"I would like to be a multimillionaire like Thaksin Shinawatra, but to be a politician like him? No thank you," said Keeravoot Kitiyadisai, the shoe-polish businessman who bears an uncanny resemblance to the PM.

The 40-year-old PM look-alike is constantly being mistaken for Thaksin Shinawatra.

When Thaksin was only a famous businessman it wasn't such a problem - but when Thaksin decided to enter politics, Keeravoot faced daily pestering.

"People thought I was the Thai Rak Thai leader walking around to woo support," said Keeravoot.

After accepting a role to play the PM in a TV programme called "Phoo nam ratta boo-am" (roughly: "Leader of the wacko government"), Keeravoot earned recognition in his own right as Thaksin II.

"This is much better because I don't need to explain to people who I am," he said.

"My TV career started when the producers saw my face in the business section of a newspaper," Keeravoot recalled.

"I was asked to walk around a market in Bang Kapi to gauge people's reactions when they saw me.

"People at the market were excited, thinking that the PM was in their neighbourhood. I remembered feeling that everyone wanted to talk to him and loved him," he said.

But being the PM's look-alike is a two-edged sword, said Keeravoot.

Parames Rachjaibun, president of the Advertising Association of Thailand, wonders if Thai manufacturers will be able to survive when China joins the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) in the next eight years.

Take the case of ceramic tiles, he says. Thai consumers can import ceramic tiles from Fujian in China at a price that is almost one quarter cheaper than those quoted by local manufacturers.

"The total cost of importing ceramic tiles from Fujian to Thailand - including transportation and 30 per cent local tax, which includes import duty - is 23 per cent cheaper than locally-made goods," he said.

Parames, whose organisation deals with local manufacturers of ceramic tiles in China, said the story in electronics is similar.

China's biggest electrical appliance firms, including Haier, have a clear ambition to become global players just like South Korean companies such as Samsung, which have been successful in taking market share away from Japanese brands in Thailand.

"How then can we [Thai manufacturers] compete when China wakes up," he said. Perhaps not surprisingly, the answer to his question is brand building, he says. And the best way to communicate a brand to consumers is via advertising.

Thailand and Taiwan signed a significant labour pact last week after a three-month delay caused by a diplomatic row between the two governments.

Labour Minister Suwat Liptapanlop and Taiwan's chairwoman of the Council of Labour Affairs, Chen Chu, witnessed the signing ceremony.

The signing was delayed after the Thai government refused to grant a visa to Chen, who was scheduled to witness the signing of the agreement in late August.

The Thai government, on the recommendation of the Foreign Ministry, based the refusal on the grounds that it would violate the One-China policy. Taiwan became furious as Chen was informed of the refusal just 24 hours before her departure for Thailand.

It threatened to freeze import of Thai workers and take action against Thais working in Taiwan. Thailand later issued an apology to placate Taipei and followed it up with high-level negotiations to end the row.

In a move to avoid public attention, the media were not allowed to cover the ceremony.

The Bank of Thailand (BOT), celebrating its 60th anniversary, should stay clear of politics and boost its accountability to society through independent macroeconomic and monetary policy management, according to a panel of experts.

Well-known economist Dr Ammar Siamwalla said the central bank should strive for independence and seek outside input in managing policy if it is to regain credibility lost in the 1997 fiscal debacle.

It was important for the BOT to consider outside opinions on policy options, Ammar said, because the bank's monetary and foreign-exchange policies affected society as a whole.

The central bank has set an inflation target of between zero and 3.5 per cent, but Ammar said it should stick to the minimum target, not the maximum.

He said the BOT had somewhat redeemed its credibility, but this represented only a "V-shaped recovery", because most people are still feeling the pinch from the 1997 crisis.

"I would like the central bank to become more accountable to Thai society and stay independent from politics," he said.

Thammasat University Rector Naris Chaiyasut said the central bank should urge amendment of the Bank of Thailand Act as soon as possible to ensure its independence and effectiveness in conducting policy.

He said the bank should have more accountability toward society, which would in turn support it in times of difficulty.

As for the central bank's aim of maintaining price stability, Naris said the BOT still operates amid constraints, as evidenced by its failure to move financial markets when it acts on interest rates. In other countries, the capital markets move rapidly in response to central banks' interest-rate decisions.

The police raid on a suspected gambling den week that turned into a farce has refuelled speculation about the future of police chief Sant Sarutanond, who is known to have fallen out of the prime minister's favour.

Thaksin Shinawatra, whose order for an absolute clampdown on all major city gambling dens was seen as political pressure on the police chief, reacted to the fruitless raid by asking law enforcers to "open their eyes" if they want to succeed in wiping out illegal gambling.

"The law is soft and gambling-den operators have people's support, so it's not an easy job," Thaksin said. "But if Thai police open their eyes, it won't be beyond their capability."

Last Sunday's raid in Bang Na district was met with violent resistance from the alleged gambling den's owner, a 51-year-old woman named Sriarun Vichiandilokkul, and scores of her friends and workers. Police were scolded, defied, ridiculed and had to retreat, with some getting minor injuries from scuffles.

Source: The Nation

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