Policy and Regulations of the Radio Amateur Society of Thailand
Under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King
(Unofficial translation)
Section 1
General Policy
Part 1. Society Name: The Society will be named ``Samakhom Witayu Samak Len Haeng Prateed Thai Nai Prabarom Rachuprathom'' The abbreviation in Thai will be Sor, Wor, Sor, Thor [In Thai]. In English it will be written ``The Radio Amateur Society of Thailand Under the Royal Patronage of His Majesty the King'' and abbreviated as ``R.A.S.T.''
Part 2. The Administrative Office: The administrative office of the Society is located at 222/19 Sirinathorn Road, Bangbamru Sub-district, Bang Plat District, Bangkok, 10700.
Part 3. The Symbol of the Society: It shall be the Thailand map centered in two concentric circles in which will be written in Thai: ``Samakhom Witayu Samaak Len Haeng Prateed Thai Nai Prabarom Rachuprathom,'' under which in English will be written ``RADIO AMATEUR SOCIETY OF THAILAND UNDER THE ROYAL PATRONAGE OF HIS MAJESTY THE KING''
Section 2
Purpose Statement
Part 4. The Society is Composed of Radio Amateurs for the Following Purpose:
4.1 For the building up of the membership's use of radio frequencies for the promotion of friendship and conditions of harmony.
4.2 For the development of technical expertise in communications using radio frequencies among members and general public.
4.3 For the training and education of its members in order to be amateur radio operators who have greater technical knowledge and skills.
4.4 For building knowledge and for the development of social welfare and national safety.
4.5 For the building of members' skills in using communications equipment both in sending and receiving for public preparedness when there is an emergency or disaster communications are necessary.
4.6 To realize an increase in members in order that there will be radio operators to serve in social and national service in peace and during emergencies.
4.7 To establish the reputation of the Society and the nation of Thailand in order to gain recognition and acceptance among radio organizations in the international community.
4.8 To inform the membership of news via publications.
4.9 Not to be connected with activities involving business, politics, or religion.
Section 3
Members and Membership
Part 5. Types of Members: Members will be categorized into 5 groups as follows:
5.1 Honorary membership, including those who have benefited the Society and amateur radio, in order that their membership will provide the Society with honorable status and to allow for necessary favorable social communication.
5.2 General membership will be granted to those who hold an amateur radio license of a novice or a higher class issued by the Post and Telegraph Department or who hold a license recognized by the Post and Telegraph Department or who is recognized by the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) as an amateur radio operator and who has submitted a request for membership, this having been approved by the proceedings at a meeting of the Committee.
5.3 Associate membership will be granted to individuals who do not qualify according to clauses 5.1 and 5.2 who have submitted their request for membership, this having been approved by the proceedings at a meeting of the Committee.
5.4 Junior membership will be granted to individuals who are school students or undergraduates who are not yet 20 years old who have submitted their request for membership, this having been approved by the proceedings at a meeting of the Committee.
5.5 Organizational membership shall be granted to societies, clubs, or radio amateur groups which have no fewer than 50 members who have submitted their request for membership, this having been approved by the proceedings at a meeting of the Committee.
Part 6. Application for Membership: Persons desiring to apply to be members of the Society (with the exception of honorary members) shall submit an application form as approved by the Society to the Registrar of the Society.
Part 7. Approval Process of those who have Submitted their Applications for Membership: The Registrar of the Society shall present the applications at the next meeting of the Committee and when this is approved during the proceedings of the Committee meeting, the Registrar will announce this new member to the membership.
Part 8. Application Fee and Dues of the Society:
8.1 Application fee: A person applying must pay the application fee of 100 Baht.
8.2 Dues:
8.2.1 Honorary members will not be charged dues.
8.2.2 General members will pay annual dues of 200 Baht per year. Lifetime general members will pay a one-time fee of 2,000 Baht.
8.2.3 Associate Members shall pay annual dues of 100 Baht per year. Lifetime associate members shall pay a one-time fee of 1,000 Baht.
8.2.4 Junior members shall pay annual dues of 50 Baht per year.
8.2.5 Associate members who have paid dues or payments according to Clause 8.2.3 will have to pay an additional 1,000 Baht only if they become lifetime general members.
8.2.6 Organizations will pay an annual membership fee of 500 Baht a year.
Part 9. Commencement of Membership: A member has been accepted into full membership after being accepted by the proceedings of the meeting of the Committee and has paid his dues fully.
Part 10. Termination of Membership: Membership will be terminated according to the following conditions:
10.1 Death
10.2 Submission of resignation to the Committee of the Society and payment of any debts due to the Society.
10.3 Judgment of incompetence, or as if incompetent, or disappearance, bankruptcy, punishment by imprisonment except for a misdemeanor or a punishment for a misdemeanor or other such offense.
10.4 The proceedings of a Committee meeting that decides to remove a member from the membership roll by a vote of three fourths of the committee members meeting for whatever reason, according to the following clauses:
10.4.1 Activities committed which are against the Society or which hurt the reputation of the Society.
10.4.2 Violation of the policy of the Society.
10.4.3 Failure to pay annual dues before the expiry period of the membership without a reasonable cause.
10.5 A member who has not paid his dues is considered a terminated member. When the member has paid the dues which he owes, his membership will be reinstated without having to follow through with the application process again.
Section 4
Privileges and Responsibilities of Members
Part 11. Privileges of Membership:
11.1 Members of the Society have the privilege to be a member of any Committee of the Society according to the Regulations set beforehand in the meetings of the Committee and have all privileges assigned by the Society.
11.2 Every member has the privilege to make suggestions or proposals to the Society or to the Committee regarding any issue that is in accordance with the purpose of the Society for the development and the prosperity of the Society.
11.3 Every member has the privilege to inquire into the Society's activities and to examine its properties by making a request in writing to the Committee.
11.4 Every member has the privilege of joining in meetings, to debate and to make suggestions and to query the Committee. Only general members and organizational members have the privilege to make a motion at a general meeting by submitting a written document at least seven days beforehand and the motion must have the support of no fewer than 10 general members.
11.5 Only general members may vote in the general meeting or vote for committee members.
11.6 For organizational members, the president or vice-president of the society, the president or vice-president of the club, the president or vice president of the group or their representative has the privilege to vote in the general meeting and in the election of committee members of the Society. There will be the privilege of only one vote per society, club, group or organization.
Part 12. Responsibilities of Members:
12.1 Members must thoroughly abide by the rules and regulations of the Society, from the proceedings of the general meeting and the orders of proceedings of the meeting of the Committee.
12.2 They must protect the reputation and purpose of the Society.
12.3 They must build, propagate and encourage the activities of the Society.
12.4 They must pay their dues as appointed.
Section 5
Committee of the Society
Part 13. The Committee of the Society: There shall be one Committee for the management of the Society which will be the representation of the Society composed of the President of the Society as well as no more than 15 other committee members.
The President of the Society and a Committee of 9 more members shall be elected in the general meeting from the nominees for president, or committee members who attended the general meeting when nominated and who were supported by at least 10 members. The remaining members of the Committee shall be appointed by the President.
The Committee shall appoint the Vice-president, the Secretary, the Treasurer and the other officers as appropriate.
Committee members may hold their position for two years and then should be elected or appointed to the Committee for their next period of tenure.
Part 14. Qualifications of the Committee: The committee members of the Society must have the following qualifications:
14.1 Must be a general member.
14.2 May not be a worker or a regular employee of the Society.
14.3 Must not be a bankrupt person.
14.4 Must not be incompetent, or as if incompetent.
14.5 Must be free from a communicable disease or a disfiguring disease.
Part 15. Termination of Committee Membership: A Committee member may be terminated from the position on the Committee for the following reasons:
15.1 Completion of tenure
15.2 Resignation from position as approved by the proceedings of the meeting of the Committee.
15.3 Lacking qualifications according to Part 14 or expired membership according to Part 10.
15.4 By the proceedings of the general meeting to remove the person from his position.
15.5 Absence from the meeting of the Committee three times without written notification.
Part 16. Condition of a Position Becoming Vacant before the End of Tenure:
When there is a condition where the position of the President of the Society or other committee members becomes vacant before the end of tenure, the Committee should appoint any general member to the position and that appointee should perform the duties of the person he is replacing.
Part 17. Meetings of the Committee: The Committee shall meet no less than once every second month. The President or other committee members of at least three people may also call special meetings.
Part 18. The Number Required for there to be an Quorum of the Committee:
There must be at least one half of the Committee in attendance in order for there to be a quorum.
Part 19. Proceedings for the Meetings of the Committee: Except as stipulated in this regulation, the majority vote at a meeting shall be the proceedings of the meeting. In the case the vote results in a tie, the chairman of the meeting shall be granted one additional vote in order to break the tie.
Part 20. Chairman of the Committee Meeting: The President of the Society shall be the moderator of the meeting. If the President of the Society is not present, or is unable to perform the duty for whatever reason, the Vice-president shall be the moderator of that meeting. If the Vice-president is not in attendance, or is unable to perform the duty, the committee members present shall appoint any committee member to be the moderator of the meeting for that meeting only.
Part 21. Authority and Responsibilities of the Committee: The authority and responsibilities of the Committee shall be as follows:
21.1 The management and organization of the properties of the Society according to the policy and proceedings of the general meeting.
21.2 Appointment of committee members to various positions in the Committee.
21.3 To organize the activities of the Society.
21.4 To hire or appoint and remove various consultants and honorary consultants of the committees, sub-committees, officers, and all workers in order to proceed in an orderly fashion.
21.5 The President of the Society is the moderator of general meetings and Committee meetings and shall oversee the activities of the Society and the representatives of the Society to those outside the Society.
21.6 The Vice-president shall have the responsibility to substitute for the President when the President is absent or is unable to perform the duties of President, as well as having the responsibility to help the President in performing the duties of President as the President assigns.
21.7 The Secretary has the responsibility to arrange the meetings of the Committee, to report on the minutes of the meeting and has the responsibility to contact members and those outside the Society about various issues, to manage various activities of the Society or to perform work not specifically appointed to other members of the Committee.
21.8 The Treasurer has the responsibility to control the flow of money, to care for the funds and to make a written report of funds and to maintain the various documents.
21.9 The Registrar has the responsibility to maintain the membership rolls, including the documents regarding membership.
Section 6
General Meeting
Part 22. The General Meeting: The general meeting shall be established as follows:
22.1 There shall be a full general meeting each year, once a year, during the month of March.
22.2 In the case that the Committee considers it appropriate or the general membership of no less than 100 people presents a petition to the Secretary requesting a general meeting, the Committee shall designate a general meeting within 30 days of receiving the petition.
Part 23. Quorum of the General Meeting: At the annual general meeting, or other general meetings, there shall be no less that 50 percent of the general membership in attendance. There must be not less than 100 members present if the membership is over 200 people.
Part 24. Proceedings of the general meeting: Other than the provisions of these regulations, the majority vote of the attendees of the general meeting will be considered the proceedings of the meeting. In the event that there is a tie, the moderator of the meeting shall break the tie with an additional vote.
Part 25. Establishing the Time of the General Meeting: The Committee shall send a notification of the day, time and place of the meeting including the proposed agenda of the general meeting, including the documents according to clauses 29.1, 29.2 and 29.3, to each of the members at least seven days beforehand the meeting.
Part 26. Condition of Not Enough Members Present for a Quorum: In the event that not enough members are in attendance in order to have a quorum at the general meeting, after one hour has passed those present from the membership shall constitute a quorum.
Part 27. Moderator of the General Meeting: The President of the Society shall be the moderator of the general meeting. If the President is not present or is unable to perform the duty, the Vice-president shall be the moderator of the meeting. In the event the Vice-president is not present or is unable to perform the duty, the attendees of the general meeting shall appoint any member to the position of moderator of that general meeting and only for that meeting.
Part 28. Procedures for Voting in the General Meeting: Voting in the general meeting shall be in the following fashion:
28.1 Voting shall be done publicly by the raising of the hand.
28.2 If there is a secret ballot, it shall be by marking a ballot card and shall be done when the Committee and the majority of the membership proposes that voting be done by secret ballot.
28.3 Those who vote must vote individually in person and must be at the meeting in person when the voting is being done.
Part 29. Activities of the General Meeting: Activities of the general meeting shall include the following:
29.1 To approve the minutes of the last general meeting.
29.2 To consider the annual report which should report on the activities of the previous year.
29.3 To consider the receipt and expenditure of funds and acceptance of members.
29.4 To appoint an Auditor of the books and to determine the payment for the service rendered.
29.5 To elect the Committee according to the regulations.
29.6 Consideration of other business (if any exists).
Section 7
Funds and Accounting.
Part 30. Funds of the Society: The funds of the Society are under the oversight of the Committee and shall be held in a commercial bank in the name of the Society for safekeeping. Payments made by the Society, regardless from which account, must have the seal of the Society imprinted with the signature of the President, Vice-president, the Secretary, or the Treasurer with no fewer than two people signing. The spending limit shall be no more than 20,000 (twenty thousand) Baht. If there is a condition where the amount is greater than this, it must be approved by the Committee.
Part 31. Accounting and Properties: The Treasurer is to prepare a report accounting for funds and properties of the Society by presenting various documents using the procedures in accordance with established accounting procedures. Official receipts must be issued for all funds received and every dispersal of funds must be by proper documents with correct reporting of the amount approved by the President or the person responsible who is appointed by the President. All reports of receipts and payments must be retained for at least 10 years in order that they may be inspected completely.
The Treasurer has the authority to care for the petty cash flow of no more than 10,000 (ten thousand) Baht.
The Committee shall establish an orderly way of handling funds and properties which is appropriate and expedient and make a statement of the condition and the procedures for handling the funds of the Society, presenting this to the members every third month.
Part 32. Preparation of a Balance Sheet: The Committee shall prepare a balance sheet each year and that shall be sent to an Auditor to be examined no later than January in the following year. The Auditor shall complete the audit before the annual general meeting.
Part 33. Fiscal Year: The Fiscal year shall be from December 31 each year and shall be the end of the Fiscal year of the Society.
Part 34. Authority of the Auditor: The Auditor has the authority to examine the books and various documents that are related to funds and properties of the Society. He also has the authority to question the Committee and various officers of the Society who are involved in finances and to have access to the related documents.
Section 8
Amendments and dissolution of the Society
Part 35. The Amendment of and Alteration to the Regulations: These Regulations may be amended or altered by the proceedings of a general meeting which shall have the two thirds vote of the general members attending the meeting.
Part 36. Dissolution of the Society: The Society may be disbanded through any one of the following causes or procedures:
36.1 By the proceedings of a vote of no less than three fourths of the general members who are in attendance at the meeting.
36.2 By bankruptcy
36.3 Under a court order to dissolve.
36.4 When the Government Registrar controlling societies has ordered the dissolution of the Society and has struck the name of the Society from the registry.
In the event that the Society must dissolve, the remaining properties of the Society shall be transferred to an educational institution selected by a general meeting of the Society and it shall be the custodian of the properties.
Part 37. Payment of Accounts: In the event that the Society must dissolve for whatever reason according to Part 36, the payments of accounts of the Society shall be according to the constitutional stipulations for civil and commercial code of law as applicable.
Section 9
Miscellaneous
Part 38. Signature Authority on Various Documents: On various legal documents of the Society, or when signing documents, when the Society's seal which is the emblem and legal representation of the Society is affixed with the signature of the President of the Society, or the Vice-president or one of the two appointed members of the Committee designated to sign, when duly stamped and signed, this document is official.
Special Clarification
The committee members who are elected in the general meetings according to Part 22.2 will finish their tenure according to Clause 15.1 at the general meeting according to Clause 22.1.
***
(This unofficial English translation was made in June 2002 is by Don Craft and is intended to be an aid to English speakers desiring to know the nature of the Regulations and Bylaws of RAST. It is an independent translation that is not based on any earlier translations of previous RAST regulations and was edited by Tony Waltham, HS0ZDX)