THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Tuesday 13 Mar 2018

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Tollways Go Toll-Free For 8 Days Next Month

By Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

 

 

BANGKOK — Blow through toll booths gratis for over a week during Songkran.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028780-tollways-go-toll-free-for-8-days-next-month/

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Suspect's Flight To Freedom Ends In Hail Of Bullets

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter

 

Forensic police inspect the crime scene on Monday

 

NAN — Four days after he pushed his way to freedom from police custody, a suspected drug dealer was gunned down Monday after pointing a gun at a cop.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028781-suspects-flight-to-freedom-ends-in-hail-of-bullets/

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Police deny Premchai’s request to postpone bribery interview

 

 

Police on Monday rejected a request by an embattled construction tycoon to postpone Wednesday’s meeting to acknowledge attempted bribery charges.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028789-police-deny-premchai’s-request-to-postpone-bribery-interview/

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Court ruling on anti-graft bill waiver not in line with spirit of charter: Jade

By The Nation

 

Jade.

 

An adviser to the Constitution Drafting Commission, Jade Donavanik, said on Monday that the recent court ruling on the constitutionality of the waiver of a charter clause addressing disqualifications that some of the current anti-corruption commissioners have, did not adhere to the spirit of the Constitution.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028820-court-ruling-on-anti-graft-bill-waiver-not-in-line-with-spirit-of-charter-jade/

 

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Prayut cagey as party seeks to enlist him as chief adviser

By POLITICAL DESK 
THE NATION

 

Prayut. File photo

 

A NEWLY registered political party reportedly is seeking Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to become its chief adviser.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028821-prayut-cagey-as-party-seeks-to-enlist-him-as-chief-adviser/

 

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Police summon teacher in lotto case over cop’s alleged crimes

By THE NATION

 

Patcharida Promta (L) amd Rattanaporn Supathip (R)

 

COUNTER CORRUPTION police have summoned three people to acknowledge charges of supporting an officer’s dereliction of duty concerning a Bt30-million lottery scandal.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028822-police-summon-teacher-in-lotto-case-over-cop’s-alleged-crimes/

 

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UPDATE:

 

Drafters slam watered-down bill banning torture and enforced disappearances

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

Angkhana Neelapaijit, the wife of missing human rights lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit, lays flowers in front of his picture on the 14th anniversary of his disappearance, at Thammasat University’s Faculty of Law yesterday.

 

LEGAL LOOPHOLES and flaws in the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearance Bill may prevent proper law enforcement, experts have warned.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028804-vanished-lawyer-unforgotten-14-years-on-but-search-has-ended/?do=findComment&comment=12792295

 

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Rabies vaccination campaign steps up as infections spread

By THE NATION

 

 

DISEASE RED ZONES DECLARED IN 22 PROVINCES AMID VACCINE SHORTAGES.
 

THE LIVESTOCK Development Department and other agencies are stepping up rabies vaccinations for dogs and cats after 22 provinces across the country have been announced as rabies “red zones”, with at least three human deaths attributed to the deadly disease reported so far this year – in Surin, Songkhla and Trang.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028825-rabies-vaccination-campaign-steps-up-as-infections-spread/

 

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Bangkok PM2.5 levels worse than in North

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

 

AIR POLLUTION in Bangkok was worse than in any northern province yesterday, as the level of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in the capital and nearby provinces rebounded to a harmful level.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028826-bangkok-pm25-levels-worse-than-in-north/

 

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Fukushima fish deemed fit for Thai market

By THE NATION

 

(FILE) - Houses are swept up by a tsunami in the Miyagi Prefecture city of Natori, Japan, as a fire rages after an earthquake hit Japan, 11 March 2011 (reissued 07 March 2018).// EPA-EFE PHOTO

 

THE FIRST SHIPMENT of fish imported to Thailand from Japan’s Fukushima prefecture following the March 2011 nuclear disaster has been declared safe for consumption.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028827-fukushima-fish-deemed-fit-for-thai-market/

 

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Welfare fraud probe expands to 44 centres

By PIYANUCH THAMNUKASETCHAI, 
NISANART KANGWALWONG 
THE NATION

 

 

Investigators find elderly and disabled among victims whose money stolen.
 

ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES in allowance payments to people in need have been detected at 44 provincial protection centres for the destitute, but authorities have yet to determine how much out of those centres’ Bt97.8-million budget for fiscal year 2017 was actually embezzled.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028828-welfare-fraud-probe-expands-to-44-centres/

 

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UPDATE:

 

Disabled activist threatens to sue after punching BTS lift

By The Nation

 

 

A WHEELCHAIR-BOUND activist, who punched a lift LED panel and shattered the glass at the BTS Asok Station in Bangkok on Sunday afternoon, yesterday threatened to sue authorities if improvements were not made to boost accessibility for people with disabilities.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028735-tv-news-activist-strikes-blow-for-the-handicapped-after-finding-asoke-disability-lift-locked/?do=findComment&comment=12792324

 

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Muay thai festival back in Ayutthaya

By THE NATION

 

 

The World Wai Khru Muay Thai Ceremony is back for its 14th year in Ayutthaya on Friday and Saturday (March 16-17)

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028829-muay-thai-festival-back-in-ayutthaya/

 

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Govt confirms commitment to resolving IUU fishing

 

 

BANGKOK, 13th March 2018 (NNT) – The Deputy Prime Minister for Security Affairs has confirmed that efforts to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Thailand's waters are ongoing, as the government remains committed to raising the standards of Thai fishing operations. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028830-thai-govt-confirms-commitment-to-resolving-iuu-fishing/

 

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Gen Prawit says issues related to ICAO handled effectively

 

 

BANGKOK, 13th March 2018 (NNT) - The national administration reform steering committee has highlighted Thailand's progress in addressing aviation safety issues. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028832-gen-prawit-says-issues-related-to-icao-handled-effectively/

 

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EU businesses voice support for renewal of FTAs with Thailand

 

 

BANGKOK, 13 March 2018 (NNT) –Thailand's Ministry of Commerce has revealed European Union (EU) businesses have shown interest in supporting renewed Free Trade Agreements between Thailand and the bloc. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028833-eu-businesses-voice-support-for-renewal-of-ftas-with-thailand/

 

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Bangladeshi plane crashes in Nepal, killing at least 49

By Gopal Sharma

 

Wreckage of an airplane is pictured as rescue workers operate at Kathmandu airport, Nepal March 12, 2018. REUTERS/ Navesh Chitrakar

 

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - At least 49 people were killed on Monday when a Bangladeshi airliner crashed in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the Nepalese capital's hill-ringed airport, officials said.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028834-bangladeshi-plane-crashes-in nepal-killing-at-least-49/

 

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Police link two package bombs in Texas to earlier attack

By Jon Herskovitz

 

A male teenager was killed and a woman injured when a package exploded Monday morning at a home in east Austin, Texas. 

 

AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - Two package bombs exploded miles apart in the capital city of Texas on Monday, killing a teenager and injuring two women in attacks that Austin police linked to a deadly blast earlier this month.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028835-police-link-two-package-bombs-in-texas-to-earlier-attack/

 

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UK's May says 'highly likely' Russia behind nerve attack on spy

By Alistair Smout and Michael Holden

 

A person walks past the sign of Moscow road near to the Russian embassy in London, Britain March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday it was "highly likely" that Moscow was responsible for the poisoning in England of Russian former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter using a military-grade nerve agent.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028836-uks-may-says-highly-likely-russia-behind-nerve-attack-on-spy/

 

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Met Opera fires conductor Levine after 'credible evidence' of misconduct

Reuters Staff

 

Metropolitan Opera (MET) musical director James Levine is shown in Japan in this 2001 photo provided by the MET April 14, 2016. Koichi Miura/Metropolitan Opera/Handout via Reuters/File Photo

 

(Reuters) - New York’s Metropolitan Opera said on Monday that it had fired its longtime conductor and musical director James Levine after an inquiry found“credible evidence” to support accusations against him of sexual misconduct.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028837-met-opera-fires-conductor-levine-after-credible-evidence-of-misconduct/

 

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Take refugees or face visa caps, EU to tell other countries - Die Welt

 

European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 12, 2018. REUTERS/Yves Herman

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Commission is planning legislation that would use the threat of denied visas to encourage countries outside the bloc to cooperate on repatriating failed asylum seekers, the German newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028838-take-refugees-or-face-visa-caps-eu-to-tell-other-countries-die-welt/

 

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U.S. House Republicans say probe found no evidence of collusion between Trump, Russia

By Patricia Zengerle

 

FILE PHOTO: Rep. Mike Conaway (R-TX) asks questions as executives appear before the House Intelligence Committee to answer questions related to Russian use of social media to influence U.S. elections, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 1, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Intelligence Committee Republicans said on Monday the panel had finished conducting interviews in its investigation of Russia and the 2016 U.S. election, and found no collusion between President Donald Trump's associates and Moscow's efforts to influence the campaign.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028839-us-house-republicans-say-probe-found-no-evidence-of-collusion-between-trump-russia/

 

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White House expects North Korea summit to happen despite Pyongyang's silence

By Steve Holland and Christine Kim

 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets members of the special delegation of South Korea's President in this photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 6, 2018. KCNA/via Reuters/Files

 

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - The White House said on Monday it fully expects an unprecedented meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to take place, if North Korea sticks to its promises, even though Pyongyang has yet to comment publicly on the possibility of a summit.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028840-white-house-expects-north-korea-summit-to-happen-despite-pyongyangs-silence/

 

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Givenchy, tower of French fashion and tailor to the stars, dies at 91

Brian Love

 

FILE PHOTO: French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy is applauded by the models after he presented his last High Fashion collection Autumn/Winter 1995 in Paris July 11. REUTERS/Stringer/File photo

 

PARIS (Reuters) - French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy, an aristocrat who founded the house of Givenchy in the 1950s, becoming famous for dressing the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Grace Kelly, has died at the age of 91, the Givenchy label said on Monday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028841-givenchy-tower-of-french-fashion-and-tailor-to-the-stars-dies-at-91/

 

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In bow to NRA, Trump throws gun purchase age to states, courts

By Roberta Rampton and Doina Chiacu

 

U.S. President Donald Trump talks about banning devices that can be attached to semiautomatic guns to make them automatic, during a Public Safety Medal of Valor Awards Ceremony at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 20, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis/Files

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure from gun rights groups, President Donald Trump backed away on Monday from raising the minimum age for gun purchases from 18 to 21, one of several measures he had supported after the latest U.S. school shooting.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028842-in-bow-to-nra-trump-throws-gun-purchase-age-to-states-courts/

 

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Samsung confirms Thailand release of Galaxy S9 and S9+

BY THE NATION 

 

Wichai Pornpratang, corporate vice president, IT and Mobile Communications, Thai Samsung Electronics, presents Samsung latest flagship smartphone, Galaxy S9 and S9 , which was launched officially in Thailand yesterday.

 

Samsung tempts with new phones

 

SAMSUNG Electronics yesterday launched its flagship smartphone models, the Galaxy S9 and S9+, in Thailand. Customers placed pre-orders from March 9-11, with regular sales from March 16.

 

Full story:  https://tech.thaivisa.com/samsung-confirms-thailand-release-galaxy-s9-s9/27716/

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Rookie crypto investors look past risks, flock to London show

Tommy Wilkes

 

Representations of the Ripple, Bitcoin, Etherum and Litecoin virtual currencies are seen on a PC motherboard in this illustration picture, February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Dozens of stallholders, pitching anything from a happy retirement to commercial property to the future of electronics, set up shop in central London last weekend to pitch their wares.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028846-rookie-crypto-investors-look-past-risks-flock-to-london-show/

 

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Bitcoin Tumbles Below $9,000 But This Cryptocurrency Stock Vaulted 59%

MICHAEL LARKIN

 

Bitcoin approached the $10,000 mark Monday, but then reversed lower. Thomson Reuters launches a new sentiment tracker to gauge how investors feel about the digital currency.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028847-bitcoin-tumbles-below-9000-but-this-cryptocurrency-stock-vaulted-59/

 

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Big demand for the new bitcoin and other cryptocurrency funds: Crypto investor

- Interest in investing in digital currencies is growing.

 

- "Digital currencies are not like stocks and bonds," says Michael Sonnenshein of Grayscale Investments. "There's certain technological prowess that people need to have in order to handle them.'"

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028848-big-demand-for-the-new-bitcoin-and-other-cryptocurrency-funds-crypto-investor/

 

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Mahothorn Devi represents the mythological element of this year’s Songkran

By The Nation

 

 

Songkran is not just a festival for splashing water at each other in the Kingdom, but also the astrological passage of traditional Thai New Year, with each year’s celebration having its own representative mythological goddess to give the general public an idea about the weather forecast for harvests in the year ahead.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1028852-mahothorn-devi-represents-the-mythological-element-of-this-year’s-songkran/