Thailand Live Sunday 12 Sep 2010

[webfact]

Thailand Live Sunday 12 September 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...

Commentary is still open for Thailand news in the relevant thread posted in News Clippings.

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Related topic: Thailand Live Saturday 11 September 2010

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Commerce Min to hold meeting to handle THB appreciation

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Commerce Ministry is prepared to hold a meeting with commerce representatives worldwide to discuss effects from the continuous appreciation of the Thai baht currency.

Commerce Minister Pornthiva Nakasai said the ministry would invite commerce envoys in 76 countries worldwide to the meeting in an effort to formulate measures to prevent impacts from the baht appreciation on the export and business sectors, which were likely to be seen from late this year until the beginning of next year.

The meeting will be part of a seminar, which will be organized by the Department of Export Promotion (DEP) at the end of this month to discuss concerns of exporters and importers over negative effects from the strong baht.

Speakers at the seminar will include Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij, who will present the Government’s measures to handle the strengthening of the Thai currency. Export figures will be reviewed while potential solutions to currency-related problems will be mulled over.

The Thai baht yesterday was shifting within the range of 30.83-30.85 THB against the greenback and is speculated to continue appreciating next week.

-- NNT 2010-09-12

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Suthep orders strict prevention of bomb attacks despite difficulties

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Deputy Prime Minister for Security Affairs Suthep Thaugsuban has ordered tightened security measures following the latest explosion at a military base in Chiang Mai, though admitting difficulties in the operation.

Speaking of the bomb attack on Khun Nen army camp in the northern province of Chiang Mai on 9 September, Mr Suthep stated that no conclusions had been made on the directions of the grenades and the identities of those responsible. He however assured that investigation was underway while security agencies had been tasked with preventing reoccurrences of such incident.

Although the Deputy Prime Minister admitted difficulties in the mission to stave off future attacks, he asserted that the Emergency Decree would not be reimposed in Chiang Mai province.

In the evening of 9 September, five M79 grenades were shot into the compound of Khun Nen army camp located in Mae Rim district of Chiang Mai. No casualties or damages were incurred. The attack was preceded by a series of bomb blasts in Bangkok.

In addition, Mr Suthep confirmed that all necessary measures had been prepared by the authorities to maintain peace and order during the 19 September rallies of the anti-government United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. He reminded the group that all movements must be in compliance with the law while expressing confidence that no violence would occur.

-- NNT 2010-09-12

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KRC: SET likely to hike next week

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Due to purchasing force of foreign investors and high liquidity of the financial market, the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) next week is predicted to move positively, according to the Kasikorn Research Centre (KRC).

SET index during 13-17 September 2010 is expected to move in a positive direction from purchasing force of foreign investors amid high level of financial liquidity.

The support level of the SET’s composite index should be at 909 and 900 points while its resistance level should stand between 932 and 933 points.

Factors to be closely monitored are the appreciation of baht currency and the progress of 3G license bidding as well as overseas stock direction and the US economic figures. These factors will affect decision making of investors in purchasing securities in the SET.

-- NNT 2010-09-12

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Agriculture Min to aid flood hit farmlands

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is conducting a survey on damages to cultivation areas in flood hit areas so as to assist those affected farmers accordingly.

Director-General of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DOAE) Ath Intalak stated that the assistance measure had been clearly prescribed in the ministerial regulations. At the moment the Ministry is gathering information of damages in each area so that the assistance can be made appropriately.

He said damaged paddy fields would receive 606 THB/rai while cassava field would get 837 THB/rai as compensations. The situation can be summarized shortly and relief aid will be handed out accordingly.

According to the Ministry’s report, agricultural lands in several provinces suffer from floods particularly in the 13 Northern provinces.

-- NNT 2010-09-12

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Gov't won’t use force against protesters during planned mass rally

BANGKOK: -- Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said Saturday the government would not use force against the anti-government Red Shirt movement of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) when they rally to mark the fourth anniversary of the bloodless coup which toppled the former government of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

UDD protesters plan to hold several events next week and especially on September 19 -- the date the military carried out its coup in Bangkok four years ago.

Mr Suthep said newly appointed national police chief Pol Gen Vichien Poteposri had submitted security plans to the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation which call for explaining to the protesters what they could do within the legal framework and what they cannot under the emergency decree which is now enforced in the capital.

Although the general situation in the country has improved, police will be dispatched to several areas to ensure that no untoward incidents take place, said Mr Suthep.

“No double standards will be employed against the protesters,” Mr Suthep reaffirmed. He said he was not worried much and that he hoped no violence would take place during the upcoming events as all concerned parties are now preparing to participate in the national reconciliation plan.

Asked whether he is ready to talk with former national police chief Pol Gen Kowit Wattana, who is tipped to become the new leader of the opposition Puea Thai Party, regarding the national reconciliation plan, Mr Suthep said he is prepared to discuss the matter with everybody to bring about reconciliation for the sake of peace in the country.

The Puea Thai Party is scheduled to hold a special meeting to elect a new leader and executive board on Tuesday. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-09-12

[george]

Ninth 9/11 anniversary marked by controversy as relatives gather

Full story and lots of photos:

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Emergency law won't be reinstated in Chiang Mai: PM Abhisit

By THE NATION ON SUNDAY

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'Help with flooding'

By The Nation on Sunday

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday he had told ministers to visit people affected by flooding and to follow flood reports.

Social Development and Human Security Minister Issara Somchai handed out relief bags and money to 245 flood-affected residents in Warin Chamrap and Muang districts in Ubon Ratchathani.

He said locals in 11 communities who had faced repeated flooding in Warin Chamrap would be relocated to live at the government's Ban Mankong housing project for low-income earners, which could be a long-term solution for them.

So far, 21,000 residents in 12 districts of the province have been affected by floods.

Floods have also caused trouble in Phitsanulok town, Phichit's Pho Prathap Chang and Lampang's Wung Nua districts.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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Sanam Luang fence?

By The Nation

Deputy Bangkok governor Phornthep Techaphaibool said yesterday he had an idea to build "hydraulic fences" at Sanam Luang after renovation to prevent people trespassing into the area at night.

He and other Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials went there to check on the progress of the renovation after the BMA engaged the Army's 1st Development Division to improve the area, since June.

Phornthep said the BMA would have communities and universities near Sanam Luang and other stakeholders take care of the park and the nearby area after the renovation.

The division has so far completed 6 per cent of the project, slightly ahead of the plan. But there have been obstructions, including heavy rain, traffic and conditions set by a panel taking care of architecture.

General Suraphon Iewsuwan insisted his troops would be able to finish the renovation by April next year.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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DNA check on truck

By The Nation

Police yesterday checked the DNA of three men who travelled in a robbed TMB money truck to distinguish traces found in the truck left by three robbers.

The TMB money truck was robbed on Thursday while the driver of the truck was guarding it alone and two colleagues unloaded money at a TMB branch in Seacon Square, off Srinakarin Road in Bangkok.

The three robbers made off with Bt16 million. But police said the case had progressed "50 per cent".

Sketches of the robbers were made yesterday with assistance of two witnesses, but Metropolitan Police chief Lt-General Santhan Chayanon needs to approve their release to the public.

The witnesses gave useful information about the robbers, and police believe they will be able to arrest them.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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Honour for teachers

Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam yesterday presided over a royal-sponsored cremation ceremony for two teachers shot dead in Narathiwat on Tuesday.

Narathiwat Provincial Court approved arrest warrants for five suspects who allegedly killed the two teachers, Wilas Promphan, 54, and his wife Khomkham, 52.

The suspects are Arleeya, 22, Arhama, 26, Aryueling, 30, Tuanfarnee, 23, and Muhummadyuso, 22. Their surnames and addresses were withheld.

Their Majesties the King and Queen and Royal Family members also donated wreaths for a volunteer ranger shot dead on duty in Narathiwat on Wednesday.

Volunteer ranger Winyu Thonglangsuan, 27, was killed in a gunfight with insurgents when he patrolled an area in Narathiwat during the night.

His cremation will be held at 2pm on Tuesday at Wat Chao Fa Salaloi in Chumphon town.

In related news, rubber plantation workers can call 1880 to ask security authorities to guard them when they work on plantations.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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South American gang nabbed for thefts in Bangkok

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Seminar slams oil drilling in the Gulf

By Suwannee Bunditsak

The Nation on Sunday

SURAT THANI

Some 100 Samui residents voiced objection yesterday to oil exploration and drilling projects around Samui, Pha Ngan and Tao islands, plus Angthong Marine Park at a seminar in Surat Thani.

The islanders want the Gulf of Thailand conserved. They say oil production could have a huge negative impact on tourism.

They said the Samui Tourist Business Association and private sector had submitted a letter of objection to PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and related agencies but the government had done nothing.

The association's vice president and "Rak Ao Thai" Group PR person Anont Wathayanon said a public hearing they hosted about oil exploration found most people disagreed with drilling projects in the Gulf near the islands.

That was because people feared such projects might affect tourist businesses worth over Bt15 billion on Samui Island, if there were environmental problems from oil drilling similar to the Gulf of Mexico leak, he said.

A lecturer at Surat Thani Rajabhat University, who asked not to be named, said most teaching staff and students disagreed with the project as they feared negative impacts on the environment, tourism and people's way of life - especially as one concession plot was only 41 kilometres from Samui.

The lecturer said the private company granted the concession and state agencies still couldn't clearly state what the country gain from such oil exploration.

In a previous protest against drilling projects, university students, members of the public and NGOs, plus foreign tourists linked hands for a 52km line as a symbolic gesture to protect Koh Samui from desecration.

The Energy Ministry's Department of Mineral Fuels approved oil exploration in plots in the Gulf of Thailand in 2007. A range of companies gained leases to many plots adjacent to popular islands.

Yesterday's seminar looks to be just part of a determined push by environmental groups to stop oil exploration near the islands. Legal teams are said to be gathering facts and evidence for a lawsuit they hope to file shortly in the Administrative Court.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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Dengue, flu cases mismanaged

By NAYA JAIKAWANG

THE NATION ON SUNDAY

A team of opposition Pheu Thai MPs, led by Anudit Nakonthap, have accused the government of mis-manage a growing number of dengue fever and type-A (H1N1) cases.

Anudit said there have been more than 60,000 dengue fever patients so far this year, doubling last year's figures, with more than 80 fatalities.

"The intensive care units of a state-run hospital in the Northeast are currently full of dengue fever and type-A (H1N1) patients, who are in a critical condition."

"For H1N1 flu patients, especially children, the drug Oseltamevir appears to be ineffective largely because its distribution has not been managed properly," he said

He said the government did not tell the public all the facts about the critical situation of the two diseases. In addition, there were no preventive measures.

Hospital doctors said Oseltamevir could have been rendered ineffective because the drug was handed out too freely, resulting in drug resistance.

Now, doctors have only Zanamivir, another drug, to fight the flu.

He urged the government to step up supervision of anti-flu drug distribution while providing more information to the general public regarding preventive measures for both dengue fever and the type-A H1N1 flu.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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CORRUPTION PROBE

Klong Toei market deal 'to be sent to anti-graft investigators'

By PIYANUCH THAMNUKASETCHAI

THE NATION ON SUNDAY

Port Authority had no authority to award concession without Cabinet approval, source says

A probe found irregularities in the granting of Klong Toei market concession by Port Authority of Thailand (PAT), a source at the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) said yesterday.

PAT had no authority to open a tender for the market deal without prior approval from the Cabinet, the source said.

The PACC will forward this finding to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) for further action, the source said.

PACC officials were sent to investigate the concession after vendors at the market complained and urged it to review the bidding contract between PAT and market operator Legal Professional Company.

They found the Port Authority had no legal right to arrange a bid on space at the market as the project had not been approved by the Cabinet, the source said.

The procedure to enable Legal Professional Company to be the market-space concessionaire had not gone according to the Private Participation in State Undertakings Act, as the project was worth more than Bt1 billion and thus required Cabinet approval before proceeding.

Mistakes caused by not following the act could make the contract invalid, the source said, adding that the PAT, according to the deal, could cancel the project and bring an end to violence over the project. But the Port Authority had not done this so the threat of more violence continued.

The PACC would submit its findings to the Justice Minister, the Cabinet and the NACC so they can act against PAT executives.

Meanwhile, the PACC was unable to find if there had been bidding collusion in awarding the contract, because it had no power to demand the PAT submit documents about the matter. Officials only got a letter of explanation that the PAT had distributed to other agencies.

The Klong Toei market has been marred by controversy and violence in recent years, with vendors blocking nearby roads many times in protests, confrontations between some vendors and Legal Professional Company, and bomb attacks at the market. The latest blast took place in February and injured six people.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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Thaksin denies plotting revenge against rivals in Thailand

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Meteorological Dept warns of torrential rain, isolated heavy falls in upper part of Thailand with possible flooding; widespread thundershowers in BKK /MCOT

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PM tells students govt wants to lift state of emergency nationwide

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told university students Sunday that his government wants to lift state of emergency nationwide when the situation permits it.

During his weekly TV programme, the prime minister played a tape of his encountering with representatives of the Student of Federation of Thailand. The prime minister was seen on the tape saying he also wants to lift the state of emergency in the southern border provinces.

Abhisit also told the students that the government was trying to minimize impact on the people's rights when enforcing the emergency decree.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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PM says it's fine for red shirts to stage symbolic protest at Rajprasong

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that the red-shirt protesters could tie red ribbons at the Rajprasong Intersection on September 19 as their symbolic protest against the coup four years ago.

Abhisit said during his weekly TV programme that it would be fine for the rd-shirt people to do stage the symbolic protest if they do not cause trouble to other people.

-- The Nation 2010-09-12

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M79 Launched at Law Firm Owned By Newin's Father in Law

Late last night, perpetrators launched an M79 grenade at law firm owned by Bhum Jai Thai defacto leader Newin Chidchob's father-in-law in Chiang Mai province. This is the second attack on the building. No injuries were reported.

-- Tan Network 2010-09-12

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Royal Dutch Embassy Bangkok Under Investigation

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Thai Attitude To Foreign Labor Needs Urgent Fix

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[george]

Security Tightened as Red Shirt Rallies Return to Bangkok

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Violent Pattaya Stabbing Attack Fuelled by Illegal Thai Whiskey

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PHUKET OPINION: New market a boon for Old Phuket

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Body of male British tourist, 54, found in Phuket bungalow; police believe man dead for 3 days with congenital disease as no wounds found /MCOT

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Landslide triggered by heavy rain destroys 100 meter stretch of road in Chiang Rai's Mae Suai district; area declared disaster zone /MCOT

[Maestro]

to be continued

Thailand Live Monday 13 September 2010

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