The result of the election has upset the military's top brass, including army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda, who are worried about the People Power party (PPP) taking revenge for the Sept 19 coup last year. The uneasy atmosphere in the barracks was revealed yesterday by military sources as the PPP, a reincarnation of the Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) toppled by the coup, moves closer to coming to power.

Top officers are worried, particularly about their futures in the military reshuffle next year.

Gen Anupong suddenly became irritated when asked by reporters to comment on what would happen to the army under a PPP-led government. I'll not answer. I'll say nothing, the army chief said.

Gen Anupong, one of the key men in the coup, had earlier said he would not be worried if the PPP forms the next government and ruled out the possibility of another coup.

He made it clear when he assumed the top army job in September that the army would not interfere in politics, a stance which earned him the tag of ''good guy'' from PPP leader Samak Sundaravej.

Analysts expect Gen Anupong to lead the army until the military reshuffle in September next year and then be transferred to head the Supreme Command or to become permanent secretary for defence.

Outgoing deputy prime minister and former chairman of the Council for National Security (CNS) Gen Sonthi Boonyaratkalin could also be prevented from playing any active role in politics, a military source said. Gen Sonthi reportedly rushed off to meet Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda late at night on election day. Gen Sonthi led the coup group which toppled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Some military sources said a PPP-led government, if successfully formed, would not resort to harsh action against the military because it would lead to a serious conflict. However, there will be changes at the top in the military.

Sanook.com has started up an auction site for Thailand in association with ebay.

Maybe only useful Thai speakers though!

Thai voters have delivered a damning verdict on the ruling military junta by voting for a party linked to Thaksin Shinawatra.

Loathed by the army and urban elite, and loved by rural voters and the working class, the charismatic billionaire was the most important man in the election — even though he was not running.

Instead his supporters voted for the newly formed People Power Party, which campaigned on his behalf and will now set about attempting to form a coalition government.

This is a victory for all Thai people who unreasonably lost their freedom on September 19 [2006], said Samak Sundaravej, the 72-year-old PPP leader.

As he spoke at party headquarters, PPP activists cheered the television news, which projected that the PPP had won 228 out of 480 seats, just short of an overall majority. Their nearest rivals, the Democrat Party, won 166.

I will be the next prime minister for sure, said Samak: I invite all the parties to join our government. Samak, a notoriously abrasive Right-winger, is a complex and contradictory politician.

Thaksin, who was in Hong Kong yesterday, sent a message of congratulations to the PPP.

There are several obstacles between Samak and the premiership. Many analysts question whether the PPP will be able to find coalition allies. That could open the way for Abhisit Vejjajiva, the 43-year-old Old Etonian and Oxford-educated leader of the Democrats, to form a coalition.

There is also the possibility that the electoral commission will disqualify some PPP candidates. Elaborate campaign rules mean there could be plenty of pretexts to disqualify candidates, from using posters the wrong size to playing music at rallies. Adam Cooper of the Asian Network for Free Elections said disqualifications are likely.

Thailand will go to the polls again tomorrow to restore the democracy taken by the generals.

Thaksin Shinawatra will not be present, but he casts a long shadow over the contest. His ruling Thai Rak Thai party was dissolved by the junta and Thaksin barred from office. But last night Chalerm Yoobamrung, a political ally, claimed Thaksin would return to Thailand on February 14.

Political rivals in the Democrat party - in a neck-and-neck race with Thai Rak Thai's reincarnation, the People's Power party (PPP) - fear Thaksin's enduring potency.

Polls suggest the PPP, led by the veteran rightwinger, Samak Sundaravej, might even win an outright majority of the 480 parliamentary seats.

A clear PPP win would pose a headache for the junta. Sunai Thasuk, of Human Rights Watch, believes army surveillance tantamount to harassment shows the junta has set its face against a PPP victory, which could spawn trouble if it refuses to recognise the election result. That would put Thailand in a very, very dangerous position, he said.

Should the PPP fail to secure a majority then analysts believe the military will put pressure on smaller parties to join a Democrat coalition led by the Oxford-educated 43-year-old Abhisit Vejjajiva, a suave figure favoured by Bangkok's urban elite.

We're not going to have certainty after the election, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of Chulalongkorn University's Institute of Security and International Studies. We have deep-seated polarisation in the electorate that will only be magnified by the election results.

bangkok bad boy

Another notable Thai commentator has decided to end his blog.

Bangkok Bad Boy has signed out from his fascinating Bangkok nightlife blog with the note:

Much as I’ve enjoyed regaling you with tales of my adventures in Thai women, I’d rather be doing it than writing about it.

Fuck Off

Thailand and Cambodia will sign a single visa agreement enabling visitors to use only one visa for the two countries, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Foreign Minister Nitya Pibulsonggram would sign the agreement with this Cambodian counterpart Hor Namhong when he makes an official visit to Phnom Penh on Monday.

The pact is a pilot project under the Ayeyawady-Chao Phya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS). Set up since 2003, ACMECS is a joint development scheme that includes Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

Foreign ministers of the four countries agreed in Siem Reap in August 2005 to allow Thailand and Cambodia to implement the scheme first and the remaining members might join later if it proves successful.

Visitors could apply for an entry visa at the embassies of either Thailand or Cambodia for both countries, said the ministry's spokesman Tharit Charungvat. The arrangement would benefit tourism and visitors would only need one visa for both Thailand and Cambodia, which have many different attractions, he said.

However, the pact would not come into force until the Interior Ministry and concerned agencies issued related regulations, Tharit said. It was not know when the regulations would be ready.

Thailand is beefing up security in Bangkok and other tourist destinations ahead of its December 23 general election in case political disputes escalate into violence, a government spokesman said.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont had ordered more security cameras to be installed in the capital, and an increase in army and police street patrols in towns such as Phuket, Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Samui and Hat Yai, Chaiya Yimwilai told reporters: We are preparing all the necessary plans even though there are no reports of attacks.

Many analysts say the December 23 poll is likely to lead only to further polarization between supporters of ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the royalist military establishment and Bangkok middle class that removed him in a bloodless 2006 coup.

The junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly (NLA) cancelled its afternoon sitting yesterday after several score of protesters stormed legislature grounds and squatted in front of the Parliament.

The breakaway mob from a group of about a thousand demonstrators chanted demands for the NLA to stop passing dictatorial laws detrimental to society and to resign.

They insisted the NLA must cease its legislative function now because the general election will take place in less than two weeks and a new parliament will soon be formed.

NLA chairman Meechai Ruchuphan insisted the assembly would continue its duties and refused to yield to any of the protesters' demands, creating a deadlock for further showdowns in the coming days. The protesters, an alliance of NGO activists, the rural poor and state enterprise union members led by former senator Jon Ungpakorn, declared partial victory shortly before 2pm in front of Parliament.

I think we made history by storming the Parliament ... but the NLA is a shameless assembly which insists it will carry on considering bills. Although they have not been elected by anyone. They serve a dictatorial regime that lacks the democratic spirit and insist they will continue to meet, Jon said.

The alliance listed what it described as "dangerous bills" expected to be passed by the NLA. They include the Internal Security Bill (ISB), which the alliance argues will violate citizens' rights and freedom; the Privatisation Bill which will lead to further privatisation of state enterprises; the Radio and Television Activities Bill which will guarantee a monopoly of radio and television owned by the state and the military; the Water Bill which will lead to the nationalisation of water resources from rural villagers; and the University Privatisation Bill for Chulalongkorn and Chiang Mai Universities and more.

An NLA member told The Nation the odds were against the protesters: When the NLA votes, all bills will be passed because they have set the stage for it all already.

The National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department has cut the entrance fees for foreigners to national parks countrywide in a bid to lure more overseas tourists.

The reduction came after the department received a number of complaints from foreign visitors that the fees are too high, compared with the poor facilities for tourists at the parks.

Effective from Dec 1, entrance fees for adult foreigners have been cut from 400 to 200 baht for the most popular parks, and by 75% for the less popular ones, according to the department.

Among the most popular sites where the fees were cut by half for foreigners include the marine national parks of Mu Koh Lanta National in Krabi, Mu Koh Chang in Trat, Mu Koh Angthong in Surat Thani and Mu Koh Tarutao in Satun.

The entrance fees for the top national parks in the North and Northeast such as Doi Suthep-Pui and Doi Inthanont in Chiang Mai, Jae Son in Lampang, Khao Phra Viharn in Si Sa Ket and KhaoYai in Nakhon Ratchasima have also been cut by half.

The entrance fee for the famous Mu Koh Surin and Mu Koh Similan in the tsunami-hit Phangnga province is still set at 200 baht for children and 400 baht for adult foreigners.

To lure more tourists to lesser-known national parks, such as Khao Lak-Ramru in Phangnga and Tap Lan in Prachin Buri, the rate for foreigners has been cut from 400 to 100 baht for adults and from 200 to 50 baht for children.

Department chief Chalermsak Wanichsombat said the fee adjustment was aimed at promoting tourism.

While foreigners enjoyed a sharp reduction in national park entrance fees, locals will be charged more at some popular sites.

For example, the entrance fee for Thai tourists visiting Doi Suthep-Pui, Huay Nam Dang and Ob Luang in Chiang Mai and Tung Saleang Luang in Phitsanulok has been increased from 20 to 40 baht for adults and from 10 to 20 baht for children.

The higher fees give the department a bigger budget to maintain the parks, said Mr Chalermsak.

Thon Thamrongnawasawat, a leading marine biologist at Kasetsart University, said lowering the entrance fees would only benefit tour operators. Foreign tourists mostly buy a package tour from local operators which includes the park fees. So the new rates are unlikely to lure more foreign tourists to the national parks, he said.

New prices will be charged for entry into National Parks from December 1st. Prices have been determined according to the estimated tourism potential, natural beauty, impact sensitivity, availability of public amenities and state of infrastructure for each individual national park.

The parks are now classified as belong into 1 of 4 entrance fee groups.

• Group 1 charges 400 baht for foreign adults, 200 baht for foreign children, 80 baht for Thai adults and 40 baht for Thai children.
• Group 2 charges 200 baht for foreign adults, 100 baht for foreign children, 40 baht for Thai adults, and 20 baht for Thai children.
• Group 3 charges 100 baht for foreign adults, 50 baht for foreign children, 20 baht for Thai adults, 10 baht for Thai children.
• Group 4 is everywhere else than those places belonging to 1, 2 and 3, and is completely free for everyone.

Once the entrance fee to a national park has been paid, it is valid for one day. If a person visits more than one national park on one and the same day, they will not be charged twice, provided they can show the ticket from the previous place of visit.

However, if the fee for the second place visited is higher than the first, the difference between the higher and the lower fee has to be paid at the second location.