Author: user user

Power plan promotes small nuclear reactors

Thailand is poised to finally enter the nuclear era, proposing 9,000 megawatts of small modular reactors (SMRs) under its power development plan (PDP) to advance the nation’s campaign against global warming.

The draft 2026 PDP, unveiled on Tuesday by the Energy Policy and Planning Office (Eppo), sets out a roadmap through 2050 that for the first time embeds a legally binding net-zero target.

Officials stressed that every measure in the plan is critical, as the goal is not voluntary but rather a national commitment.

The plan prioritises renewable energy expansion, while positioning SMRs as a supporting clean power source to cut carbon emissions, particularly in the electricity sector.

“The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand [Egat] will pioneer the country’s first SMR project, with a 300MW unit expected to come online in 2037,” said Sarat Prakobchart, deputy director-general of Eppo.

Egat is expected to oversee the initial installation to ensure safety and smooth execution.

An SMR is a nuclear power technology with a generating capacity of up to 300MW per unit, roughly one-third the size of traditional nuclear reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Once regulatory and operational frameworks are in place, private investors in the small power producer category will be invited to develop and operate additional SMRs, with a combined capacity of 8,700MW, according to the PDP.

These decentralised units are expected to serve energy-intensive sectors such as data centres and advanced technology industries, according to an official who requested anonymity.

Nuclear power was first floated in the 2010 PDP, with plans for 2,000MW of capacity by 2020-21. That proposal was scrapped in 2011 after Japan’s Fukushima disaster raised global safety concerns.

Officials now argue that SMRs, with their smaller scale and advanced safety features, can provide a more viable path forward.

Under the 2026 PDP, SMRs will complement a massive scale-up of renewables.

Clean energy sources are projected to account for 65-89% of Thailand’s energy mix by 2050, up from just 20% today.

Officials confirmed there will be no new coal-fired plants, with existing facilities set to retire over time.

Natural gas, which currently supplies nearly 60% of power generation, will be reduced to less than 29% by 2037, serving as a transitional fuel to stabilise the grid alongside low-carbon technologies.

Energy planners say the combined push of renewables, SMRs and reduced reliance on fossil fuels is crucial for Thailand to meet its net-zero pledge.

The power and transport sectors together account for more than 70% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions annually, making the transition urgent.

The first phase of the PDP (2026-37) sets power generation capacity at 50,900MW, while the second phase (2038-50) outlines three scenarios for policymakers, depending on whether carbon capture and storage is adopted and how far renewable energy can be scaled.

The new PDP also promotes smart grids, which are advanced electricity networks that use digital technology to balance supply and demand in real time, as well as virtual power plants, which are systems that link distributed energy resources into a single controllable unit.

Phuket MP faces 3rd summons

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has summoned People’s Party MP for Phuket Somchart Techathavorncharoen to meet investigators next Monday in an inquiry into alleged foreign nominee arrangements.

Justice Minister Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon Naowarat said it was the third summons for Mr Somchart, who has been asked to provide information as a witness.

The DSI’s Security Crime Division is examining evidence indicating Mr Somchart may be involved as a shareholder and director in private companies that own property and condominium units in Phuket jointly with foreign nationals.

Investigators are checking whether the arrangements violated the Land Code, particularly rules prohibiting Thai nominees from holding assets on behalf of foreigners.

Mr Somchart was initially summoned to meet investigators on Aug 31 but said he had not received the summons by mail. He was then scheduled to report on Monday, but asked to postpone the meeting until the end of this month, citing parliamentary duties.

DSI investigators have now summoned him again for next Monday, Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon said, noting the agency needs to expedite the investigation after some companies in the area closed and land was put up for sale at unusually low prices.

He said the closures and sales below actual value could indicate that the owners are giving up possession, and the DSI has been instructed to examine the details further.

If the MP fails to appear for the third summons, investigators will proceed under Section 24 concerning failure to comply with a summons, the minister said.

Asked whether MPs could decline to report to the DSI while Parliament is in session, Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon said the summons was only for him to provide information as a witness.

“There is nothing to lose by coming to provide information. If there is evidence, he can bring it in. If anything is missing, he can come and provide information so investigators can seek additional evidence,” he said.

Addressing a separate probe into PP list-MP Pawoot Pongvitayapanu’s alleged involvement in an online forex investment scheme, Pol Lt Gen Rutthapon said the case was expected to be concluded and submitted to prosecutors by the end of this month.

Government defends bid to eject Frenchman

The Interior Ministry has defended its deportation order against French national Kevin Dimino, citing his alleged threats to public order and social harmony.

In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said Dimino, a co-owner of Samui Exotic Park, had harassed and verbally abused the owner and teachers at a language school, assaulted a Turkish national and threatened him with a knife.

It also cited an incident at the zoo on Koh Samui in which he allegedly assaulted Israeli tourists, threw a sign at them and used offensive language towards their family.

The ministry also referred to a social media post in which Dimino invited people opposed to the Israeli government’s military actions to use his zoo for political and religious gatherings. It said the post risked associating a site in Thailand with racial, religious and political divisions.

In another incident, cabin crew reportedly asked police to remove Dimino from a domestic flight after he allegedly threatened fellow passengers, the ministry said.

The ministry said the cumulative record of improper conduct was contrary to public order and public well-being, could deepen racial and religious divisions and affect Thailand’s relations with other countries.

Interior Minister and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the deportation order on Monday, ordering Dimino to leave Thailand under Section 5 of the 1956 Deportation Act and a 2026 Prime Minister’s Office regulation.

The order also cited a Koh Samui Provincial Court ruling that convicted Dimino under the Land Traffic Act. The former boxer who has lived in Thailand for over 10 years was fined 10,000 baht, reduced to 5,000 baht after he pleaded guilty.

The ministry stressed that deportation decisions were based on conduct rather than nationality and would be applied equally to foreigners.

Just days earlier, an Israeli man who had feuded with Dimino over the latter’s support for the Palestinian cause was ordered deported after being convicted of threatening the zoo owner and his Thai wife.

Immigration officers in Surat Thani arrested Dimino on Tuesday and took him to the Koh Samui police station for further questioning. He is expected to be processed for removal.

Dimino’s wife, Jindarat, disputed the ministry’s account, saying her husband had acted to protect her after she was threatened with the closure of her business. She said the couple had prepared documents and evidence to appeal directly to the Interior Ministry by Friday.

The couple last month filed a complaint with police, saying they were the target of an organised online hate campaign that included death threats.

Under the law, Dimino can appeal the deportation order to the prime minister within seven days of being notified. Ms Jindarat said she was disappointed because she believed they were the victims.

Zelensky: Russia may resume mobilization after election

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Kyiv believes Russia could resume mobilization after the State Duma elections on September 18, 19, and 20.

Speaking to the press, Zelensky claimed that, according to information Ukraine has, the Russian leadership expects to mobilize an additional 30,000 troops. He added that it remains uncertain whether the process will be a “covert mobilization or an open one.” Furthermore, Zelensky insisted that the operation is costly to Russia.

“Russia will now communicate that there is no mobilization. They need to calm society,” Zelensky said.

“Not to show mobilization, not to scare anyone with anything, because the Duma elections are taking place in Russia.”

Former Shin Bet chief says Israel is losing war and risks end of Zionist project

Former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon has warned that Israel may be winning individual battles while losing the broader war, arguing that its military successes have failed to translate into a strategic victory.

In an interview on Rumble, Ayalon said Israeli forces had achieved significant battlefield gains against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, but argued that none of those victories had delivered the political outcome needed to end the conflict.

‘Israel is winning battles, but losing the war,’ Ayalon said.

He noted that Hamas and Hezbollah had suffered heavy losses but had not been dismantled and continued to represent strategic threats to Israel.

According to Ayalon, the fundamental problem is that Israel lacks a clear political objective for the war. Without such an objective, he said, military operations risk becoming an end in themselves rather than a means of creating a more secure political reality.

‘A war without a political objective does not end in victory,’ he said.

The former security chief also warned that Israel is losing the battle for international legitimacy and over the ideas shaping the conflict.

He described the war as being fought simultaneously on two fronts: the conventional military battlefield and a broader struggle over ideas and ideology.

Military force alone cannot defeat an idea or ideology, Ayalon argued, saying that Israel’s continued military campaign without offering Palestinians a credible political horizon could ultimately undermine the country’s long-term future.

‘If we continue this war without giving the Palestinians a political horizon, we are heading towards the end of the Zionist project,’ he warned.

Ayalon, who served as director of Israel’s Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency from 2000 to 2002, has repeatedly advocated a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has been critical of approaches that rely primarily on military power.

P48.95 million illegal cigarettes seized in Pampanga

Illegal cigarettes worth P48.95 million were seized in a police operation that also resulted in the arrest of four people in Mabalacat, Pampanga on Monday.

The contraband was discovered by members of the Central Luzon police and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in an Isuzu wing van, which was pulled over along MacArthur Highway in Barangay Cacutud.

Police conducted surveillance for one week after receiving information that a wing van was being used to transport and store untaxed cigarettes, according to Central Luzon police director Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez.

The team found the van carrying 759 master cases of cigarettes without tax stamps from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Aside from cigarettes, authorities seized the phones of the suspects, whose identities were not immediately available.

OpenAI and Samsung develop AI chips

U.S. company OpenAI and South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics are collaborating on the development and production of next-generation chips designed for artificial intelligence. The partnership was announced by Harrison Kim, head of OpenAI’s South Korean operations, during a press conference in Seoul.

According to Kim, the joint development and production of AI chips is one of the areas in which OpenAI and Samsung have made the most significant progress. The cooperation could strengthen OpenAI’s access to advanced semiconductor technology while giving Samsung a larger role in the rapidly growing AI hardware market.

Samsung is also one of the largest corporate users of ChatGPT. Its employees use OpenAI’s AI models for research and development, marketing, sales, and other business operations.

Last year, OpenAI and Samsung reached an agreement on the supply of memory chips for the Stargate project, an ambitious initiative focused on building large-scale AI data centers. OpenAI’s South Korean division considers cooperation with local memory-chip manufacturers a key priority as demand for computing power continues to rise.

In June, OpenAI unveiled its own AI chip, called Jalapeno, developed in cooperation with semiconductor company Broadcom. The chips are expected to be manufactured at facilities operated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC).

OpenAI said that the number of corporate users of ChatGPT Enterprise in South Korea had increased 28-fold by the end of August compared with the same period last year.

The partnership with Samsung highlights a broader trend in the AI industry: companies are increasingly trying to secure their own supply of advanced chips instead of relying entirely on a small number of major semiconductor manufacturers. This is becoming especially important as the rapid expansion of AI services requires enormous amounts of computing power and memory.

South Korea could play a particularly important role in this race. The country is home to some of the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers, making it a strategic partner for companies seeking to build the infrastructure needed for the next generation of artificial intelligence.

Jeepney hits 2 pedestrians

Two pedestrians, one of whom was in a wheelchair, were hit recently by a jeepney along Rizal Avenue extension in Caloocan.

The jeepney operator must explain why the certificate of public convenience for the vehicle should not be suspended or canceled over the incident, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

Acting LTFRB Chairman Greg Pua Jr. said he would push for a drug test to determine if the driver was driving under the influence of any substance at the time of the incident.

Two administrative charges could be filed against the operator: failure to provide safe transportation, and employment of reckless drivers.

The hearing is set on Sept. 24.

VIP refuge

What amazing serendipity. Martin Romualdez checked into Cardinal Santos Medical Center about an hour before the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant for his arrest on the (normally) non-bailable charge of plunder.

By the time the warrant was served by a team led by the Philippine National Police chief himself, Romualdez was already comfortably resting in a hospital bed.

Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told us on One News’ ‘Storycon’ that he had to go to the hospital because its personnel were preventing the police from finding Romualdez to serve the warrant.

After Remulla threatened to charge the hospital staff with obstruction of justice, he was directed to Romualdez’s room where they had a talk before the cops led by Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez were allowed in.

For the photo op, an orange detainee’s shirt was draped over Romualdez’s hospital garb as he lay in bed. Remulla said the shirt ostensibly could not be worn due to the monitors attached to the congressman’s body.

Considering the lengthy list of Romualdez’s supposed serious afflictions in the medical certificate submitted by his lawyers to the Sandiganbayan, he should have been getting IV treatment and perhaps wearing an oxygen mask for his ‘cardiovascular event.’

But maybe his doctors drew the line on the drama and refused to provide the medical props that might melt the hearts of Sandigan justices and allow his continued ‘hospital arrest.’

The man who once aspired to succeed his cousin as president can still avail himself of the go-to prop of VIPs facing incarceration: a wheelchair. Maybe he can borrow a neck brace from Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

If the government had hoped Romualdez’s court indictment and arrest would blunt criticism – and not just from the DDS – of selective prosecution and weaponization of the ombudsman, ‘hospital arrest’ would reinforce perceptions of special treatment for the well-connected.

It stoked suspicions that the cases against Romualdez are designed for dismissal and he would eventually be cleared of everything, like the Sandigan’s impressive dismissal (since the start of the current administration) of all the remaining forfeiture cases involving the Marcoses’ vast wealth.

Romualdez surely understands the reason for the public dismay over his hospital stay. It follows a depressing pattern of VIPs using hospitals as a refuge from the treatment of ordinary detainees in this country.

An asylum bid in the European Union, particularly France, is another option – if the accused plunderer manages to leave the Philippines before a precautionary order is issued to prevent the departure.

Manuel Bonoan was pushed around in a wheelchair when he was held for plunder, and managed to obtain permission to be detained in the PNP General Hospital until his release after he was allowed to turn state witness. He must have miraculously recovered; he wasn’t moved to a private hospital for continued confinement following his release.

Bonoan at least looked sick, and his cancer diagnosis seems genuine. Romualdez looks sick simply of his cousin BBM and Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.

Even at the commercial bank where I went yesterday, it was the topic of conversation: just keep stealing from public coffers; when caught, seek refuge in a hospital.

Public dismay and skepticism are unfortunate, considering the serious accusations hurled and strong words used by the ombudsman in discussing the charges filed against Romualdez, his housekeeper, Zaldy Co and a currency exchange operator.

The accusations sound more hurtful in Filipino. Ombudsman Boying Remulla did not mince words, saying the stolen money had become so massive it was bulging visibly: ‘Sa dami ng perang nakulimbat, hindi na maitago. Nagpupumutok na… wala nang mapaglagyan.’

It calls to mind a word from the scandal-ridden Arroyo administration: bubukol. Too much of dirty money eventually shows.

In the court filings, Romualdez is accused of wielding ‘institutional influence’ over Zaldy Co, chair of the appropriations committee, to demand a monthly quota of P2 billion in kickbacks from Co from September 2022 until 2025.

To park the nagpupumutok na kinulimbat, shell companies were allegedly created. Romualdez even donated $2 million to Harvard University, the ombudsman said.

The charges tend to validate a story told by Romualdez’s in-law, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, about an uncharacteristically blistering tongue-lashing that President Marcos supposedly gave his once favorite cousin at Malacañang over budget insertions. Tiangco told me that he had never seen BBM so furious and using rude language. ‘Ako ang nanliliit,’ Tiangco told me, adding that he wanted to leave the room but could not.

Tiangco told Storycon in another interview that BBM had asked Romualdez how much wealth would be enough, how many mansions, planes, helicopters, Ferraris. BBM reportedly told his cousin: ‘Martin, kayo ni Zaldy, ilang bahay ba ang gusto n’yo sa Forbes Park? Gaano karaming eroplano, helicopter? Gaano karaming caviar kaya n’yo kainin? Ilang Ferrari gusto n’yo?’

Jonvic Remulla told us yesterday that the planes, helicopters and yachts are under close watch because Romualdez is considered a flight risk. Remulla said they are also preparing to ask the Sandiganbayan for Romualdez’s transfer to the PNP General Hospital, which is equipped to handle his supposed afflictions.

The Sandiganbayan has summoned Cardinal Santos doctors to discuss the health of Romualdez. The court should also send a team from the Philippine General Hospital led by its director, Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, to conduct an independent medical assessment of Romualdez’s health condition. Legaspi did this upon the court’s request in the case of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta.

Romualdez has warned that he will not be the scapegoat or fall guy, and that ‘I will not go quietly, and I will not go alone.’ The public’s reaction? Go ahead and do it already.

What the public is concerned about at this point is that VIP refuge from detention isn’t a harbinger of VIP justice ahead, which often translates into looters getting away with everything.

Azerbaijan, China seek to boost cargo flows on Middle Corridor to Europe

Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) and its Chinese partners have discussed new opportunities to develop the Middle Corridor, increase cargo transportation and expand logistics capabilities.

According to the information, the discussions took place during the AGEM (CICA) Port Authorities Conference in Baku. ADY Chairman Rovshan Rustamov held meetings with delegations from major Chinese port and technology companies.

The meetings focused on developing transport and logistics ties between Azerbaijan and China, increasing cargo flows along the Middle Corridor, and introducing digital solutions in port and railway operations.

During a meeting with representatives of Shanghai International Port Group (SIPG) and technology company NIZE Tech, Rustamov discussed ways to increase regular container shipments along the Middle Corridor. The sides stressed the importance of identifying cargo that could be transported from Shanghai to Europe via Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan, as well as exploring new areas of cooperation.

The parties also discussed the digitalization of port operations and the introduction of smart-port solutions. Potential areas of cooperation included terminal management systems, intelligent cargo entry and accounting solutions, cargo yard management, data integration, and digital coordination between port and railway operations.

ADY, SIPG and NIZE Tech highlighted the need to continue cooperation on the Middle Corridor and exchanged views on possible joint steps.

Rustamov also met with a delegation from Lianyungang Port Authority. The sides discussed the development of the Lianyungang-Baku route, expanding block train services along the Middle Corridor and attracting more cargo traffic to Europe.

The meeting also highlighted the importance of existing cooperation between ADY and Lianyungang Port and the opportunities it creates. The sides agreed that closer exchange of information on cargo flows, train schedules and logistics requirements could improve the efficiency of the Lianyungang-Baku route, help optimize transit times and make the route more competitive.

At the end of the meetings, the parties agreed to continue cooperation on developing the Middle Corridor, increasing cargo flows along the China-Azerbaijan-Europe route, improving logistics processes and introducing new technological solutions.