Thailand Live Wednesday 25 Aug 2010

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Extradition of alleged Russian arms dealer delayed: Thai PM

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Top brass to wish Prem happy birthday

Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan is scheduled on Wednesday's morning to lead top military leaders to wish a happy birthday to Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda at Si Sao Thewes residence.

Prem's birthday is Thursday and he has asked well wishers not to pay him a visit this year. But Prawit has sought and received a speical permission to meet him before the birthday.

All key leaders from the three corps of the armed forces are expected to accompany the defence minister.

-- The Nation 2010-08-25

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 891.94, up 1.49 points /MCOT

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Customs Seize Illegal Logs at Klongtoey Port

Customs officers have impounded 600,000 baht worth of smuggled wood and a number of chainsaws, valued at more than 2.5 million baht, at Bangkok's port.

Klongtoey customs officers confiscated 600,000 baht worth of illegal Siamese rosewood logs and timber loaded in six wooden boxes. They also seized more than 1,000 illegal chainsaws, worth 2.5 million baht.

The exporter did not possess the required permit to transport Siamese rosewood, which must be issued by the Commerce Ministry as a decree issued in 2006 clearly states.

While the importer of the chainsaws fitted with 2,000-horsepower motors and 12-inch guide bars did not have the required license according to the Chainsaw Act 2002.

The paperwork indicates that the goods belonged to Sombat Service Sale and was bound for Hong Kong.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-25

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Thai and Australian Armed Forces Conduct Joint Military Exercise

The Royal Thai Army and the Australian Army conduct Chapel Gold 2010, a joint military exercise in Chumphon province.

The Deputy Commander of the Region 4 Army, Major-General Decha Kingwongsa, as the representative of the Royal Thai Army, presided over the reception ceremony for Brigadier Stuart Smith, Commander of the 3rd Brigade, and Colonel John Charles Blaxland, the military attache to the Australian Embassy in Bangkok, in the joint military exercise to be conducted by the Royal Thai Army and the Australian Army.

The exercise has been designated code name, “Chapel Gold 2010” and will take place from now until September 10 at the Ket Udomsak Army Compound in Chumphon province.

Some 634 Thai soldiers from the 25th Infantry Regiment and 124 Australian soldiers will participate in the exercise.

The goal of the exercise is to increase the armed forces' tactical capability and to exchange knowledge and experience between the armies from the two countries.

The Chapel Gold 2010 is also aimed to build the armed forces' professionalism at all levels.

The exercise will be conducted both theoretically and on the field. A major amphibian landing simulation has been planned to take place from September 7 to 10 at a beach in the province.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-25

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Indie Music Festival at Nang Loeng Royal Turf Club

A music festival was held at the Nang Loeng Royal Turf Club in Bangkok on Saturday. About 200 young bands and musicians played from nine in the morning until midnight.

The music festival at Nang Loeng Royal Turf Club is held annually as an opportunity for young musicians and bands to perform.

The festival began at nine in the morning and ended around midnight Saturday.

More than 200 bands performed on two main stages and eleven small stages this year.

The music festival serves as a platform to raise awareness for the love of music and art, as well as a campaign against the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-25

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Thailand Research Expo 2010 to be held 26-30 Aug

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Thailand Research Expo 2010 is kicking off from 26-30 August at the Bangkok Convention Center, Central World with over 500 pieces of selected research to be exhibitied.

Speaking of the upcoming event, Secretary General of the National Research Council of Thailand (NCRT), Soottiporn Chittmittraparb said more than 500 researches conducted by Thai scientists have been selected to show in Thailand Research Expo this year.

The objective of the event is to encourage institutional researchers into developing their work to an internationally recognizable level. They are expected to integrate technology, culture, and traditional wisdom into their work, in order to create an added value beneficial more to the economy and the society.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva will preside over the inauguration of Thailand Research Expo 2010 on 26 August. He will give a speech on “Research and creativity for Thai society and economy” on the day. The general public are welcome to join the event free of charge. It will be open daily from 09.00-18.00 hrs until 30 August.

-- NNT 2010-08-25

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Tragic Balcony Fall Kills American Toddler In Pattaya

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Thai, Cambodian ambassadors return to duties

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Thai Ambassador to Cambodia Prasas Prasasvinitchai has returned to Phnom Penh to resume his duties. The Thai government is taking its first step on the bilateral relations restoration effort after Cambodia has confirmed the resignation of self-exiled ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as its Economic Advisor.

Speaking upon his return, Mr Prasas said he was glad being able to resume his duties in Cambodia. He planned to seek an audience with His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia to offer him the royal credentials letter and expected to officially commence his tasks within 2 weeks.

Mr Prasas was positive that the relationship between Thailand and Cambodia would improve after their respective ambassadors were back to their duties. The Cambodian ambassador to Bangkok You Ay arrived in Bangkok this morning to resume her work.

Meanwhile, Deputy Secretary General to the Prime Minister, Dr Panitan Wattanayakorn said the government was still waiting for official confirmation on Mr Thaksin’s resignation. He said the latest movement of the former prime minister would help reestablish healthy ties between both nations.

According to Dr Panitan, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is determined to seek a talk with Cambodian leader Hun Sen before the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) in October.

-- NNT 2010-08-25

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4,000 killed over 6-yr Deep South unrests

YALA (NNT) -- Over 10,000 cases of violence have occurred over the past 6 years of ongoing unrest in the deep south of Thailand with 4,000 fatalities and almost 8,000 injured, according to the Southern Border Police Operation Center’s latest report.

The report, recently filed by the local police in the three southern border provinces, revealed that there have been a total of 11,047 violent incidents in the region since 2004, causing 4,137 deaths and 7,135 wounded.

The figures were reported during a special workshop organized by the Southern Border Police Operation Center in Yala province on Wednesday. The objective of the training was to educate rescuers, press members and volunteers about proper procedures to approach the scenes to minimize the risk of injury and loss. There were 150 people participated in the activity.

-- NNT 2010-08-25

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Phuket Airport expansion on track: AoT

Phuket Airport is Thailand's second busiest, surpassed only by Bangkok's Suvarnaphumi. File photo.

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Budget Bill passed after 60-hour debate

The House on Wednesday voted for the passage of the 2011 Budget Bill following a lengthy debate lasting more than 60 hours spreading over five days.

By the majority vote of 253-to-178, the bill was passed in the third and final reading. Of the MPs in attendance, 14 abstained and 21 decided not to cast votes.

-- The Nation 2010-08-25

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Sirichok concedes meeting Bout but not framing Thaksin

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Policy interest rates hiked

Bank of Thailand Monetary Policy Committee raises policy interest rate by 25 basis points to 1.75% responding to continued economic growth /MCOT

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Thailand raises interest rates for second straight month

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Airport Link to launch promotion campaigns to attract passengers

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) eyes to attract more passengers to Airport Link Skytrain by offering up to a 40% discount in ticket price and free shuttle bus service.

SRT Governor Yutthana Thapcharoen revealed that the SRT planned to launch a special discount aimed at drawing commuters who work at Suvarnabhumi Airport and more students to use the Airport Link service.

The SRT will also coordinate with the Land Transport Department to arrange free shuttle bus service running between the Airport Link Makkasan Station and King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang campus, to facilitate the Airport Link passengers.

Since the official commencement of the Airport Link on Monday, 23 August, the Express Line has already seen 633 customers while the City Line has seen 26,149, compared to the target of 15,000 persons. It expects to see 50,000-70,000 passengers by year end.

-- NNT 2010-08-25

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Pubilc Health Min warns of new epidemic outbreak

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Public Health Ministry warns of a new epidemic “Melioidosis” outbreak during the rainy season as six deaths and over a thousand people infected with the disease were reported across the country.

Mr Jurin Laksanawisit, the Public Health Minister, stated that Melioidosis was a bacterial infection from soil or water through respiratory system and skin lesions. Its symptoms are similar to several diseases such as high fever, cough, drowsiness, and vomiting.

The Minister cited that during January to June this year, 1,307 Melioidosis -infected patients and six deaths were found nationwide particularly among farmers in the Northeastern region who always maintained contact with the soil and standing water. They are advised to wear boots and gloves during agricultural work so as to prevent the infection.

The outbreak of Melioidosis usually happens during the rainy season particularly in the Northern and Northeastern areas with the average age of infected persons at 40-50. Severe cases were normally found in a group with low immunity such as those with diabetes and kidney diseases.

-- NNT 2010-08-25

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Lower petrol prices - Thur

Local oil retailers announced on Wednesday that they will reduce the retail petrol prices by Bt0.60 a litre for benzene fuel and Bt0.40 for diesel, effective this Thursday 5 a.m.

-- The Nation 2010-08-25

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Political stress index back to normal in Aug

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Average political stress index of Thai people is reported to return to the normal rate of 10% in August after it had surged to as high as 26% in May during the political rage, according to a recent survey by the Ministry of Public Health.

As ordered by the Cabinet, the Ministry of Public Health launched the survey to check political emotions of people in 20 provinces nationwide covering 351,000 households or 76% of the 520,000 targeted households. The survey was randomly carried out with 1,000 samples every week.

The average political stress index for August was reported at 10%, which is considered normal. The survey on 10 August 2010 showed 48.65% of the respondents had normal political emotions while 18.5% were in the strong level.

The survey also showed that people in the central region had the strongest political emotions at the level of 22.75%, followed by northeasterners at 21.44%.

The average political stress index from April to May 2010 was at 26%. The figure dropped to 20% in June and less than 20% in July.

-- NNT 2010-08-25

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350-Kilogram Man in the South

An overweight man in the southern province of Nakonsrithammarat has reached 350-kilograms and now cannot move freely.

Local administrative officials and medical teams visited a 32-year man in Nakonsrithammarat province who is seriously overweight and is having difficulty living normally.

The man, Attapan, is beverage vendor in Muang district.

They said Attapan was once sent to a hospital in a nearby province, but doctors said they did not know how to treat him. The man now must stay at home and depends on a respirator at all times.

His family said his belly is very stiff and keeps getting larger, adding that they are afraid his condition could lead to a serious ailment soon.

They added that they have requested special medical assistance from the provincial authorities, but no progress has been made.

Attapan said that nowadays he receives only a little help from his community's physicians and nurses.

Meanwhile, doctors speculated that the man in question is a victim of heredity-related irregularity as his four brothers and sisters are all obese, all weighing over 100 kilograms.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-25

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SET index closed at 884.51, down 5.94; Bt/USD31.12; GBP47.90; AUD27.35; EUR39.34; CAD29.09; HKD3.95; SGD22.78; JPY36.59

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Protest on Pattaya Beach against regular weekend markets

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4 year old boys used as drug couriers in Sattahip

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Pattaya: Help needed to re-house sick and abandoned cats

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Train crashed into six-wheeled truck in Songkha this afternoon, injuring two people on the truck. All passengers in the train are safe. /via @Urisara_NT

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2 TV hosts get suspended jail term for slandering former minister's son

BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court Wednesday handed down a suspended jail term to two TV hosts for slandering a son of a former deputy interior minister during their programme.

The TV hosts, Chetthawut or Buai Watcharakhun, and Pornthip or A Wongkijjanon, were also ordered to pay Bt20,000 fine each.

Both convicts have hosted the "Khan Pak" programme on Channel 7. On May 22 and May 27 last year, they discussed on rumours that a famous actress had run away from home to Pai Lik, son of former several-time MP Ruangwit Lik, for drugs.

In their defence, they said they had spoken based on information they had and the script. Aside, they said the actress in question was interviewed on air.

Pai is also a well-known race driver.

The court gave a guilty verdict on grounds that the TV hosts must have understood the effects of their words.

However, due to their useful statement, the court granted leniency allowing their jail term to be suspended for one year and their fine amount reduced from Bt30,000 to Bt20,000.

The suspended jail term has also been commuted from three months to two months.

-- The Nation 2010-08-25

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PAD Leader Warns of Thaksin's Insidious Moves

A key leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy asks the government to be aware of new moves by ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra to instigate chaos

Core leader of the People Alliance for Democracy, Sondhi Limthongkul, said current low profile of fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra may contrarily suggest he is engineering a new campaign against the government.

Sondhi believes the country will face an inflamed situation again, as prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is indecisive.

Sondhi also criticized the prime minister for allowing the red-shirt people to revive their movement in several provinces and claimed that the group's financial support has been restored now that the Center for the Resolution of Emergency Situation has lifted its freeze on money transfers to the group by wealthy donors.

The PAD leader also cited the resignation of Thaksin as an adviser to the Cambodian government as evidence of his political game and urged Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to demonstrate his sincerity by catching red-shirt leaders who fled to Cambodia and send them back to Thailand

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of national security Suthep Thaugsuban declined comment on Thaksin's resignation as Cambodian government adviser.

He urged all parties not to look at it as a political ploy as the resignation is likely to help restore diplomatic ties between the two countries.

-- Tan Network 2010-08-25

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Breaking Thailand's Crime Wave

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Six Pheu Thai MPs boost coalition votes on Budget Bill

Six Pheu Thai MPs on Wednesday cast their votes to support the Budget Bill acting in defiant of the opposition bench.

The six are Joomphot Boonyai from Sakon Nakhon, Parapol Adireksarn from Saraburi, Somboon Wanchaithanawong from party list, Wuthichai Kittithanesuan from Nakhon Nayok, Nikom Chaokittisophon from party list and Piyarach Meunsaen from Roi Et.

Joomphot, Parapol, Somboon, Wuthichai and Piyarach are reportedly poised to defect to Bhum Jai Thai Party at the next general election.

Nikom is reportedly preparing to join the Democrat Party.

-- The Nation 2010-08-25

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Cancer-stricken red-shirt leader surrenders

A cancer-stricken, red-shirt leader in Ubon Ratchathani Wednesday turned himself to police to face charges of arson and joining political rallies in violation of the State of Emergency Decree.

Prayuth Moonsarn, 54, showed up in a patient uniform.

Reporting himself to Office of Ubon Ratchathani Police, he said his conditions had worsened since he went on the run and hid in border forest.

"I could not see my doctor as scheduled. Sometimes, I need morphine to suppress my pain," he said. Prayuth, the leader of Ubon People Love Thaksin Group, is also known as DJ Num Niranam.

According to him, he had just Bt20,000 cash with him when he went on the run after May 19 mayhem erupted.

"When cash ran out, I decided to consult people I've known and arranged my surrender," he said.

-- The Nation 2010-08-25

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Nine killed, 12 missing as Typhoon Mindulle hits Vietnam

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Sattahip: Female students public humiliation over inappropriate hairstyle

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