Thailand Live Friday 6 Aug 2010

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Thailand Live Friday 6 August 2010

News, Bits and Tweets

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Keep up to date with live updates from the news, hour by hour.

For breaking news,national, regional and international news updates on

a daily basis only, this thread is closed to commentary so that those

who wish to follow the news can find it here...

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Related topic: Thailand Live Thursday 5 August 2010

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Drama of mothers of 3 great kings to be aired Wednesday

A special 30-minute drama will go on TV next Wednesday to tell the whole country about the devoted mothers of three of Thailand's great kings.

The broadcast will mark HM the Queen Sirikit's 78th birthday anniversary.

"It will go on air after Her Majesty' televised birthday speech ends on August 11," Witoon Karuna said Thursday in his capacity as the advisor to the Culture Ministry.

Her Majesty has usually addressed her people on the eve of her birthday.

Witoon said the "Mothers of Three Great Thai Kings" drama was based on historical records. "The production is in response to Her Majesty's call for Thais to pay attention to the country's history," he said.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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Finance Ministry Mulls Issuing More Royal Commemorative Coins over Huge Demand

BANGKOK: -- The Finance Ministry has produced a series of commemorative coins for the World Intellectual Property Organization's presentation of the Global Leader Award to His Majesty the King. The ministry is considering minting more coins in light of massive demand.

Deputy Finance Minister Man Pattanothai said his ministry has produced commemorative coins in honor of His Majesty the King, who was recently presented with the Global Leader Award from the World Intellectual Property Organization for his notable contributions in the realm of intellectual property, including the royal turbine and innovative artificial rain techniques.

Top of the line is a coin made of 99-per-cent polished gold, which is being sold at 25,000 baht.

A polished silver coin made of 99-per-cent pure silver costs 1,400 baht. A white metal coin made of nickel and bronze costs 20 baht.

The mintage is 2,000 for gold coins, 15,000 for silver coins, and 500,000 for alloyed coins.

The ministry said more coins could be minted if the high demand continues.

The coins are produced with special innovative technology, giving a shiny display of the image on a matte background.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-06

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DNP asks all to help conserve forest and stop hunting tigers

BANGKOK: -- The Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plants (DNP) pleads for the help in natural resources and environmental conservation from all sectors to preserve habitat for tigers which have recently been found in Khao Yai National park.

The DNP Director-General Jatuporn Buruspas stated that Thailand was one region in Asia where Bengal tigers were found in the jungle. It has been estimated that about 100,000 Bengal tigers existed in Asia but the number has presently been reduced to only 3,000, while in Thailand there remain about 200 to 500 of the big cats. Bengal tigers declined in number from the destruction of of their habitat and tiger hunting for commercial purpose.

In Thailand, Bengal tigers have been spotted in abundant forests of Khao Yai National Park, Dong Phya Yen, Eastern and West forests. Recently, 8-10 Bengal tigers were found in Khao Yai National Park since the last spotting in 1996.

The Department has instructed the Khao Yai National Park to put up monitoring cameras around the jungle to trace those tigers, while a research team will be set up to study in-depth details of tigers’ life.

Recently, the DNP had just held an Asian Ministerial Meeting on Bengal Tiger Conservation and other related activities to urge people to stop hunting wildlife and help conserve Thai natural resources and environment in order to maintain tigers in the wild in the country.

-- NNT 2010-08-06

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Thai-Malaysian JBC to Strengthen Cross Border Cooperation Efforts

The Thai-Malaysian Joint Border Committee is planning to strengthen cross-border cooperation efforts on economic and social development.

Defense Ministry Spokesperson Colonel Thanatip Sawangsaeng announced that Thailand will host the 50th Thai-Malaysian Joint Border Committee or JBC Conference on August 5th, which will also be jointly presided over by Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwan and Malaysian Defense Minister Datuk Ahmad Zahidi.

The two countries will discuss the issue of joint cooperation on economic and social developments for the citizens of both countries.

Also, the cooperation agreement made in the year 2000 will be reviewed and adjusted as appropriate.

The committee is planning to make cross-border travel between the two countries more convenient by the year 2011, with the implementation of electronic border passing.

Both countries are also looking forward to organizing joint exercises between their military forces.

The training program will also be expanded to law enforcement forces stationed along the border, including the immigration police.

Thanatip reiterated that Thailand and Malaysia are economic partners.

However, the ongoing violence in the region has affected the people of both countries.

The committee hopes that the security partnership between the two countries will be strengthened at the conference.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-06

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Emergency 'stopping' Pheu Thai from helping reds in jail

By Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation

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Council refuses to attend panel meeting

By The Nation

The Medical Council yesterday announced that it would not partiicipate in a tripartite committee to discuss a bill aimed at protecting victims of medical malpractice in an important meeting on Saturday, before making an about-face decision to stay involved.

Announcing the council's withdrawal earlier yesterday, chairman Dr Somsak Lohlekha said the membership conditions of the tripartite violated an agreement okayed in a preliminary meeting on Monday - and chairman's secretary Dr Chotisak Jenpanich had been approved a member without the Council's approval.

The 20-member three-part committee includes eight members representing the public, eight from the Medical Council and four from the Public Health Ministry.

After an intervention by PM Abhisit Vejjajiva, Dr Chotisak said the Medical Council had not withdrawn completely, but it would not send anyone to attend the Saturday meeting.

"We are ready for further talks, but the conditions set need to be fair and transparent," he said. "We are waiting for a gesture from Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit." Chotisak said membership numbers on the committee had increased to 23 without the Council knowing and approving. "This would likely result in a lack of neutrality," he added.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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In celebration of Her Majesty's 78th birthday

By The Nation

HM the Queen Sirikit's birthday celebrations will officially run from August 12 to August 15, according to the government.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said the celebrations would be held under the "Power of Love from the Mother of the Land" theme, and activities in her honour would be held at the Amporn Garden and the Royal Plaza from 6pm to midnight on the three days.

The activities include a multimedia exhibition featuring Their Majesties the King and the Queen, demonstrations about Thai culture and local wisdom, a dancing fountain, fireworks, fashion shows and a photo-and-floral exhibition.

Check www.facebook.com/ilovemomnews or @lovemom_news on Twitter for more details. People are encouraged to post photographs depicting their most memorable moments with their mothers on these websites.

"Owners of the most-viewed pictures will receive special prizes," he said.

The top prize is a gold picture of Their Majesties the King and the Queen, worth Bt19,990.

Korn is also encouraging people to help locate the people who have appeared in 12 memorable snapshots alongside Her Majesty.

Culture Ministry permanent secretary Vira Rojpochanarat said activities in honour of Her Majesty would also be arranged at the National Theatre and the National Museum.

"People can also sign their best wishes to Her Majesty at the ministry's website," he said.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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RED-SHIRT PROTESTS

Court slaps on 2 more charges

By The Nation

Leaders charged with instigating unrest, staging rallies to set off riots

Core leaders of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) under detention were facing two more offences yesterday in addition to their terrorism charges.

The charges of instigating unrest, which carries a maximum jail term of seven years, and organising public gatherings to stage unrest, which carries a five-year term, have been filed against 17 of the leaders, which includes seven in custody and seven on the run.

Veera Musigapong, Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan and Sathaporn Maneekhote, who are out on bail, will be required to show up in Criminal Court at 10am on Monday. The seven suspects in custody, including Natthawut Saikua, Kwanchai Praipana and Dr weng Tojirakarn, will be attending a hearing today at 1pm.

Meanwhile, Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Tharit Phengdit said eyewitness accounts and security camera footage have provided sufficient evidence to implicate a man suspected of being behind a bomb attack near Big C in Rajdamri despite his protests of innocence.

Seksan Worrapitijaroenkul, who was arrested following evidence linking him to a car bomb in May, has not been charged with terrorism, Tharit added.

The suspect admitted to be "sitting" in a Honda Civic sedan installed with explosives ready for use in the Khok Khram police jurisdiction in May, but Tharit did not provide further details about his role in the incident.

However, the explosive used in the Rajdamri incident and those found in the sedan had been assembled in a very similar manner. "This indicates that same people are behind both incidents," he added.

Seksan denies he was behind the bombing near Big C Rajdamri.

Tharit said the suspect also took part in the red-shirt protests in May as an operative, though he insists he was only there as a protester.

Seksan turned himself over to the police on Wednesday and is currently in DSI custody for questioning.

His court custody should begin today, when DSI agents ask the Criminal Court to keep him under detention while the DSI investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, a man known as Bang Wai, who was accused by the suspect in the King Power bombing incident of being one of the red-shirt bomb-training officials, contacted the police to say he would surrender, but did not say when or where.

Bang Wai, also known as Suwit, served as a security guard during the protest and taught many protesters how to assemble and detonate explosives at a location near Lumpini Park, police sources said.

Police are providing extra security in many high-risk locations such as Sukhumvit, Silom and Chinatown following warnings about possible car-bomb attacks and indiscriminate assault on people.

Acting police chief Pol General Patheep Tanprasert said police were wary about large-scale bombings targeting bridges over Chao Phya River.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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Nurse lauded for designing blood disease treatment

By The Nation

A nurse with Tha Wang Pha hospital in Nan province has won the best research award for treatment of haemophilia patients - which could cut treatment by nearly half and shorten their treatment period.

In addition to the top award and Bt20,000 in prize money presented to Chularat Suriyathip, the

Public Health Ministry has awarded three other medical personnel at government hospitals and offices.

The Nan hospital serves as a stopover shelter for haemophilia patients. In her work there, Chularat designed a mechanism to admit and initially treat critical patients to minimise the chance of them developing paralysis.

She received support from the Haemophilia Foundation of Thailand and medical staff with expertise in haemophilia treatment from Ramathibodi Hospital. The mechanism she designed in 2008 has proved successful after a oneyear experiment with 13 patients, including five children.

The experiment and patients' feedback showed the treatment cost had fallen from an average Bt620,450 to Bt344,468.95 - and they did not need hospital treatment after being treated as outpatients.

Patients were also taught how to care for themselves to supplement their basic knowledge about haemophilia. Unlike previous cases, they faced no complications from medication. They patients rated 96 per cent on satisfaction scale.

There are around 4,000 haemophilia sufferers in Thailand, including 14 in Nan province. Haemophilia requires lifelong treatment and medication and exposes people to life threatening situations should they bleed as a result of an accident.

The annual awards event this year saw 630 items of research nominated and another 112 innovations for disabled people.

Three awards in other categories were given to Walailak Methaphat, for research on tests of two types of steroids in herbbased products; a tenyear study on treatment of broken coccyx bones in elder patients by Dr Natthaphong Wongwiwat; and a study on vaccination for students in the primary level, by Aimorn Rajjamroensuk.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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Former judge arrested for drug possession

By The Nation

A former associate judge has been arrested for possessing 182,000 methamphetamine tablets with intention to sell.

The illicit drug allegedly found in her MercedesBenz, her house and her apartment was worth about Bt36.4million.

Kittayaporn Kittiyaporn Selarak, who worked as an associate judge in Maha Sarakham province for five years, was caught on Wednesday in Bangkok's Lat Phrao district, police say.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner LtGeneral Santhan Chayanont announced her arrest at a press conference yesterday.

"We have been trailing her for a long time," Santhan said.

Kittiyaporn, 49, claimed she had been paid by a man known only as Leng to deliver drugs to customers in Bangkok. She was introduced to Leng via a woman whose relative was arrested on drug charges when Kittiyaporn was serving as an associate judge.

Kittiyaporn said she agreed to get into the drug trade because of her expensive medical bills.

"After having a stroke, the treatment cost me millions of baht," she said.

Kittiyaporn said Leng paid her between Bt20,000 and Bt30,000 per delivery.

Meanwhile, Lampang police chief MajGeneral Attakij Kornthong said a close examination of a vehicle seized in a drug investigation had finally uncovered 240,000 methamphetamine tablets.

"On the Bangkok street, this amount of drugs is worth well over Bt70 million," he said.

The vehicle was impounded on February 19 when Neung Khamphan and his wife were found with 59,600 methamphetamine tablets. Their vehicle was sent to a garage for close examination.

Repairmen opened the LPG cylinder in the vehicle and found a large number of meth tablets inside, police said.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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PARLIAMENT

Lawmakers among victims of not-so-smart smart cards

By The Nation

House Speaker Chai Chidchob and a number of lawmakers were among those caught out by the government-issued, chip-embedded identification cards - the so-called smart cards - which turned out to be substandard and led to widespread complaint.

The plight of the recipients of substandard cards came up during yesterday's House of Representatives debate on the controversy, which saw two key ministries, Interior and Information and Communication Technology, trying to pass the blame on to each other.

Pheu Thai MP Chavalit Vichayasuthi kicked off the debate by saying it was regrettable for the two ministries to try to apportion blame instead of focusing on resolving the inconvenience they had caused the public.

"Victims are everywhere in the public sector, in the government and in the private sector, but the ministries involved keep on bickering without a care to addressing the huge damage," he said.

In his rebuttal, Deputy Interior Minister Boonjong Wongtrairat said his office was not at fault because the cards were supplied by the ICT Ministry.

Interior Department regulations, in effect since 2007, were clear on the card standards but the ICT-supplied cards fell short of the specifications, Boonjong said.

Inconvenience was unavoidable, since the Interior Ministry could not lawfully hand out the substandard cards and was forced to issue temporary cards, known as the yellow documents, he said.

Although authorities concerned were trying to rectify the situation, no one could estimate how long it would take to reissue the smart cards, he said.

Pending solution to the legal wrangling over the substandard cards, people could use the yellow documents as their identity cards, he said.

He cited the Council of State ruling that his office was obligated to enforce the card standards strictly, dismissing a call for flexibility to allow the distribution of substandard cards as a stopgap measure so that the people could have their IDs.

Democrat MP Pichet Panvichatikul took the floor to reveal that both he and Chai had experienced first-hand failure of the smart cards to work properly.

Interior-issued cards were distributed to MPs and senators in June 2004, but he could not access the information on his chip-embedded card, he said.

"I also heard that Chai could not use his smart card during a financial transaction at a bank branch located inside Parliament," he said.

In a rejoinder, Chai said his card was substandard, prompting him to obtain a new one.

"I learned that the first batch of 26 million cards was defective," he said.

Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 64 million smart cards issued in 2004 had chips for appearance' sake, but were without any embedded data.

This happened under the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, which initiated the programme and wanted to publicise the launch before the card was fully ready, the officials said.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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NEW POLICE CHIEF

New national police chief likely named Monday : candidate

By The Nation

A candidate to become the next national police chief expressed confidence yesterday that next Monday's meeting of the Royal Thai Police executive board, to be chaired by the prime minister, would be able to make the long-delayed appointment.

Pol General Watcharapol Prasanratchakit, a deputy national police commissioner, said that if the appointment of the new chief were further delayed, appointments of senior police officers that needed to be completed by the end of this month would be affected.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who is also ex officio chairman of the Royal Thai Police executive board, has failed repeatedly to nominate the new chief because of opposition from police members of the board. The acting chief, Pol General Patheep Tancharoen, is scheduled to retire at the end of September.

Watcharapol said yesterday the law did not require that the top post go to the most senior deputy police chief. He said that although seniority was a good thing, the new chief should be selected from well-qualified and highly capable candidates for the benefit of the police force.

Watcharapol rejected media reports that he was summoned by the prime minister to offer his vision for the police force ahead of the executive board's selection of the new chief. He said he had met Abhisit recently but declined to give further details.

Pol General Wichien Potpohsri, another leading candidate for the top post, yesterday said it would depend on his supervisors whether they would entrust the position to him. He also denied he had met the prime minister on Wednesday.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who heads the Police Commission, yesterday responded to an allegation by deputy national police chief Pol General Priewpan Damapong that political pressure was preventing him from being appointed to the top post although he is the most senior deputy chief. Priewpan is a former brother-in-law of fugitive ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Suthep said: "There is no political pressure against Khun Priewpan. It's politics that benefited him and brought him to this advanced level in his career."

He was referring to the fact that Priewpan advanced rapidly through the ranks while Thaksin was prime minister.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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PREAH VIHEAR DISPUTE

PAD rally will only complicate matters: PM

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OIL EXPLORATION

Samui locals to unveil stance on oil projects today

By The Nation

Samui residents will reveal their next steps towards the four oil exploration concessions off the resort island at a press conference today, with the threat to seek an injunction from the Administrative Court.

Bannasat Ruangjan, president of the Koh Samui Tourism Association, said yesterday that it would take some time for the residents to gather data to back up their court case.

"We need to get a rough estimate on the economic and environmental damage the exploration will cause," he said. During this time, he said he would distribute information to more villagers to garner their support.

The protesters earlier asked Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to terminate the exploration concessions of four companies - NuCoastal (Thailand), Salamander, Chevron and Pearl Oil - by today. The four firms have concessions to explore for petroleum at sites 42-110 km off Koh Samui in Surat Thani.

The controversy was also discussed during the parliamentary session, when Surat Thani MP Thanee Thuangsuban asked if the Energy Ministry can reverse the concession, given that many exploration sites are located near tourist destinations, which has stirred concerns among tourism business operators. He said without solutions or supportive measures, the exploration could cause damage to the local way of life and the tourism industry. He also urged the ministry to focus more on alternative energy.

Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul said that of these four blocks awarded in 1996, only one block would start to pump oil while the rest are under the environmental impact assessment and public hearing process. He also assured that there would be no catastrophe like what happened in the Gulf of Mexico, given the different geographical features of the Gulf of Thailand.

"The geographical area aside, advanced technology could work better here in preventing leakage. The leakage can be stopped at the rigs, unlike in the Gulf of Mexico where the safety equipment was located far from the rigs. There has been no such event in Thailand, so far," he said. He also assured all that the ministry was listening to public opinions and taking into account environmental concerns.

In another development, the Stop Global Warming Association and 651 villagers in Chachoengsao yesterday sought the Administrative Court's injunction on the construction of a 540 megawatt coal-fired power plant in Phanom Sarakham district. The power plant belongs to National Power Supply, which is related to Double A (1991).

In their petition to the court, which names the prime minister and government agencies as defendants, they said the power plant has not fulfilled the Constitution's Article 67 (2) and it could lead to health and environmental havoc for the local residents.

On the list of defendants are Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva as chairman of the National Environment Board, Wannarat, the Energy Regulatory Commission, the Office of Natural Resources and Environment Policy and Planning, and Industry Minister Chaiwuti Bannawat. They have been accused of allowing the construction though the power plant had not yet completely followed the Constitutional requirements. This could affect the villagers' lives and way of living as the power plant is located amid agricultural land.

Stop Global Warming Association president Srisuwan Janya urged the court to urgently consider this petition. He believed that within one to two months, the court could issue an injunction order like what it did with the Map Ta Phut projects.

During the public hearing yesterday, Chevron Thailand Exploration and Production also faced strong opposition from the locals in Nakhon Si Thammarat over its planned construction of a jetty in Sichon district.

Seen in photo: The locals in Nakhon Si Thammarat are up in arms to protest against Chevron's planned jetty

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

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EDITORIAL

It's a hard battle against an enemy one cannot see

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OVERDRIVE

The best man for the job

BECAUSE Lt-General Phichet Wisaichorn, the commander of the Fourth Army Region, is going to be transferred back to Bangkok for promotion to deputy Army chief in the annual reshuffle, the vacancy for his important position is now the subject of speculation. For the man who succeeds Lt-General Phichet will have the huge responsibility of maintaining security and restoring peace to the deep South.

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2nd Phuket Traditional Costume Contest on Sunday

Muslim garments will among the many different styles of traditional dress competing at the contest.

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MARKETING

Singha signs Bt409m sponsorship deal with Chelsea FC

By Kwanchai Rungfapaisarn

The Nation

Seen in photo: Piti, far left, paints a bright prospect for the company in the years to come.

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Nation front page wins prestigious design award

By The Nation

The Nation has won a design award for its front-page layout from the prestigious World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-Ifra).

The newspaper was given the Bronze Award in the Best in Design category of the 9th Annual Asia Media Awards 2010 during the Publish Asia 2010 gala dinner in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.

Design editor Leroy A Sylk represented The Nation in accepting the award.

The front page that won the design award is from the November 12, 2009, issue. The entire page involves a row between Thailand and Cambodia after fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was appointed Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen's economic adviser. The page layout features a stylish headline "Rejected" and a large graphic showing the Cambodian government's letter turning down Thailand's request for Thaksin's extradition.

The Best in Design Award is presented to entries whose overall design, originality and content have achieved levels of excellence deserving of recognition. Entries are judged not only on design but on how design is used to project the content, according to WAN-Ifra.

"The number of entries competing this year for the awards and the outstanding quality of some winning entries demonstrates the vibrant Asian newspaper industry is eager to achieve publishing excellence in the fields of printing quality, design, info-graphics and photography," the organisation said in a press release.

Other categories of the awards presented are Best in Print, Best in Info-graphics, Special Coverage, and Best in Photojournalism.

-- The Nation 2010-08-06

image of the award winning design:

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CNG bus project might get green light by Thai Govt on Tuesday

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Thaksin's Canadian lawyer Amsterdam has tweeted in Thai language and linked his tweets to Thai newspapers and articles. /via @marisa_nt

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Locals Fear Worst from Thai-Cambodian Tension

Thai and Cambodian troops continue their watch over the Preah Vihear Temple area as apprehension among villagers in Si Sa Ket begins to grow, prompting calls for emergency shelters to be readied.

Military tension between Thailand and Cambodia in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket, surrounding the controversial Preah Vihear Temple, has begun to worry residents.

Citizens in the area have expressed concern over collateral damage that may be caused if conflict erupts in the region, noting that emergency shelters constructed by the government have not been properly maintained.

Local resident Wan Keawthong, aged 68, stated that the shelters are over two years old and have been heavily weathered.

He joined a public outcry from the area for officials to begin to prepare the shelters for any possible clashes.

He voiced opposition to a planned protest by Weera Somkwamkid, who locals believe is only adding to tension.

Reports from the border said Cambodia has begun to beef up its forces around Preah Vihear and relocate its citizens to a safe zone.

Thai authorities have shut down the public entrance to the ancient temple, set up camera surveillance and denied any unauthorized access to the area.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-06

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Ex-coup leader, former PM Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon opens his residence to welcome well-wishers to mark his 77th birthday /via @MCOTEnglishnews

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Thailand, Saudi Arabia to form joint business council

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Thai King permits Queensland, Australia, to use his artificial rainmaking technology

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Con Artist Arrested for Fraud Using Royal Title

Police have arrested an impostor who tricked victims into paying money in exchange for royal decorations and the title Khun Ying, purporting to be of royal blood carrying out Her Majesty's instructions.

Police Lieutenant General Asawin Kwanmuang announced the arrest of Korakot or Suriyan Foikratoke, who has been charged with impersonation and forging official documents.

According to Police, Korakot, purporting to be Mom Rajawong Worawit Kittiyakorn, faxed a falsified official document to eight provincial offices, detailing Her Majesty's instructions on the selection of people to be given royal decorations and titles.

The document indicated that those who are eligible would be asked to transfer money to a bank account at Krung Thai Bank's Baan Khaek branch to pay for a tailored silk uniform and royal decorations worth more than 50,000 baht, as well as having to donate to Her Majesty's handicraft training projects

One of the fraud victims in Kalasin Province was deceived out of 100,000 baht.

Police said Korakot previously committed seven crimes, including robberies and frauds. He was jailed in 2006 and was released in May of this year.

The man was caught at an apartment in Ladprao area, where officers also seized forged documents as evidence.

He confessed to the charges against him, elaborating that he learned how to forge documents from the Internet, and he learned royal terms from the 1111 hotline.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-06

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New Supreme Adminstrative Court Judge Named

The Administrative Court judges have appointed a new Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court to replace Akrathorn Jularat this September.

The Administrative Court Panel has unanimously chosen Hasawat Withiwriyakul to become the next Judge of the Supreme Administrative Court, replacing the current judge, Akrathorn Jularat.

The panel also agreed that a new deputy judge will be appointed and five individuals nominated to head the Administrative Court Panel, including Kasem Komsatham, Wichai Cheunchompunut, Chanchai Sawangsak, Paiboon Siangkong, and Worapoj Wisarutpit

The panel will submit Hasawat's nomination to the Cabinet's secretary office so the prime minister can review the nomination with the Upper House within the next 15 days of the nomination submission date.

Other nominees for other positions will also be submitted to the cabinet's secretary office for further assessment.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-06

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PM: Talks With Cambodia Difficult

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says it's unlikely that Thailand and Cambodia will be able to reach a mutual agreement over the disputed land surrounding Phreah Vihear Temple.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the bilateral conflict will be difficult to resolve, as both sides are concerned about their respective sovereignty. He added that it's not easy to arrange a talk, given that tension is still brewing at the border.

He said it's important to make Cambodia understand that the tension stems from Cambodia's move to list the ancient temple as a World Heritage site. Regarding a rally scheduled by a civil group for Tomorrow (April 7), Abhisit said the government is open to hear suggestions, and that conflict should be avoided.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party spokesperson Buranut Samutrak presented the MoU 2000 and the survey determining the borderline to the press, in response to a claim made by Pheu Thai MP Chalerm Yubamrung.

Chalerm said the MoU was signed while Chuan Leekpai was premier. Chalerm earlier said that the MoU resulted in the surrender of the disputed land to Cambodia. Buranut brought up the TOR46, which was signed while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was premier.

He called on Chalerm to clarify the TOR and insisted the Democrat Party had no part in surrendering Thai soil to Cambodia.

With regards to a letter sent to Abhisit from a representative of the Cambodian palace that suggested using Preah Vihear Temple as a symbol of amicable bilateral relations between the two nations, the Democrat Party spokesman said it is the first step toward rectifying the tension between the two nations.

In a separate matter, the prime minister announced that on Monday he will meet with the Royal Thai Police Board to discuss finding a new national police chief.

He noted that an appropriate candidate should be able to promote reconciliation and bring the Royal Thai Police up to standard.

There are several candidates for this post, and seniority is a major factor in naming the new national police chief.

Regarding his meeting with Deputy National Police Chief, Police General Watcharapol Prasarnratchakij, Abhisit said he and Watcharapol discussed unfinished matters and ideas to reform the police service.

About the Map Ta Phut impasse, Abhisit confirmed that on August 23, a finalized list of 18 industrial projects deemed harmful to public health and the environment will be made public.

He said the list has been delayed as the deliberation of the harmful list must be done with diligence. He dismissed speculation that the delay was a politically motivated act to buy time for the government.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai MP and core red-shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan said the Center for Resolution of Emergency Situations called August a dangerous time to create an excuse to extend the emergency decree.

Jatuporn denied knowing suspects of the BIG C bomb attack who were recently arrested, adding that the arrest of these suspects is politically motivated.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-06

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19 Students Infected with 2009 Flu in Buri Ram School

The Mary Anusorn School in Buri Ram province has cancelled classes today due to the fact that 19 of its students were found to have been infected with the 2009 flu.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-06