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Thaivisa News
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Phuket:- Police have arrested a Chinese man for having allegedly worked as a pre-wedding photographer in Phuket without work permit as part of an on-going crackdown on Chinese pre-wedding photographers.The arrest of Chuan Ma, 26, was announced at a press conference at the Phuket Immigration Office by Pol Lt Thienchai Chomphu, an inspector of the office.Thienchai said Ma was arrested Wednesday evening while he was taking pre-wedding photos for a Chinese couple on the Bang Thao beach in Tambon Choeng Thalay in Phuket’s Thalang district.He failed to produce a work permit as a photographer during the time of the arrest. Police found pre-wedding photos in Ma’s Nikon camera. He was handed over to the Choeng Thalay police station for taking legal action before he will be deported.Thienchai said the Phuket Immigration Office was informed that many Chinese tourists had been working as pre-wedding photographers without work permit at various tourist spots, including popular beaches and the Old Town of Phuket as well as temples.Thienchai said immigration police have arrested Chinese photographers because they have taken away jobs supposed to be won by local pre-wedding photographers who have properly paid tax.Thienchai said a Chinese pre-wedding photographer received about Bt5,000 to Bt10,000 from a customer without having to pay taxes.Natthawut La-ongsuwan, a Thai freelance pre-wedding photographer, said although the Thai authorities have arrested many Chinese photographers, many still came in to work as pre-wedding photographers because Chinese tourists would like to use their services.Natthawut said Chinese pre-wedding photographers did not know and understand local culture so they and their customers often enraged the local people during their photo sessions.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri:- A South Korean tourist was hit and knocked out by a taxi motorcyclist after he allegedly refused to pay for his fare Wednesday night, an eyewitness said.
A video clip of the unidentified tourist was posted on YouTube late Wednesday night shortly after the incident happened.
The man was seen in the clip trying to attack a man with crash helmet on. Eventually, the man with crash helmet landed a punch on the first mans mouth and nose, sending him down and apparently knocking him out.
Jongrak Thiengmak, a staff of Ann Bar on Pattaya 2 Road, said the incident happened in front of his bar late Wednesday night.
Jongrak said the South Korean man came to eat and drink at the shop Wednesday night and he became drunk and refused to pay his bill. The man abruptly left the bar at 10 pm. He owed the bar for Bt1,500.
But at 11 pm, he reappeared in front of the bar, quarrelling with a taxi motorcyclist because he refused to pay his fare for Bt200, Jongrak said.
The quarrel led to a brawl and the tourist was hit and became unconscious for about three minutes. One of his teeth also fell off and his nose was bleeding.
Jongrak said staffs of the bar helped stop the bleeding nose with ice and escorted him to his hotel. They also informed the hotel that the tourist owed the bar Bt1,500.
Jongrak said the tourist came to the shop Thursday evening and paid his bill so the bar would not press any charge against him.Watch the video here: http://news.thaivisa.com/thaivisa-news/south-korean-tourist-knocked-out-by-taxi-motorcyclist/38442/
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Krabi:- Authorities will be spending more than Bt100 million on creating bicycle parking zones in Krabi, in support of its plan to establish itself as the Bicycle City for Health and Tourism.
Krabi Governor Songphon Sawasdham says the parking zones for bicycles will go up at 13 key spots such as Ao Nang Beach, Krabi Airport, Maharaj Market, Krabi Hospital, Ron Waterfall, Chalermphrakiat Pavilion, the Ancient Bead Museum, and Thara Public Park.
We want to provide convenience to bicyclists, both tourists and locals, he says.
There are now between 3,000 and 4,000 bicyclists in the southern province of Krabi. This population has given birth to more than 30 cycling groups, which have regularly organized cycling trips across the town.
According to Songphon, the move is designed to promote cycling among people as such mode of transportation is good for health and friendly to the environment. Krabi hopes its residents will use bicycles in their daily life.
Songphon says for tourists, they will be able to indulge deeper in local atmosphere if they use bicycles in exploring Krabi.
Bicycles can take them to various destinations, he adds.
Songphon says his provincial government has worked closely with the Tourism Authority of Thailand in promoting bicycle trends. Several events have already been held to recommend cycling routes to interested tourists.
We have also worked with various other partners for the purpose, he says.
Krabi has attracted millions of tourists, both Thai and foreign, each year. It is famous for its beautiful beach and amazing sea.
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Bangkok: –The city administration plans to upgrade and build an extension of the elevated bike and walking lane linking Lumpini Park and Benjakiti Park.Residents and visitors can enjoy cycling and walking on the 1.7- kilometer lane between the two parks by Songkran Festival in April, Deputy Bangkok Governor Jumpol Sumpaopol said.At present, the elevated lane, built along Khlong PhaiSingto and linked Lumpini Park with Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, is not a popular route because of steepness and poor lighting.Furthermore, the lane stops short about 40 meters from Benjakiti Park.Jumpol has instructed relevant authorities to improve on the elevated lane aimed at facilitating pedestrians and cycling enthusiasts.To enter and exit the lane at Lumpini Park’s Sarasin Intersection, the present elevation is too steep and bicycles have to be walked in and off the lane.For a temporary solution, the city authorities will build a rest stop for bicycle riders. In the long term, the elevation will be modified so as to facilitate the bicycle riding.The city will also install an improved lighting system to ensure safety at night.The security cameras would be put on eight selective spots on the elevated lane.Areas along the lane would be landscaped to ensure pleasant atmosphere.From the short distance between Thailand Tobacco Monopoly and Benjakiti Park, the extension of elevated lane would be built to complete the link between the two parks.The construction work would complete in time for Songkran celebrations.
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Bangkok: – The government has no control on the BTS charges for sky train services, deputy spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said.The setting and adjustment of sky train charges is prescribed by the 1999 contract between Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and operator Bangkok Mass Transit System, Sansern said.Under the contract, the BTS is authorised to adjust the charges, he said, noting that the operator is only obliged to notify the adjustment 30 days in advance.In view of the economic downturn, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has asked the authorities to try and convince BTS to delay the planned fare increase, he said.Even if the BTS will go ahead with fare hike, the change should not exceed five per cent or about two baht, he added.BTS chief operating officer Surapong Laoha-unya said sky train fare will likely increase by two baht by June 1.At present, BTS charges range from 15 to 42 baht depending on distance travelled. This is below the contractual limit of 20-60 baht.Surapong said the timing and rate of fare hike is still tentative since the company has yet to factor in the prevailing economic indicators such as lower-than-expected inflation, consumer’s index and household spending.Commuters should not be overly concerned about the matter, he said, revealing that the sky train has been serving 700,000 commuters per day on two routes with the total distance of 36.3 kilometers.BTS is expected to win the contracts within this year to serve three new routes, Bearing to Samut Prakan, Watcharaphol to Thong Lo and Bang Na to Suvarnabhumi Airport (light rail route).By the next five years, BTS service routes should expand to 118.5 kilometers, generating the revenues of 10 billion baht.
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Krabi:- Photos of some Chinese tourists washing their feet and sandals in face wash basins at a toilet room of the of the Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park have gone viral.Many Thai Facebook users shared the photos and condemned the Chinese tourists for their improper behaviors. The Facebook users also proposed that there should be officials stationed at the toilet facility to clean it and to warn the tourists to behave.Several news websites, such as Thairath Online, Manager and Prachatai reported the incident.The photos showed some Chinese tourists placing their foot in the basins and washing it. Other photos showed them cleaning the sandals in the basinsAfter the photos have gone viral, Chaiyatat Boonphuphantanti, chief of the Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, said his park officials and the Mueang Krabi district officials joined hands to carry out a big cleaning day at the park and the toilet facility.From now on, officials will take turn to stand by to clean the facility and to warn tourists to behave, Chaiyatat added.He said the toilet facility there was use by more than 100 tourists each day because they came to the Hat Noppharat Thara beach to catch boats to visit other popular tourist destinations, including the Thale Waek, Hong islands, Phi Phi islands, Koh Lanta and even Phuket.The park chief said warning signs will be put up and if tourists wash their feet or sandals in the face wash basins again, they will be fined.
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Samut Prakan:- A German tourist was fatally injured after he jumped from the fourth-floor connecting way of the car park building and the outbound passenger terminal of the Suvanarbhumi International Airport Thursday afternoon.Pol Col Kittipop Chompunut, commander of the Suvarnabhumi police station, said the suicide happened at 4 pm.The tourist was identified as Michale Walter, 45.He jumped from the connecting platform between the car park and the road in front of the fourth floor of the passenger terminal in Zone 3 of the airport.Kittipop said he was alerted of the jump right after it happened and informed the Samitivej Hospital to rush an emergency medical team to the scene along with a police officer.The officials found Walter lied on the first floor in front of the outbound passenger building. He suffered severe injuries on his head and neck and was rushed to the Simitivej. He died later at the hospital.Police found Walter’s black bag at the spot. Police checked footage of security camera at the spot and saw that Walter put down his bag before he stepped back from the fence and ran toward it and jumped over it with his head pointing down as if he jumped into a swimming pool.Pol Lt Thirayut Khengraeng, an officer of the Suvarnabhumi police station who inspected the scene, said Walter entered Thailand on February 15 and was scheduled to leave on March 16.So far, police did not know his motive.Police have informed the German embassy of the incident to contact his relatives to retrieve the body.Police said several farang tourists have committed suicides by jumping from the connecting platform between the car par and the fourth floor of the outbound passenger terminal at the rate of three or four suicides each year.
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Krabi:- The Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park has now stepped up its enforcement of regulations that bar tourist activities from damaging marine resources.“We will arrange regular patrols to keep watch on tourists. It’s for their safety as well as for environmental protection,” the park’s chief Chaiyatat Boonphuphantanti says.He is speaking in response to reports that some tourist boats carelessly hit coral reefs with their anchors and many tour operators fail to prevent their customers from collecting shells as souvenirs.Chaiyatat says the regular patrols will also serve to prevent any tour operator from entering areas affected by coral bleaching.“We have banned their access to these areas because the sea there will need time to recover from the bleaching,” he says. At present, the once-popular destinations like Pai Island have been off-limits to divers.Located in the southern province of Krabi, this national park contains many attractions including a shell cemetery and the world-famous Phi Phi Island.In a related development, a scuba-diving instructor working in Krabi has lately captured a humpback with his camera and shared the picture on social media.The picture has become big news, as the humpback is very big. It is estimated that the whale in the picture must have been over nine meters long and weighed more than one ton.Saneh Yamae, the man who captured the breathtaking picture, says he caught sight of the giant mammal during his work trip.“All tourists on the same boat are excited,” he says. Saneh has taught diving to interested tourists.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri:- A pickup truck that refused to stop at a road checkpoint in Pattaya hit and injured two Russian tourists late Wednesday night, police said.Police did not identify the two Russians, who were hit by the truck in front of the Ambassador Hotel Jomthien shortly after 11 pm.The truck driver, Adithep Thongluam, 36, was arrested after the vehicle was hit into the middle by another car, prompting it to be unable to flee further.The vehicle chase incident started at 11 pm when police and troops were jointly manning a road checkpoint in front of Soi Krom Thidin in South Pattaya.Officials at the checkpoint spotted the Mitsubishi pickup with a driver and two passengers and the officials asked the truck to stop for routine check. However, the truck sped off.Officials at the checkpoint chased after the truck. It also refused to stop but slammed through another checkpoint in front of the Pattaya Court. While breaking through the Pattaya Court checkpoint, the Mitsubishi truck hit a police vehicle and another vehicle of the Interior Ministry.The Mitsubishi truck then hit the two Russian tourists before it was slammed into by a car in front of Sattahib Technical School before it stopped.Police arrested the driver while two passengers ran into a roadside bush. Over 100 police, troops and Interior Ministry officials conducted a manhunt at the area but have not yet found the two men.The driver said he already stopped at the first checkpoint but his two passengers shouted at him, telling him to flee. He said he was frightened and tried to flee as told.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri:- The Pattaya City has agreed to relax the beach bed rules to allow tourists with illness and disability and tourists with too large body to be comfort in canvas beds to use beach beds.The agreement was reached during a meeting held Wednesday afternoon at the Pattaya City Hall. Deputy Pattaya Mayor Ronnakit Ekkasit chaired the meeting of the committee in charge of putting the Pattaya beach into order.Attending the meeting were representatives from Pattaya police station, Pattaya City officials, Army officers from the 14th Army Circle, and Bang Lamung district officials.Among urgent topics, the meeting discussed foreign tourists’ complaints that they felt uncomfortable to use canvas beds that are now allowed by operators to rent to tourists. The farang tourists want to use beach beds like those available at luxury hotels instead.Following the discussion, the meeting agreed to allow beach umbrella and bed operators to rent beach beds on case-by-case basis. The beach beds must be rented to tourists with illness or disability or who are too large to be comfort with canvas beds.The beach beds must be placed only in the spaces provided to the operators and the beds must be put away after the tourists have left.The relaxing of the rules was proposed by Sinchai Wattanasathorn, the chairman of the Pattaya Tourism Business Association.The meeting agreed to discuss how to regulate prices of the renting of umbrellas, canvas and beach bed sin the next meeting.The meeting also agreed to regulate the prices of foods available from all foods shops on the beach.
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Nakhon Si Thammarat: – A woman allegedly led a gang of ruffians to beat and knock out a Buddhist monk at Wat Wang Tawantok, Mueang Nakhon Si Thammarat district.Phra Pipat, 40, who was beaten unconscious, is now staying at an undisclosed temple for safety reason.The clip of the incident has gone viral in the social media, causing an outcry from the temple’s followers.A number of followers who witnessed the incident have filed a police complaint, demanding the woman and ruffians be brought to justice.Mueang police superintendent Colonel Adisak Thepwan submitted a report via video conference to the national police chief outlying pertinent facts related to the disputed parties on the case.Adisak also instructed investigators to speedily collect evidence deemed necessary to prosecute the suspects.In a related development, a group of 50 followers and vendors of amulets rallied at the temple’s abbot abode demanding explanation of the incident.Abbot PhraThepSiriSophon, also provincial chief monk of Nakhon Si Thammarat, refused to come out of his abode. Police were deployed to keep peace and ensure the safety of the abbot.Among the demands of the temple’s followers are• Whether the abbot was protecting the woman suspect,• Whether he was behind the woman, seen as close to him, in attacking PhraPipat, and• Whether he ordered the burning of robes and personal belongings and the eviction of the victim’s abode.According to statements given to police, the temple’s followers said the woman was the abbot’s aide responsible for bullying subordinate monks.Many monks fled the temple in recent months for fear of their safety.Police said their decision on the case would be based on evidence.
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Bangkok: – Farm-gate pickup rates for fresh eggs are falling and egg farmers are selling below cost although the retail prices remain high.The persistence of high retail prices and low wholesale rates would further fuel the egg market distortion, said Mongkol Pipatsatayanuwong, chairman of the Association of Hen-Egg Farmers, Traders and Exporters.Mongkol said farm prices have been dropping to 1.8 baht to 1.9 baht per small egg. The production cost is estimated at 2.94 baht.Farmerscan get no more than 2 baht per egg, he said. But retailers sell for 3 baht or higher per egg.He has called for the government intervention to rectify the egg market distortion.Farmers are victims of egg pricing, he said, noting that the high retail prices would drive away consumers and that the lowering consumption demand combined with the overstocking of hens will further depress the wholesale egg prices.The Department of Internal Trade has estimated that the country is facing the oversupply of four million eggs per day, DIT director general Boonyarit Kalayanamit said.The oversupply situation has been detected since November, Boonyarit said, adding that farmers started boosting the production capacity in 2013.The increased production has been attributed to the rising imports of hens. Eggs coming out to the markets increased since last year, outpacing the demands.Furthermore, the upcoming school holiday will see further drop in egg consumption. This happens every year as students would not have to rely on eggs for breakfast before they rush to school.The DIT director general said he has been pushing the Policy Committee on Egg Products and Development to cap the eggs production in line with the demands.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri: An alleged Russian mafia was arrested at the Chon Buri Immigration head office Tuesday when he applied for his student visa’s extension.The arrest of Sergey Kovalenko was announced at a press conference by Chon Buri Immigration chief Pol Col Praphansak Prasarnsuk at 4 pm Wednesday.Praphansak said the Chon Buri Immigration had been informed by the Russian Embassy in Bangkok that Kovalenko, who carries the passport No 719172304, is wanted by the Russian authorities under the arrest warrant No 2014/36611-1, dated June 18, 2014.The arrest warrant alleged that Kovalenko was the leader of the so-called Student gang in Yurga, Russia.The warrant alleged that the Student gang had committed extortions and robberies and had collected protection fees from many victims in Yurga.Kovalenko was also alleged with involving with murders. Russian police have arrested six members of his gang but Kovalenko managed to flee to Thailand.Praphansak said Kovalenko turned up at the Chon Buri Immigration on Tuesday to seek to extend his student visa so he was arrested for extradition back to Russia.Pattaya is known to be a haven of Russian fugitives. Several of arrests of alleged Russian mafias or criminals have been made in Pattaya.For example in February last year, Pattaya police arrested Dmitry Ishmukhametov, wanted in Russia on extortion charges. He escaped from Russia to live as a real estate developer in Pattaya.Russian fugitives love Pattaya apparently because the seaside town is popular with tourists from their country. The high number of Russian tourists prompted many of them to start tourism-related businesses to make money from their own fellow citizens.
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Phuket:- Phuket tourist police have arrested an American woman who is wanted in the United States on charge of man slaughter.Deputy Tourist Police Division chief Pol Col Supaset Chokchai told a press conference at the Phuket Tourist Police head office at 5 pm Wednesday that Kelly Lynn Miller, 36, was arrested in Krabi on Tuesday.Supaset said police found out that Miller had been living in Thailand for six years without visa because she was on the run after she was charged with having fatally hit an American with her vehicle.Supaset said Phuket tourist police have been alerted by the US embassy that Miller has been living in the kingdom without proper travelling document and visa.The Phuket tourist police later found out that Miller was living on Koh Lanta in Krabi. The Phuket rushed to the island and found her at the car park of a bungalow.Police asked her to show her travelling document but she had none so she was arrested and taken to the Phuket Tourist Police head office.Miller admitted that she arrived at Bangkok on a flight in January 2009. She then visited Koh Phagnan in Surat Thani and Koh Lanta in Krabi without seeking to extend her visa, which expired six years ago.She said she had no passport because her passport had been cancelled by the US government after she jumped bail in the man slaughter case.She said she had been hiding in Surat Thani and Krabi for fear that she would be caught having no travelling document and would be deported.
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Bangkok:- A Thai taxi driver has returned more than Bt1.2 million in cash to his Japanese passenger.Pratuan Muanroong, 52, was thus rewarded with 200,000 Japanese yen (about Bt54,000) on Tuesday.“Had I not got the money and my bag back, I would have been in trouble,” Watanabe Tetsuro said as he handed the cash reward to the honest taxi driver. The Japanese man came to Thailand not just for sightseeing but also for root-canal treatment.Tetsuro hailed Pratuan’s cab at the Suvarnabhumi Airport early Monday for a ride to Soi Thaniya. When he reached his destination, he did not have Thai-baht currency to pay Pratuan. He thus rushed out of the vehicle to exchange bills. When he came back to pay the fare, he completely forgot that his bag was still in the cab.“We couldn’t communicate efficiently. After he paid the fare and headed to a convenience store nearby, I waited for him for about 15 minutes. He didn’t come back though,” Pratuan said.Another passenger hailed Pratuan and he decided to go ahead. The taxi driver did come back to the Soi Thaniya again to check if Tetsuro was around. But the Japanese man was nowhere to be seen.“So, I checked his bag and was shocked to find what’s inside,” Pratuan said. In addition to the huge amount of cash, the bag contains some medicines too.The taxi driver then decided to contact FM91 Traffic Pro radio station asking it to help locate the Japanese passenger.Thanks to some documents inside the bag, Tetsuro could be located. The radio station then arranged a meeting between the two on Tuesday to hand over the bag, documents and cash, back to the Japanese man.
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Bangkok:- A female passenger has received an intimidation call from a taxi driver who joined the GrabTaxi service after she reported his reckless driving behavior.Frightened, the Thai woman filed a complaint with police and posted her story on the popular online community Pantip.com.Eventually, the taxi driver has been purged from the GrabTaxi service from March 5, she updated in her post.The woman said she posted her story to warn other women passengers that the service might not be completely safe as the taxi driver could call her mobile phone at midnight after she reported his misconduct.The woman recounted that she used GrabTaxi app to call a taxi to pick her up from a spot on a road to a BTS skytrain station. The taxi driver later called her back and asked where he should pick her up.“When I was in the taxi, he asked if I wanted to go very fast. I replied I wanted to travel normally. He quipped it had to be normal or I would have to fly,” the woman wrote in her post.She said the driver instead drove very dangerously and fast and nearly hit another vehicle. He also honed the horn at pedestrians at a zebra crossing.She said the driver also forced her to give him four-baht changes.After she reported the behavior of the driver, she received a phone call at midnight. It was the taxi driver who scolded her that she made up the story. She said the driver spent about a minute to scold her and hang up.She said GrabTaxi later called her to apologize and insisted that it has data privacy policy to protect its customers. She said she did not know how the driver knew that it was her who reported his misconduct.
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Pattaya, Chon Buri:- A 51-year-old Chinese tourist was robbed by a bag snatcher in Pattaya Tuesday night, police said.Pol Lt Jakkrit Juntakham, an interrogator on duty of Pattaya police station, said Liew Yian came to the police station to file a complaint at 10:30 pm Tuesday. She was accompanied by Kittisak Laison, 29, a security officer of the Blue Boat Hotel.Liew told Jakkrit through an interpreter that the robbery took place in front of Soi 16/3 off Pattaya-Naklua Road in Tambon Naklua in Chon Buri’s Bang Lamung district.Liew said she was strolling there when someone on a motorcycle came from behind and snatched her bag and sped off. She could not see whether the robber was a pillion rider or the rider of the motorcycle, which she could only remember that it was black.Liew said her bag was containing 7,000 Chinese yuan and Bt1,000 in cash, a diamond ring, an amulet and several identification documents. She said her valuables in the bag were worth about Bt50,000.Following the robbery, she rushed into the Blue Boat Hotel to call for help and the security officer led her to file the complaint at the police station.She said she was scheduled to leave Thailand Wednesday and she did not know what to do now that her travelling documents have all gone.Bag snatching in the tourist town of Pattaya happened frequently. The robberies mostly took place on the Pattaya-Naklua Raod and Soi Wong Ammart although police have been frequently patrolling the areas.
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Bangkok: –Key economic indicators, particularly, decreasing purchasing power and rising household debt, paint a bleak picture of the economy, an economist said.Montree Socatiyanurak of the National Institute for Development Administration has called for the policy rate to be kept at 2 per cent until the country could overcome the liquidity trap.The low policy rate is deemed necessary in view of weakening purchasing power caused by lowering commodity prices and household debt which has reached 85 per cent of GDP.Montree has suggested the government to speedily implement fiscal measures designed to revitalise the economy.The Finance Ministry should not just focus on a single measure like adjusting the tax collection but rely on multiple fiscal tools such as debt-finance public investment and the mobilisation of funds through the stock exchange, he said.In the past two months, the country has plunged into liquidity trap as indicated by negative inflationary rate of -0.52 per cent.The next survey within three to six months would prove whether the country is facing deflation.Based on key indicators, the economy is in the doldrums.Exports for January dropped at escalating rate of -7.95 per cent in comparison with -2.34 in the same period last year.The arrivals of foreign visitors have dropped by 6.66 per cent. Inbound tourists from key markets like Malaysia, China and Russia have been declining.In regard to domestic demand, there has been a lowering trend for electricity consumption, vehicle purchase and fuel consumption.The January collection of value added tax has decreased by -2 per cent, indicating slackened business transaction.Imports of consumers’ goods have declined by -0.2 per cent. And the investment outlays for machinery have been lowered by -4.5 per cent.
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Bangkok: – The government will overhaul the sale and distribution system for lottery tickets aimed at capping the retail price at 80 baht per ticket.Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha has instructed the Government Lottery Office and relevant agencies to draft amendments to the lottery law within three months.The draft should be scrutinised and approved by the legislative debate within six months so that the second half of this year will certainly see the end of overpriced lottery tickets, Prayut said.Despite the price cap, the lotteries are being sold at more than 100 baht per ticket.Deputy Finance Minister WisudhiSrisuphan said one of the proposed amendments is to introduce online lottery ticket dispensing machines in order to counterbalance the market control of retailers and wholesalers.The online dispensers will improve on the distribution of lottery tickets, Wisudhi said, dismissing speculation about the online sale of lottos, or two- and three-digit lotteries.Starting June or no later than August, the government will reallocate the lottery tickets from expired vendors to be distributed by online dispensing machines, he said.The online ticket dispensers are expected to be installed at convenience stores and lottery outlets, he said.Government deputy spokesman SansernKaewkamnerd said a key lottery amendment is to set up a fund to buy back unsold lottery tickets.The fund is expected to be financed by the adjustment for remitting the lottery revenues to the state coffers. At present the government gets 28 per cents of lottery revenues. This will be changed to about 20 per cent.Lottery wholesalers argue that they have to increase the lottery price in order to offset the unsold tickets which have unattractive numbers.
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Pathum Thani:- A photo taken during a cremation rite led to a widespread debate among online social networkers whether it was a rare capture of ghost or whether an undertaker happened to be in the scene.
It was the cremation of Suthep Khamprasong or Khru Rod, 89, the late temple affair manager of Adisorn Temple in Tambon Bueng Thong Lang of Pathum Thani’s Lamluka district.The funeral was held on Sunday at the temple. A woman, Pimpisut Poonsawat, took the picture of the crematory, hoping to capture the sign of Khru Rod’s name and the rite for remembering him.She said when she viewed the photo, she saw a man was standing on the crematory. The man was wearing a white shirt and black trousers.Pimpisut, a teacher of Den Prathum Kindergarten School, said she zoomed in to see the man’s face but it was blurred. She said she was sure that when she took the photo, no one was there on the crematory.She showed the photo to Khru Rod’s relatives and they asked for a copy and they believe the man in the photo was the ghost of the man whose body was being cremated.Pimpisut said she did not post the photo on Facebook and she did not know who posted it.The photo received a lot of comments from Facebook users. Many of them believe the picture capture the ghost of Khru Rod but several others do not believe so. They said an undertaker might happen to walk up the crematory and stood there.Khru Rod’s son, Supoj Khamprasong, 65, is among the believers. He said he was certain that the man was his father’s ghost because he was wearing the same clothes given to him by his grandson. The relatives had him wear the clothes for the cremation.
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Bangkok: Immigration police have arrested a 60-year-old American who is wanted under a US court’s arrest warrant for having allegedly cheated at least 12 Americans.The arrest of Antonius "Antony" W Ceulen was announced at a press conference at the Immigration Bureau by bureau chief Pol Lt Gen Sakda Chuenpakdee and Immigration Police Division 1 Commander Pol Maj Gen Pornchai Khanti.Pornchai said Ceulen is wanted by the US authorities under an arrest warrant No 05CF62 issued by the Wisconsin Court in the United States.The Immigration Bureau was informed that Ceulen and his accomplices had sold promissory notes to at least 12 American investors in Wisconsin and other parts of the US, Pornchai said.Ceulen told the investors that their money would help Lippmann Co Lt to receive more than US$130 million in a loan and the investors would get their money back with high returns in short period.Ceulen and his accomplices allegedly hid certain facts from the investors and none of them got their money back. The Thai Immigration Bureau was told that Ceulen’s alleged crime carries a maximum jail term of 10 years.Pornchai said the Thai Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant on November 12 last year for Ceulen’s arrest under the extradition treaty with the US government.He said investigators of the bureau found that the American fugitive was living in a room of the Lumpini Condominium with his Thai wife in Ram Indra sub-district in Khannayao district.Pornchai said when police raided the room, they showed the arrest warrant of the US court to the American and arrested him and took him to the Immigration Bureau.
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Chon Buri:- A language barrier has existed in the communications between a Polish tour guide and her Thai sweetheart. But such obstacle is probably a blessing in disguise.“I think the fact that we have different mother tongue is good. When we get angry and swear in our language, we don’t really offend the other side much,” Saksayam Meeying says.He registered his marriage with Lucyna Koscielniak on February 14 this year. To the couple, this date is so special because it is not just St Valentine’s Day but also her birthday.Lucyna says while language barrier has existed in her relationships with Saksayam, it is nothing significant in the presence of his solid sincerity. His actions speak louder.“He has taken care of me so well. He has always cooked me delicious food,” the wife says.Lucyna met Saksayam more than two years ago while he was holidaying on Samet Island. They clicked and arranged a date the following day. Saksayam made real efforts to show up for the date, given that he had to drive his friend back to Chon Buri province and then drive back to Lucyna.“But he came back and that meant a lot,” she recounts.From that date, their relationships have blossomed. They have shared the love for travel and got along really well. Saksayam believes the language barrier must have played a role too.“We can’t really have big quarrels. We don’t understand every word the other side utters,” he says.
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Krabi:- The chief of Mu Ko Similan National Park has insisted that the sea at the popular Koh Tachai, which is part of the park, has not been polluted as alleged by a Facebook user.Nat Kongkesorn, the park chief, said a bird’s-eye-view photo showing the beach of Koh Tachai might be distorted by light reflecting, causing it to appear that the corals under the shallow sea have died.Nat noted that the sea is still so clear that the rocks under the water could be clearly seen so the sea has not been polluted at all.A Facebook user, who uses the name of Waran Rbj Suwanno, posted the photo on his wall and he called his picture as “Death from Above”.He claimed the photo showed that all the corals around Koh Tachai have died because of water pollution caused by the tourism industry and by too many tourists visiting the island each day.He claimed that around 800 to 1,200 tourists visited the island each day. He alleged that there was massive corruption in the park’s entrance fees.Manager Online initially reposted the post of Waran as if it were its own report. Later, Manager corrected its post, saying it just linked to Waran’s Facebook post.Nat, the park chief, argued that the number of visitors to Koh Tachai was limited at 400 a day.He said the island has three waste water treatment plants so it was not true that wasted water was released into the sea.Nat added that he has instructed all business operators not to violate the park rules for preserving the nature.
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Bangkok:- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has opened a new public park in Bang Plad district as a new recreation venue for Bangkokians to exercise and learn about the nature.BMA Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra chaired the ceremony to officially open the Charan Pirom Park on Monday.In his speech, Sukhumbhand said the BMA has a policy to expand the green lungs for Bangkok by increasing the number of green areas or parks to be about 5,000 rai.So far, the BMA has built 2,601 rai of public parks and it is implementing a new project to build 10 more parks around the capital, Sukhumbhand said.Two of them have been finished and opened. They are the Piyapirom Park in Bang Kapi district and Waree Pirom Park that straddles the Makhamthet Lake and Sagae Ngarm Lake in Klong Samwa district.The governor added that another park, Watchara Pirom, will be soon opened in Bang Khen district.The Charan Pirom Park is situated on a 12-rai plot that the BMA is renting from the Treasury Department for building its Bang Yi Khan-Witthayakhom School.The district office found that more than 3 rai of land was left from the school building and there have been squatters living on the remaining land. So, the district office decided to turn the remaining land into a public park that the city residents can use it to exercise and learn about the nature.The park has a multi-purpose ground, a fitness ground, a child playground, tracks for running and walking.The governor said the park is called Charan Pirom because it is aimed at making residents on the Charan Sanitwong Road happy.
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Two new motorway projects go to Cabinet this month
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