Thailand Live Wednesday 21 Jul 2010

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Thailand Live Wednesday 21 July 2010

News, Bits and Tweets

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Related topic: Thailand Live Tuesday 20 July 2010

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Pheu Thai unfazed by public opinion on by-election

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The opposition Pheu Thai Party has shrugged off the recent poll, which indicated higher popularity of

the Democrat Party’s candidate during the advance voting of the Bangkok by-election last weekend.

Mr Anudit Nakornthap, Pheu Thai MP for Bangkok, responded to the latest poll conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat

University, claiming that it was only an academic survey and the collected data was not necessarily reliable. He believed that the poll results would not have any effect on the actual voting.

51.05% of the respondents backed Mr Panich Vikitsreth of the Democrat Party while 34.30% supported Mr Korkaew Pikulthong of the Pheu Thai Party. The other five candidates received less than 1% altogether.

The survey was conducted among eligible voters in Bangkok's Constituency 6 before and after the advance voting on 17-18 July. The official ballot casting will take place on 25 July.

-- NNT 2010-07-21

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Court to review Suthep’s libel suit against Jatuporn next year

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Criminal Court will deliberate the defamation case lodged by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban against anti-government leader and Puea Thai MP Jatuporn Prompan on 1 June next year.

Mr Jatuporn was today summoned by the court for testimony. He denied all allegations against him during the trial. As a result, the court scheduled the first round of the examination of witnesses and evidence on 1 June 2011.

Mr Suthep’s libel suit against Mr Jatuporn was lodged after he was accused by the key leader of the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) of ordering police to hire immigrants to incite social unrest during the group’s rally on 10 December 2009 in order to put blames on the protesters.

-- NNT 2010-07-21

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NGOs demand govt to call off oil exploration in Gulf of Thailand

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Environmental conservation group and tourism-related businesses from Ko Samui demand the Government to revoke the oil drilling concession in the Gulf of Thailand, fearing an occurrence of oil leakage incident like that in the Gulf of Mexico.

President of Rak Ao Thai Group (Save Gulf of Thailand) Ramnet Jaikwang, accompanied by business operators from Samui Island, Tuesday morning traveled to the Government House to submit a letter to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. The group asked the Government to suspend the ongoing oil drilling operation in the Gulf of Thailand after it had granted 4 private companies permissions to explore the oil wells near main tourist destinations including Ko Pha-ngan, Ko Tao and Ko Samui in the southern province of Surat Thani.

Mr Ramnet said the network would organize an activity called“Human Chain” on 31 July on the 3 islands to campaign against the oil exploration whereby participants would join hands to form a chain around the islands.

The local communities are worried that the petroleum firms’ activities will cause oil leakage problem like what happened in Mexico.

-- NNT 2010-07-21

[Maestro]

MISSING JEWELLERIES

DSI never had missing gems : Tharit

Jewellery Vanished 'After Thai DSI Put It On Display'

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DSI tells red-shirt detainee, think again

By The Nation

Terror suspect Surachai Thewarat will be given more time to reconsider cooperating with the Department of Special Investigation and giving details about armed violence by red-shirt protestors during the protests in May.

Director-general Tharit Phengdit said Surachai told him personally he would volunteer all information on Monday, but changed his mind after a visit by a man claiming to be a lawyer hired by the Pheu Thai Party, before DSI agents met him.

"Then he changed his mind," he said. "But he did not "bluntly refuse" to cooperate further and, as of now, is asking for more time before deciding whether to give out more details," he said.

The DSI would ask him to reconsider cooperating soon, despite the existing evidence being enough to prosecute him on terrorism charges, Tharit said. "But it will do him good if he cooperates and gives out useful information," he added.

"No time frame has been discussed. I want to give him some comfort - not pressure," he added.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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Ordeal continues for sexually assaulted red-shirt victim

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

A female red-shirt supporter who was sexually assaulted two months ago, was attacked in the heart of Bangkok yesterday while on her way to follow up on investigation into her r_pe complaint.

The victim, 39, was about to cross a road in front of the Hua Lamphong train station when a black-clad man in a crash helmet lunged forward and punched her in the face. She fell down and could do nothing as he fled the scene.

"There were many witnesses," she said. "They said the attacker had been hanging around there since early morning".

The woman said she was on her way to visit the nearby Pheu Thai Party headquarters to check on progress of the r_pe case.

In her original complaint, she said a group of men in military-style camouflage sexually assaulted her on the night of May 15 on a street near the MBK shopping complex. The next day, she lodged a complaint with Pathumwan police and underwent physical examination that confirmed the attack.

The victim said she now feared for her safety.

She has frequently changed her accommodation to avoid intimidation. "I don't know what to do," she said. "Sometimes, I think about committing suicide".

She said being a red shirt and r_pe victim made it difficult to find a job.

Pheu Thai spokesman Promphong Nopparit said the party was considering providing her with a safe house and other assistance.

"We are trying to protect and help her as much as we can," he said.

Nopparit said the r_pe complaint had been transferred from the Pathumwan Police Station to the Department of Special Investigation "but there has been no progress yet", he said.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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Licences for Burmese cause crime, say protesters

By The Nation

Ranong residents protested outside the provincial land transport office yesterday over the issue of drivers' licences to legal Burmese workers, saying it encouraged further smuggling of Burmese workers and their unauthorised operation of motorcycle taxis.

A crowd of 1,000 called on the office to stop issuing the licences, claiming the practice encouraged crime, drug trafficking, the smuggling of contraband motorcycles into Thailand, and led to reckless driving and higher road accidents.

Thai taxi motorcyclists in the protest said Burmese passengers used their compatriots' services extensively - provided upon request through telephone calls - which affected their business.

Protest leader Snoh na Ranong accused the office of issuing licences to Burmese workers illegally using quotas reserved for Thai motorists. He called on an independent investigation comprising Ranong residents.

The crowd dispersed after provincial authorities promised to look into their complaints and set up a meeting on July 30 to discuss the problems.

Official Chutinant Srianant said her office was only following a new policy by the Land Transport Department which agreed to issue licences for any foreigner or illegal immigrant workers who are qualified and apply for the permits.

She said the new policy applied to the Burmese workers under the original regulations, in effect since 1994, which favoured Vietnamese refugees, certain groups of ex-communist guerillas, family members and descendants of Kuomintang military officials.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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TAMC threatens to sue as land claimants dig in

By The Nation

Thai Asset Management Corporation (TAMC) has vowed to take legal action against people encroaching on its land plots.

The threat followed the failure of its negotiations with the Council for People from the Four Regions.

The council has led thousands of its members to occupy plots of land TAMC is planning to auction off.

"Occupying these plots is a criminal offence," TAMC president Churairat Panyarachun said yesterday.

She said TAMC, a state agency, had the duty to auction these non-performing assets and give the cash to financial institutions that had originally accepted the land as collateral.

"These plots do not belong to the government," she explained. "People cannot just occupy the plots and try to negotiate with the government."

Churairat said TAMC had lodged complaints with police over the encroachment on its land plots.

Despite the legal threat, the council's chairman Prapas Ngoksoongnern showed no sign the body would give up its efforts to gain possession of the TAMC plots.

"If we let TAMC auction off these land plots, investors will likely get them at a very low price. TAMC has just one year left in service. That means it will have to expedite the auctions within the year and it will likely accept any price the auctioneer can get," Prapas said. "Worse still, investors who may grasp these land plots through the auctions could be the ones who put them up as collateral in the first place."

To Prapas, it would be better if the government allocated such plots to landless farmers.

Kamphan Pochada, 67, has applied for membership in the council because he wants a land plot.

He was seen setting up a hut on a TAMC plot in Khon Kaen yesterday. Dozens more were busy with similar activities.

Sa-nguan Kaewta, 52, said she had been fighting alongside the council for six months already.

"I won't go back home because I am afraid of losing the right to the land plot," she said.

The council's members have occupied TAMC land plots in 19 northeastern provinces.

In Nakhon Ratchasima alone, the council's members, through the Network of Northeast People, have now cleared 120 rai (about 19 hectares) of TAMC land for use.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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Bungfai rockets, lanterns endanger planes, says Ministry

By The Nation

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Bomb hits roadside checkpoint, wounds 9 in South

By The Nation

A defence volunteer wounded in a bomb attack on a roadside bus shelter in Narathiwat has been airlifted to Songkhlanakarin Hospital in Songkhla's Hat Yai district because his condition has worsened. He was among three soldiers, three defence volunteers and three villagers hit by the bomb on Monday night as a checkpoint was being set up near a three-way junction on the Asian Highway.

Defence volunteer Pairoj Seumae, 33, had his chest and lung punctured by shrapnel. Serious bleeding from the wounds prompted doctors to call for his evacuation by helicopter to the hospital in Hat Yai. His condition was said to be still critical.

The five other team members were reported as stable and recovering at the district hospital, while the three villagers were released.

Also at Songkhlanakarin Hospital, Police Senior Sgt-Major Niyom Suwanmanee, of Yala's Than To district, whose left leg was broken after stepping on a landmine, remained critical. The hospital's blood bank has been calling for public blood donations to help officials and villagers injured in the region's unrest.

Meanwhile, a 5-kilogram bomb placed near a tree stump, aimed at a six-strong security team guarding local teachers, went off yesterday morning but no one was killed or injured, as the blast deflected into a wooded area.

Provincial police chief Police Maj-General Sayan Krasaesaen yesterday warned eight Yala police stations of the insurgents' new tactics, launching a second bomb or gunfire on rescue officials approaching an attack site. He urged officials to plan their tactics before responding to an attack.

Yala deputy police chief Colonel Phumpet Pipatpetphum said many bomb attacks took place at rubber plantations, especially in Than To district, because they were on routes frequently used by officials.

The insurgents also tried to scare rubber tappers away from their work so they could tap the rubber or harvest the crops themselves, he said.

Recently it was found in Than To bomb incidents that insurgents were using makeshift landmines of the kind Chinese-Malaysian bandits had adopted in the past, he said. Security officials were formulating a plan to protect rubber tappers in Than To and hunt down their attackers, he said.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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Teachers call for more Thai language use

By The Nation

The Association of Thai-Language Teachers of Thailand (ATTT) yesterday expressed concerns about children ignoring the need to hone their mother-tongue skills.

The concerns were growing, the association's chairwoman Kanjana Naksakul said, partly because children were becoming hooked on foreign languages.

Kanjana is also a member of the Royal Institute.

"Children are eager to take extra courses in Korean, but not Thai language," she said.

This happened, she said, despite children not being skilled in their mother tongue.

"We have campaigned for more focus on Thai language every year - but the problems relating to it have not been solved," she lamented.

July 29 is Thai Language Day.

Kanjana urged the Culture Ministry to help promote Thai and the Education Ministry to place a strong emphasis on it in classrooms.

"From what I have noticed, many children are still unable to write an article or a composition in Thai. So it's necessary that schools require children to improve their writing skills more as well as their use of Thai," she said.

She believed children would be better at using Thai if they were taught to write articles or compositions in it.

Kanjana added that campaigns should be launched to conserve local dialects too.

"Many children feel embarrassed to speak local dialects. If we don't reverse this trend, some dialects will eventually disappear," she said.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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Sen faults western media coverage of unrest

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Censors explain ban of 'Apology' commercial

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CONVICTED PM

Diplomatic ties with Thaksin's refuge

The Cabinet granted a Foreign Ministry request for the Thai embassy in Hungary to cover bilateral ties with Montenegro, where fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is living in exile, a government spokesman said yesterday.

The Cabinet resolution means the Thai official acting as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in the Hungarian capital of Budapest will also act concurrently in the same position with Montenegro, Hungary's eastern European neighbour, deputy government spokesman Marut Masayavanich said after the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday.

Thaksin, who is eluding an imprisonment sentence at home, has been granted Montenegrin nationality.

However, acting government spokesman Panitan Wattayagorn yesterday denied the Cabinet decision was aimed at hunting down Thaksin for legal action at home.

The Thai embassy in Hungary has been assigned to cover Montenegro for years. The Cabinet decison yesterday was simply an official endorsement for the assignment, he said.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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We can all say sorry, not just the other people

By Tulsathit Taptim

The Nation

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Being Thai Prime Minister Means You Have To Talk, Talk, Talk

By Achara Deboonme

The Nation

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BoT: Strong Baht in line with regional currencies

The three per cent appreciation of the baht should not affect Thai exports significantly, as it was in line with regional currencies, the Bank of Thailand's Governor Tarisa Watanagase said on Tuesday.

The currencies of Singapore, Indonesia and India had all appreciated more than the baht this year, with the exception of Vietnam's dong currency, the central bank governor added.

Thai rice exporters have complained that the strong baht relative to Vietnam's dong currency has hurt the Thai rice exports.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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Hefty Bounty Offered in Local Politician's Murder Case

The National Police Office has offered a reward of 500,000 baht for anyone who can tip them off about the assassination of the Nakhon Sawan provincial administrative office chief.

Police seem to have hit a snag in their investigation into the assassination of Amnat Sirichai, the Nakhon Sawan provincial administrative office chief, on July 12.

Investigators have met to review their investigation report and have collected security camera footage from areas around the crime scene.

To expedite the investigation into the killing, in which politics is still believed to be a motive, the National Police Office has offered a reward of 500,000 baht for anyone who can lead to arrests of the suspects.

Tip-off can be reported to the Nakhon Sawan provincial police office around the clock.

-- Tan Network 2010-07-21

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Thai Central Bank To Address Unfair Transaction Fees

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Pattani villager shot dead while riding on bicycle by presumed insurgents in pickup truck using M19 assault rifle /MCOT

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Young people need protection from bad Thai soap operas

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PM: Govt works under laws, no spiteful intervention

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Government has always been working in compliance with the law and never been interfering in any group in a bid to spite anyone, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva pledges.

The Prime Minister confirmed that all governments, no matter from which side, must enforce laws with legal responsibilities. He then ensured readiness of every member of his Government to be inspected.

Prime Minister Abhisit dismissed the accusation of attempting to spite or hunt down others. He said he would not like to see such an abuse of authority, and stressed that he had never given orders to any agencies to protect or maltreat anyone.

The Prime Minister added that he had reiterated to government officials to work in a straightforward manner because it would be the best immunity for them in carrying out their duties.

The Prime Minister’s remarks were given to counter an interview by opposition Pheu Thai MPs Chairperson, Police Captain Chalerm Yubumrung on Tuesday.

Police Captain Chalerm announced that Department of Special Investigation Director-General Tharit Pengdit would be removed and the Prime Minister and his Deputy Secretary-General Panitan Wattanayagorn be ousted from Thailand if the Pheu Thai Party could become the Government.

Prime Minister Abhisit responded that he did not know what kind of authority Police Captain Chalerm would use to fulfil the wish while Dr Panitan, also acting government spokesperson, quipped back that he might have to ask for suggestions about living abroad from Police Captain Chalerm himself.

-- NNT 2010-07-21

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Tharit to Testify as Democrats' Witness in Dissolution Case

Director of the Depart of Special Investigation, or DSI, Tharit Pengdit said he's ready to testify as a witness for the Democrat Party in its dissolution case, citing it's his duty. Former Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai is meeting with the party's legal team today to discuss the case.

-- Tan Network 2010-07-21

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Muslim man killed in drive-by shooting in Pattani

PATTANI: -- A Muslim man was killed in a drive-by shooting here Wednesday morning.

Police said Abdulrohman Awae, 33, was shot by an insurgent on a pick-up truck at 7 am. He was shot three times with M16 assault rilfe.

Police said the man was riding his motorcycle from home to teashop in Ban Prung village in Tambon Bothong in Nong Chik district when a pick-up truck drove by and an insurgent fired at him.

-- The Nation 2010-07-21

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DSI may offer witness protection to wife of slain Maj-Gen Khattiya's close aide, allegedly involved in illegal arms trade for his more info /MCOT

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Phuket wins direct flights from Beijing

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Police Hunt for Suspect Accused of R_ping 15-Yr-Old

Police is hunting for a r_pist who attacked a 15-year-old girl in Chanthaburi province.

Police officers and residents of Nong Bua sub-district in Chanthaburi province are hunting for 44-year-old Thongchai Boonmee, who is suspected of r_ping a 15-year-old girl in a bush near Baan Klong Kloy in Laemsingh district. A helicopter has also been deployed in the search.

The hunt started five days ago and is still ongoing, as the authorities continue to struggle to conduct a sweep of the thick mangrove where the suspect was reported to have fled into.

Police will continue the hunt down the r_pist, as they believe the man is still hiding in Nong Bua sub-district. Police say they are planning to comb through bamboo groves and shrimp farms near the Nong Bua municipality office.

-- Tan Network 2010-07-21

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Tropical Storm Conson Wreaks Havoc in Northern Thailand

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CRES to lift emergency rule only under peaceful country

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Center for the Resolution of Emergency Situations (CRES) has indicated that it is ready to have the state of emergency revoked in the 16 remaining provinces if threats of violence no longer exist.

CRES Spokesperson, Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd, said Defense Minister and CRES Deputy Director, General Prawit Wongsuwan had informed the meeting of the Cabinet’s decision to revoke the emergency rule in three more provinces.

The three provinces are the northern province of Lampang, and the northeastern provinces of Sakon Nakhon, as well as Roi Et. The decree remains effective in the others including the capital city.

General Prawit confirmed with CRES members that the Cabinet was not trying to buy time by having the state of emergency cancelled on a weekly basis; however, the decision was arrived at after a thorough consideration of the reports and other information supplied by authorities. The CRES itself has recommended that the security law should be maintained.

However, Colonel Sansern noted that the CRES would abide by the Cabinet’s decision should it decide to go ahead with the decision to do away with the decree.

As for the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship's plan to throw birthday parties for former Prime Minister Thakshin Shinawatra in several provinces, the spokesperson said the CRES had no objection to that as it is allowed by law as long as the event is peaceful and complies with the law.

-- NNT 2010-07-21