Thailand Live Saturday 17 Jul 2010

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Thailand Live Saturday 17 July 2010

News, Bits and Tweets

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Related topic: Thailand Live Friday 16 July 2010

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Residents in Nakhon Ratchasima warned of dengue fever

NAKHON RATCHASIMA (NNT) -- The Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Public Health Office has warned local residents of the

prevalence of dengue fever with over 1,000 infected patients and 3 fatalities so far.

According to the latest report, more than 1,000 people in Nakhon Ratchasima province have been infected with dengue

fever, 3 of whom have succumbed to the disease. Over 300 of the total patients were reported in June alone.

MD Varunyu Sattayawongtip, medical service officer of the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Public Health Office, stated that

public health officials in all 32 districts of the province had already been tasked with educating the locals on how to protect

themselves from the disease. All stagnant waters in the area, which could serve as mosquito breeding grounds, are also

being sprayed with larvicide on a continuous basis.

As reported by the Bureau of Epidemiology, 4,000 people living in the lower northeastern part of Thailand, such as Nakhon

Ratchasima, Chaiyaphum, Buri Ram and Surin provinces, have been infected with dengue fever while 4 of them have died.

-- NNT 2010-07-17

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Date for the Parliamentary´s foundation stone laying ceremony set on 12 Aug

BANGKOK (NNT) -- HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will preside over the Ceremony to lay the Foundation Stone of

the new Parliament on 12 August 2010.

Official date for the foundation stone laying ceremony has been set by the House committee on parliamentary affairs

chaired by President of the National Assembly, Chai Chidchob. HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn is representing His

Majesty the King to preside over the ceremony on 12 August at 10.09 hrs.

Mr Chai asked relevant units to expedite their tasks on the venue preparation and step up full security as the event

approaches. Many political figures, past and current politicians as well as those from local Government Initiatives are invited

to witness the ceremony, which will be televised by the Television Pool of Thailand.

Meanwhile, representatives from relevant agencies also attended the meeting in a bid to study environmental impact

caused during the construction. The public will be informed of the results, while opinions and suggestions are welcomed by

the Government.

-- NNT 2010-07-17

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Democrat Sees Good Chance of By-election Win

The Democrat Party's key figure believes the party will win the upcoming by-election in Bangkok's Constituency 6 if the

voter turnout is over 70 percent.

Chief of Democrat Bangkok MPs, Ong-art Klampaiboon, said it will be a tight race between the Dmeocrat candidate and the

opposition Pheu Thai candidate in the upcoming by-election.

Ong-art said Bangkok's Constituency 6 was also one of Pheu Thai Party's strongholds and that a lot of efforts are needed

ahead of the by-election on July 25.

Ongart believes if the voter turnout reaches 70 percent, Democrat candidate Panich Vikitseth will win the by-election.

He also said his party welcomes votes from all groups after the People's Alliance for Democracy leader Sondhi Limthongkul

urged its supporters to cast their votes for the Democrat candidate.

Ong-art also proposed each political party send its representative to keep watch on ballot boxes.

The boxes are to be kept at district offices in the constituency after the voting completes.

Ong-art said he did not agree with the Pheu Thai Party's suggestion to keep ballot boxes in mobile detention units.

Pheu Thai has suggested ballot boxes be kept inside detention trucks which will be parked inside the National Police Office

headquarters.

The party believes by doing so, the government will be prevented from meddling with the cast ballots.

-- Tan Network 2010-07-17

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PM bids to bridge digital divide

Internet, computers, communication, technology

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Graft watchdog drops five cases against Abhisit

By Attayuth Butrsripoom

The Nation

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) has decided to drop five impeachment cases against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and has ordered additional probes into three pending cases, NACC member Klanarong Chantik said yesterday.

On the other hand, the NACC members resolved with a 6:2 vote to file a malfeasance case in the Supreme Court against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for ordering the Finance Ministry to take care of the debt restructuring at Thai Petrochemical Industry. The NACC unanimously agreed not to file a similar charge against others, Klanarong said.

Including the latest SMS complaint, seven other impeachment cases have been filed against the PM since he took office on December 17, 2008.

In the first case, Abhisit was targeted for his election boycott in 2006, which his opponents alleged was unconstitutional conduct. The nine-member NACC ruled unanimously to drop the case on grounds that Abhisit did not hold the prime minister's post at the time of the alleged wrongdoing.

Under the Constitution, impeachment proceedings can only be activated if violations were committed by invoking the power of the office in question.

In the second case, Abhisit was accused of violating the charter and breaking from political traditions by causing an alliance switch to allow his government to come to power.

The NACC decided to drop this case because it happened when Abhisit had no executive power.

In the third case, Abhisit was accused of violating the charter by giving Kasit Piromya the foreign minister's post.

The NACC decided to launch an additional probe into the matter. Kasit was not in office when he took to the stage during the yellow-shirt rally at Suvarnabhumi Airport and the government is currently sponsoring a draft legislation on airport safety. However, this draft is seen as lenient, because if it is enacted it would be favourable to the yellow shirts since the penalty for besieging an airport would be a mere fine instead of the more serious punishment related to terrorism.

The NACC has ordered an investigation to see if Kasit is connected to the draft before it rules on whether Abhisit should be impeached on the issue.

As for the fourth case, the NACC chose to suspend the investigation into Abhisit's alleged interference in the Culture Ministry reshuffle, because this case is linked to a separate probe involving the conduct of Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban. The NACC will address Abhisit's side of the case once the investigation into Suthep's role is completed.

In the fifth case, Abhisit faces a complaint related to a Bt258-million donation made to the Democrat Party. The NACC dropped the case on grounds that the donation was made in 2004, before Abhisit took office.

In the sixth case, Abhisit is accused of neglecting to safeguard territorial integrity and national sovereignty in the disputed area near Preah Vihear Temple. The NACC dropped the case after finding that Abhisit government had consistently protested against any territorial violations and did not condone Cambodia's decision to construct a road near the temple.

The commission also dropped its investigation into another case, because it found that Abhisit had not invoked his prime ministerial powers when his Democrat Party certified Thanin Chaisamut as the electoral candidate for the Satun Provincial Organisation Administration.

The NACC has ordered further investigation into the tax implications related to the SMS case before it decides whether or not to kick off impeachment proceedings against Abhisit and Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij, Klanarong said.

Even though sending out public-service text messages has been prevalent since 2003, the Opposition is questioning the income-tax waiver Korn granted for SMS revenue this time around.

In the past, people did not respond to public service SMS, but in this case they replied to Abhisit's message, generating Bt3 per reply for mobile-phone operators.

-- The Nation 2010-07-17

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Investigation into tax exemptions needed

By Attayuth Butrsripoom,

Jeerapong Prasertpolkrang

The Nation

NACC says evidence insufficient; Abhisit, Korn insist they broke no laws

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to conduct further investigation of the short message service (SMS) case involving Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij, NACC member Klanarong Chantik said yesterday.

Based on the preliminary report, Abhisit and Korn formulated a policy to communicate with the people before the royal appointment of the prime minister on December 17, 2008, Klanarong said.

On December 16, 2008, Korn called a meeting of three mobile-phone operators, AIS, DTAC and True Move, asking for their cooperation to provide an SMS as a public service.

The SMS was sent out after the government came to power and all messages were screened and approved by Abhisit and Korn. The three operators signed off the SMS as sent by UR PM, an abbreviation for "your prime minister".

The three operators confirmed they had cooperated in sending out SMSs as a public service on several occasions in the past, such as the publicity related to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in 2003, royal ceremonies, The tsunami calamity, the power seizure and the Bangkok gubernatorial race.

After its discussion on Thursday, the NACC found insufficient factual information to rule on grounds for guilt.

The complaint against Abhisit and Korn included legal and tax issues over the granting of an income-tax exemption for revenues generated by the SMS.

Unlike other short messages sent out as a public service, which did not solicit replies, people responded to the SMS sent out by Abhisit and Korn. Each reply generated Bt3 in revenue for the operators.

Korn, after assuming office, issued a ruling to exempt income tax on the revenue from SMSs he deemed as a public service. The NACC decided to collect additional evidence on whether Korn had abused his office with the tax exemption.

After completing the additional probe on the tax issue, the NACC will proceed to rule on whether to launch impeachment proceedings against Abhisit and Korn.

The prime minister and the finance minister insisted yesterday that they did not break any law or have any conflict of interest regarding the SMS issue.

Abhisit said at Government House that he had no concerns about the NACC considering whether it was a violation of the anti-corruption law that bans public-office holders from accepting a gift or any benefit worth more than Bt3,000.

"My intention and conscience were clear, and I was very careful not to break any law," he said.

The prime minister said he was ready to explain the matter to the NCCC. "The principle was clear: no particular party got benefit. The goal of sending an SMS to members of the public was to communicate with the largest group possible," he said.

"I don't see this matter as a violation of the Constitution or any law, and I don't think it's corruption," Abhisit said.

Meanwhile, Korn issued a statement to explain his request for mobile-phone operators to send short messages to their subscribers.

In a press release by the Ministry of Finance, Korn said he respected the NACC decision that the SMS involved government work and was not for Abhisit's personal use. He said the three operators joined the campaign voluntarily while Hutch decided to opt out even though it was majority-owned by the government.

He also noted that recipients of the SMS could choose whether to reply to the message, which would incur a charge of Bt3 for each reply. Those who replied to the short message received a "voice page" containing a recorded message of the prime minister asking for their support of his effort to "build a better future for all Thais and our children and grandchildren".

"The campaign was not aimed at seeking personal benefit whatsoever," Korn said in his statement.

He also said the private companies that joined the campaign should have received praise instead of criticism for promoting a government effort for national unity.

He added that the Ministry of Finance was developing a new SMS campaign as part of a "major change in the way of communication between the government and the grass-roots people". The focus would be on farmer groups that at present have no access to information about government policies.

-- The Nation 2010-07-17

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Ex-Khattiya aide behind weapons attacks: DSI

By The Nation

A man identified as a former right-hand man of late Army adviser Khattiya Sawasdiphol was allegedly behind several grenade and gunfire attacks during the red-shirt protests in May, in addition to two other attacks he admitted to after his arrest on Thursday, Department of Special Investigation sources said yesterday.

According to the sources, Surachai Thewarat, 25, was possibly linked to two grenade attacks on April 10 that killed five soldiers, including Colonel Romklao Thuwatham; an M-79 grenade attack on the Sala Daeng BTS station on April 22; another on the 11th Infantry Regiment on March 28; a rocket-propelled-grenade attack on Dusit Thani Hotel on May 17; and an M-79 attack near Lumpini Park, which killed two policemen.

After his arrest on Thursday, the jobless Buri Ram native allegedly admitted to taking part in two attacks, one with an M-79 on May 19 on Lumpini police station and a gunfire attack on a police checkpoint on May 8, which killed one policeman.

The suspect is under detention after the Criminal Court yesterday turned down his request for a temporary release. He has admitted to automatic gunfire into the Dusit Thani, but pleaded not guilty to the other two cases he allegedly admitted to on Thursday.

Special operations 191 police, who arrested Surachai in Lop Buri on Thursday, said he also admitted to firing M-79 grenades on several occasions towards People's Alliance for Democracy protesters during their occupation of the Government House compound two years ago.

Police Colonel Phanurat Lakbun said Surachai had also been wanted for several counts of assault on his parents-in-law, on a nephew of his wife - causing him serious injuries - and on one another person.

Police are interviewing 30 people while gathering evidence on telephone communications and money transactions between the suspect and other people.

The officer said the suspect travelled to Lop Buri to carry out an assassination in the province, having re-entered Thailand on June 20. He had fled to Cambodia after the main red-shirt protest site at the Rajaprasong intersection was dispersed by troops on May 19.

Surachai also admitted to firing from an automatic rifle at Dusit Thani Hotel, on one occasion out of anger stemming from Khattiya being shot in the head, in the belief that the hotel sheltered the sharpshooter who had attacked the late Army major-general, the officer said.

Citing tip-offs leading to Surachai's arrest, DSI director-general Tharit Phengdit said the suspect "went underground" after the red-shirt protest was broken up on May 19 but ran out of money, so he started selling weapons and munitions.

The DSI first located the suspect after a sting in Chon Buri province in which he sold two AK-47 rifles, two M-79 launchers and 25 grenades to Navy agents for Bt60,000. The items were part of an arms cache allegedly given to him by Khattiya for use during the protests.

Police said a separate investigation was underway to determine whether police or government officials had sheltered the suspect during his escape or facilitated it in any other way.

-- The Nation 2010-07-17

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Thai Mobile Operators Ordered To Charge Single Rate

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Phrae governor yields on dam

By The Nation

Phrae Governor Somchai Hatayatanti has sought to make peace with protesters against the planned campaign to woo support for the construction of the Kaeng Sua Ten dam.

Somchai invited protest leaders for a meeting yesterday.

The invitation came after more than 1,000 people rallied in front of the Phrae provincial hall and blocked a road there on Thursday.

Outrage against Somchai rose when he reportedly tried to please Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart by staging a rally and gathering signatures in support of the dam.

Sanan has tried to revive the project, which has been shelved for decades in the face of stiff opposition from locals.

After meeting with the protest leaders, Somchai yesterday said his government would hold no activity to raise public support for the controversial dam.

-- The Nation 2010-07-17

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This robot wants your blood

By The Nation

A robot is now speeding up bloodtest process at the Chulalongkorn Hospital.

Speaking at a press conference, the hospital's director Dr Adisorn Patradul said the robot had allowed patients to undergo blood puncture and get bloodtest results in 20 minutes.

Before the robot was put into use, the patients had to wait for about an hour before they could get the results.

Dubbed as Rabelon 1, this robot is responsible for preparing tubes for the patients, by sealing label specifying the information of each patient and the type of blood test he or she needed.

"It can prepare 1,440 tubes in an hour," Adisorn said.

The tubes prepared by Rabelon 1 are sent to eight lanes for blood punctures, where medical workers are on hands to check the patients' information before drawing blood sample.

"Since Rabelon 1 came to work last month, it has never made a mistake," Adisorn said.

Under the support of the National Innovation Agency, the hospital has joined hands with Zenimed Co Ltd in creating Rabelon 1 under Bt4million budget.

A similar robot imported from Japan costs as much as Bt15million.

-- The Nation 2010-07-17

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Mystery fire kills one, injures 107 in Ayutthaya

By The Nation

A fire on Thursday afternoon at an ornament factory in Ayutthaya's Bang Pa-in district killed one worker and injured 107 others.

Of the injured, 12 were initially in serious condition but are safe now. The 28-year-old victim who died showed no complications initially, but succumbed to problems with the circulatory system yesterday morning. Autopsy results verifying the cause of the death will be available next month.

The Public Health Ministry did not rule out that a chemical fire had caused the death, saying autopsy results will provide the evidence. However, district chief Nathee Borsuwan said the fire did not spread chemical toxins because the smoke "did not smell of chemicals".

Amphorn Nitisiri, director-general of the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, said a worker rang the emergency bell when welding work caused too much smoke. She claimed that more than 40 workers passed out because they were exposed to the heat outside the factory and not toxic smoke inside. "The fire was not caused by faulty occupational safety measures," she said.

-- The Nation 2010-07-17

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Who watches the Thai Police?

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Thai Democrats on shaky ground with a critical election looming

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PRICE CONTROL

Drinking water under price control

By The Nation

The Internal Trade Department sets recommended prices of Bt6, Bt7 and Bt14 for bottled drinking water containing 500cc, 600cc and 1,500cc, respectively.

The prices take effect immediately.

Director-General Vatchari Vimooktayon said that the department will send a letter to department stores, shops, restaurants and entertainment venue to sell the products at the recommended prices, informing them of the decision.

In a week later, the department will dispatch a team to survey the sale prices. If sale prices remain higher than the recommended prices, drinking water would be proposed as one product subjected to the price control.

-- The Nation 2010-07-17

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The world's debt crisis is leading Thailand to economic ruin

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One month needed for Interpol consideration over Thaksin´s case

BANGKOK (NNT) -- A nod from the Paris-based international police intelligence-sharing association, Interpol, over case of self-exiled ex Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra should be known within one month.

Police Maj-General Terdsak Rujirawong, Commander of the Royal Thai Police Foreign Affairs Division, said on Friday that an arrest warrant on terrorism charge issued by the Criminal Court has been sent to the Interpol’s headquarter in Paris. However, it is possible that the Interpol might reject the government’s request.

Asked if Mr Thaksin’s dual citizenships; Thai and Montenegrin, would affect the extradition process, Pol Maj Gen Terdsak’s reply was no. The notice released from the Interpol only required its member states to give a close watch as well as confirm his presence and report it to the Interpol’s Bangkok office. The Attorney-General's International Division will then coordinate with the country that allows Mr Thaksin's relocation to extradite the then premier back to Thailand.

However, if Interpol gives the nod to government's petition, the Red Notice will be filed to its 188 member states in executing Mr Thaksin as a transnational terrorist.

-- NNT 2010-07-17

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2-Mbps Wi-Fi to be available across Thailand in 2 years

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Education Ministry solves school violence

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Education Ministry has instructed the Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC) to work hand-in-hand with educational institutions in order to control crimes and prevent school violence.

Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat has assigned Mr Charnwit Tapsuphan, the secretary-general of OPEC, to join hands with school personnel to better monitor and observe the behavior and attitude of their students.

The ministry has also cooperated with local police authorities to keep an eye on high-risk areas and implement stringent measures to prevent students from fighting and violence.

-- NNT 2010-07-17

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One worker killed, 2 others injured in welding gas explosion

BANGKOK: -- One worker was killed and two others injured when an oxygen cylinder used for welding work exploded at noon Saturday.

Police said the accident occurred at 12 pm at the Theves Insurance building in Nang Lerng area.

-- The Nation 2010-07-17

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Water in Bhumibol Dam reaches safe level

TAK (NNT) -- The water level in Thailand’s major reservoir Bhumibol Dam will be adequate for agricultural use this year although the quantity is not in excess.

Director of Bhumibol Dam Boon-in Chuenchavalit assured that the amount of water stored in the dam would be sufficient for this year. He advised farmers to seek consultation from the local irrigation office before deciding to grow crops that would require a large amount of water, such as corn and rice, and also to coordinate with the dam’s operation center for appropriate release of water supplies.

The water level in Bhumibol Dam has increased after a series of artificial rainmaking operations in alternate with natural rainfalls. The dam is currently discharging 10 million cubic meters of water every day to supply farmlands and households.

-- NNT 2010-07-17

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Worker badly injured following accident at South Pattaya construction site

Petty Officer Arrested By Pattaya Police After Gun Incident At North Pattaya Bus Terminal

Shoe Shiner Attacked With Long Knife By Fellow Shiner In Central Pattaya

Man Shot Following Confrontation With Arch-Enemy In Banglamung Village

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Phuket gov warns businesses over trading in stolen goods

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No violence seen so far in advance ballot for Bangkok by-election

BANGKOK (TNA) -- The number of police to ensure that the two-day advance balloting for a by-election in Bangkok’s Constituency 6 goes without any violence has been boosted to 3,000 officers from 1,700, Bangkok’s police chief Pol Lt-Gen Santharn Chayanont.

Gen Santharn said he had ordered police to ensure that peace is maintained during the advance balloting. Voters should consult officials at the Election Commission (EC) if they encounter problems or have concerns regarding any election violations.

Urging on-duty police to act in a non-partisan manner in the by-election, the police general asked eligible voters in the constituency to come out and exercise their rights as much as possible as he believed not too many voters would visit the polling booths during the actual July 25 by-election as it falls on a long weekend holiday.

July 26 and 27 are Buddhist religious holidays in Thailand.

The Constituency 6 by-election has been scheduled to fill the vacant seat of late Democrat MP Thiwa Ngernyuang who died of cancer on June 11.

Election Commissioner Prapan Naikowit said after visiting by-election booths which are on the outskirts of Bangkok that neither fraud nor violence was reported after polling stations have been opened since 8am.

Mr Prapan said the upcoming by-election is the first after anti-government protests ended on May 19 and if it is held peacefully the “country’s image could be restored.” (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-07-17

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'Close Quarters' wins Phuket Raceweek Photo Contest

[Maestro]

to be continued

Thailand Live Sunday 18 July 2010

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