัล
reward-sharing programme - a program in which many people split a reward given for achieving something
penalties - บทลงโทษ
granted - officially gave ให ้ (เงินกู้)
identifying - can name the person, know who the person is ระบุชื่อ
investigation - the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something in order to discover who or what caused it or how it happened การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง
treasury - the system or government department responsible for financial matters such as spending and taxation ระบบการคลัง
incentive - a reward to encourage people to act in certain ways สิ่งกระตุ้น
appeal - to request that a court decision by changed ขออุทธรณ์
process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
detrimental - causing loss or a disadvantage (harm, damage, hurt) to someone 
detrimental to the interest of Y - causing  Y to lose or suffer a disadvantage
shares - part of something that is yours, that you own

As a matter of law, if you can prove that you have no intention to avoid paying the duty, there is a way to waive or, if not all, to substantially reduce the customs penalties. Most companies do not want to fight against the Customs Department as they are afraid of criminal offences and cannot afford the economic impact from the 400% penalty based on the import value if they happen to lose the case. Some do not want to fight, even if they have a high chance of winning, as they are expecting a legitimate kickback of 30% of the penalties from their own organisation.

matter - an issue, a situation or subject which is being dealt with or considered เรื่อง, ภารกิจ, งาน, something that you are discussing, considering or dealing with สิ่งที่พูดถึง ประเด็นที่พูดถึง
a matter of law - some issue in a legal case that is being dealt with 
intention - a plan in your mind to do something ความตั้งใจ เจตนา แผนการ
waive - officially give permission to not do some required thing
substantially reduce - reduce by a large amount
afford - to have enough money to be able to pay for something มีเงินพอจับจ่าย ซื้อหา
impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
chance - what happens when you don't control events (example: gambling = games of chance)
legitimate - correct according to the law ที่ถูกต้องตามกฎหมาย
kickback - an amount of money that is paid to someone illegally in exchange for secret help or work เงินสินบน, เงินใต้โต๊ะ

You may find it a shock to learn that, in a number of investigations, there is no way the Customs Department can have information on the operation of a business unless some insider leaks the information in exchange for rewards. Of course, the rewards would not be very attractive if the company in question decides to appeal. The law encourages settlement by reducing the penalty to 200% of the deficient duties and by waiving the criminal charge if the company agrees to settle the case. Still the reduced penalties continue to be shared at the same ratio.

insider - a person who works in an organisation and who has access to secret information
leaks the information - make secret information within an organisation available to the public
do X in exchange for Y - do X for someone who then give you Y in return
attractive - worth having or doing
the company in question - the company involved in the case, the company referred to here
settlement - when the people involved in a legal case get together and make an agreement to end the case
settle the case - make a settlement (see above)
ratio - a percentage of the whole, the way that something is divided (10% to X, 30% to Y,....etc)

It is often the case that the insider has co-operated with customs officers to hurriedly bring to case to an end by claiming that the compromise is more beneficial to the company. Unfortunately, this is no justice to shareholders or the staff of the company who get nothing from this settlement.

compromise - give up something to reach an agreement ประนีประนอม
beneficial - helpful or good มีประโยชน์
justice - when people are treated fairly and equally (See Wikipedia) ความยุติธรรม
shareholders - those who won the stock of a company
staff - workers, employees พนักงาน

Keep in mind that if the company has no intention whatsoever to avoid tax, it has legal rights to protect itself from such penalties. A good example can be seen in the steel industry. While a few companies gave up, some refused to settle the cases and appealed against the demand notice for payment of the penalties. The court subsequently ruled in favour of these companies.

keep in mind that - remember that
has no intention whatsoever to - for sure does not plan to do
rights - what the law allows you to have and do สิทธิ์ (See Wikipedia)
gave up - stop doing an activity or trying to solve a problem
notice - information or warning หมายเตือ
a demand notice - an official document sent to someone requesting that they pay money
subsequently - after that
favour - to give an advantage to someone or something, often in an unfair way ช่วยเหลือ
ruled in favour of Y - when a court of law's decision benefits or helps Y 

Last but not least, the customs laws allow a settlement even if you have already submitted an appeal against the demand notice. There is no rush to settle a case with the customs officers and you should try to protect the company's rights first unless you are expecting to share the rewards programme.

Last but not least,... - the last thing I will talk about is....(and because i talk about it last does not mean it is not important)
submitted - formally given to someone so they can make a decision about it ยื่นเอกสารเพื่อการพิจารณา
rush - to move or do something very quickly รีบเร่ง, วิ่ง
share - to have or use something at the same time as someone else ใช้ร่วมกัน

One good lesson from this is that an organisation should appoint people who are keen on guarding its interests when dealing with customs. At any rate, you might have heard the news that the Thai government is considering hard how to amend the customs laws. One big aspect would involve a reform of the reward-sharing programme as there are pros and cons in this regard. Let's keep an eye on developments in the future

appoint - to choose someone officially for a job or responsibility แต่งตั้ง,ตั้งให้เป็น
keen - very interested, eager or wanting (to do) something very much สนใจ, ใจจดใจจ่อ
interests - connections that you may benefit from, therefore affects your attitude to it and the way you deal with it
at any rate -
amend - to make changes to a document, law, agreement, etc. especially in order to improve it การแก้ไขกฎหมาย
aspect - one part of a situation, problem, subject, etc ด้าน,มุม
reform - improve, a change that is intended to correct a situation that is wrong or unfair การแก้ไข การปฏิรูป
pros - advantages
cons - disadvantages ข้อเสีย
in this regard - in this issue, in this matter
keep an eye on - watch (to see what happens)

By Prangtip Anantavipat and Piphob Veraphong (Lawalliance Limited Company) They can be reached at admin@lawalliance.co.th

(Source: Bangkok Post, TAX CORNER, Getting the facts behind a customs audit, 23/02/2010, Prangtip Anantavipat and Piphob Veraphong, link)



]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/government/shocking_details_of_thailands.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/government/shocking_details_of_thailands.php Government Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:40:35 +0600 Reducing government spending in Thailand by reducing costly sugar subsidies (25-02-10)

Reducing government spending in Thailand by reducing costly sugar subsidies

By Jon Fernquest

sugarcaneThe price of sugar is set to rise in the near future (Read previous articles #1 and #2).

So the Thai government sees this as an opportune time to cut back on costly sugar subsidies.

Today's article begins after the vocabulary.

X set to Y - Y will very likely happen to X in the near future (price is set to rise, the schedule is set to change, the stock index is set to rise in the near future)
an opportune time - the right time to do something (the time most likely to lead to success)
cut back - reduce
subsidies - when the government pays part of the cost of some activity to encourage it เงินช่วยเหลือจากรัฐ เงินช่วยเหลือ เงินสนับสนุน

Economics

Govt to cut sugar and cane subsidies to save public funds

25/02/2010
Chatrudee Theparat

The government may reduce subsidies for sugar and cane farmers later this year in a bid to curb public spending, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says.

Mr Abhisit yesterday said he supported the findings of a study by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) which recommended that subsidies for cane and sugar be altered later this year when the Cane and Sugar Fund should be free of debt.

cane, sugar cane - sugar plants before they are turned into sugar in a sugar mill (See Wikipedia)
sugar mill - a factory that turns sugar crops into a good that can be sold in stores and consumed
subsidies - when the government pays part of the cost of some activity to encourage it เงินช่วยเหลือจากรัฐ เงินช่วยเหลือ เงินสนับสนุน
funds - an amount of money kept for a special purpose กองทุน
public funds - government money kept for special use or project
bid - an attempt to do something ความพยายาม
curb - stop or reduce ลดหรือยุติ
public spending - government spending
findings - the results or conclusions of an investigation or research
altered - changed
debt - an amount of money that you owe หนี้
free of debt - having no debt (borrower does not owe money to lenders anymore)

This would allow the government to cut its spending by reducing the level of assistance to farmers.

The study showed that subsidising the sugar industry had resulted in significant costs to the public purse.

assistance - help (given to someone)
significant - important สำคัญ
public purse - government spending

The study also examined the impact of subsidising products such as rice, tapioca, longan, rubber and dairy goods.

The combined subsidies cost the government about 70 billion baht a year. The sugar and cane sector accounted for about 12-16 billion baht per year.

The cane and sugar industry has not followed market demand for three decades as the government developed a quota system to allocate supply for the domestic and export markets. The Cane and Sugar Fund was also set up to provide financial assistance to farmers.

impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
tapioca - cassava, an important food source of carbohydrates, also source of ethanol car fuel (See Wikipedia) มันสำปะหลัง
longan - a fruit (See Wikipedia)
dairy - milk and foods made from milk such as butter, cream, and cheese
sector - a part of a country's economy or business activity ภาคเศรษฐกิจของประเทศ
demand - the need and desire to buy goods and services by households and businesses
decades - periods of ten years เป็นสิบๆปี
quota - the limited quantity that is officially allowed (for example, an import quota for clothing from an exporting country )
allocate - to officially give out an amount of or share of something แบ่งส่วน
domestic - ในประเทศ within the country
provide - to give someone something that they want or need
financial assistance - helping by giving money

The subsidies drive the industry's growth by lifting yields and total sugar output, which has risen to 80 million tonnes from 20 million over 30 years.

But they also distorted the market and resulted in the fund being mired in debt as farmers failed to pay back loans.

TDRI president Nipon Paopongsakorn said a scheme like the new price insurance scheme used with maize and tapioca crops should replace sugar subsidies.

drive growth - cause growth
yields - how much crop a farmer gets from farming one hectare of land ผลผลิต
distorted the market - caused prices to not be set by supply and demand anymore
mired in debt - must pay back a lot of money that you borrowed (debt) (like being stuck in mud or "mired" in mud)
scheme - a plan that is developed by a government or large organisation in order to provide a particular service for people แผนการ โครงการ
insurance - a system of protection against loss, a person pays money every month (premiums) for a guarantee that the company will pay them money if they or their property is damaged or lost (See Wikipedia) การประกันภัย crop insurance
insurance - making regular payments in exchange for a large payment to cover damage if a certain bad event happens (accident, sickness, fire, natural disaster) (See Wikipedia)
maize - a tall plant grown in many parts of the world for its yellow seeds which are eaten as food, made into flour or fed to animals ข้าวโพด
replace - to get rid of someone or something, and to put a new person or thing in its place เลิกให้และนำสิ่งใหม่มาใช้แทน

It [a price insurance scheme] will help reduce the burdens on all related parties including farmers, as well as sealing loopholes for corruption," said Dr Nipon.

More than 400,000 farmers are signed up with the maize price insurance scheme, compared with the 80,000 who benefited from the previous subsidies. More than 400,000 tapioca farmers also benefit from the new programme compared with 250,000 previously.

burdens - problems or responsibilities that causes you a lot of difficulties and hard work
parties - people or companies entering into a business arrangement or deal
related parties - involved people and organisations
loopholes - ways to get around a law
sealing the loopholes - get rid of or eliminate the loopholes in the law
signed up - joined a program
benefit - to get help or an advantage from something ผลประโยชน์

Rice farmers engaged in the government programme trebled to about 3 million once the insurance scheme was implemented. But despite this surge, government expenditure fell to 30 billion baht from the 70-80 billion baht it paid in subsidies each year.

Under previous rice subsidies farmers pledged paddy at authorised millers at prices set by the government. But market prices rarely exceeded those set by the government, leaving the state with huge rice stockpiles.

engaged - involved in some activity
implemented - when a plan is put into action, actually doing the things in the plan
surge - to increase very quickly เพิ่มขึ้นอย่างรวดเร็ว
expenditure - spending money
paddy - rice after it has been harvested from the field ข้าวเปลือก
pledged paddy - money that the farmers kept with the government in exchange for payments
authorised - given official permission to do something ได้สั่งการให้
rarely - not happening often นานๆ ครั้ง, ไม่บ่อย
exceeded - went beyond, went past 
state - government รัฐ
stockpiles - large amounts of something stored for future use กองสินค้าในโกดัง

The new options plan minimises state expenditure and ensures farm incomes are supported.

Farmers register with the scheme when a benchmark price for paddy and guaranteed minimum prices for farmers are set. If the benchmark price is lower than the price guarantee, farmers will be compensated for the difference.

options - choices ทางเลือก
minimises - makes as small as possible
support farm incomes - provide money so that the incomes of farmers do not fall with low crop prices
register - make an official record of something with the government
register - have name put on an official list (and receive permission to do something like vote or marry) ลงทะเบียน ขึ้นทะเบียน (ขอใบอนุญาต)
benchmark - a standard for comparison
guarantee - a promise that something will be done or will happen คำรับรอง, การประกัน
compensated - given money for a loss or injury suffered
compensated for the difference - given money to bring the price received up to the higher price

Mr Abhisit, speaking yesterday at a seminar organised by the National Anti-Corruption Commission on government intervention in farm products and anti-graft measures, pledged to invest in an IT system to gather data in order to help prevent corruption.

intervention - becoming involved in a situation and trying to change it การแทรกแซง
government intervention - when the government gets involved in some activity it is usually not involved in (like buying and selling farmers' crops)
graft - corruption การฉ้อโกง
measures - actions that are intended to achieve or deal with something มาตราการ
pledged - promised
data - facts or information used for making calculations or decisions ข้อมูล

(Source: Govt to cut sugar and cane subsidies to save public funds, 25/02/2010, Chatrudee Theparat , link)





]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/agriculture/reducing_government_spending_i.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/agriculture/reducing_government_spending_i.php Agriculture Thu, 25 Feb 2010 12:14:20 +0600 Laid off workers in Thailand set up their own factory to continue working (23-02-10)

Laid off workers in Thailand set up their own factory to continue working

By Jon Fernquest

underwear [protestsAbout 200 former workers who were laid off during the global economic downturn have been camped out at the Labour Ministry since their request for extra severance pay was denied last year.

Some of these workers even set up their own factory at the ministry to continue producing even though they no longer had a job (See photo montage on right and read article).

The sort of worker self-management and worker cooperative seen in this article actually has a long history (See Wikipedia).

Today's article begins after the vocabulary:

laid-off - when workers lose their job because the business is not making money during bad economic times
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
economic downturn, recession, slump - a period of time when the economy is in bad condition and income and wealth declines
camped out - staying at and living at a place without leaving (because it is necessary for some reason such as a protest or there is a long line to buy tickets for some event, for example)
severance - the act of ending a worker's employment (workers lose their job)
severance pay - money paid to workers when they lose their job
denied, request denied - told they can't do or have something
a photo montage - a photo or picture made by combining many separate photos (See photo on right)
worker self-management - when the workers are involved in and participate in the management of a company or organisation (See Wikipedia)
worker cooperative - a company owned and managed by workers (See Wikipedia)

Angry Underpants

Laid-off garment workers take on former boss at own game and strike blow for labour rights
20/02/2010
Kultida Samabuddhi

Factory workers made redundant from swimwear and undergarment giant Triumph International are taking on their former employer at his own game.

The workers run a small factory making underwear, which started as a protest gesture but is now an earner in its own right.

underpants - the pants that people wear under their pants
undergarments - the pants and shirts that people wear under their cloths (See Wikipedia)
laid-off - when workers lose their job because the business is not making money during bad economic times
garment - clothes
take on - compete with, fight with
strike a blow - hit
strike blow for - do something to protect or defend someone (like hit someone in a fight)
labour rights - the things that workers are guaranteed to get by the law, by the constitution or international human rights agreements 
garment - clothes
strike - a sudden attack การโจมตี
blow - an event that damages your chances of success สิ่งที่ทำให้เกิดความเสียหาย
rights - what the law allows you to have and do สิทธิ์ (See Wikipedia)
redundant - something not needed (because you already have it or something like it)
employer - a person, company, or organisation that pays someone to work for them as a member of their staff นายจ้าง
protest - a strong complaint or disagreement ประท้วง
gesture - something that you do or say to show a particular feeling or intention ท่าที ท่าทาง ลักษณะท่าทาง 

reasons to buy arm underwearThey call their brand Try Arm, a name inspired by a drawing given to the workers by a Chulalongkorn student who sympathised with their plight.

She drew women workers, their arms raised, in a gesture symbolising their labour struggle, said Jitra Kotchadej, union adviser to the workers.

brand - a type of product made by a particular company ตรา, ยี่ห้อ
plight - in a sad and difficult situation full of problems สภาพเลวร้าย
gesture - a motion made with the body
symbolising - having a deeper meaning than what is just seen (physically on the surface)
struggle - a difficult fight or an attempt to defeat someone การต่อสู้เพื่อความอยู่รอด
union, labour union - an organisation that helps workers get better pay and benefits such as health insurance (See Wikipedia)
adviser -  an expert who tells other people what they should do (based on his experience and knowledge)

When they lost their jobs last year, some of the workers had worked for Triumph for more than 30 years. They say they are still waiting for a decent explanation from the company about why they were laid off.

The workers created the brand last October, two months after they were made redundant by Body Fashion Thailand (BFT), Triumph's manufacturing arm.

decent - has acceptable standard or quality
explanation - the reasons given why something happened
made redundant - laid off , workers lose jobs
arm - a part of an organisation that deals with a particular subject or activity หน่วยงาน

The firm laid off 1,959 workers at its factory in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district in August, citing a "global restructuring programme to deal with the difficult economic conditions.

The redundant workers, mainly women, said the firm failed to tell them their jobs were at risk.

firm - a business or company บริษัม
citing - mentioning as a reason ให้ อ้างอิงเหตุผล
global - throughout the world ทั่วโลก
restructuring - changing the way a company operates when it is losing money and reassigning people to different work
redundant workers - workers who have been laid off when business is bad
risk - the possibility that something dangerous or unpleasant might happen ความเสี่ยง
jobs at risk - workers may lose jobs 

It also refused to pay severance compensation as required by labour laws - allegations denied by the BFT.

The labour union lodged complaints with the company and protested at the Swiss embassy, asking it to look into the affair .

severance - the act of ending a worker's employment
compensation - money paid for some loss, paid because something bad has happened to them เงินชดเชย
allegations - accusations, statements that someone had done something wrong or illegal even though this has not been proved ข้อกล่าวหา
denied - said it was not true
complaints - when people say there is something wrong and they want it changed
embassy - a group of officials who represent their government in a foreign country สถานทูต
affair - an event เรื่องราว

The lingerie firm is based in Switzerland.

After their petitions fell on deaf ears, 500 angry workers broke into the Labour Ministry's compound on Oct 13 and set up camp there. Their protest persists to this day.

lingerie - fashionable underwear for wear (See Wikipedia)
petitions - an official request
petitions fell on deaf ears - government officials did not listen to their official request
broke into - entered forcably without permission
compound - an area enclosed by a fence or wall in which people work or live บริเวณ

The workers turned the ground floor of the Labour Protection and Welfare Department building into a makeshift lingerie factory. They make underwear under the "Try Arm" brand.

The brand name was inspired by the protest, as was the underwear venture itself

makeshift - temporary, made from whatever materials are available (See glossary) ที่ใช้ชั่วคราว
inspired by - was given the idea by
venture - a new activity, usually in business, which involves risk or uncertainty ธุริกิจเสี่ยงแต่สามารถทำกำไรได้

However, customers have quickly taken to the new brand of lingerie, which they can buy for half the price of a pair of cheap underpants by Triumph.

About 50 workers, including designers, sewers and pattern cutters, work at the Try Arm "factory."

Workers brought in nine sewing machines from home, and borrowed 50,000 baht start-up money from the BFT union's strike fund for materials.

customers have quickly taken to - very quickly customers liked it 
buy - accept the truth of ยอมรับ, เห็นด้วยกับ (ความคิด, คำแนะนำ, ข้อเสนอแนะ)
pattern - a diagram or shape used as a guide when making something like clothes (See Wikipedia)
pattern cutters - skilled workers who design and create patterns used by others to make clothes 
start-up money - the initial money or investment used to start a business
fund - money collected together for some purpose กองทุน
union strike fund - money that unions keep (from membership dues and contributions) used to pay workers not getting paid during a strike
strike - when the workers at a company stop working as a protest, in order to get higher pay or have other demands met

We want to show the world that we are skilled workers and we need a better explanation from the company about why they made us redundant," said Tanyathorn Khiritawornpat, a Try Arm founder.

Try Arm underwear also proves the point that lingerie giants are raking in huge profits from their products," said the 38-year-old Kanchanaburi native.

We know the product cost is much lower than the market price, because we can make it for much less.

The BFT's labour union says the production cost of a pair of underpants - which can sell for 1,000-1,200 baht in European countries - is less than 100 baht

From the first pair of Try Arm panties which was made in late October, more than 3,000 pairs of underpants have now been sold to customers here and overseas. The workers have made almost 500,000 baht.

founder - a person who establishes an institution, business, or organization ผู้ก่อตั้ง
raking in huge profits - making a lot of money
native - someone who was born in a particular place ชาวพื้นเมือง
native - in the country, run by local farmers (not started by the foreign sponsored project) พื้นบ้าน
late - dead ที่ล่วงลับไปแล้ว

Customers include labour advocacy groups and the general public who bought the products from BFT union's booths at seminars.

There were also some walk-in customers, who came to buy Try Arm panties at our mini-factory at the ministry," said Ms Tanyathorn.

advocacy - helping people defend their rights
booths - small areas in a larger public area where organisations and companies show their products and services
walk-in customers - customers who walk in to a company or store and buy things 
mini - small
ministry - a government department dealing with an area of activity กระทรวง

The workers make various styles of underpants, which sell for 39, 59, and 69 baht, depending on fabric quality and design.

Each style comes in various colours and sizes, from the smallest size, XS, to the biggest, XXL, which is the best-selling size.

The makeshift factory cannot make complicated lingerie products, such as bras, as more advanced machines are needed.

fabric - material used to make clothes
complicated - has so many parts connected in different ways that it is difficult to understand (for example, a complicated machine or a city with a complicated system of streets) ที่ซับซ้อน

We select quality materials, including lace and elastic for our products.

The garments are assembled by the same hands that used to make a world-class lingerie brand," said Vipa Matchachart, 34, another sacked BFT worker who runs the Try Arm project.

lace - a white fabric with a design made with holes in it (See Wikipedia)
elastic - a stretchable cloth or fabric used in clothes
garments - clothing
world-class - having high quality so it can be sold anywhere in the world

High-quality fabric is expensive, but the workers know where to buy it cheaply.

We bought high-grade fabric that was left over from garment factories," she said.

The panties were originally just a symbol of the workers' fight. Now, they have become an earner in their own right

high-grade - high quality
panties - small tight fitting underpants for women or girls (See Wikipedia)
symbol - something like a picture or some object used to represent some other thing (example: the eagle is the symbol of our football team)

Try Arm panties are proof that good quality panties can be made cheaply without the need for branding costs, or advertising," said union adviser Ms Jitra.

They also represent a new choice for consumers who want to support fair trade and buy products made by craftspeople who work for themselves," she said.

proof - some fact or argument that shows the truth of something
branding - creating and developing an identity or brand for a product, a brand is a collection of images and ideas surrounding the product in things such as an easily recognizable name, logo, slogan, and design scheme that convey the essence of a company, product or service (See Wikipedia)
branding - building a well-known name and image for a product
represent - are
consumers - people who buy things (individuals and families)
support - help, by giving money, for example สนับสนุน
trade - the buying and selling of goods การค้าขาย
fair trade -  a social movement that aims to help producers in poorer countries earn a decent living (See Wikipedia)

Contact Buyer Beware
consumers@bangkokpost.co.th

(Source: Angry Underpants, Laid-off garment workers take on former boss at own game and strike blow for labour rights, 20/02/2010, Kultida Samabuddhi, link)


]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/work_and_labor/laid_off_workers_in_thailand_s.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/work_and_labor/laid_off_workers_in_thailand_s.php Work and Labor Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:39:39 +0600 IQ and development of Thai children falling below international standards: Sanitsuda Ekachai on the causes (18-02-10)

IQ and development of Thai children falling below international standards
Sanitsuda Ekachai on the causes

By Jon Fernquest

"Freedom man. That's what it's all about."
- Peter Fonda in the film Easy Rider (1969)

super sized meIf you don't eat properly, it turns out, freedom can sometimes mean the freedom to kill or disable yourself slowly while not even knowing that you are doing it.

That seems to be the message of today's column by veteran Bangkok Post journalist @Sanitsuda Ekachai on a form of malnutrition spreading in Thailand that has nothing to do with poverty.

Today's column is reminiscent of the classic 2004 film Super Size Me (See Wikipedia and movie poster on right) in which the filmmaker eats nothing but McDonalds food for one month and develops severe health problems as a result.

Today's article begins after the vocabulary: 

(Photo on right of french fries, a typical junk food).

IQ - Intelligence Quotient, a score from one of a standardized test designed to measure intelligence (See Wikipedia)
development, child development - the biological and psychological changes that occur in human beings between birth and the end of their teenage years (adolescence) (See Wikipedia)
standards - acceptable levels of quality or achievement
freedom - the state or condition of being allowed to do what you want to do
"Freedom man. That's what it is all about." - famous quote from a movie that defined the era of the 1960s and 70s in the United States (See source of original quote)
...., man - a common way to end sentences in the 1960s and 1970s slang language
it turns out - the unexpected result is
the message of Y - the idea that a person is trying to tell other people (communicate to them)
malnutrition - insufficient, excessive or imbalanced consumption of nutrients that has a negative effect on health (See Wikipedia)
reminiscent of Y - makes you think of Y
nutrients - chemicals that an organism needs to live and grow, they enrich the body, build and repair tissues, give heat and energy, and regulate body processes (See Wikipedia)
realm - an area of activity, interest or thought
nutrition - the process through eating of delivering to cells the materials the body needs to survive (See Wikipedia)
typical - usual qualities or characteristics, the way something usually is
junk food - unhealthy but delicious food, "foods which are perceived to have little or no nutritional value, or to products with nutritional value but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten" (See Wikipedia)

COMMENTARY

Suffer the little children

18/02/2010
Sanitsuda Ekachai

As the country is struggling with seemingly endless political emergencies on a daily basis, it is a cause for alarm that the IQ and development of Thai children have fallen below international standards. According to the Health Department of the Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organisation's standard scores for IQ and age-appropriate child development are between 90-100. In developed countries, it is 104. In Thailand, it is only 88 - a drop from 91 that was recorded 12 years ago.

on a daily basis - happening every day
struggling - having serious difficulties มีความยุ่งยาก
alarm - to cause worry or fear that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen or is happening ทำให้กลัว
intelligence - tehe ability of the mind or brain for "abstract thought, reasoning, planning and problem solving, the use of language, and to learn" (See Wikipedia)
development - the gradual growth and formation of something
international - ระหว่างประเทศ between countries
standards - an acceptable level of quality or achievement มาตรฐาน
appropriate - acceptable in a situation

The state of health of Thai children under the age of five is also declining. A decade ago, 72% of children under five had proper developmental stages. Now, the figure has dropped to only 67%, said Dr Somyot Deerasamee, director-general of the Health Department.

Despite the political turmoil, Thailand's is still a relatively strong economy with a huge agricultural and food base. During the past 30 years, Thailand has also been highly successful in eliminating severe child malnutrition as well as in improving maternal and child health care.

state - condition สภาพ
declining - worsening
decade - a period of ten years ทศวรรษ, ระยะเวลา 10 ปี
proper - correct, is what it should be
developmental stages - the important changes or "milestones" in a child's life that happen as he or she develops (See Wikipedia)
figure - an amount จำนวน
turmoil - a situation of great disorder and confusion ความปั่นป่วน
base - the lowest or most basic part of something (that the rest stands upon and depends upon)
food base - the source of food that feeds the people of the country everyday
eliminating - stopping, getting rid of
severe - very serious and unpleasant รุนแรง
maternal - dealing with the mothers of children

Why then the setback?

More disturbing statistics: Only 30% of newborns are breast-fed for the whole six months after birth. As many as 45% of the infants aged between six and 12 months do not receive a proper diet according to their development stages. When in nursery and primary school, the children develop an addiction to fatty foods and excessive sugar and salt from regular consumption of junk food that is also laced with additives and chemicals.

setback - something that happens which delays or prevents a process from advancing การหยุดยั้งการก้าวหน้า,ความล้มเหลว,การถอยหลัง
statistics - facts about something, described by counting them สถิติ
nursery school - a place for young children อนุบาล
primary school - the first school after nursery school for children around 6 years old and up
excessive - too much, much greater than is usual; too much of something มากเกินปริมาณที่พอดี
consumption - using, eating or drinking something การบริโภค

During 2004-7, the number of children who regularly consume sodas and junk food increased 1.8- and 1.5-fold respectively, he reported. Meanwhile, school children eat only 1.5 spoonfuls of vegetables a day when the proper amount per day is 12 spoonfuls.

Apparently, poverty is no longer the cause of child malnutrition in Thailand. It is improper diet and lifestyle. Dr Somyot cited research showing that a child spends about 9,800 baht a year on junk food while his/her expenses for education amount to only 3,240 baht. The result is malnutrition and bad nutrition simultaneously. According to the Health Department, one in five children in Thailand will suffer obesity by the year 2015. And one in 10 schoolchildren will be vulnerable to diabetes, high blood pressure and other heart diseases due to obesity. These three diseases cut deep into public medical care expenses. In 2005, they cost the country 70,000 million baht. The future is grim judging from past statistics. In 1999, about 2% of children and teenagers suffered from diabetes. Five years later, the figure rose nine-fold to 18.

consume - to use a supply of something ใช้จนหมดไป
1.5-fold  - 1.5 times more (than the original amount)
spoonfuls - one spoon "full" of something like food or medicine
poverty - the condition of being extremely poor ความจน
improper -  not proper (not correct, not what it should be) 
diet - the kinds of food that a person eats regularly
lifestyle - the living conditions and things people do everyday (fashion, home decoration, pets, cooking, music, tv, movies, garden, etc) รูปแบบการดำเนินชีวิต
cited - mentioned (to support a point you are making or arguing) กล่าวถึง
nutrition - providing the materials necessary to your body so it can grow and be healthy, many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition (See Wikipedia)
simultaneously - happening at the same time ในเวลาเดียวกัน,ที่พร้อมกัน
suffer - to experience physical or mental pain or a bad condition
obesity - being overweight, being too heavy, being "fat" (See Wikipedia)
vulnerable - easily affected or damaged ที่เปราะบาง ที่ล่อแหลมต่อการเกิดภัยภิบัติ
diabetes - a serious medical condition in which your body does not produce enough insulin to reduce the amount of sugar in the blood โรคเบาหวาน (See Wikipedia)
high blood pressure, hypertension - a dangerous medical condition when a person's blood pressure is too high for long periods of time (See Wikipedia)
blood pressure - the pressure of a person's blood exerted on the walls of the blood vessels, one of a person's vital signs that doctors look at to determine health (See Wikipedia)
due to - because of
grim - unpleasant and making you feel upset and worried ที่โหดร้าย
cut deep into public medical care expenses - use up or consume a lot of money
grim - unpleasant, depressing, and difficult to accept
judging from Y - using Y to reach an opinion about something
statistics - facts obtained from analysed information expressed in numbers

At the other end of the spectrum is the persistent problem of child malnutrition which causes stunted physical growth and slow learning, thus robbing children of their chance to realise their full potential which will end up hurting economic productivity, said Dr Narong Saiwong from the Nutrition Association of Thailand. It is good news that the health and education authorities have joined forces with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Department of Local Administration to tackle the problem of child malnutrition and obesity. But their plan, which targets nurseries, schools and communities, will definitely not be enough..

spectrum - a wide variety, many different types
persistent - continuing อย่างต่อเนื่อง
stunted - prevented a person from growing as they normally should
physical - real things that can be touched and seen (not just an idea or legal right)
chance - opportunity
potential - the possibility of success ที่มีศักยภาพ ที่เป็นไปได้
realise full potential - be able to become all the goods things you could become (under ideal circumstances)
productivity - producing more with the same amount of inputs (labour, energy, etc)
authorities - the people with power, the government, people in official organisations who have the legal power to make people obey laws or rules เจ้าหน้าที่ (ตำรวจ หรือผู้มีอำนาจ)
joined forces with - work together to solve problem
tackle - to make an organised and determine attempt to deal with a problem จัดการ จัดการกับปัญหา   แก้ปัญหา
targets - goals or levels you plan to achieve

The problem of child obesity and malnutrition is not about ignorance that can be redressed through better nutrition information. It is about the money power of the junk food industry, the impotent bureaucracy and weak consumer rights awareness. It is also about the lack of state welfare support for working mothers. We need the political will to confront the junk food industry and to curtail their advertisements, which bombard our children day in and day out.

redress problem - solve problem (do things to end problem) 
power - having control over people and activities
impotent - not having power
bureaucracy - large and slow government departments (with lots of red tape)
consumer - someone who buys and uses goods and services ผู้บริโภค
rights - what the law allows you to have and do สิทธิ์
awareness - the state of knowing about something การรับรู้, การทราบ
lack - does not have ขาดแคลน
welfare - help given, especially by the state or an organization, to people who need it; good care and living conditions สวัสดิภาพ
support - help, by giving money, for example สนับสนุน
confront - to face, meet or deal with a difficult person, group or situation เผชิญหน้า
bombard - when people are hit by something over and over again (like advertisements or some message) as if they were being attacked by bombs
day in and day out - every day

We need a strong consumer movement that can hit the junk food industry where it hurts most - its pocket..

We need better work and welfare policies so that working mothers can breast-feed and spend more time with their children.

It helps the working mothers greatly, too, if our culture teaches fathers to help with child-rearing and housework.

Short of these moves, the twin problem of child obesity and malnutrition will be here to stay - and worsen.

movement - a group of people who share the same aim and work together to achieve it การเคลื่อนไหวเพื่อวัตถุประสงค์ทางการเมือง
child-rearing - the long process of raising children in a family 
twin problem - two problems that go closely together (like "twins" brothers or sisters who look the same)

Sanitsuda Ekachai is Assistant Editor (Outlook), Bangkok Post
Email: sanitsudae@bangkokpost.co.th

(Source: Suffer the little children, 18/02/2010, Sanitsuda Ekachai, link)



]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/healthcare_industry/iq_and_development_of_thai_chi.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/healthcare_industry/iq_and_development_of_thai_chi.php Healthcare Industry Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:50:40 +0600 How do loan sharks operate in Bangkok? (16-02-10)

How do loan sharks operate in Bangkok?

By Jon Fernquest

loan shark ads in BangkokHow loan sharks operate in Bangkok was the focus of an investigative report this weekend by investigative journalist Maxmilian Wechsler. 

That government officials moonlight as debt collectors is quite a revelation.

There must be an (unenforced) civil service regulation prohibiting this practice. 

The report was part of a larger report on credit bureaus in Thailand (Read article).

There was also a front page article this week on the progress being made on shifting debtors from loan sharks to government loans (Read article).

Read previous Bangkok Post articles on loan sharks (Read article #1 and #2). 

Today's article begins after the vocabulary.

(Photo on right of leaflet with ads promoting quick loans at a public telephone booth in Bangkok)

loan sharks - people who offer loans at high interest rates often backed by violence or blackmail (See Wikipedia)
investigate (verb) - try to find out what happened in a situation or event
investigative (adjective)
investigative journalism - a story involving crime, political corruption, or a scandal that requires a great amount of research to come up with facts that might be hidden, buried, or obscured by people who have a vested interest in them (See Wikipedia)
investigative journalist - a person who does investigative journalism as their job
moonlight - work at another job after your regular 9 to 5 work
debt collectors - people whose job is make people pay back money they owe to lenders
revelation - learning some fact that you did not know already
civil service - permanent government workers (who have a guaranteed job for their whole life and career)
regulation - an official rule made by a government agency
prohibiting - saying or ordering that people cannot do some activity
a practice - something that is regularly done by people or an organisation
credit bureau - a company that collects financial and credit information on individuals and reports this information to organisations such as banks that need to assess the credit risk of the individual (Se eWikipedia)
progress - have moved closer to achieving goal (by completing tasks)
leaflets - small pieces of paper with advertisements on it

Face to face with a loan shark

Maxmilian Wechsler
14/01/10

In an ordinary two-storey townhouse in Bang Yai on the outskirts of Bangkok, Mr Pak is preparing to do business with someone he believes is another willing customer who has fallen on hard times.

Inside his "office" on the ground floor there isn't much except a grey, dilapidated sofa, four wobbly wooden chairs, a table, an ancient refrigerator and a 16-inch television.

loan - an amount of money that a person, business or country borrows เงินกู้
outskirts - the areas at the edge of a city ชานเมือง
fallen on hard times - aren't making enough money to support themselves and their family (maybe lost job in bad economy)
dilapidated - old and in bad condition ซึ่งชำรุดทรุดโทรม
wobbly - moving back and forth like about to fall down
ancient - very old ที่เก่าแก่ ที่โบราณ

Mr Pak is one of the many loan sharks operating around the country, providing ready cash for people who have fallen foul of, or have never had access to, the formal financial system. He lends a minimum of 2,000 baht, but the figure can reach as high as 15 million baht. The usual amount his clients borrow is 3,000-5,000 baht, and the busiest time is often before the new school terms in May or June.

I will lend to anyone because of the high profit," says Mr Pak, who claims he has a wealthy backer. "I can't remember when I last refused a loan.

cash - money in the form of notes or coins เงินสด
foul - extremely unpleasant น่ารังเกียจ
fallen foul of - didn't pay back loans or pay bills on time so now they have a bad name and reputation (so they cannot get a loan anymore)
access - the means by which you can get into a place การเข้าสู่
formal financial system - loans from banks (not loan sharks)
figure - an amount of money จำนวนเงิน
profit - money that you make from selling goods and services after all your costs have been paid กำไร
wealthy - having a large amount of money, land, and other valuable things ที่มั่งคั่ง ร่ำรวย
backer - supporter, someone who is helping you

I don't care and I don't want to know what my customer will do with the money. This is up to them. I now have 36 clients and there's no problem with them, but I have some bad customers from time to time.

Accompanied by one of Mr Pak's old customers, a low-ranking government official, this reporter recently met Mr Pak under the pretext that I was a potential new customer. My companion made the introduction and did some interpreting. He doesn't really agree with how Mr Pak earns his living, and later gave some additional information about the operation.

During our meeting, Mr Pak, a middle-aged Thai man who spoke some English, was friendly and even smiled on occasions, which was in contrast to six young male "employees" who looked rather serious and unwelcoming. After a while, four of the men left on two motorcycles parked outside the house.

up to them - they have to make the decision by themselves (meaning: the loan shark does not care what they spend it on)
clients - customers
from time to time - sometimes (but not often)
accompanied by... - going together with...
an official - a person who has a position of authority with power to make decisions in government or a large organisation
low-ranking government official - a person who works for the government
pretext - a reason for doing something
under the pretext that... - to do something using the reason....
potential - possible ความเป็นไปได้
companion - a person you go somewhere with or do something with
interpreting - translating speech from another language for someone
aged - very old สูงอายุ
man - to operate something บังคับ ขับ (ยานพาหนะ)
contrast - a noticeable difference ความแตกต่าง
X in contrast to Y - X different from Y 
on occasions - sometimes, not often

Mr Pak said that several foreigners with Thai spouses who lived in the area sometimes took out short-term loans.

We don't have any designated area," he said when asked if loan sharks had specific territories. "Anyone can come here and lend money. Anyway, when some of the other money lenders' customers move here, they have to come to collect money. I don't worry too much about them. I have many clients as I started the business 12 years ago.

spouses - husbands or wives คู่สมรส
term - a period of time
short-term loans - loans for a short period of time
designated - marked, separated, or give a name for a particular purpose ถูกกำหนด
territory - an area that you control (that an army or an animal or a criminal controls, for example)
specific - precisely one special thing or a fixed set of things (not just anything)
specific territories - special areas (not everywhere or anywhere)

The business has been always good for me, especially during an economic crisis like it is at this moment," he said, adding that "the volume of lending has been the same for years.

His bread-and-butter customers are poor Thai families, and for them, securing the cash loans often depends on a referral from a trusted customer. For bigger loans, however, such as property, Mr Pak may ask for title deeds.

crisis - an urgent, difficult or dangerous situation วิกฤต
moment - a very short period of time; a particular time or occasionชั่วขณะ, โอกาสสำคัญ
lending - giving money to someone who agrees to pay it back in the future การให้ยืม
securing - getting
referral - sending a person to another person who is qualified to deal with their problem (example: a doctor's referral to a specialist)
trusted - a person you believe in, when they promise to do something, you know they will do it
property - things that people own like a house, a car and other valuable things in their home
title deeds - the document that shows and proves that you own a piece of land

As a guarantee - if it is a small amount, say, up to 10,000 baht - I need a personal verbal guarantee from a family member, for example, or nothing at all if it is an old customer," he said.

For the large amounts, I need the original title deed, which I keep. I won't go with the client to the local land department, at least not yet. I won't accept anything else as collateral.

guarantee - a promise that something will be done or will happen คำรับรอง, การประกัน
say - (the right to give) an opinion about something สิทธิในการแสดงความเห็น, สิทธิในการพูด
deed - something that someone does การกระทำ
client - a customer or someone who receives services ลูกค้า
local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
land - to get or achieve something good, especially in a way which seems easy or unexpected ได้รับ

A typical loan is over 24 days. "The client must return the principal and interest at the same time," he said.

With other types of loans you can have months or years to repay. There's no limit. I will collect the installments every day unless I have another special arrangement with my client. In fact, I like them to repay for a long time because I can charge more interest and make more money.

principal - the amount of money that the lender loans to the borrower
interest - the money you pay the lender for giving you the loan
installments - regular payments of money, every month, for example 
charge - request that people pay money (for goods or services received)

Interest charges range from 15% to 100%, depending on the amount borrowed and the repayment period. The longer the life of the loan, the more interest for Mr Pak.

If the amount is large, I will make a contract with my clients. However, it won't say that I lent them cash, but that they bought some product from me, like rice or whatever, and they will pay for it in installments," Mr Pak said.

range - a number of different things that are of the same general type ขอบข่าย, ประเภท
repayment period - the period during which the money borrowed is paid back to lender
contract - an official agreement to do something (usually written on a document)

He said that in the majority of cases his clients pay their loans back on time. But what happens when they don't? 

Sometimes, if they pay for a long time and default, for whatever reason, if I get my principal back, I will do nothing against them. Of course, they will lose their credit, at least with me," Mr Pak said.

majority - most of the people in a group, i.e., more than half เสียงส่วนใหญ่
default - failure to repay a debt การผิดสัญญา
lose their credit - get a bad credit rating so that they can no longer borrow money
credit rating - a measure of the risk of loaning money to someone, the risk that they do not pay the money back (See Wikipedia)

When the debtor neglects the payment, I double the interest at first. If they still don't pay, I send my staff, including government officials I sometimes hire on a part-time basis, to watch them outside their home. We also photograph the debtor. This is to make them scared and force them to start paying.

If this doesn't work, we write a note saying: 'You owe me money and you don't want to pay it back.' We paste it at the person's workplace; whether it is an office or a factory. This is to let everyone know and to embarrass them as well.

debtor - a person who owes money ลูกหนี้
neglects - fails or forgets to do something
government officials - people with decisionmaking power who work for the government
part-time work - work less than a full eight hour day
hire on a part-time basis - give a person part-time work
embarrass - to cause someone to feel nervous, worried or uncomfortable ทำให้รู้สึกอาย, ทำให้ขวยเขิน
...as well - also  

If this is not successful, I will send my people, including officials, to their home and confiscate a cell phone, notebook computer, electrical appliances or motorcycle. In case they have nothing or run away, I will demand money from their relatives.

Mr Pak did not say if violence is used to recover bad loans, but one of his old customers later confirmed that Mr Pak had used violence in the past, but did not want to mention it to me so as not to scare me off.

confiscate - to official remove someone's possessions for legal reasons or as a punishment ริบทรัพย์ ยึดทรัพย์
cell phone - mobile phone
electrical appliances - washing machines, refrigerators, other large things used in kitchen and home
relatives - more distant family (outside of mother, father and children who live in one home) 
run away - run quickly from a place (in fright)
violence - physical force with the deliberate intention of causing damage to property or injury or death to people ความรุนแรง
recover - to get something back
scare off - make a person afraid so that they go away and leave you alone

Mr Pak said he employed six men to collect payments. "They ride motorcycles to the client's home. They are not really afraid to show their faces, but sometimes they wear a helmet with a dark visor to the job. They don't carry any weapons of any type.

He said he didn't collect money personally unless there was a problem. "Then I will go personally to their home or ask them to visit me at this house

employed - have people working for you in your company
helmet - a strong hard hat that covers and protects the head หมวกกันน็อก
visor - the part of a hat or helmet that keeps the sun out of your eyes

I don't pay bribes to the police or other officials. Instead, I will only hire them to collect money or confiscate goods from the clients or their relatives," he said.

Loan sharks are rarely arrested as it is not easy to obtain evidence against them. People won't call the police because they are afraid of a conflict and usually some other arrangement is worked out between the loan shark and the client when repayments become a problem.

bribes - money paid to government officials to get them to do something for you (do you a favour)
confiscate - take away
rarely - not happening often นานๆ ครั้ง, ไม่บ่อย
evidence - facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime หลักฐาน
conflict - an angry disagreement between people or groups ความขัดแย้ง

Loan sharks, operating in groups of five to eight people, are mostly Thais and Thai/Indians, with the latter having a reputation for being more friendly, reasonable and patient. The Thai/Indian loan sharks won't threaten people, but increase the interest instead. However, if there's a problem, they hire standover men to collect the money.

It was a relief to leave Mr Pak's office and his henchmen behind, albeit with the unpleasant thought that almost all of his customers are in desperate financial states with no one else to turn to.

reputation - the opinion people have about how good or bad someone or something is ชื่อเสียง ความนับหน้าถือตา
patient - peaceful and quiet; without anxiety อดทน, อดกลั้น
threaten - to say that you might do something bad or harmful, especially in order to make someone do something ขู่เข็ญ คุกคาม ทำให้กลัว
standover men - people who collect money for other people (usually gangs) by threatening people with violence, extort money by intimidation (Australian slang)
relief - a feeling of happiness that something unpleasant has not happened or has ended การผ่อนคลาย
desperate - very worried or confused because you do not know how to deal with an unpleasant or dangerous situation อย่างสิ้นหวัง อย่างหมดหวัง
X albeit Y -
no one else to turn to

The government is conducting a public relations campaign to stop people dealing with loan sharks. As part of the campaign they are trying to collate information on loan sharks and remove ubiquitous flyers pasted to electricity polls, telephone booths and advertising billboards all over Bangkok, which usually read: "If you need cash then call me on this number."

Despite their efforts, business is going strong for Mr Pak and his colleagues.

conducting - doing, carrying out
public relations (PR) - the activity or job of improving the image of a company or person and getting the public to notice and know about them
campaign - a planned group of activities which are intended to achieve a particular aim การรณรงค์
remove - to take something away เอาออกจาก
ubiquitous - found everywhere
flyers - small pieces of paper with an advertisement (See photo above on right)

(Source: Face to face with a loan shark, Maxmilian Wechsler, 14/01/10, link)





]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/financial_markets/how_do_loan_sharks_operate_in.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/financial_markets/how_do_loan_sharks_operate_in.php Financial Markets Tue, 16 Feb 2010 10:35:18 +0600 Thailand's sugar industry invests: Low supply and high prices likely in near future (Part II) (12-02-10) sugarregionalpart2

Thailand's sugar industry invests:
Low supply and high prices likely in near future (Part II)

By Jon Fernquest

sugar cane workersSugar prices are rising worldwide.

Thailand as the second largest sugar exporter in the world is preparing for this business opportunity with regional investments in Laos and Cambodia.

This is the second part of a large article (Read part one of article)

Economics 
ASIA FOCUS 

Sweet success ahead

8/02/2010
Kamamol Pongthanee 

...Having successfully operated sugar mills in the challenging market of China, Thailand's leading miller, Mitr Phol Group, is looking to expand its operations in Cambodia and Laos very soon.

The planned investment by Mitr Phol follows the opening of a mill in Cambodia by its SET-listed competitor Khon Kaen Sugar Industry (KSL) last month, which came at an opportune time as sugar prices are at a 28-year high.

sugar mills - a sugar factory (turns raw sugar into a good that can be sold in stores) 
Mitr Phol Group - a large and important Thai company operating in the sugar industry for more than 50 years, Thailand's leading sugar processor (See website)
Khon Kaen Sugar Industry (KSL) - one of Thailand's largest sugar companies founded in 1945 and the only sugar company listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (See Wikipedia)
challenging - difficult, in a way that tests your ability or determination ที่ท้าทายความสามารถ
SET-listed - the stock of the company is traded on SET (Stock Exchange of Thailand)
competitor - a person, team or company that is competing against others ผู้แข่งขัน, คู่แข่ง
opportune time - the best time to do something

Mitr Phol said that by investing in Laos and Cambodia, it will benefit from the tariff privileges the two countries gain from export markets such as the European Union. The EU offers low tariffs under its generalised System of Preferences (GSP) to help less-developed countries expand trade and lift the living standards of their people.

benefit - to get help or an advantage from something ผลประโยชน์
tariff - a tax on goods entering a country (imported)
tariff privileges - reduced tariffs (that poorer countries like Laos and Cambodia get for exports to the EU)
Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) -  a US law that gives lower tariffs to developing countries (See Wikipedia)
standards - levels of acceptable quality or achievement
living standards - levels of quality of life

The two neighbouring countries are among 19 developing nations entitled to duty-free sugar exports to the European Union under the Everything but Arms (EBA) programme. 

KSL's hopes that its first shipment of brown sugar to the European markets would be made in May this year. 

KSL's plant has a full cane-extracting capacity of 700,000 tonnes per year. Its maximum raw-sugar production amounts to 70,000 tonnes annually, of which 40% are expected to be processed into refined sugar in the future.
Everything but Arms (EBA) programme - "an initiative of the European Union under which all imports to the EU from the Least Developed Countries are duty free and quota free, with the exception of armaments" (See Wikipedia)
entitled - having the right to have or do something มีสิทธิโดยชอบ
duty - tax on goods imported into  a country (same as "tariff")
duty-free exports - goods coming from another country that do not have to pay taxes when entering the country 
plant - a factory that produces power or processes chemicals, etc. โรงงาน
capacity - the amount of something that can be produced ความสามารถในการ (ผลิต)
cane-extracting capacity - the amount of sugar that can be taken out of sugar cane to make sugar granules
granules - the very small pieces of sugar (like sand)
maximum - the most possible ที่สูงสุด ที่มากที่สุด
annually - happening every year ทุกๆปีด
processed - treated in some way, e.g., treated with chemicals, cut, etc.
refined sugar - sugar that has been processed in a factory, packaged and ready to sell in a store or market

On the other hand, Mitr Phol sees these investments as providing a greater competitiveness to its operations.

As a result, the company's competitiveness in neighbouring countries will be higher," said Mitr Phol Group chairman Isara Vongkusolkit.
In Laos, the company has established Sugar Mitr Laos in Savannakhet, which started commercial operations in 2008. Its total sugar output should be around 23,000 tonnes this year. About 95% of the output will be exported to the EU and the rest consumed. locally.

competitiveness - the ability to offer for sale cheaper and higher quality goods than other countries
established - be in a successful position over a long period of time มีตำแหน่งที่มั่นคง
commercial operations - running a business, doing a business
consumed - used, eaten

We plan to extend the growing area in Laos from 50,000 rai at present to between 70,000 and 80,000 rai in 2011," Mr Isara added.

However, Mitr Phol has been unable to expand in Cambodia because of a labour shortage, something KSL has also identified as a problem at its new Cambodian mill. Mitr Phol will, however, focus on Cambodia within the next two years once the plant in Laos is running at full capacity.

extend - to include something more ยืดออกไป ขยายออกไป
identified - named ระบุชื่อ
running at full capacity - the factory is producing the greatest amount possible (all machines being used, all the time)

Mitr Phol has a 90-year concession for planting sugarcane by the Cambodian government, covering 100,000 rai. It is likely to invest 1-2 billion baht in the first phase.

Mr Isara said, however, that because the company's first investments were in Laos, it wanted to strengthen those operations first.

Mitr Phol also operates seven sugar mills in China with total capacity of 1.1 million tonnes per year.

concession - a right that is given to a person or group to do a particular activity, in this case, to operate a market สัมปทาน
first phase - the first part of a program that has many parts

Chamroon Chinthammit, the president and CEO of KSL, said sugar prices were expected to rise above 30 US cents a pound soon and remain high until 2011. Prices are being supported by high demand and short supply, as well as speculation by hedge funds to some degree, he said.

KSL this year inaugurated two new companies, Koh Kong Sugar Industry and Koh Kong Plantation in Cambodia with other Cambodian and Taiwanese partners, representing investments worth $100 million. The company holds a 90-year farming concession for 20,000 hectares in Koh Kong with an estimated 240,000 tonnes of sugarcane to be harvested in the 2009-10 season. All of the raw sugar will be sold to the EU.

Mr Chamroon also said the company was thinking about producing white sugar with a capacity of 300 tonnes a day with a total investment value around 300-500 million baht within the next two to three years.

prices supported by high demand and short supply - many people want the good (high demand) and there is little of the good available (short supply) then price are high ("prices supported" at high level)
speculation - buying assets (stocks, bonds, real estate) hoping to make a profit when you sell (but with risk of losing money)
hedge fund - a private fund that only accepts very large investors that tries to make big profits by using sometimes very risky strategies and investments (See Wikipedia)
to some degree - this is one thing that is causing it (contributing to it)

(Source: Sweet success ahead, 8/02/2010, Kamamol Pongthanee, link)  



]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/agriculture/thailands_sugar_industry_inves.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/agriculture/thailands_sugar_industry_inves.php Agriculture Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:10:32 +0600 GT200 bomb detector fraud and Smart ID cards: Don Sambandaraksa on how these cases are similar (11-02-10)

GT200 bomb detector fraud and Smart ID cards
Don Sambandaraksa on how these cases are similar

By Jon Fernquest

smart card chipsA student once told me they wanted to write their research report on smart ID cards in Thailand. 

I told them they should read Don Sambandaraksa's articles on the subject in the Bangkok Post.

The student wouldn't really understand what was going on with smart id cards in Thailand unless they read his articles.

The articles told a sad story of bureaucratic incompetence, a dangerous story for journalists to tell.

If a journalist makes a government official unhappy, the reasoning goes, they will lose that official as a source of information and without access to information how can a journalist continue working as a journalist? (Investigating Local Governments: A Manual for Reporters (2001) by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, describes this beautifully, pages 43-50, not aware of any study of this reality in Thailand).

Today's article shows you how decision-making happens in government committees. The following comment by a government official about the smart ID cards is particularly telling: 

"They are compliant, as the committee voted them as compliant." 

What the committee says is the truth without accountability or the need to explain or one's actions, basically a justifylaw or truth unto themselves. 

Today's article begins after the vocabulary:

smart cards - a card with a computer chip inside of it which can store and process information, used for applications such as identification, healthcare , computer security and for financial transactions (See Wikipedia)
smart ID cards - a national or company ID card that uses smart card technology inside of it
bureaucracy (noun) - all the government departments with the officials and civil servants that work within them
bureaucrat (noun) - a person working in a bureaucracy
bureaucratic (adjective) - typical behaviour in a bureaucracy: slow, thorough, following all the rules to the letter 
competent (adjective) - able to perform a task correctly
competence (adjective) - not able to perform a task correctly
incompetence (noun) - the state or condition of not being able to perform a task correctly
...the reasoning goes,... - ...this is how it is explained by people...
source of information -  a place where you get information
access to information  - being able to get information
is particularly telling - shows you what is happening in truth
compliant - doing what the rules or standards say you must do
committee - a small group in a large organisation that meets to check and invetigate issues and make decisions
accountability - when you have to explain your actions and decisions to other people (hopefully the people you are serving) 
justify - give reasons for doing something
a law or truth unto ourselves - what they is right or true, by definition, no need to explain

Tech News
OPEN Thought

Stating the obvious: The GT200 is a fraud

10/02/2010
Don Sambandaraksa

It's the emperor's new clothes all over again. The GT200 is a fraud, but why are people so scared to say it.

As Nectec begins to test the GT200 dowsing bomb-detector divining rod, spare a thought to what happened back in 2005 when the centres was called in by the Prime Minister to resolve a disagreement between the ICT Ministry, who procured 12 million smart ID cards, and the Interior Ministry, who were to use the unusable cards as delays mounted in building a system around those cards.

emperor's new clothes - a story about "two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes invisible to those unfit for their positions or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, 'But he isn't wearing anything at all!'"  (See Wikipedia)
it's Y all over again - it is like event Y is happening again
obvious - clear; easy to see, recognise or understand ชัดเจน
fraud - the crime of international deceiving someone or cheating in order to gain an advantage or benefit การฉ้อโกง การหลอกลวง เล่ห์เพทุบาย
detector - a device used to find particular substances or things, or measure their level เครื่องตรวจจับ
spare - something not being used yet (so available to be used for something else)
spare a thought... - please take some time to read and consider this....
resolve - to solve a problem, or to find a satisfactory way of dealing with it แก้ไขปัญหา
delays mounted - delays increased

In June 2005, the project to issue Smart ID Cards made headlines after the National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre, an agency under the National Science and Technology Development Agency, Ministry of Science and Technology, was called in to conduct a fact-finding study into the project, which at the time lay in tatters.

The ICT Ministry, charged with procuring the cards, and the Ministry of Interior (MoI), who were issuing and using them, were blaming each other for technical problems that had resulted in serious delays in the IT mega project.

issue - to give or provide something official แจกจ่าย
made headlines - was important news in the newspaper
National Electronics and Computer Technology Centre (NECTEC) -
conduct - to do something in an organised way; to carry out
lay in tatters - was ruined (like old ripped clothes)
procure - buy, get (the formal process of searching for and buying things in a large organisation or company) 
charged with procuring... - given the job of searching for and buying...
issuing - officially giving something to people ออกคำสั่ง

The Nectec report found the cards sub-standard and non-compliant with the ToR on at least four key points. However, the ICT Ministry's own 10-person committee conveniently ignored the Nectec report and pronounced the cards compliant in a 5-3 vote. There was one abstention, one resignation and the representatives from the MoI, Nectec and the ICT Ministry's own legal affairs officer all voted the cards as non-compliant, but to no avail.

standard - an acceptable level of quality or achievement
sub-standard - failing to meet acceptable levels of quality or achievement
compliant - doing what the rules or standards say you must do
non-compliant - has not done what rules or standards say you must do
Terms of Reference (ToR) - limits set on what someone has been asked to do (how the scope of a project will be defined, developed, and verified) (See Wikipedia)
key - most important ที่สำคัญ
pronounced - declared, said officially
abstention - choosing not to vote on something
resignation - the act of leaving a job permanently ลาออกจากตำแหน่ง
affairs - events and activities relating to the government, politics, economy etc of a country, region, or the world ความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างประเทศ
legal affairs officer - the person in an organisation who deals with the law and legal issues 
to no avail - were not successful (when they tried to do something)

Democracy prevailed and the cards were compliant because the committee voted them as such, despite over-whelming scientific evidence to the contrary.

The four points identified by Nectec were that the 12 million cards were not Java-compliant; did not have any working PKI (public key infrastructure)encryption; did not have the required 32 KB of available memory; and could not safely add or remove applets without affecting other applets.

prevailed - won (was dominant or most common in the end)
evidence - information that is used to prove something หลักฐาน
contrary - completely different or opposed to something else ตรงข้าม
overwhelming - so much you cannot resist it (examples: they won the legal case because of overwhelming evidence, they won the war with overwhelming force)
over-whelming scientific evidence to the contrary - there was very convincing scientific evidence that it was not true
identified - named ระบุชื่อ
PKI (public key infrastructure) - a combination of software, encryption technologies and services that enables organizations to protect the security of their electronic communications and on-line transactions in an insecure public network like the internet (See Wikipedia)
encryption - turning ordinary language into a secret code to protect and conceal it (See Wikipedia)
memory - something that you remember from the past; the ability to remember information, experiences and people ความจำ
remove - to take something away เอาออกจาก

The vendor, ST Microelectronics, had supplied a card that had a non-Java, proprietary PKI engine which, while it may have worked, could not be tested, as it required a non-standard programming subroutine to invoke. They argued that the ToR did not explicitly call for official Java PKI, only that a form of PKI be present. 

Nectec reasoned that a Java card without a Java encryption engine was not a Java card. Similar arguments ensued for the other points. Memory in particular was clear-cut to many, but not to the polit-bureau.

vendor - a company that sells something
proprietary - owned by a company which charges for it (example: expensive proprietary software vs. cheap open source software)
tested - put in a difficult situation ถูกทดสอบ
invoke - use
subroutine - a small reusable piece of a computer program that does one task
invoke a subroutine - when a computer program uses a subroutine to do a task in the program
X calls for Y - X says must do Y 
explicitly - shown clearly and openly (without trying to hide anything)
bureau - a government organisation, in this case, within the police department สำนักงาน
clear-cut - clear, easy to see, not complicated and messy
polit-bureau - the small group of people who used to rule over Russia in the days of Communism

The card had 66 KB of memory, but only 32 KB was available to the JavaCard applications. However, 4 KB was used for a patch; a bug fix of sorts to help circumvent security to fix the memory management module.

That meant that only 28 KB was left for applications as delivered.

I asked the chairman of the acceptance committee how much 32 minus 4 was. She said: "They are compliant, as the committee voted them as compliant.

JavaCard - (See Wikipedia)
applications
circumvent security
memory management module
patch - a small area which is different in some way from the area that surrounds it ที่ดิน
bug, a software bug - a problem or error in a program or computer software
bug fix -
a bug fix of sorts -
security - the need to provide safety from attack, harm or damage ความปลอดภัย
acceptance committee - the group of people who decide whether to accept a project as complete (that the government paid for)

More worrying was the terms of the test. In his initial interview in 2005, then-Nectec Director Dr Thaweesak Koanantakool said the ICT Ministry and ST Micro had refused to give his team access to engineering documents which would have shown who signed off the production run, the memory partitioning and, more importantly, which programmes were installed in the native partition. He also said that during the test, the ICT Ministry had given his team only the minimum amount of time to run the tests and quickly took the card back afterwards.

terms - conditions; requirements ข้อกำหนด
initial - early; first ในเบื้องต้น
interview - to ask someone questions in a meeting for a newspaper article, television show, etc. The noun form is also interview สัมภาษณ์, การสัมภาษณ์
access - the right or opportunity to have or use something ได้รับสิทธิ์หรือโอกาสในการใช้
signed off -
production run -
partition -
memory partitioning -
native partition -
native - someone who was born in a particular place ชาวพื้นเมือง
partition - a division, separating a country into two or more parts การแบ่งกลุ่ม

However, Dr Thaweeksak's team did manage to find an EMV module - a Europay Mastercard Visa e-cash module - in the card hidden in the native partition.

Quite why ST Microelectronics provided a card that lacked what was called for in the Terms of Reference and instead provided lots of things that were not called for, such as the e-Money module, no doubt at considerable cost, remains a mystery to this day.

module - computer software that performs some task
cash - money in the form of notes or coins เงินสด
cash - money เงินสด
considerable - large; of noticeable importance จำนวนมาก
considerable - ค่อนข้างใหญ่
remains a mystery to this day - up to now no one knows what happened and why it happened

But back to the GT-200. The BBC's Newsnight programme has run an investigation on what it calls "magic wand" bomb detectors that include the AED-651 and the "almost identical" GT-200.

The BBC took the device to university scientists, who took the device and its substance cards apart only to find that the rod-holding device itself had no electronics all and the expensive substance cards were nothing more than pieces of cardboard with an RFID security tag glued to them to make them look a bit technical

The black box holding the detector card was nothing more than an empty case.

Indeed, the summary was that the GT200 was nothing more than a (15th century) divining rod used by witches to find water.

investigation - the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something in order to discover who or what caused it or how it happened การตรวจสอบหาข้อเท็จจริง
investigation - the process of trying to find out all the details or facts about something การสอบสวน
device - a machine or piece of equipment that does a particular job อุปกรณ์ เครื่องมือ
device - a machine or piece of equipment that does a particular thing เครื่องจักร
substance - based on accurate or true information มีมูล
empty - having nothing inside ว่างเปล่า
century - a period of one hundred years ศตวรรษ

Later, the UK business secretary slapped an export ban on the GT200 / AED 651 to Afghanistan and Iraq to protect the lives of British servicemen and the managing director of its maker was arrested on charges of fraud.

Makes one wonder why many politicians and specialists, as well as army people in Thailand, seem to be rallying behind the GT200. Should we not focus on the lives of the army personnel and villagers being blown up daily in the South rather than play political brinkmanship.

The device is a fraud. I fully expect my capable friends at Nectec to say it is a fraud, as much as I expect the Nectec report to find its way through committee after committee and a few years later, when dozens more have died from explosions, for a bureaucratic committee somewhere to vote it as being a proper bomb detector.

ban - to say officially that people must not do, sell or use something การประกาศห้าม
brinkmanship
capable - able to do something; very good at a job มีความสามารถ
bureaucratic - relating to government departments or officials เกี่ยวกับระบบราชการ
proper - actual or real จริง (พระราชพิธีพระราชทานเพลิงพระศพจริง)

Of course, democracy is everything in this country and voting for an empty box with a wiggly diving rod attached as a bomb detector device makes it one. Besides, the blown-up soldiers and villagers who would argue otherwise are conveniently dead and thus do not get a say on the voting committee.

Why is society so scared of pointing out the obvious, that the emperor remains naked.

naked - not wearing any clothes

(Source: Bangkok Post, Stating the obvious: The GT200 is a fraud, 10/02/2010, Don Sambandaraksa, link)


]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/government/gt200_bomb_detector_fraud_and.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/government/gt200_bomb_detector_fraud_and.php Government Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:58:22 +0600 A guide to ponzi schemes in Thailand (09-02-10)

A guide to ponzi schemes in Thailand

By Jon Fernquest

ponzi schemesAward-winning Bangkok Post journalist Parista Yuthamanopp investigates ponzi schemes in Thailand this week.

An infographic on the right provides a summary.

Also read the companion piece on fraudulent direct sales (Read article).

ponzi scheme - "a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors rather than from any actual profit earned." (See Wikipedia)
companion - goes together with as a pair
fraud (noun) - the crime of gaining money from people by cheating, tricking or lieing
fraudulent (adjective) 
direct sales -  when a company sells products directly to customers at their home or workplace instead of through stores (See Wikipedia)

Economics

Don't get caught at the bottom of pyramid

8/02/2010

PARISTA YUTHAMANOP

True to its slogan - "Get Rich Quick, Truly Comfortable" - Poodang fertiliser generated income to the tune of 10,000 baht a month for some of its rural customers since it began operations two years ago.

But the money stopped flowing last December when the police stopped the operation, alleging it was a shady business in which payouts to existing members were generated from investments by new members rather than profits on real sales.

pyramid - anything looking like an Egyptian pyramid with a point small top and a large base at bottom
pyramid scheme - a business model where a lot of money is made by getting other people to join, often without any product or service being delivered, in the end people can't be found to join and a lot of people who recently joined lose money (See Wikipedia)
slogan - a short easily remembered phrase, especially one used to advertise an idea or a product สโลแกน
fertiliser - a natural or chemical substance which is spread on the land or given to plants, to make plants grow well ปุ๋ย
to the tune of... - equal to the large amount of...
rural - connected with the countryside outside big towns and cities ในชนบท, บ้านนอก
alleging - claiming that something is true (but not proving yet)
shady business - a business making money in an illegal or dishonest way 
payouts - money paid to people by a company or organisation

The police intervention in the fertiliser firm caused an outcry among some of the 300,000 members, who were under the illusion that their returns came from a thriving business.

Such business models are illegal if the returns are based on member base expansion rather than concrete sales

intervention - a situation in which someone becomes involved in a particular issue, problem, etc., in order to influence what happens การแทรกแซง
firm - a business or company บริษัม
outcry - a strong expression of anger and disapproval about something, made by a group of people or by the public การคัดค้านอย่างรุนแรง
returns - the money they made from an activity
thriving - very successful ประสบความสำเร็จอย่างสูง
business model - an idea for creating a sucessful business (See Wikipedia)
illegal - against the law ผิดกฎหมาย
member base - the members of the organisation 
expansion - when something increases in size, number or importance การขยายออก
concrete - based on facts, not on ideas or guesses

Under such business models, people at the top of the customer pyramid receive the highest return for the investment, and the newcomers the least. The scheme collapses as promoters vanishes or confidence falls when it fails to solicit enough members to fulfill the payment liabilities.

Col Piyawat Kingkate, director of Bureau of Special Crime of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), said it has been arresting numerous "pyramid scheme" operators over the past two years. They worked in various mediums ranging from money to paddy, petrol, satellite dishes and noodle franchises. The victims were both at the lower end and high end of the income spectrum.

newcomers - people who just newly joined an organization
scheme - a plan for achieving something, especially something illegal or dishonest แผนการ (ที่มีท่าว่าจะผิดกฎหมาย)
scheme - a plan that is developed by a government or large organisation in order to provide a particular service for people แผนการ โครงการ
promoters - the people who are organizing and running a business, event or scheme
confidence - the quality of being certain ความมั่นใจ
solicit - to ask someone for something like money, information or help เรียกร้อง
fulfill - do what you promised or said you were going to do
liabilities - debts, the amount of money that a company owes หนี้สิน
numerous - many มากมาย
mediums - ways or means of doing something (usually a way of expressing ideas)
franchises - the right do a pre-tested business idea in a certain area, together with training and special supplies (See Wikipedia) 
operators - people who run a business
victims - people who are killed injured or harmed in some way from an accident, natural disaster, crime, etc. 
spectrum - a range of things, things spread out over many values, some high, some low

For example, the Bangkok Noodle franchise drew 1,000 members who paid 35,000 to 55,000 baht each for a noodle cart and cooking utensils. They were promised 100,000 baht in cash in return over 10 months. The promoters said there were 300 members, but the DSI found only 100.

The DSI has recently cracked down on an e-money games website that solicited members online with a promise of high-yield investments. It promised an investment return of between 2.5% and 3% - per day. Members of the funds get a 10-15% bonus if they can solicit more members within 100 days. The company allowed members to deposit their returns for extra bonuses and sell reward points to other members. But then it defaulted on customers' redemptions. The cheated customers then sold their reward points to other members, thus spreading the risks.

franchise - a formal agreement for someone to sell a company's products or services in a particular place การขายระบบแฟรนไชนส์ คือมีสาขาของร้านค้า เช่น 7
cart - a small vehicle with two or four wheels that you push or pull to transport large or heavy objects on รถเข็นหรือรถลาก
cash - money in the form of notes or coins เงินสด
cracked down - when the police start enforcing a law and catching people who break the law (unfortunately crackdowns are often only for a short time)
solicited - asked someone for something such as support or money วิงวอนขอความช่วยเหลือ
yield - the amount of money made in an investment 
high-yield investments - investments that make a lot of money
funds - money needed or available to spend on something เงินทุน
deposit - a sum of money which is given in advance as part of a total payment for something เงินมัดจำ
reward - something given in exchange for good behaviour or good work, etc รางวัล
defaulted - fail to do what you promised to do
redeem (verb) - pay money that you promised to pay someone
redemptions (noun) - the act or process of paying money promised to someone 

Another fund fooled well-heeled investors into depositing funds for an investment in crude oil futures with 300,000 baht required as the initial sum with a promise of a 30% return. A customer received a call one day after and was told of a 50,000-baht profit. But she received a call five days later saying she should place another 300,000 baht because the initial 300,000-baht sum was lost. After that the promoter called her to say that she should place another 300,000 baht to offset the losses. She grew suspicious and called the police. It turned out that many people have fallen victim to this swindler.

fund - an amount of money saved or collected for a special purpose
X fooled Y - X cheats Y, X deceives Y 
well-heeled - rich, have a lot of money
crude oil - oil in its natural state from the ground before treatment with chemicals
crude oil futures - a contract to give or receive an amount of oil at a date in the future (See Wikipedia on futures contracts)
initial - early; first ในเบื้องต้น
sum - an amount of something, especially money จำนวนเงิน
profit - money that you make from selling goods and services after all your costs have been paid กำไร
offset the losses - replace lost money
suspicious - making you believe that something is wrong, dangerous or illegal น่าสงสัย
It turned out that... - After a series of events the end result was...
victim - someone who has been harmed, injured or killed as the result of a crime เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย
swindler - a person who makes money by cheating, lieing to and deceiving other people

A paddy chit fund asked investors to invest a certain sum with an option to receive a sack of paddy rice and get the investment deducted. The investors were promised attractive dividends and membership commissions.

Col Piyawat said we may distinguish ordinary direct-sales activities from illegal chit funds by considering if the income sources and profitability of the entities come mainly from sales of goods or membership solicitation.

paddy - rice
chit fund - an informal arrangement where people put their money together and lend it out to one of the members, usually the highest bidder, this arrangement illegally avoids the payment of taxes, sometimes it turns into a ponzi scheme or the organizer runs away with the money (See Wikipedia)
deducted - subtracted from, reduced from (example: 2 deducted from 5 leaves 3)
option - a choice; something that you can choose in a particular situation ทางเลือก
option - choice ตัวเลือก
option - choice ทางเลือก
sack - to remove someone from a job ปลดออกจากตำแหน่ง
attractive - pleasant to look at น่าสนใจ
dividends - benefits; good results ได้เปรียบ
member (noun) - a person belonging to a group
membership (noun) - the condition or state of belonging to a group
solicit - asking people for something (example: money, help, an idea, their opinion)
membership solicitation - asking people to become a member of a group
commissions - money that people get for doing something successfully for the business (like making a sale which brings revenue and income into the business)
distinguish X from Y - treating X and Y as different
direct-sales - (See Wikipedia)
income sources - places or ways that a person or company makes money
entities - businesses, companies

Legitimate direct-sales companies also rely on strategies to expand membership, but the primary income source is sales of goods and services. They also offer only the products granted permission from the Consumer Production Board for direct sales.

If the main source of profit is generated by memberships rather than sales, then there is a good reason to suspect that the business may operate as pyramid fund. There shouldn't be any trade that generates spectacular income in a short period of time," Col Piyawat said.

expand - to become larger ขายตัวออกไป
source - someone who gives information แหล่งข่าว
source - the starts or cause of something ต้นกำเนิด, แหล่งกำเนิด
primary income source - most important way of making money
permission - allowing someone to do something การอนุญาต,การอนุมัติ,การยินยอม
granted permission - given permission
suspect - to believe that something is true, especially something bad สงสัย
trade - doing business, buying and selling things
spectacular - extremely impressive ที่ตระการตา

The DSI is responsible for investigating cases involving pyramid funds. After a victim or an organisation files a complaint, it will submit evidence to the prosecutor-general. Fraud cases can result in criminal or civil charges.

According to the DSI, only 6,400 persons have filed complaints with the police, 20% of the total estimated victims. The amount of damages claimed totalled 1.4 billion baht. 

complaint - when someone says that something is wrong or not satisfactory การร้องเรียน
submit - to formally give something to someone so that they can make a decision about it ยื่น เสนอ ยื่นเอกสาร ให้พิจารณา
evidence - facts statements or objects that help to prove whether or not someone has committed a crime หลักฐาน
prosecutor - a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone accused of a crime is guilty อัยการ
civil - of a case filed a court that deals with non
charges - when the police and other legal authorities formally accuse someone of breaking the law
accuse - to say that someone has done something wrong
filed - to take official action, e.g., to make a formal complaint ยื่นฟ้องร้อง
filed complaints with the police - ask the police to investigate an illegal acticity and take action 
damages claimed - in a legal case, the amount to be received for damage done  

A common myth is that the chit funds that many people join in hopes of high yields are illegal. According to the Chit Fund 1991 Act, people can form a chit fund as a means of savings. The restriction is that a person must not be a promoter for more than three chit funds and more than 30 members a total. The size of the fund must be no larger than 300,000 baht for the three chit funds combined.

Veerapong Boonyopas, head of the business crime and money-laundering unit at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Law, said legal enforcement against pyramid funds has been ineffective because of inadequate manpower in protecting consumers.

myth - something believed by many people that is actually not true
common - occuring often 
high yields - making a lot of money, high profits
Chit Fund 1991 Act - a Thai law passed in 1991 to deal with illegal informal chit fund schemes that avoided taxes
means - methods; ways วิธี, วิธีการ
restriction - a rule, action or situation that limits or controls someone or something การจำกัด, การควบคุม
money-laundering - moving illegal money into foreign bank accounts or legal businesses to make it difficult for people to see where the money came from (See Wikipedia)
enforcement - the process of making sure that something happens, especially that people obey a law or rule การบังคับใช้กฎหมาย
inadequate - not enough, or not good enough for a particular purpose อย่างไม่เพียงพอ
manpower - the supply of people who are able to work กำลังคน

The police, the Consumer Protection Board, the Finance Ministry and the Anti-Money Laundering Office recently agreed to beef up co-operation to eliminate pyramid funds, which thrive in a lacklustre economy.

A worrisome trend is that people know that it is a pyramid fund but join because they think they can pull out before it collapses. They back the promoter of the funds as if she was a hero," Assoc Prof Veerapong said.

beef up - increase the strength of
co-operation - working together to achieve shared goals
eliminate - to get rid of completely กำจัดหรือขจัดให้หมดไป
thrive - do very well and be very successful (example: when a business makes a lot of money)
lacklustre - not very exciting ior energetic  
worrisome - worrying; causing worry or anxiety ซึ่งน่าวิตก
trend - a gradual change or development that produces a particular result ทิศทาง แนวโน้ม
back - to support สนับสนุน

(Source: Don't get caught at the bottom of pyramid, 8/02/2010, PARISTA YUTHAMANOP, link)


]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/financial_markets/a_guide_to_ponzi_schemes_in_th.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/financial_markets/a_guide_to_ponzi_schemes_in_th.php Financial Markets Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:04:38 +0600 Map Ta Phut only symptom of bigger problem: Weak political institutions for making important decisions (04-02-10)

Map Ta Phut only symptom of bigger problem:
Weak political institutions for making important decisions

By Jon Fernquest

map ta phutThe Bangkok Post featured an analysis of the Map Ta Phut crisis written by American academic Danny Unger this week.

Danny Unger is one of the few academics in the US and Europe specializing in Thai political economy (See profile and publications, scroll down page).

He teaches at Northern Illinois University (NIU), a center for Southeast Asian Studies in the US.

His major work Building Social Capital in Thailand (1998) provides a nice overview in English of many parts of the Thai economy (See Google Books).

His article is very long and can be read here in full.

What follows here is the part of the article that describes how Thailand slowly arrived at the Map Ta Phut crisis.

It provides the details of government failure for over a decade to pass the necessary laws to make important parts of the 1997 "People's Constitution" into law. 

Today's article begins after the vocabulary:

Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate - one of Thailand's largest industrial estates located in Rayong (See interactive map)
industrial estate, industrial park - a special area especially for factories with special facilities (roads, transportation, water, electricity, waste disposal) (See Wikipedia)
symptom - some sign or happening that shows or indicates an illness
institutions - a large system or set of customs that have been part of a society for a long time  
political institutions - the political system of a society
academic - a teacher or professor in a university or college 
political economy - economics that emphasizes the role and influence of politics on economic life and events (See Wikipedia)
social capital - "the networks of relationships among persons, firms, and institutions in a society, together with associated norms of behavior, trust, cooperation, etc., that enable a society to function effectively" (Source, also See Wikipedia)

Opinion
INDUSTRY

Map Ta Phut spat hides a colossal failure

1/02/2010
Danny Unger and Patcharee Siroros

High stakes

...Clearly much is at stake in Map Ta Phut for Thailand's economic and social environment

As Suranand Vejjajiva pointed out in a recent Bangkok Post column (Jan 15) [Read here], the Map Ta Phut imbroglio also directs attention to the failure of a succession of governments since August 2007, when the current constitution gained approval, to adopt implementing legislation so that the constitution's Article 67 could be implemented.

As he notes, the current way of handling environmental regulatory conflicts in Thailand carries costs in time, money and lost opportunities.

spat - an argument or disagreement, especially over something that seems unimportant เรื่องทะเลาะเบาะแว้ง ในเรื่องไม่เป็นเรื่อง
colossal - very big
stake - a share or a financial involvement in something such as a business
high stakes - in gambling, when a gambler can lose a lot of money on a bet 
much is at stake - much could be lost if events to not go right
pointed out - showed
imbroglio - a very confusing and complicated situation
attention - when you see and notice something
directs attention to - shows you that
succession -  series, one after another
current - of the present time ปัจจุบัน
constitution - the set of laws and basic principles that a country in governed by รัฐธรรมนูญ
approval - official permission การอนุมัต
adopt - to accept or to start using something new นำมาใช้
implementing - doing, making a plan reality, doing the tasks in a plan
legislation - a law or set of laws suggested by a government and made official by a parliament กฎหมาย, การออกกฎหมาย
Article 67 - "bans industrial projects considered 'severely harmful' until four activities have been undertaken: environmental impact assessment (EIA), health impact assessment (HIA), public hearings within the community and an opinion by an independent agency" (See previous article)
conflicts - angry disagreements between people or groups ความขัดแย้ง

The failure to design a mechanism that can give investors a green light, protect community concerns about environmental and health impacts and resolve conflicts authoritatively long precedes the 2007 constitution. The 1996 Public Hearing Rule called for environmental impact hearings for big projects. As a result, these hearings became familiar to large numbers of Thais, though the hearings did not always resolve conflicts. Many activists criticised the "D-A-D syndrome" in which officials would first decide on a project, and only then announce and subsequently defend project decisions.

As a result, controversies left many projects suspended in limbo. 

mechanism - a system designed to achieve goals
give a green light - give permission, say that people can do some activity
community - the people living in one particular area ชุมชน
concerns - worries ความกังวล
conflicts - disagreements, fights
resolve - to solve a problem, or to find a satisfactory way of dealing with it แก้ไขปัญหา
resolve conflicts authoritatively - solve and end disagreements (so that they do not happen again, decisively)  
precedes - comes before, happened before
a hearing - an official meeting which presents the facts of some issue before a decision is made 
a public hearing - a hearing that is open to the public, the public can listen and respond 
impact - an effect or influence ผลกระทบ
environmental impact - the negative effect that a project has on the environment
defend - to say things to support someone or something ปกป้อง
suspended - stopped temporarily
limbo - a situation of uncertainty สภาวะที่ไม่มั่นคง
controversies - issues that people argue and debate about 

Meanwhile, the 1997 constitution called for community participation in natural resource management and making decisions on big projects (for example, Articles 46, 59, 76, 79, and 290.

The 1997 constitution, however, did not specify procedures to enable participation in the approval of big projects with major environmental effects. As a result, the Prime Minister's Office in 1999 drafted a statute that the cabinet approved and sent to the Office of the Council of State (OCS). 

community participation - when the opinion of people who live in a local area is used to make a decision
natural resource - the things that nature gives people in place like land, forests, oil, minerals...
specify - to explain something in an exact and detailed way ระบุ ชี้แจงรายละเอียด
enable - to make someone able to do something, or to make something possible ทำให้เป็นไปได้
statute - a law which has been formally approved and written down รัฐบัญญัติ, พระราชบัญญัติ, ฎหมาย
cabinet - the group of government ministers who make and approve government policy คณะรัฐมนตรี

The OCS devoted extensive time and resources over the following years attempting to produce a law that would gain wide support. By 2004, 13,000 copies of a revised draft law went to government agencies, the media and local governments and the OCS sponsored public hearings on the draft law on public hearings.

Despite this earnest effort, the bill faced strong criticism from many NGOs and was derailed.

resources - things that you need to achieve something  (money, workers and equipment) ทรัพยากรู่
devoted resources to Y - used resources in project Y
extensive - many (a wide variety too)
draft - written for consideration, but not yet in its final form ฉบับร่าง
media - newspapers, radio, television, etc. สื่อ
local - in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about ท้องถิ่น
earnest - serious and determined เอาจริงเอาจัง
effort - an attempt to do something ความพยายาม
bill - a written document containing a proposal for a new law ญัตติ
criticism - when people show the bad points and defects of something
NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) - any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level, perform a variety of service and humanitarian functions, bring citizen concerns to Governments, advocate and monitor policies and encourage political participation through provision of information. Some are organized around specific issues, such as human rights, environment or health (Source: ngo.org also see Wikipedia) 
derailed - failed 

The Prime Minister's Office then produced, via a more streamlined process, a revised version of the bill which the cabinet issued in June 2005 as Prime Minister's Office Order on Public Consultation, 2005

After the 2007 constitution was promulgated, the Surayud government attempted to revise the June 2005 Order to serve as an organic law for Article 67. Working with research done by the King Prajadhipok Institute, representatives from the OCS, the National Economic and Social Advisory Council, the Human Rights Commission and various NGOs drafted a new bill

via - through ผ่าน (ช่องทาง) ในที่นี้คือ ผ่านดาวเทียม
process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
version - a particular form of something which varies slightly from other forms of the same thing
version - a particular form of something which varies slightly from other forms of the same thing
issued - made available ออกใหม่

Gothom Arya chaired the Public Participation Committee within the National Legislative Assembly and the legislature passed the public participation bill. However, the legislature had approved the bill without a quorum and the Constitution Court later upheld the Samak government's challenge to the bill.

One lesson that emerges from this chronology of events is that Thais have long recognised the need for wider public participation in public policy making, in large part reflecting sensitivity to the environmental consequences of large energy, industrial and infrastructural projects.

quorum - the number of people that a committee needs to meet and carry out its business
committee - a small group of people chosen to make certain decisions in a large organisation
uphold, uphold a law  - when a court says that a decision was correct according to the law
challenge, a legal challenge - when people try to prove that a decision is not legally correct
policy - a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group นโยบาย
in a large part... - one big reason why....
X reflecting Y -  X shows that Y
sensitivity - getting easily angry or worried about something
consequences - results of effects of something ผลที่ตามมา

Despite this understanding, however, Thais have to date not been successful in devising mechanisms to balance the voices of the diverse interests involved and to then (and this is crucial) reach an authoritative decision that will be accepted as at least procedurally legitimate and, contingently, the by most of thoselast word interests. This failure is now evident in the impasse that has been reached in Map Ta Phut....

have an interest in - will gain or lose depending on decision (or depending on succcess or failure of project)  
diverse interests - a variety of people who will gain or lose in different ways depending on the decision
crucial - extremely important because it effects the result of something สำคัญยิ่ง
authoritative - powerful ซึ่งแสดงถึงอำนาจ
legitimate - correct according to the law ที่ถูกต้องตามกฎหมาย, ชอบด้วยกฎหมาย
procedurally legitimate - uses the legally correct procedure
contingently - depending on conditions
the last word - the highest authority on the meaning, the opinion that is accepted above all others
evident - can be seen, easy to see
impasse - a situation in which progress is not possible and a project cannot move forward ทางตัน

(Source: Map Ta Phut spat hides a colossal failure, 1/02/2010, Danny Unger and Patcharee Siroros, link)

]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/government/map_ta_phut_only_symptom_of_bi.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/government/map_ta_phut_only_symptom_of_bi.php Government Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:29:46 +0600 Why global markets have failed to reduce inequality, Nobel laureate Eric Maskin explains (02-02-10)

Why global markets have failed to reduce inequality
Nobel laureate Eric Maskin explains

By Jon Fernquest

Eric MaskinThe American economist Eric Maskin was the recipient of the 2007 Nobel Prize in economics for his groundbreaking work in game theory and "mechanism design."

Dr. Maskin gave a series of talks and lectures last month in Bangkok and Cambodia on the subject of "Why global markets have failed to reduce inequality" sponsored by the International Peace Foundation (See webpage).

The International Peace Foundation is an NGO based in Vienna that sponsors lecture tours by Nobel Prize laureates.

In today's article Bangkok Post reporter Parista Yuthamanop interviews Dr. Maskin about the topic of his lecture tour. 

"Mechanism design" is a field of study that can help sort out the byzantine complexities of telecommunications policy. This makes it potentially useful in Thailand's longstanding 3G and telecommunications impasse (See paper on the famous FCC spectrum auction designs in the US).

Also, if you are interested in game theory, there is a wonderful course on this subject downloadable for free from Yale (See webpage via @openculture).

Today's article begins after the vocabulary:

Eric Maskin - Nobel prize winning economist specializing in game theory and "mechanism design" (See Wikipedia)
Nobel Prize in economics - the highest award for achievement in economics that started in 1969 (See Wikipedia)
a recipient of Y - a person who has received Y 
groundbreaking - doing something for the first time
game theory - the mathematical study of strategy in games (See Wikipedia)
mechanism design, reverse game theory - designing games or auctions "whose rules can influence others to act the way he would like," can be used to create policy to give people the right incentives to achieve policy goals (See Wikipedia)
sort out - make something complex easy for people to understand and control
byzantine - very complex and difficult to understand
complexities - having many different parts related to each other in difficult to understand ways สิ่งที่ซับซ้อน, ประกอบด้วยส่วนต่างๆที่จุกจิก
telecommunications - communications by mobile phone and old-style fixed line phone
policy - ideas and plans used by  government to make decisions in politics, economic, social policy, etc...นโยบาย
potentially useful - could be useful (don't know yet)
impasse - some problem or issue that cannot be solved and prevents your project from going forward and making progress
FCC (Federal Communications Commission) - the US government agency in charge of radio and TV broadcasting (See Wikipedia)
spectrum - the radio waves in the air that carry radio and TV broadcasts (See Wikipedia)
FCC spectrum auction - a famous application of mechanism design to a practical problem, deciding which companies get spectrum in the US (See paper and PhD dissertation with critical evaluation) 
inequality - a situation or condition where people are not equal (here: big differences between the incomes of people in a country)
sponsored by... - paid for by...
International Peace Foundation - (Read about the organisation)
NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) - any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level, perform a variety of service and humanitarian functions, bring citizen concerns to Governments, advocate and monitor policies and encourage political participation through provision of information. Some are organized around specific issues, such as human rights, environment or health (Source: ngo.org also see Wikipedia) 
based in X - place X is where their headquarters is (where they do, supervise or manage their work from) 
lecture tour - a series of talks on a topic at universities, schools and other public and private places
Nobel Prize laureates - people who have  won a Nobel prize

Economics
TRADE

Income disparities fruit of free trade

2/02/2010 at 12:00 AM
Parista Yuthamanop

The closer link between trade and production has enabled businesses worldwide to make goods more cheaply and thrive. But many people agree that rising income inequality has been one of the pitfalls

Eric Maskin, an American economist who won the 2007 Nobel Prize in economics, observed that countries in Latin America and Asia have witnessed increasing inequality since they liberalised international trade.

trade - activity of buying and selling goods between companies and countries
free trade - when goods can be sold between countries with few trade barriers
trade barriers, barriers to trade - laws, regulations and practices that prevent goods coming in from other countries (See Wikipedia)
X fruit of Y - Y caused X, X was the result of Y happening
disparities - big differences between two things
income disparities - big differences income (between two social groups)
link - to connect เชื่อมs
X enabled Y - X happened and this made it possible for Y to happen 
thrive - do well economically, have high profits and high incomes
X witnessed Y - condition, situation or event Y happened in X (or X saw Y happen)
liberalise - make free
liberalised international trade - make trade between different countries "free" by reducing tariffs, quotas and other trade barriers
tariffs - taxes on goods imported into a country
quotas - limits on imports of a good from a country

Mexico, for example, quadrupled its international trade five years after it signed a free trade pact with the US in 1975. But wages of high-skilled workers increased by 13% while those of low-skilled workers declined by 14.

Prof Maskin said that the "comparative advantage" theory has failed to explain the widening income gaps that occur after trade barriers are removed. The theory hypothesised that once trade and services were liberalised, production bases would relocate based on the distinguishing factors for production in each country.

quadrupled - increased to a level four times greater (example: from 10 to 40)
pact - agreement
free trade pact - an agreement between countries to make the flow of goods between the countries easier (by eliminating trade barriers)
advantage - a condition giving a greater chance of success ความได้เปรียบ
comparative advantage - the idea that a country's economy is most efficiently employed in activities in which they perform relatively better than in others (See Wikipedia)
efficient - while working and doing a task wasting the smallest amount of time, energ and resources
theory - one or more ideas that explain how or why something happens สมมติฐาน
widening income gaps - when the rich become richer and the poor become poorer
relocate - to move someone or something to another place โยกย้ายประชาชนออกจากบริเวณ

In the case of Mexico and the US, the theory would lead to a scenario in which Mexico would shift to low-skilled production and import high-skilled production of goods from the US. The US would do the opposite

Ultimately, Mexico could see a decline in wages of high-skilled workers because there is less demand. It would have witnessed an increase in wages of low-skilled workers because there is more demand.

scenario - a description of possible actions or events in the future
shift - to transfer; to move from one place to another เคลื่อนย้าย
import - to buy or bring in products from another country นำเข้า
demand - the need and desire of consumers to buy goods in an economy

International trade and the production of goods has deepened over the past 25 years, owing to significant decreases in communications costs and the production of goods across borders. One premise is that such developments will help to reduce poverty.

China and India have grown spectacularly over the past 20 years and their successes have been highly related to the fact that they opened up their economies.

international trade has deepened - international trade has increased (and includes more goods and sectors of the economy) 
significant - important สำคัญ
premise - an assumption, something you suppose is true and use to develop an argument
poverty - the condition of being extremely poor ความจน
grown spectacularly - increased by a very large and surprising amount 
opened up their economies - reduced trade barriers and let more foreign goods come into their country

It doesn't work that way in recent globalisation," Prof Maskin said recently in Bangkok in a forum held by International Peace Foundation. "And it makes people wonder perhaps if globalisation is not such a good idea after all.

Even though inequality has increased, so has average prosperity. So globalisation is not an all-out failure.

forum - a place where people can express their ideas and opinions การประชุมแสดงความคิดเห็น
prosperity - the state of being successful and having a lot of money ความเจริญรุ่งเรือง, ความมั่งคั่ง
globalisation - an ongoing process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a globe-spanning network of communication and trade (See Wikipedia)
not such a good idea after all - they tried the idea and learned that it was a bad idea
an all-out failure - a complete failure

He proposed a new theory which focuses on the fact that the rise in cross-border production would affect workers at various skill levels in each country. The new theory is based on a premise that the wealth of a country depends on its workforce's skill level

Cross-border production changes the distribution of labour skills among trade partner countries as more competition in the labour market will force workers to improve their capacity, he said

border - the official line separating two areas, regions or countries เขตแดน อาณาเขต
cross-border production - when part of the production of a good purchased in a country has taken place in another country 
wealth - a large amount of จำนวนมาก มหาศาล
workforce - all the workers in a company or whole economy
level - the amount of something ปริมาณ
distribution of labour skills - how labour skills are spread out over different countries and different regions within a country 
trade partner countries - the other countries that your country trades with (buys goods from and sells goods to)
improve - to make better ทำให้ดีขึ้น
capacity - the amount of something that can be produced ความสามารถในการ (ผลิต)

But it turns out that not all workers could match the higher skills and lift their capacity because those at the lowest end will be left to fend for themselves.

As a result of the rise in cross-border production, workers with the lowest skills will see their wages decrease, while workers with higher skills will see their pay packages get bigger. The situation today is far different from that in the pre-globalised world, he said.

We need to make an investment in the low-skilled labour of the world so they too can benefit from globalisation.

left to fend for themselves - people or society is not helping them and has left them to take care of themselves
pay packages, compensation - both the money and benefits such as health insurance that the employees of a company receive for their work 
benefit - to get help or an advantage from something ผลประโยชน์

(Source: Income disparities fruit of free trade, 2/02/2010, Parista Yuthamanop, link)
 
]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/media_and_telecommunications/why_global_markets_have_failed.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/media_and_telecommunications/why_global_markets_have_failed.php Media and Telecommunications Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:19:22 +0600 Government internet "sniffing" A violation of Thailand's own computer crime laws? (28-01-10) sniffing4

Government internet "sniffing"
A violation of Thailand's own computer crime laws?

By Jon Fernquest

surveillance camerasThailand has already developed quite a reputation internationally for internet censorship recently.

This is clear from looking at the map below prepared by Reporters Without Borders which shows countries "under surveillance" in red and "internet blackholes," the most heavily censored countries, in black which might even be called "electronic police states."

In Thailand people have been arrested recently for merely allegedly spreading rumours on the internet (Read article).

Freedom of speech on the internet has become a global issue of great importance. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently gave an important speech on internet freedom (Read speech and Wikipedia).

The internet, however, has also become a popular place to commit crimes and evade detection. Police surveillance of the internet has been likened to the use of surveillance cameras to catch criminals.

Recently, con artists used Thailand as a base for swindling innocent victims in China and Taiwan (Read article). Transnational crime has also been on the rise in Thailand (Read article).

Perhaps the major concern with internet surveillance is that it might be misused by corrupt or incompetent police, military and government officials. Objections may be justified given incompetence displayed by government officials in the recent bomb detector scandal (Follow @bangkokpundit on this issue)

internet censorship mapThe current ICT Minister Ranongrak Suwanchawee has also been under constant criticism for focusing solely on negative internet censorship and not contributing to any positive use of the internet (Read article).

In today's article an expert who helped draft the laws even states that internet sniffing would be a violation of Thailand's new computer laws.

(Photo on right of surveillance cameras which internet is likened to in the article below)

reputation - the opinion people have of you, whether you are good or bad
censorship - when the government cuts parts out of publications, movies and other media and publications that it does not like (See Wikipedia)
internet censorship - when the government blocks and prevents public access to internet webpages (See Wikipedia)
Reporters Without Borders - a Paris-based international organization that advocates freedom of the press founded in 1985 (See Wikipedia)
electronic police state - a country or state where the police watch everything that people do via the internet, for example they even know what you are buying and what is happening in your bank account (See Wikipedia)
surveillance - the process of carefully watching a person or place การเฝ้าตรวจตราอย่างเข้มงวด
allegedly - claimed but not yet proven
rumour - a piece of information or claim that passes from person to person (word-of-mouth) without evidence to prove it (See Wikipedia)
spread rumours - tell rumours to other people, who will tell to even more people, and so on.... 
freedom of speech - the freedom to speak without censorship and/or limitation (See Wikipedia)
commit crimes - do or carry out an activity that is considered a crime
evade detection - prevent people from knowing what you are doing
swindling - deceive, cheat or lie to get money from someone
con artists - swindlers, criminals who cheat or scam people out of money (See Wikipedia on confidence trick)
transnational crime - when a criminal or gang engages in crime in many different countries อาชญากรรมข้ามชาติ
major concern - the thing that people are most worried about
incompetent - does not know what they are doing, does not have the necessary skills to do assigned tasks in job
objections - the reasons why people disagree
justified - when something questionable is proven right
bomb detection scandal - the recent revelation that the Thai army has been sold fraudulent bomb detectors (See major BBC story)
revelation - when you learn an important fact 
fraudulent - cheating someone by lieing to them  
ICT - Information and Communications Technologies, the topic of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware (See Wikipedia)
Ranongrak Suwanchawee - the current ICT minister (See background)
surveillance cameras - video cameras used to watch what is going on in a place to prevent theft or illegal entry, in places such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations, and convenience stores (See Wikipedia)

COMPUTER-RELATED CRIME

Data-interception technology sparks privacy vs safety arguments
27/01/2010
Suchit Leesa-nguansuk

Experts have raised concerns over whether using Sniffer software to resolve suspicious internet activity violates the Computer-related Crime Act B.E. 2550.

Sniffer is a combination of hardware and software to intercept data or detect data traffic in networks. Different Sniffers may have various depending on their configurationsdesignation and final usage.

interception - the process of stopping, hitting, catching or controlling someone or something while they are moving สกัดจับ
privacy - the freedom to do things without other people watching you or knowing what you are doing ความเป็นส่วนตัว
concerns - worries ความกังวล
Sniffer software - software used for internet surveillance
resolve - to solve a problem, or to find a satisfactory way of dealing with it แก้ไขปัญหา
suspicious - making you believe that something is wrong, dangerous or illegal น่าสงสัย
violates - broke or acted against something, especially a law, agreement, principle or something that should be treated with respect ละเมิด
combination - the mixture you get when two or more things are combined การรวมกัน
intercept - to stop and catch something or someone before they are able to reach a particular place สกัด
data - facts or information used for making calculations or decisions ข้อมูล
detect - to notice, to discover or find out พบได้, สังเกต
traffic - many things moving from one place to another place
data traffic - lots of data moving from one place to another place
network - a large system of connected parts, organisations, people, etc. เครือข่าย
networks, computer networks - a system of connected computers such as the internet (or a small "intranet" within a company)
configurations - arrangements
designation - what something is called, how it is classified
usage - the way that something is used

It is suggested that the technology should only be used for data interception where there is a strong legal case for suspicion, rather than detecting all traffic, which would violate data privacy

The ICT Ministry considers Sniffer to be one method in the cabinet's resolution to reduce the piracy of intellectual property in Thailand.

suspicion - a feeling that something bad is probably true or likely to happen ความสงสัย
violate - to do something that is against a law, rule or agreement ฝ่าฝืนกฎหมาย, ละเมิดกฏหมาย
one - sided (of a competition) a situation where one competitor or team easily defeats another ชนะอย่างง่ายได้
resolution - an official decision that is made after a group or organisation have voted มติ
piracy - the act of copying and selling illegal copies  การละเมิดลิขสิทธิ์
a pirate - someone without the right to sell who sells DVDs, software, video tapes, or luxury brands  ผู้ละเมิดลิขสิทธิ์
pirated products, pirated goods - illegal cheap copies and imitations of valuable goods    สินค้าของปลอมที่ผลิตเลียนแบบสินค้าแบรนด์เนม
intellectual property (IP) - property rights created through the (intellectual) discovery efforts of a creator that are protected under patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret laws (See Wikipedia)  กฎหมายลิขสิทธิ์

However, there are objections to Sniffer in the cyber community to due to concerns it will violate their privacy, including an official "Thailand No Sniffer" Facebook group.

Ajin Jirachiefpattana, Executive Director, ICT Industry Promotion Bureau, said there is a plan to ask internet service providers to implement Sniffer to intercept all data traffic for analysing the transfer of potentially suspicious data. 

objections - feeling or expressing opposition to or dislike of something or someone การไม่เห็นด้วย
community - a group of people sharing the same interests or living in the same area
due to - because of
concerns - issues or things that you are worried about
violate privacy -
Facebook - a popular "social networking" site where people socialize, exchange information and meet new people (See Wikipedia)
Facebook group - a group of friends or people with the same interests on Facebook
implement - to make something such as an idea, plan, system or law start to work and be used นำมาใช้ นำ แผนหรือนโยบายมาปฏิบัติ
transfer - to move someone or something from one place, vehicle, person or group to another ย้าย
potentially - possible in the future ที่อาจเกิดขึ้นได้, เป็นไปได้

Using Sniffer to intercept data in the public internet is similar to CCTV in public areas in that it aids the police in their attempts to create and maintain safer environments. Sniffer offers a proactive way to identify and monitor suspicious websites showing unusual traffic patterns.

Under the current system, the authority has to ask for court approval to take down suspicious sites, which it more of a reactive approach.

CCTV (Close Circuit TV), security camera - video cameras used to watch what is going on in a place, to prevent theft or illegal entry, in places such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations, and convenience stores (See Wikipedia)
maintain - to keep รักษา
identify - to recognise something and understand what it is ชี้ ระบตัวุ
monitor - to regularly check something or watch someone in order to find out what is happening ตรวจสอบ ตรวจตรา เฝ้าจับตาดู ติดตาม, เฝ้าสังเกต
current - of the present time ปัจจุบัน
authority - power อำนาจ
approval - official permission การอนุมัต
court approval - when a court of law says it is ok to do something (making it legal to do)
take down sites - remove a website from the internet
approach - a way of doing or dealing with something การจัดการกับปัญหา
reactive approach - doing something only after an event happens (opposite: proactive = doing something before an event happens)

However, using this technology requires co-operation from ISPs to set up Sniffer at their gateway, and the ICT Ministry has to ask the NTC for help in issue policy mandates to compel ISPs under their license to Act on this.

The ICT Ministry has a 120-million-baht budget for technology investment to correctly and analyse internet data which may harm national security, but this money cannot be put to use if we cannot use Sniffer," said Ajin

co-operation (noun) - the act of working with other people to help them achieve a goal การทำงานเป็นทีม
ISPs - Internet Service Providers, a company that provides access to the internet (See Wikipedia)
set up X - create and arrange X for the first time
gateway - a place on a computer network that connects with other networks (See Wikipedia)
issue - officially announced ออกประกาศ
policy - a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group นโยบาย
mandates - having the power and authority to carry out a policy or do a task
compel - to force someone to do something บังคับ
budget - an amount of money able to be spent on something งบประมาณ
harm - damage ความเสียหาย
national - a citizen of a particular country ประชาชน
security - the need to provide safety from attack, harm or damage ความปลอดภัย

Morakot Kulathamyotin, chair of the Thai Internet Association, said the association still has not been formally acknowledged by the ICT Minister, although as a commercial company they do everything to comply with the law.

In terms of technical perspective, there is a big barrier to establishing sufficient machine capacity to monitor and store all data traffic without slowing down network speed.

acknowledge - accept and admit that something is true or exists
formally acknowledged - a person with authority (speaking for the government, for example) accepts and admits some fact as true
commercial - for business purposes
comply - to obey a rule or a law การปฏิบัติตามกฎ
terms - conditions; requirements ข้อกำหนด
perspective - a particular way of considering something ทัศนคติ
barrier - anything that prevents people from being together or understanding each other อุปสรรค
sufficient - enough เพียงพอ
capacity - the amount of something that can be produced ความสามารถในการ (ผลิต)

You could think of using Sniffer as similar to setting up police checkpoints on the roads, which makes traffic slow down," said Morakot

She continued that normal procedure is for police to apply for search warrants once they suspect a website of publishing illegal content, although logistically it is impossible to search every suspect's address. They must also obtain court orders before they can block websites. ISPs do already co-operate in these efforts under the Computer-related Crime Act and Securities and Exchange

police checkpoints - a place on the road where the police stop cars and trucks and check them for illegal things such as drugs
procedure - a way of doing something ขั้นตอนการดำเนินการ
apply - to make use of something นำมาใช้
search - to look somewhere carefully in order to find something ค้นหา
suspect - a person thought to have committed a crime ผู้ต้องสงสัย
illegal - against the law ผิดกฎหมาย
content - the subject, ideas, or story that a piece of writing or a radio or television programme deals with เนื้อหา,สาระ
address - a place where a person lives
obtain court orders - get a court of law to force people to do something
block - to stop something from moving through something ปิดกั้น, กีดขวาง
block websites - prevent people in an area, country or computer network from accessing and looking at a website
Computer-related Crime Act - Thailand's new 2007 law on cyber crime (See translation andsummary) 

Sujate Jantarang, President, Mahanakorn University of Technology, who is a law and technology expert who previously worked in revising the Computer-related Crime Act law, said if the ICT Ministry used Sniffer or other data-interception technology, the government would be in violation of the Computer Related Crime ACT B.E. 2550, section 8

This is because if data which is not for public use is intercepted and sent into the computer system, the government action will be deemed to have acted illegally.

There needs to be a balance of freedom and duty. If we are comparing Sniffer with CCTV, then consider that CCTV should only be used in front of the house and is now allowed to zoom inside the house, as that would violate privacy," said Sujate.

Any misuse of private data, especially banking information, could damage Thailand reputation and economy.

revising - rewriting and improving
violation - the breaking of a rule or a law การฝ่าฝืน
deemed - considered เห็นว่า ถือว่า
duty - something that you have to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do หน้าที่, ความรับผิดชอบ
misuse - to use something in an unsuitable way or in a way that was not intended ใช้ในทางที่ผิด
reputation - the opinion people have about how good or bad someone or something is ชื่อเสียง, ความนับหน้าถือตา

Today's process is already quick to enforce, because the court can issue warrants in 24 hours," he emphasised.

A security expert source said other countries the United States also uses the lawful interception model in its Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) , and makes clear that telecommunications carriers have a duty to co-operate in the interception of communications for law enforcement purposes.

CALEA's purpose is to enhance the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct electronic surveillance by requiring that telecommunications carriers and manufacturers of telecommunications equipment modify and design their equipment, facilities, and services to ensure that they have built-in surveillance capabilities.

process - a series of actions that you take in order to achieve a result แนวทางปฏิบัติ, กระบวน, วิธีการ
enforce - to make sure laws are obeyed
source - someone who gives information แหล่งข่าว
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) - a US law passed in 1994 that requires telecommunications companies to provide surveillance capability to law enforcement (See Wikipedia)

"CALEA's purpose is to enhance the ability of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to conduct electronic surveillance by requiring that telecommunications carriers and manufacturers of telecommunications equipment modify and design their equipment, facilities, and services to ensure that they have built-in surveillance capabilities, allowing federal agencies to monitor all telephone, broadband internet, and VoIP traffic in real-time."

surveillance - the process of carefully watching a person or place การเฝ้าตรวจตราอย่างเข้มงวด
enforcement - the process of making sure that something happens, especially that people obey a law or rule การบังคับใช้กฎหมาย
law enforcement -  policing activity, making sure that those who broke the law are caught, tried and punished (See Wikipedia)
enhance - to improve the quality, amount or strength of something ทำให้ดีเพิ่มขึ้น, ปรับปรุง, ทำให้ดีขึ้น, เสริม ยกระดับ เพิ่มทวี
intelligence - information collected about the secret plans of an enemy, criminal organisations, competitors, etc. ข่าวกรอง ข้อมูลลับ
conduct - to do something in an organised way; to carry out
facilities - the buildings, equipment and services provided for a particular purpose สิ่งอำนวยความสะดวก
ensure - to make certain that something happens or is done รับรอง ให้ความมั่นใจ ให้การยืนยัน ย้ำ
built-in - included in equipment or a machine when it is manufactured or built
capabilities - things that a person, machine or organization can do
built-in surveillance capabilities - when a machine can watch what people are doing

(Source: COMPUTER-RELATED CRIME, Data-interception technology sparks privacy vs safety arguments, 27/01/2010, Suchit Leesa-nguansuk, link)

]]> http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/government/government_internet_sniffing_a.php http://www.readbangkokpost.com/business/government/government_internet_sniffing_a.php Government Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:03:52 +0600