Economy slowdown for rural Thailand

Many signs showed slow down of economy, such as reduced incomes for small countryside shops, reduced productions of small factories as reflected by reduced over-time works, even reduced welfare and delayed payments, said head of Thai wholesales and retailing association. Meanwhile, there are lots of competing sale campaigns, sort of cut prices, coupons, free samples, extra gifts.

Ref: Matichon

Geen Esan Project turned NE into brown deserts

Forests of Northeastern Thailand and former way of villagers' life were destroyed by Green Esan Project, with forest destruction and planting of Eucalyptus plants into vast  decades ago, which turned the lands into barren desert areas.
Internal Security Command is collaborations with villagers and several agencies, and reforestations have started.

Ref: Manager

Inequalities in Thailand

Thai Future Foundation released a report (in Thai language) describing inequalities in Thailand, as reported by Thaipublica. A news highlight includes the fact that, combined wealth of 500 families of MPs elected into the Thailand House of Representatives at 40 billion Baht, was roughly equivalent to a combined wealth of 2.2 million families of Thai villagers.

Ref: Thaipublica

Thai Parliamentary Budget Organization under plan

TDRI and KPI are tinkering with the idea of setting up a Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), or สำนักงบประมาณประจำรัฐสภา or thaipbo

Ref: Isranews

Media to protest Computer-Crime Act by not bailing themselves out during trial

Alan Morrison, an Australian who is the editor of Phuketwan.com website gave an interviewed (in Thai), after being sued by the Royal Thai Navy for defamation based on a news report of abuses against Burmese Rohingya by Navy servicemen, using a new Computer-Crime Act, said that he and the news reporter would not personally pay for their own bailing out, although permissible by court during trial, to symbolically protest against an attempt to shut up the media. If that is the case they would possibly go to jail after April 17's arraignment.

Ref: iLaw

Truth about history of Petroleum Industry in Thailand

Mr. Sophon Supapong, former CEO of Thailand's Bangchak Petroleum, revealed history of petroleum industry in Thailand, and how it became corrupted in the past decade in his public speech.  (Talk in Thai)
http://youtu.be/6HmA88g29W8
คุณ ‪โสภณ สุภาพงษ์ พูดเรื่องพลังงาน

70 years old bomb discovered and still deadly

An aerial type, 500 lb WWII bomb exploded at a recycle-materials storage in the suburb of Bangkok as unawared workers try to cut it open, killing 7 people and destroyed the workshop and damaged 10 nearby houses.
Another similar one was recently discovered at Bangsue, at the location of a red-line subway construction, but was safely removed by EOD unit.

Ref: Asian Correspondent, Manager

Police found body parts of a girl, around 3 years old, so there are 8 deaths, many of which are alien workers.
Workers found the bomb from the soil reportedly dug from Bangsue area and filled in a nearby area.

So far, 3 old bombs have been found.

Pictures of damages are in the Thai news. Ref: Manager