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Dhevo Rohana: End of Buddhist Lent
Thaweerat Pensalaphan
The end of Buddhist Lent was celebrated on October 24 at
historic Wat Phrathart Lampang Luang temple in Lampang in the Dhevo Rohana
alms giving ceremony.
Traditionally, 21 Buddhist monks descend along the Naga
stairs from the Khong Gate of the temple in Tambon Lampang Luang, Kor Kha
district with more than 500 people waiting to give alms.
And in Chiang Mai this traditional ceremony was held at
Wat Faihin behind Chiang Mai University where a thousand Buddhist faithful
gathered along the roadsides to give alms to the monks who descended Wat
Faihin’s stairs to the campus.
The Dhevo Rohana alms giving ceremony is traditionally
held on the first day of the waning moon of the 11th
lunar month which is believed to be the day the Lord Buddha descended to
earth. According to Buddhist legend, in the 7th
Buddhist Lent after the Lord Buddha had obtained enlightenment he went to
reside in the second heaven where Indra dwells, so that he could give a
sermon to all. The first day of the waning moon of this month is the
traditional day for people to make merit by giving alms to Buddhist monks.
Provincial airports targeted by drug smugglers
Chiang Mai Mail
reporters
Transnational drug trafficking rings have shifted their
transit routes from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to provincial
airports Pittaya Jinawat the Secretary- General of the Office of Narcotics
Control Board (ONCB) reported recently at a meeting held at the 3rd
Development Battalion in Mae Rim.
Drug smuggling rings, especially those from West African
nations, Iran and Pakistan often target and befriend Thai women to act as
carriers.
The ONCB is working together with authorities to step up
preventative measures as well as increase surveillance. At a recent meeting
in Indonesia, the Thai government proposed increased measure to block
smuggling at regional airports and next month some West African countries
will send representatives to discuss ways in which to control drug
smuggling.
The government, Pittaya noted, is working at all levels
to combat drug smuggling, from local to international.
Connect USA seminar brings American products and services
U.S.
Commercial Attache Francis Peters of the U.S. Embassy in Thailand,
Yutthapong Jeeraprapapong, Chairman of the Northern Federation of Thai
Industries. Narong Kongprasert, President of the Chiang Mai Chamber of
Commerce, Susan Stevenson, Consul General of the U.S. in Chiang Mai, Oraphan
Boonyalug Commercial Specialist, and Sukanya Sirikeeratikul of the Foreign
Agricultural Service (FAS) at the seminar held at the Le Meridien Hotel.
Supoj Thaimyoj
The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, in collaboration with the
U.S. Consulate General in Chiang Mai, launched “Connect USA: Opportunities
for Sourcing American Products and Services” at Le-Meridien Hotel in Chiang
Mai on October 14, 2010 with U.S. Consul General Susan Stevenson presiding
over the opening ceremony.
U.S. Commercial Attache Francis Peters from the Embassy
joined the seminar with Narong Kongprasert, President of the Chiang Mai
Chamber of Commerce, Oraphan Boonyalug, Commercial Specialist of the U.S.
Embassy, and Sukanya Sirikeeratikul, of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Embassy in
Thailand.
The half-day program highlighted U.S. government-sponsored
programs and resources to connect Thai and U.S. businesses. Staff from the
U.S. Embassy and Consulate General shared insights and answered questions on
sourcing products and services from U.S. The conference drew over 90
participants from local businesses and trading companies, local business
association, and U.S. and international companies based in northern
Thailand.
Consul General Susan Stevenson noted that the U.S.
Consulate in Chiang Mai and the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok have been
collaborating on the U.S.-Thai Creative Partnership, which aims to boost
trade and investment between Thailand and the United States.
“Thailand remains the United States’ 23 rd largest
trading partner and 8th largest in Asia. The U.S. and Thailand have been
strong diplomatic and commercial partners for more than 175 years, in large
part due to our robust trade relationship. We believe there is room for
growth on both sides particularly as businesses in northern Thailand expand
abroad,” said the Consul General.
Narong Kongprasert, President of the Chiang Mai Chamber
of Commerce, highlighted in his opening remarks the worldwide reputation of
American products as technologically advanced and reliable.
He also encouraged local businesses to exploit the strong
Bant by importing American IT, electronic, automobile and agricultural
equipment and machinery to upgrade to higher technology and enhance
productivity.
U.S. food and agricultural products exports to Thailand
last year was worth U.S. $1.111 billion.
In the first half of the year, exports hit US$610 million
with the top three exports cotton, wheat and animal feed and the top three
food exports dairy products, processed fruit, vegetables and seafood and
fresh fruit.
With the expansion of supermarkets and department stores
and the high number of convenience stores, opportunities for distribution
continue to increase and Thai buying power continues to grow with about 15
million people considered in the main target group for U.S. products
imported into Thailand. Thai consumers tend to hold high confidence in the
safety and quality of U.S. food and agricultural products
The Thai Government is also encouraging Thai producers to
do more business with food products to export high quality products.
One more thing, it is because of the Thai government
policy that wants to encourage
For more details about business opportunities with U.S.
companies, please visit http:// www.buyusa.gov/home/
Orchard farmers increased global competitiveness with help from the German government
By Phitsanu Thepthong
A five year project targeting lamyai, tangerine and saa
mulberry farmers run by the German Technical Co-operation (GTZ) and the
Department of Industrial Promotion’s Industrial Promotion Centre Region 1
(IPC1) found success in its project implementation to encourage agro-industrial
clusters in the Northern region.
Prasong
Nilbanchong, Director of PIC1 presents a souvenir of the project to David
Oberhuber, left, country director of GTZ Thailand. (Photo by Supoj Thaimyoj)
Prasong Nilbanchong, Director of PIC1 told the Chiang Mai
Mail that after the five-year project, the farmers and growers reduced
production and investment costs, increased productivity and improved product
and production quality in line with environmentally friendly standards.
David Oberhuber, country director of GTZ Thailand, said
at the closing ceremony of the project called ‘ Promotion of Northern Agro-Industrial
Clusters (PNAC), held at Kantary Hills Hotel in Chiang Mai on October 19
that the PNAC’ s goal is also to promote competitiveness of the Thai agro
industries, and enterprises which are also supported by German Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, ( BMZ), for eco-efficiency
of Thai agro-industries, reduce production costs and improve product quality,
productivity, environmental performance and export opportunity.
The five-year PNAC project, which ran from September 2005
to July 2010, targeted small and medium enterprises (SMEs), as they drive
Thailand’s significant economy comprising the largest number of Thai
businesses.
Director Prasong noted that the project had substantially
benefited the target groups. Longan/ lamyai growers were able to reduce
production costs by 20% and increase yields of premium-grade AA+A fruit by
more than 20%. Improvement of dried lamyai processing has resulted in a 20%
increase in yields, better product quality, longer shelf life and a 25%
reduction in energy-related production costs. As well, the project has
piloted global standards for lamyai growers.
Longan/ lamyai growers’ groups in two districts of Chiang
Mai, San Pa Tong and Phrao, were the first in Thailand to receive Global GAP
Option 2 certification for good agricultural practices.
The project improved pulp processing for saa paper from
mulberry trees, reducing chemical use by replacing sodium hydroxide with
potassium hydroxide. Waste water from the production process was reused to
fertilize plants. Meanwhile, the saa product processed from new technology
was proved better and product increasing by 9 %.
At present, there are six factories in Chiang Mai and
four in Phrae using this clean technology to produce saa pulp, reducing
waste water by 80.5 million liters from these all ten factories.
Over the past five years, the project has also helped
promote sustainable orange (tangerine) cultivation among farmers by
introducing Integrated Pest Management (IPM). It also developed a pilot
project to provide crop management services in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and
Mae Hong Son.
Improved pest control resulted in increases in fruit
weights and grades, reduced production costs, improved soil nourishment, and
balanced ecosystems in the vicinities of tangerine orchards.
MSurasit Bunyaphisant, Deputy Director- General of
Department of Industrial Promotion also told Chiang Mai Mail that one of the
key factors for this success has been the high quality of Thai agro
industrial growers or producers which are rated in the world’s top ten.
Deputy Director General Surasit added that another key
factor, are that the agro industries could be developed in form of clusters,
which is a part of the success. The more clusters would help clear
achievement in the productivities process, from the cultivation to
production, improvement complex and then to the end, as the whole project is
environmentally friendly. Changing from chemical use to organic methods is
the highlight for this PNAC program.
Revenue Department
announces new tax strategies
Phitsanu Thepthong
The Revenue Department has announced its readiness for
the next fiscal year with new strategic management so as to meet its target
for the country’s tax collection Director General Satit Rungkasiri announced
at a meeting held in Chiang Mai on October 27 at the Le Meridien Hotel for
the 12 Regional Offices.
Satit said the Revenue Department announced its ‘Big
Change’ policy, adjusting taxation structures so as to be in line with the
public participatory process and by using modern IT systems to monitor those
who will pay tax.
Director General Satit Rungkasiri of the Revenue Department at the meeting
at the Le Meridien Hotel on October 27.
He furthered that a focus on developing IT tools and
databases to increase efficiency in tax collection will supplement the
existing tools and services. He added that this will increase efficiency and
convenience for business operators and tax payers.
He added that he has assigned Revenue Department
officials to implement new management systems to the heads of the government
division under supervision of the Department so that they could implement
taxation management plans and efficiently collect tax for the fiscal year of
2011.
He said confidently that the Revenue Department would
certainly be able to collect tax as targeted by the Government, “but that
tax collection must be followed procedurally, with good management methods
to make it more convenient to everyone involved.
Director General Satit remarked that the targeted figure
for tax collection for this fiscal year (2011), is as high as 1.3 trillion
baht, “but we are still confident that the Revue Department officials will
work hard to collect the tax as targeted.”
He noted that “We have organized this meeting so that the
Revenue Department officials concerned could analyze the business sector
situation future trends so the revenue management teams will understand and
recognize the obstacles. Human resources are still an existing problem as
there are not enough qualified personnel to help make it more profitable,
however, we are trying to adopt a new IT system to help support the targeted
groups for paying tax and taxation management.”
Technology, he noted, will help target the problems and
allow qualified personnel t inspect and correct documentation.
Satit pointed out that the main principles aimed at
improving future revenue collection include linking information in various
databases so they are all integrated, launching promotional campaigns for
taxpayers to encourage taxpayers to use the internet, developing more
networked computer systems to make inspection more efficient and to
standardize the check list for all officials to use.
Additionally they plan to introduce a taxation handbook
for government officials to calculate taxation among private businesses and
finally to adjust the tax system so that it is fair for all concerned
parties.
Changing weather patterns too strong for traditional rain-man
By Esther de Jong,
Jakarta, Indonesia
Indonesia usually has two distinct seasons. It rains for
six months and then it’s dry for the rest of the year. But this year the
rains have not stopped. For the first time in three years the government has
been forced to import rice. Traditionally Indonesians have relied on the
powers of a ‘rain-man’ or pawing hujan to control the rain, but it
seems even his powers are fading in the face of changing global weather
patterns.
With hardly a single day without rain on Java Island this
year, 63-year-old Muhamad Subadri is perturbed. “I have never experienced
this. Normally the rain falls in January, February March, April, May and the
dry season follows after that, but this year it even rained on Indonesian
independence day in late August!” says Muhamad.
Everybody calls him Ubad and in the rainy season farmers
from Tegalega, West Java, hire him to stop the rain from falling. In the dry
season he is brought in to make the rain fall. “The almighty has given me
this power,” says Muhamad, “I bring the incense to someone who wants to stop
the rain and I pray to god. The spell is mine, I cannot share that. If
people want rain to stop in a certain area I travel there and burn incense
and pray.”
This is the first year no one has asked him to make it
rain. “I’m worried because it will affect the rice harvest. The rice cannot
dry and for other plants and crops you need more fertilizer and pesticides
and that’s expensive,” says Muhamad, who is also a farmer himself.
Local farmer Ujang Majudin has hired Muhamad’s rain-man
powers several times. “Sometimes we ask him to help stop the rain, but
nowadays it does not always work. It depends on the almighty. The rainmaker
is no longer strong enough to stop the rain,” he says.
Outside trucks are picking up food to take to
supermarkets and farmers are dropping of their crops of motorbikes. Benni
Soromin from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that if
the rain continues it could affect food supply across the region. “It could
have a very wide impact on the whole of Asia. We’ll know by early next year,
because rain is predicted to last until early 2011. The impact is very
significant,” says Benni.
Back on the farm the wind picks up and grey clouds slowly
make their way to the fields. Ubad believes that perhaps he has worn his
rain-man skills out. The rains are getting too strong for him alone to stop,
he says. “Last year during the rainy season many people wanted to stop the
rain so the rain that did not fall then is falling now. But I don’t think it
is a punishment, it is a natural phenomenon,” he says.
This article was first broadcast on Asia Calling, a
regional current affairs radio program produced by Indonesia’s independent
radio news agency KBR68H and broadcast in local languages in 10 countries
across Asia. You can find more stories from Asia Calling at
www.asiacalling.org. Asia Calling articles are published in conjunction with
the Faculty of Mass Communications, Chiang Mai University and are broadcast
weekly in Thai on the Voice of Mass Communications radio station at FM 100
on Thursdays and Fridays from 7.30 a.m. - 8.30 a.m.
Meet the Consuls
People's Republic of China
Shana Kongmun
As part of a new series to introduce the Consuls General,
the Consuls and Honorary Consuls to the Chiang Mai community we must first
start with the basic definitions. Consul Generals and Consuls are official
representatives of a government to an area inside another country, usually
to assist and protect the Consul’s fellow citizens, issue visas and to
facilitate trade and relations in that region. A Consul is not the same as
an Ambassador who is the official representative of the head of state in the
country and is located in the capital city.
Zhu Wei
Min, a native of Shanghai, has been the Consul General for the People’s
Republic of China in Chiang Mai since June of 2009.
The Consulate General is a full service office, providing
not only visas, passports and assistance, but also facilitating trade
relations. An Honorary Consul generally can provide notary assistance and
aid in case of trouble but is not necessarily a career diplomat or member of
their country’s foreign service.
The People’s Republic of China offers a full service
Consulate General where visas to China are issued as well as aid for the
some 1,800 students, business people and long term residents of the 12
Northern Provinces.
The current Consul General, Zhu Wei Min, is a 50 year old
native of Shanghai and a self professed oddity in the diplomatic corps. He
noted that he started life as an engineer, with a PhD in hydrodynamics. Wei
Min added that he had worked and studied in the Netherlands for some time
before returning to China where he took up management positions in the
scientific field. He was appointed the Vice President of the Shanghai
Academy of Science and Techonology in 2002 where he was approached by the
Foreign Service looking for “different kinds of people”. He said, “why not?”
and applied and went for an interview in Beijing. He said he underwent one
year of diplomatic training and, starting off high on the ladder, was
appointed the Deputy Consul General of the Consulate in San Francisco in
2005. He was appointed the Consul General here in Chiang Mai last year, and
took his post in June of 2009.
Consul General Wei Min said that one of his top goals is
to help promote Chiang Mai as a tourism destination from China. He said,
there is only one direct international flight from China to Chiang Mai, and
that is a small airline that flies from Kunming twice a week. He noted that
a million Chinese come to Thailand a year and yet only 2 percent visit
Chiang Mai. And that, he said, is because of the lack of direct flights.
“Chinese people often take a week long trip to South East Asia. It’s very
popular to fly direct to Thailand, usually, Bangkok, Phuket or Pattaya for a
2 or 3 days and then off to Malaysia and then Singapore. If you only have
two days, you are going to go where your direct flight takes you,” he added.
Additionally he noted that the growth in trade and closer
relations between Thailand and China is a major issue. “Thailand is one of
the closer countries to China, we have very good relations,” CG Wei Min
said. “We want to strengthen the relationship and help Thai people to
understand our policies.”
The growth of trade between Thailand and China has grown
1700 percent in the past 35 years, he pointed out. 35 years ago, it was 24
million U.S. dollars and at the end of 2008 it was valued at 42 billion U.S.
dollars. This year it’s projected to reach 50 billion U.S. dollars, the
Consul General said. Adding that, while Japan is currently the largest
investor in Thailand, “I am confident that Chinese investment in Thailand
will grow.”
He added that the exchange of language and culture was a
valuable part of the job, noting that 1,500 Chinese students are currently
studying in Chiang Mai and 10,000 Chinese students studying around Thailand.
He noted that there are about 30,000 Thai students studying in China and
that an estimated 600,000 students are studying Chinese in Thailand. He
said, he was surprised to learn that there were universities in Southern
China that teach the Thai language as well.
Finally, after all the business talk, he said that one of
the things he loves about Chiang Mai are really nice people. He said, he
tells his friends back home in Chiang Mai’s sister city Shanghai, that they
would be amazed at the driving here. He said, these narrow streets and
everyone gives room, and noted the intersections with no traffic lights and
no policemen and yet the traffic still flows. He said, “In the year and a
half that I have lived here, I have never seen people lose their temper in
the streets, and I always tell my friends back home about this.”
He loves the small town feel of Chiang Mai and the
abundance of culture and arts and is surrounded in easy reach by mountains
and rivers.
Finally, he said, one of the wonderful things here are
the abundance of birds, “Shanghai has no birds. When I first moved here, I
was woken up every morning by the songs of the birds. It is really
beautiful.”
The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China is located on the
moat at 111 Changloh Road, the building can’t be missed as it’s got a long
white wall. 0 5328-0380 http://chiangmai.china-consulate.org/eng/.
Omkoi receives aid for
sustainable agriculture project
The
Consul General of Japan Mr.Kazuo Shibata signed a funding agreement with
Mr. Hiroaki Takahashi, the Chief Director of Eco Future Fund at the
Consulate-General on October 27.
The Government of Japan is extending Grant Assistance
for a Japanese NGO Project, “Establishment of Ecosystem Integrated
Farming Villages (phase1)”, at Yangpian Sub-District, Omkoi District,
Chiang Mai. Mr.Kazuo Shibata, Consul-General of Japan in Chiang Mai, and
Mr. Hiroaki Takahashi, the Chief Director of Eco Future Fund, a
nonprofit organization registered in Japan, signed a contract to this
effect on October 27, 2010 at the Consulate-General of Japan in Chiang
Mai.
Yangpian Sub-District is located in highlands about
1,400m‘1,900m above sea level, where hilltribes, such as the Karen, do
their farming. However, the reduced traditional cycle of shifting
cultivation, deforestation by expanding arable land, and the use of
chemical fertilizer for cash crop growing have caused landslides,
frequent flooding, loss of arable land, decreased water supply, and
water pollution. Recently, these environmental changes have been having
serious effects on the villagers, with poor crops due to soil exhaustion,
health damage to children and pregnant woman from malnutrition and water
pollution, and lack of cash income, leading to this area being called
“the land that was left behind”.
In order to improve the situation, and to secure the
villagers’ food, health, and income, the Eco Future Fund project will
ensure sustainable development by promoting ecosystem integrated farming
for 200 households at 3 villages, in the Mae Hat river basin, Yangpian
Sub-District. In concrete terms, the Fund will give training in
maintaining water quality, farming, agro-forestry, and youth volunteer
work. The villagers will then be able to practice their new skill in
their villages, and pass on their experience to the other villages.
At the request of Eco Future Fund, the Japanese
Government is funding the workshop, administrative and personnel costs
for the first phase of the project. The total amount of the assistance
will be approximately 4,592,600 baht.
It is expected that the villagers’ living standards
and farming environment will be improved and the project will lead to
sustainable development in Yangpian Sub-District, Omkoi District by
practicing ecosystem integrated farming.
For more information about GGP, please contact Mr.
Sato, Consul or Ms. Hoshii and Ms. Hamaguchi, Coordinators for GGP
Consulate-General of Japan in Chiang Mai, 053-203-367. (PR)
Increased drug trafficking is expected with upcoming Myanmar elections
By Supoj Thaimyoj and
Phitsanu Thepthong
Third Army Region Commander Lt. General Wanthip Wongwai
expressed concern at a recent press conference that the upcoming elections
and following political changes in Myanmar may increase drug smuggling
across the border.
Third
Army Region Commander Lt. General Wanthip Wongwai discusses increased drug
trafficking across Thailand’s borders.
Lt General Wanthip presided over a recent meeting held at
the Command Center to step trafficking prevention measures. Commissioner of
Provincial Police Bureau, Region 5 Pol Lt. Chaiya Siri-amphankul, Pittaya
Jinawat, the secretary general of the Office of Narcotics Control Board,
provincial authorities of Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai, and
government agencies concerned all attended to give input.
Lt Col Wanthip adding that during the past two years, the
war on drugs operated by the Command Center and other Thai authorities saw
increased effectiveness in blocking drug traffickers along the border.
“However, because of less time for operations by drug
suppression authorities in Myanmar during the General Election more drugs
are expected to be smuggled into the country via routes across the Thai-Myanmar
border.” he remarked. Adding that increased supply could increase the number
of addicts in the country as well. He noted that the compared to last year,
arrests for drugs were 5 times higher which made it clear that strict
measures need to be stepped up to combat smugglers and dealers.
In addition, he added that the new suppression measures
will be implemented along with prevention measures to be created the border
defense system. He pointed out now more spreads out of Yabaa and Ya Ice
drugs in the cities are largely smuggled across the borders and into
Thailand.
The Third Army Region commander noted that there are
hundreds of drug rings and networks most of which were the same old gangs,
which are now under close watch of the Thai authorities.
Lt Gen Wanthip furthered that this year, the Northern
authorities confiscated around 4.3 million Yabaa pills and 54,730 grams of
Ya Ice. 21 drug traffickers have been killed in clashes with the police so
far this year.
“Next year, more strict suppression measures will be
stepped up to deal with the drug rings,” he stressed, adding that it is
expected that drug transit routes will be along the three border provinces
in the northern region.
He indicated that there were 71 villages, and 14 border
villages that need to be under special surveillance, and try to speed up
more proactive working on drug suppression.
Burmese activist visits Chiang Mai
Ahead of the elections in Myanmar, a former political
prisoner of the junta spoke at a meeting at the Soupasteak on Huay Kaew road
last month. Thiha Yarzar, the son of a former Burmese Army Colonel, served
almost 18 years in five prisons across Burma for pro-democracy activity as a
student leader and for armed struggle as a freedom fighter. In a series of
interviews in Mae Sot, Thailand, during May and June of 2009, he told his
story to Paul Pickrem. Now covered in the small but powerful book, No Easy
Road, it covers not only his tribulations but those of his country as it
follows his life and his imprisonment for political activities.
Citing his experiences after years of torture in Myanmar
prisons, and of the endless human rights abuses that continue in the country,
he expressed little hope for fair, free or real elections in the country.
Over 2,190 people remain in prison for expressing political opinions and the
violence running up to the elections on November 7 is expected to continue.
Fresh clashes erupt along Thai-Burmese border
Jai Wan Mai
Separate encounters pitting the Burmese Army against
armed ethnic opposition groups broke out close to the Thai-Burmese border in
Shan State on October 19 and 20, according to villagers and ethnic minority
media.
Troops from the Burmese Army’s 277th Light Infantry
Brigade (LIB) on October 19 engaged members of an undetermined armed group
to the south of Mae Ken village, Mong Tone Township, in the east of Shan
State.
The clash occurred after the Burmese Army received
information from a villager that members of an armed group were passing
through the area. Thirty soldiers from the Burmese Army were sent to
intercept the group. The Burmese Army unit, however, was ambushed before it
could reach its destination. The ensuing firefight lasted for 20 minutes
before the unknown armed group retreated. One Burmese soldier was reportedly
killed.
According to a Shan Herald Agency for News (SHAN) report,
the clash was between the Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) and the Burmese
Army. However, Sao Lao Hseng, a spokesman for the SSA-S, said: “The SSA-S
can’t confirm our involvement in the clash of October 19. We are still
checking with our men in the area.”
On the following day, further hostilities were witnessed
to the east of Mae Ken village between the joint forces of the 65th LIB of
the Burmese Army and a Lahu militia unit led by Ja Bee Koi, and troops from
the United Wa State Army (UWSA). The incident happened when patrolling
Burmese and Lahu soldiers ran into a UWSA detachment. One Lahu soldier and
two UWSA fighters died in the encounter, with several others on both sides
reportedly wounded.
But, according to a villager of Na Kawng Mu, Mong Tone
Township, “We heard of shooting between the UWSA and the Burmese Army. Four
soldiers were lost on the side of the Burmese Army and one from the UWSA.”
Tension between the Burmese Army and UWSA has run high
since the latter rejected the junta’s demand this year that the UWSA bring
its troops under junta command within its Border Guard Force. (Mizzima)
Police ready for November software sweep
Police Raid companies with nearly 600 unlicensed software products on more than 100 PCs
As police prepare to unveil 2,000 new investigations into
software piracy, two cases involving significant numbers of PCs loaded with
unlicensed software prompted police to take action before the November 1
launch of their latest software piracy campaign targeting companies and
organizations that use unlicensed software in violation of the Thai
Copyright Act.
Earlier this month police announced a new nationwide
sweep against companies and organizations that use unlicensed software in
violation of Thai law. As part of this announcement, police said they have
on file 2,000 new investigations into corporate software piracy. Some of
these targeted companies use strictly unlicensed software while others
simply do not have enough licenses to cover the software assets they use in
their companies, said the police.
However, despite the November 1 start date for their
latest anti-piracy campaign, police said that their mandate to reduce
software piracy warranted immediate action.
“Concerning these two raids, we felt that given the large
numbers of PCs loaded with unlicensed software, it was appropriate to be
proactive and take immediate action as opposed to waiting,” said Economic
and Cyber Crime Division police spokesperson Chainarong Charoenchainao. “In
both cases, our investigations showed that these companies had major ongoing
violations.”
The companies accused of using unlicensed software
include a manufacturer with Thai and Australian shareholders that is alleged
to have 416 unlicensed software programs loaded onto to at least 68 PCs. In
addition, a Thai company in the machine import and design industry stands
accused of using 174 unlicensed software programs on at least 40 PCs. Among
the unlicensed software products found by police during the raids are
products by Thai Software Enterprises, Adobe, Autodesk, Microsoft, and
SolidWorks.
By relying on search warrants based on evidence collected
through investigations, anonymous tips and legal complaints from copyright
holders, police officers from ECD say they expect the momentum of
enforcement actions to continue to grow for the remainder of the year.
“As we’ve said all year, our efforts to reduce software
piracy are a daily effiort,” said ECD spokesperson Charoenchainao. “However,
there are times of year when our efforts reach new levels of intensity—and
this November through the end of the year is going to be one of those
times.”
The software piracy rate in Thailand is 75 percent and is
in a downward trend partly as a result of consistent police enforcement,
which includes ongoing investigations and multiple raids every week in which
police visit companies where there is evidence of unlicensed software usage.
Company directors face fines and possible jail sentences for software
piracy.
Altogether this year, police actions against companies
accused of software piracy have found pirated software in use worth 312
million baht. Police officials also emphasized that private enterprise is
the primary target for software piracy raids. Police say that claims about
software piracy raids at schools or other public organizations are
completely inaccurate.
Those who report the use of unlicensed software by
calling 02-714-1010 or by reporting it online are eligible to receive an
award of up to 250,000 Thai Baht. The identity of the caller is protected.
More information is available online at www.stop.in.th.
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