The Thai Health Promotion Foundation (Thai Health) and the Abac Poll Research Centre jointly conducted the survey, which covered 2,656 workers aged between 18 and 59.

The results suggested most workers spent about Bt1,761 a month on cell-phone services and women spent Bt544 on average on cosmetics.

Alcohol, lottery tickets, gambling and cigarettes also consumed much of the workers' wages, the survey found.

About 56 per cent of respondents said they had debts of about Bt80,000.

Authorities are currently working to enhance workers' quality of life.

More than 43 per cent of workers said they believed their lack of job security could be put down to foreign ownership.

Those respondents believed foreign investors wanted to be able to pick up and leave Thailand at short notice, in search of other countries where labour costs were cheaper.

Fire-fighting boats and trucks

Samak takes Alongkorn to court

Former Bangkok governor and senator to be Samak Sundaravej filed a libel lawsuit against deputy Democrat leader Alongkorn  Pollabutr yesterday, for implicating him in the allegedly corrupt purchase of fire-fighting trucks and boats for the capital.

Samak's lawyer Nithi Yimyaem submitted the suit to the Criminal Court.

Alongkorn on Tuesday told the press when he presented evidence to the National Counter Corruption Commission that his team's investigation had found the Bt6,687-billion deal signed by Samak and Steyr Daimler Puch was not transparent and had 10 suspicious items, which had cost the country about Bt2 billion.

The court set the preliminary hearing for June 19 at 9am.

Meanwhile, Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin yesterday stalled the Democrat Party's resolution to cancel the deal, claiming he must wait for the city-assigned panel's investigation results and the Office of the Attorney-General's ruling, before consulting with the Interior Ministry, which signed the deal's Agreement of Understanding.

A source at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said that by law, Apirak could not cancel the deal as the city would face a lawsuit from Steyr Daimler Puch. The deal could only be cancelled if either both parties agreed to cancel it or the supplier failed to deliver the products, which was not the case here, the source said.

Bangkok weather

Cyclone to pull down temperatures

The weather in Bangkok yesterday was cooler than expected considering the sun was perpendicular to the Earth and it might become colder still as a cyclonic depression called "Mala" heads for the Kingdom this weekend, a climate expert said.

Maytee Mahayosamanta, of the Meteorological Department of Thailand, said yesterday's average temperature was 37 degrees Celsius with considerable cloud and rain in about 20 per cent of the capital.

The prediction of searing heat was only theoretical as it depended on wind, cloud and rain, Maytee said.

Yesterday Chiang Mai saw the same average temperature with clouds, strong winds and scattered rain.

On April 7, the northern city had a high temperature of 40.5C, but clouds and rain have since cooled the climate.

In Kanchanaburi the temperature peaked yesterday at 37C and is due to decrease as Mala approaches the Andaman Coast tomorrow.

Onnida Aditapsatit

The Nation.