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Forces will be mobilized to combat economic crime
The Ministry of Justice recently conducted a
brainstorming session aimed at thrashing out approaches to solve economic
crime, warning that economic crime was costing the nation billions of baht
each year.
Wisit Wisitsora-at, director of the ministry’s
operations, addressed the seminar. Hinting of famous incidents of economic
crime such as the Enron scandal in the US, Wisit warned, “These problems
could happen to Thailand. Whatever agencies are involved, they must join
hands to carry out audits, rather than leaving everything up to the Special
Investigative Branch.”
Wisit, who said that economic crime was costing the
nation dearly, observed that the collection of evidence relating to economic
crime remained one of the major weaknesses in combating it. “This weakness
stems not only from problems within the system itself, but also basic errors
of understanding,” he said.
Nonetheless, he stressed that the Special Investment
Branch, the courts, lawyers, and businessmen were working together to
identify these weaknesses, while also working to isolate loopholes in
existing legislation.
The session was attended by representatives from the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Thai Association of
Accountants and Licensed Auditors, the Chulalongkorn University’s Center
for Business Crime Information, and the Special Investigation Branch. (TNA)
Budget for smart cards approved
Deputy Government Spokeswoman Sansanee Nakpong announced
that the cabinet has approved a total budget of over 7.9 billion baht to
support the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology’s multi-
purpose identity cards, or smart cards, project. “The earmarked budget
will be used to produce and manage the distribution of 64 million smart
cards to all Thai citizens,” she stated.
The smart cards scheme will be divided into three parts;
first, 12 million smart cards will be produced. Backed by another budget in
the 2005 fiscal year, 26 million more will be available, and the rest of the
26 million smart cards will follow shortly after.
The computer chips embedded in the smart cards will not lead to
accessibility of all individual information of cards’ holders, but the
chips would only be a ‘key’ used to access to their information stored
in a server. “So, if a card holder loses the card, he or she will not be
at risk of being accessed to all reserved information,” Sansanee said.
(TNA)
Public urged to save energy
Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is calling on the Thai
public to save energy over the coming hot season. The prime minister
pledged, however, that the government would continue to cap the price of
oil, while urging the Thai public to help keep energy consumption low by
switching off lights and air conditioning units, and driving vehicles at
speeds below 90 kilometers per hour.
The government has already spent over 4 billion baht on controlling oil
prices, but is continuing to cap the price in order to prevent an
inflationary spiral. (TNA)
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