Joke Of The Day : in 3 months, no more counterfeit goods

The Intellectual Property (IP) Department has announced a major Bt15-million crackdown on counterfeit goods and their traders and manufacturers, to help clean up Thailand’s IP image in global markets.

For the first time, the department will cooperate with the Department of Special Investigation and the Customs Department in setting up five special investigation teams and five suppression task forces to operate around the Kingdom.

“Counterfeit goods are a major problem in Thailand,” Deputy Commerce Minister Banyin Tangpaporn said yesterday. “The stringent crackdown on illegal traders and goods will not only improve the country’s image, but also help economic growth, as illegal products create huge losses for the economy.”

He said that within three months of serious suppression starting next month, the country would no longer have illegal products commonly available at trading centres.

Priority areas to be targeted for investigation  will be Panthip Plaza, Klong Thom Market and Patpong Night Market in Bangkok and tourism venues in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Surat Thani, Chon Buri, Songkhla, Krabi and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces.

Banyin said the special investigation teams would try to send all of the cases to court in a bid to destroy manufacturers of illegal products, so that there would be no repeat violations.

The IP Department reported 1,727 cases of IP infringement in the first four months of the year, with the seizure of 570,935 items. (Nation)

Once and for all : stop the thai crap. Cut it. Store it. Forget it.

DVD’s, CD’s, software… are available in many retail shops, everywhere in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket… you name it. EVERYWHERE.

Panthip of course, MBK, Fortune Town on Ratchapisek (floor 2 for software, and 3 for the movies)… in real shops… not only small stalls on Sukhumvit road…

So again, stop the crap.

In every government, a clown vows to “fight“, “defeat” the counterfeiters, blablabla, in 1, 2, 3 months, with the full force of the “law“… blablabla.

So you could ask me : why bother to mention it, every time ? For history.

So people, all around the world, can understand on what level some thai officials are “working” : below the… absolute zero.

[anyway, see you in 3 months]

“Low IQ… Samak should take a break to seek medical help”

It’s huge. A Democrat MP, a doctor, attacked Samak wednesday during the second day of the censure debate. This woman is courageous !

Democrat MP Malinee Sukvejworakij, who is a doctor of medicine, told the House that Mr Samak showed symptoms of a mental deficiency and behaviour disorder. He should take leave and get treatment for the sake of the country, she said.

Dr Malinee said there was medical evidence to confirm that his glaring at reporters and ordering cake and red cordial drinks like a child reflected a low IQ and low emotional quotient.

She referred to Mr Samak’s moody look prior to a luncheon with coalition partners early this month.

”A leader needs both mental and physical strength. Mr Samak should take a break to seek medical help,’‘ she said. (Bangkok Post)

Chart, banks : types of deposits and depositors (and final word)

This this the fifth -and last- part of my Commercial Banks Credits/Deposits Charts serie :
1-Credits : amounts and % of growth
2-Credits : explanation of the surge of credit since february
3-Deposits : split between Bangkok and other provinces
4-Deposits : amounts and type of deposits

Today, let’s have a look on the deposits by types of depositors. Who have the money in Thailand ? Individuals ? Businesses ? Government ?

(Source BOT, table FI_CB_012_S3 : All Commercial Banks’ Deposits Classified by Types of Depositors and Accounts)

First, a snapshot of april 2008.

As you can see, Individuals count for 60 % of the total deposits (outstanding, 6 651 billions THB) in april. Businesses count for 21 %.

Now, here is a chart with the evolution of the different types of deposits (demand, savings, time), amounts in billions THB, on 3 years.

Shorter timeline, with the total of deposits (billions THB) plus the % of change year on year to see the trend.

How to read ? In april, total deposits of Individuals reached 4 287 billions, that’s a 1,36 % increase compare to april 2007. Poor performances… Even negative if you count inflation…

We can clearly see the “boost” effect since february (with the government spreading money like Santa Claus).

Why those datas can be important (and difficult to read) ?

The way people manage their money (which kind of deposit and amounts) is a good indicator of their mood and personal situation.

But only the BOT has the whole picture. For instance, time deposits are for the rich individuals, a tiny minority in Thailand. And because time deposits are part of the total deposits, the total amount can be deceiving. The BOT knows of course how many individuals use time deposits…

Therefore, from my point of view, the savings are a much better indicator of the financial situation of the majority of the thai population.

But here, watch out. I said it before : we just have too many different ways to interpret the datas.

For instance : savings are going down. It can be because people struggle with higher prices, low incomes, therefore they use their savings. But it could mean the contrary : people feel confident, therefore they’re not afraid to consume (it’s the american way).

Or it can be a very bad sign of “inflation expectations” (the current big fear of the BOT ) : since you know that inflation is high, that prices are going up relentlessly, it makes no sense to save… You’re going to spend, on anything, because your money will worth less tomorrow…

On the other way : savings increase. Incomes are higher, everything is fine. Or, people are afraid of the future so they feel compelled to save more.

Voila. You see, it’s not easy.

Anyway, I will follow this Credits/Deposits serie every month, to look for trends. Particularily, the famous “inflation expectations”…

Terror in the south : stress is taking its toll too

In the face of on-going deep-South violence, public health workers, police officers, soldiers and teachers are all suffering from constant stress.

“They feel something can happen at any time,” Mental Health Department director general ML Somchai Chakrabhand says.

From January last year to March this year, there have been almost 1,400 incidents involving violence in the region. They have claimed the lives of 735 people and injured 2,763.

Somchai was speaking at a three-day national seminar tackling the crisis at Songkhla. (Nation)

This can be seen as the success for the insurgents. The terror campaign is probably not -just- a matter of body count… but rather a mean to spread fear… leading the thais, officials (“teachers are fleeing“) and civilians… to just leave the battleground.

Eventually, it’s easy to think that… “ethnic cleansing is going on“.

Press : inflation could create a “financial tsunami”

Sorry, it’s not specifically related to Thailand… But I found this opinion interesting (to say the truth, I totally share it).

And eventually, we could have the same phenomenon (although much smaller of course) in Thailand. A strong inflation is hurting the thai consumers, and particularily the poorests (with debts).

Rising consumer prices will leave more U.S. consumers unable to pay their debts and may lead to a “financial tsunami,” according to Bennet Sedacca, president of money manager Atlantic Advisors LLC in Winter Park, Florida.

“Whether it is anecdotal or statistical evidence, I see inflation everywhere, and this is where the financial tsunami cometh,” Sedacca wrote in a report published yesterday.

“A battered, over-indebted consumer, if forced to retrench, could create even more problems for the banking system as loan delinquencies would begin to rise even further. All sorts of delinquencies are rising. This is now a systemic issue.”

Sedacca wrote that current financial-market conditions remind him of “someone standing on a lonely beach, armed with only a small bucket, trying to stop a rare tsunami that hits the shores.

It is how I feel about our markets and the tools being utilized by the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and other regulatory bodies.

They are overmatched for what they are facing and, worse yet, they helped create the mess in the first place by being far too easy with money and debt creation.” (Bloomberg)

Fuming : here comes the “Hippy Party”

I feel compelled to talk about the story (and pictures !) given by Bangkok Pundit… A perfect tidbit for my “Weird-Bigotery” category.

There is a new “Hippy Party” !

They are seriously anti-Thaksin and totally fuming.

Inflation : you think it’s over ? Think twice

A news that could seem secondary… but…

Baosteel, China’s largest steelmaker, said Tuesday it had agreed to nearly double what it pays Anglo-Australian mining group Rio Tinto for iron ore.

Baosteel, acting on behalf of China’s steel industry, negotiated to pay between 80 and 97 percent more than last year depending on the category of iron ore, which is used to make steel.

(…the largest ever annual increase and well above the 9.5 per cent increase paid last year. FT)

Baosteel traditionally sets the price for the nation’s other steel producers for internationally purchased iron ore.

Prices of iron ore have soared in recent years due to growing demand led by a construction boom in fast-growing China and India.

The latest increase also reflects rising transportation costs that have increased due to record oil prices.

China imported 383.09 million tonnes of iron ore in 2007, up 17.4 percent from the previous year, according to government figures. (AFP)

Iron ore… basic and essential raw material to make steel for construction, cars, machinery… almost doubled price… for a country so large and with a red hot growth like China… ?

Now ask yourself : this fact points to which direction as far as global inflation is concerned ?

Upward ? Or downward ?

The inflation tsunami will continue.

[you might want to have a look at the cement production chart... with China... there]

James Bond is back : “a third party tries to stir unrest”

It’s a classic. A thai classic. What ? The famous “Third Party”.

If you are a general, a police officer, a minister, or any other official lunatic and that you don’t know what to do or what to say to journalists… you shall use the “Third Party” concept.

The point is : you know of course who is the “Third Party”. But you won’t tell. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be fun, right ?

So here is the “Third Party of The Day”.

Deputy national police chief Jongrak Juthanont admitted Tuesday he has received reports that a third party plans to stir unrest around the Government House, where anti-government group rallies.

Pol Lt Gen Jongrak, however, refused to go into detail who they are. (Bangkok Post)

This deputy police chief is nothing but a clown. A childish clown who lacks self confidence and who probably suffered from a lack of maternal love during his childhood, therefore he needs to feel important, he needs to draw public attention to him.

The “Third Party” theory is the perfect mean.

Anyway his boss, the Interior Minister Chalerm, suffers from exactly the same disease (with even more serious symptoms).

“Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung states that he has received a report on a possible attack by an ill-will group, wishing to interfere with the People’s Alliance for Democracy rally and worsen the current conflict.“

And this group was “the same gang responsible for the New Year’s bomb attack in nine areas throughout the metropolitan“.

He said that on may 30.

Of course you understand that because we still don’t know who was behind this terrorist attack (the case is of course unsolved and never will be) it fits totally the “Third Party” concept.

[if you wish to go deeper into the "Third Party" theory, check this out : the Prime Minister Samak uses it, but with... some nice variations]

South : 10 wounded in Yala market bombing

Exactly when there is a censure debate at the Parliament and when the Interior Minister says that the level of violence in the South is decreasing (which is true)… the violence starts again.

SATURDAY
Insurgents wearing military fatigues attacked a Sungai Kolok-Yala train. They shot at SRT employees, including railway police, when the train reached Narathiwat’s Rangae district. Four people were killed.

MONDAY
A fierce jungle gunbattle Monday between Thai forces and suspected separatists left seven insurgents dead and four security personnel wounded in the southern province of Yala, police said.

TUESDAY
Four soldiers and six local residents were injured when the bomb, weighing about 15 kilogrammes, went off at a pork stall at the Pimonchai market. (Yala province)
A witness said a man in his thirties parked a bicycle there and that a bomb placed on the bike was remotely detonated when a group of soldiers were passing the place.

Diesel subsidy for more sectors

We left the deal between the truckers and the government here… But actually it seems a little bit more complicated.

Energy minister and Chairman of the National Energy Policy Committee Poonpirom Liptapanlop revealed that Cabinet has agreed with the resolution to ease the impact of the oil price hike by providing a subsidy of three baht per litre of diesel for five more sectors, namely the Northeastern truck operators, the Land Transport Federation of Thailand, taxi operators under the government’s Ua-Arthon project, the prawn farmers group and the fishermen group.

The operators’ reports have to be presented for Cabinet deliberation shortly. However, the Energy Ministry confirmed that it will support the project with the allocation of 90 million liters of diesel per month for the next six months.

Land Transport Federation of Thailand’s Secretary-General Thongyoo Kongkhan stated that around 100,000 trucks were listed as eligible for the subsidized fuel and each needs about 150 liters of diesel per day, resulting in a demand of around one million liters of oil per day over six months. (TOC)

So we had the bus companies, now the fishermens (but it’s not really new)… the taxis from a special project (they just received a green light to increase fares)… the prawns farmers (okay)… and the Land transport Federation, along with the truckers from North-East…

Talk about a convoy !

So, exactly like I said… there isn’t enough cheap diesel for everybody… There are hundred of thousands of trucks in Thailand… So who is going to -really- benefit from the subsidy ? Like always, nothing is clear.

The government is walking on eggs with this fuel issue… Poor communication, no transparency… That’s a pitty.

Picture of the Day : Samak shows his paper bird skills

Caption (pointless to comment further) : “Despite facing no-confidence debate in the Parliament, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej shows his skill of making paper bird. (Nation)”