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12call

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    Thailand Grants Airasia Unit Eight-year Tax Break

    in General Topics

    Posted

    BANGKOK: Thailand has granted no-frills carrier Thai AirAsia investment privileges that include an eight-year tax break, the country’s Board of Investment said.

    AirAsia, which plans to invest 1.12 billion baht (US$28.5mil) and hire 279 Thai staff, would also be exempt during the period from paying import tax on equipment, the board said in a faxed statement.

    Thai AirAsia is a joint venture between Shin Corp, which is owned by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s family, and AirAsia Sdn Bhd.

    Thai AirAsia’s service would contribute to expanding Thailand’s airline market and to developing the country’s tourism and economic activity, the board said.

    Thailand, one of the biggest tourist destinations in Asia with about 10 million visitors annually, is set to face greater competition in the airline market.

    Thai Airways International, the country’s biggest carrier, cut fares this month on most domestic routes by as much as 40% and is scheduled to announce next month plans to start its own low-cost unit.

    Thai AirAsia said in a separate statement it would take delivery of its first plane on Thursday.

    It plans to begin flights from Bangkok to three Thai domestic destinations. It also expects approval to begin flights between Bangkok and Singapore as early as March.

    The three daily routes are from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Phuket, and Hadyai, while flights to Khon Kaen in the northeast are to begin on Feb 12.

    It offers an average discount of 20%-50% off comparative rates of other Thai domestic airlines. Some 20,000 of the 99-baht promotional tickets will be available for flights in February– Bloomberg

    Bird Flu Outbreak May Be Downfall Of Thai Pm

    in Thailand News

    Posted

    Thai PM in bird flu 'cover-up'

    Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has admitted that his government suspected an outbreak of avian flu about two weeks ago.

    Mr Thaksin told reporters he had decided not to tell the public until Friday to avoid causing mass panic.

    He has ordered troops to help a cull of chickens to stop the disease spreading.

    Bird flu has spread to two more regions of Thailand while Indonesia revealed it too had an outbreak, though officials there said it had not spread to humans.

    Amid growing criticism of its handling of the disease, Thailand has invited other Asian nations hit by the crisis to an emergency summit this week.

    We have suspected this for about a couple of weeks

    Thaksin Shinawatra

    European Union and Japanese officials will also be invited to the meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN food agency.

    After weeks of speculation, Thailand - Asia's largest poultry exporter - admitted the presence of the disease two days ago and confirmed that it had spread from poultry to humans.

    Several countries subsequently banned imports of poultry from Thailand, including its main customers, Japan and the EU.

    On Sunday, China announced it was banning chicken imports from Thailand and Cambodia, which has also been hit by a bird flu outbreak.

    Two Thai boys are infected, while the death of a 56-year-old Bangkok man who raised fighting cocks is thought to have been caused by the virus.

    AVIAN FLU ALERT

    First jumped "species barrier" from bird to human in 1997

    In humans, similar symptoms include fever, sore throat, and cough

    Types known to infect humans are influenza A subtypes H5N1 and H9N2

    On Sunday, the Thai prime minister visited the worst-hit province of Suphan Buri, where officials are moving from farm to farm destroying all poultry.

    Mr Thaksin told reporters the government had taken precautionary measures, despite keeping quiet about its concerns.

    "We have suspected this for about a couple of weeks" he said.

    Government under fire

    The BBC's Rachel Harvey in Bangkok says that politically as well as economically, everything now depends on how quickly the virus can be brought under control.

    AVIAN FLU TIMELINE

    Nov 2003 - Thailand reports what it calls chicken cholera

    15 Dec - S Korea confirms avian flu outbreak

    9 Jan 2004 - UN sends help to Vietnam after avian flu outbreak

    11 Jan - First of five Vietnamese deaths confirmed as avian flu

    13 Jan - Japan confirms avian flu outbreak

    15 Jan - Taiwan announces different strain of avian flu

    21 Jan - Laos reports suspected chicken cholera

    23 Jan - Thailand confirms first human cases of avian flu

    23 Jan - Cambodia detects first case in chickens

    She says ordinary Thais are questioning whether the government is telling them everything, even now.

    The government has come in for strong criticism from the media, while opposition politicians are threatening a motion of no confidence.

    Deputy leader of the opposition Democrat party, Abhisit Vejjajiva, said it would be "unacceptable" if the government had misled the public.

    "We understand that... no government would want the public to panic, but I think the problem was the route that the government took meant that people who were at risk, who have direct contact [with chickens], did not take the necessary precautions," he said.

    "Now we have a few people who are infected, some of whom are already dead."

    The worst-hit country in the region is Vietnam, where six people have died of avian flu.

    The WHO has warned that the Asian outbreak could mutate and become more dangerous.

    Avian flu has also affected chickens in Cambodia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea - but is not known to have jumped from birds to humans in these countries.

    Story from BBC NEWS:

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia...fic/3427249.stm

    Published: 2004/01/25 15:26:57 GMT

    © BBC MMIV

    Bird Flu Outbreak May Be Downfall Of Thai Pm

    in Thailand News

    Posted

    Bird flu kills child in Thailand

    A six-year-old boy has died in a Bangkok hospital from avian flu.

    It is the first confirmed death in Thailand as a result of the outbreak, but a man who died last week may have been infected.

    The only other deaths from the virus sweeping Asian chicken flocks have been in Vietnam, where six people have died.

    Thai health officials have also confirmed two new cases of the virus in humans, while Indonesia has confirmed an outbreak among its chicken flocks.

    There has been no evidence that avian flu can pass from humans to humans, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the Asian outbreak could mutate and become more dangerous as it spreads.

    Rapid deterioration

    The Thai boy who died is believed to have picked up the virus after touching the carcasses of infected poultry in his village in western Kanchanaburi province.

    AVIAN FLU ALERT

    First jumped "species barrier" from bird to human in 1997

    In humans, similar symptoms include fever, sore throat, and cough

    Types known to infect humans are influenza A subtypes H5N1 and H9N2

    Thailand's Public Health Minister, Sudarat Keyuraphan, announcing the boy's death, also confirmed press reports that a 10-year-old girl and a 58-year-old woman in the neighbouring province of Suphanburi were infected.

    A seven-year-old boy from the same province was confirmed as infected last week.

    Test results are pending in the case of a 56-year-old man who raised fighting cocks at his home near Bangkok and died on Friday.

    Ms Sudarat said the boy's health "deteriorated very rapidly".

    "This is typical of bird flu. It is very hard to get infected by this disease, but once you have it you tend to go down very fast," she said.

    Thailand has now expanded its emergency zone from two provinces to 10. It has enlisted hundreds of soldiers to help cull millions of chickens.

    Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, faced with accusations of a cover-up, has admitted that his government initially kept quiet about its suspicions that avian flu had broken out, to avoid causing public panic.

    "We have suspected this for about a couple of weeks," he said on Sunday.

    Cricket

    in General Topics

    Posted

    Hookes hotel vandalised

    January 21, 2004

    A BRICK has been thrown through the window of the hotel where Australian cricket legend David Hookes was bashed to death.

    A hand-written note was attached to the brick, which read: "Payment is due".

    Police today confirmed they were investigating an act of criminal damage at the Beaconsfield Hotel in St Kilda overnight.

    A spokeswoman said they were still establishing what time the incident took place.

    Hookes, the Victorian cricket coach, had been at the hotel on Sunday night celebrating the team's one-day win over South Australia just before he was assaulted.

    Witness accounts of the incident vary, but agree that at about 11.45pm as his group was leaving the pub, Hookes was punched once, fell heavily and hit his head.

    Paramedics revived him after about 30 minutes and the 48-year-old was taken to The Alfred hospital.

    Hookes' family members decided to turn off the life-support system about 7pm on Monday.

    A 21-year-old bouncer from the hotel, Zdravco Micevi, has been charged with assault over the incident.

    Cricket

    in General Topics

    Posted

    There is no news of Mr Zdravco Micevic in any Search Engine.It must be a false passport or they have the WRONG name !!!!

    Man charged in cricket star death

    MELBOURNE, Australia -- A 21-year-old crowd-controller has been charged with assault and released on bail following the death of former Australian cricketer David Hookes.

    Hookes died Monday after being was allegedly punched by Zdravco Micevic during a brawl late Sunday night outside a hotel in the southern Australian city of Melbourne.

    The 48-year-old Hookes was the coach of the Victorian state cricket side and a well-known television and radio sporting commentator.

    Media reports Tuesday say the assault followed a verbal confrontation between Hookes and crowd control staff at hotel where he and members of the Victorian cricket side were celebrating a recent interstate victory.

    Hookes, known for his straight-shooting style, overheard a remark made towards the girlfriend of one of his players by a hotel crowd controller.

    Hookes is believed to have shared a few sharp words with a man before departing at closing with a group of about 10 friends, The Australian Associated Press reports.

    The dispute spilled out on to the street, with three bouncers allegedly following Hookes and the group.

    Neighbors say they were woken by shouting and screaming and reported seeing the two groups pushing and shoving on the road.

    One resident said he heard someone say, "You want to play smart mouth, now face the music", before a punch sent Hookes to the ground.

    Hookes lay unconscious and motionless on the street as friends tried to wake him.

    Hookes was revived by ambulance paramedics at the scene after his heart stopped beating but he never regained consciousness.

    The likeable Hookes had been a celebrity in cricket-mad Australia since he made his international debut in the Centenary Test against England in 1977.

    He played 23 Tests and 39 one-day internationals.

    Australian cricket star Steve Waugh, a former national captain, said he was "physically sickened" by news of the attack. Current captain Ricky Ponting added: "Everybody's in a state of shock and no-one can believe what's really happened."

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