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Thailand's
new Free Trade Agreement
with China:
The
China-Asean Free Trade Area (CAFTA)
By Jon Fernquest
 Asian
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)
Thailand's Finance
Minister Korn Chatikavanij
on the
Thaksin assets
seizure verdict
By Jon Fernquest
 Thailand'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)
medicalimaging
Medical imaging
software developed at a university in Thailand
By Jon Fernquest
 Medical 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)
new
Thai government stops
rice sales temporarily to shore
up prices
By Jon Fernquest
 From 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)
customsaudti
Shocking details of
Thailand's customs
laws
and the need for reform
By Jon Fernquest
 Most
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)
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