Thailand Live Saturday 2 Oct 2010

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Thailand Live Saturday 2 October 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 Friday 1 October 2010

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Chiang Mai to host Great Food Good Health Expo this October

CHIANG MAI (NNT) -- Chiang Mai province announces its readiness to host the Great Food Good Health Expo between 6-12 October in order to promote awareness and concerns about healthy life style among the public.

Mr Tassanai Buranupakorn, Chiang Mai Mayor, together with related organizations today held a press conference to announce the province’s readiness to host the Great Food Good Health Expo between 6-12 October 2010 to promote awareness and concerns about healthy lifestyle among the public.

The public will be provided information on proper consumption of good healthy food and encouraged to consume alcohol- free food. The expo will have more than 160 organic food stalls, performances and activities on a stage, games and quizzes and beauty pageant contest.

The expo will be held at Ta Phae gates, Mueng district.

-- NNT 2010-10-02

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NTC to continue telecommunications and communications system despite temporary postponement of 3G license auction

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The National Telecommunications Commission affirms on Friday to go ahead with the nation’s telecommunications and communications system despite the postponement of 3G license auction.

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has today expressed its commitment to develop the nation’s telecommunications and communications system even though the 3G license auction has been temporarily postponed.

The commission also commented on the Supreme Administrative Court ’s ruling to have such an action temporarily ceased and have the Constitutional Court interpret the roles and responsibilities of the commission, that they would let every decision to be made in accordance to the nation’s legal system.

-- NNT 2010-10-02

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Ranong is concerned over H1N1 outbreak from students returning back from BKK

RANONG (NNT) -- Ranong’s Public Health office is concerned over the outbreak of H1N1 from Ranong students returning back from Bangkok during the school holidays.

MD Thongchai Keeratihattayakong, Ranong Public Health doctor, has expressed his concern today over the possible outbreak of H1N1 in the province from students returning back from the capital. He stated that during school holidays, students usually went to Bangkok to attend tutorial schools.

MD Thongchai also added that there has not been any reports of Ranong residents infected with the flu during the past 2 months, however, the outbreak was possible from this group of students.

-- NNT 2010-10-02

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Police Hunt Down Arms Theft Suspects

A suspect involved in the arms theft from a Lop Buri arms depot has confessed to being part of a larger gang with political affiliation.

Police believe two other suspects are still at large.

Muang Lop Buri police have detained Thaworn Rakbun, a suspect wanted for his connection to the arms theft from a Lop Buri arsenal last month.

Fearing for his life, Thaworn decided to turn himself over to investigators yesterday after enduring strenuous pressure from police and fellow arrested accomplices.

The suspect was extremely nervous during the interrogation.

Nonetheless, he has provided vital information to the ongoing investigation.

Thaworn admitted he belongs to a larger arms theft ring that is politically affiliated.

Police are continuing to gather evidence in order to obtain arrest warrants for two other suspects who remain at large.

Thaworn has been escorted to a botanical garden in Saraburi's Pu Kae district in order to conduct a re-enactment of the crime after police recovered 13 stolen rocket-propelled grenades hidden in a nearby area on September 29.

Police said 10 other stolen rockets are still missing.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-02

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Over 100 flu patients in medical treatment at Myanmar border camps

MAE HONG SON: -- Over 100 refugees with symptoms of common flu -- influenza -- are receiving inpatient medical treatment in the nursing sections of two refugee camps in the northern province of Mae Hong Son.

The camps comprise refugees who fled Myanmar when the Karen military headquarters at Manerplaw was overrun by the Burmese army in 1995, although the majority of camp residents are under age 15 and have never been outside Thailand.

Sop Moei acting district chief Maj Yutthana Chaodupree said the medical NGO Malteser International (MI) which gives medical and other services to Mae La Ma Luang and Mae La Oon camps reported that 1,103 patients at Mae La Oon temporary shelter sought medical treatment from September 19 to 25, and 74 stayed in the nursing quarters of the camp.

Meanwhile, Malteser International reported 633 patients at Mae Ra Ma Luang camp, of which 36 remained under treatment at the nursing station.

Maj Yutthana said no fatalities were reported and that MI collected samples of three patients for lab tests which are expected to be known in two weeks.

Sop Moei district authorities informed government and private agencies concerned in the two areas including the district’s public health office to help contain the disease.

He said he believed that the situation will gradually improve and that infections will drop.

The two camps were closed Wednesday for 15 days as a quarantine measure to present infections from spreading.

The NGO umbrella organization Burma Border Consortium confirmed the outbreak of influenza in Mae Ra La Luang which happens sometimes "due to the cramped conditions in camps. However there are no confirmed cases to date of either swine or bird flu," according to the agency.

Both the health NGO MI and Thailand's Ministry of Public Health are checking the situation and conducting tests. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-10-02

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China's Hainan Airlines launches Beijing-Bangkok route

BANGKOK: -- China's Hainan Airlines has opened a new route, from Beijing to Bangkok, offering services four days a week.

The airline's Bangkok manager, Tang Wei, said the flight operates Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday so that travellers from Beijing and surrounding areas have more options to fly when travelling to Thailand. The airline also provides facilities and services to Thai tourists and businessmen.

According to Hainan Airlines, a number of Chinese travellers like to visit Thailand during their summer, as travel expenses are not different than going to domestic resort destinations in China. Travelling to Thailand also enables Chinese holidaymakers to make photos of another culture and share them with relatives and friends via social networking sites on the internet.

Concerning the political situation in Thailand, the airline manager said he is confident regarding the safety of tourists and business visitors to the country, including Bangkok. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-10-02

[george]

British Embassy warns of detention for overstayers exceeding 42 days

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Men in black block carparks in Suvarnabhumi

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Zone 2 Parking Lot At Suvarnabhumi Airport Closed Off By Armed Men

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Malaria remains a threat in border areas: WHO

By The Nation

Border areas between Cambodia and Thailand have been free of the threat of war for years but remain home to another deadly foe - malaria, a disease that badly needs effective measures and cooperation from countries in the region to control, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a report this week.

The situation on the other side of Thailand - on the border with Burma - may be even worse than that along Thailand's border with Cambodia..

"We have to be more aggressive against the deadly plasmodium falciparum parasite, develop new interventions, improve and encourage human resources' engagement, come up with new therapies, and secure the best drugs," said Dr Charles Delacollette, coordinator of the WHO's mekong Malaria Programme.

"Winning the war against this parasite is a challenge," said the physician, who coordinates efforts against malaria and other tropical diseases in Burma, Cambodia, southern China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

It was along the ThaiCambodian border about three years ago that the P falciparum parasite was found to have developed resistance to artesunate. This raised strong concerns that renewed efforts to eradicate malaria globally could be imperilled - just as resistant parasites spread after the use of chloroquine and sulfadoxinepyrimethamine as firstline malaria treatments.

There were fears that a disastrous situation for malaria control in the mekong region and the rest of Asia and, thereafter, in Africa had emerged.

Countries in the region have improved their respective health systems to control the disease, Delacollette said.

Cambodia is making dramatic progress. As of midSeptember, there were only two cases of falciparum malaria among 5,686 people screened in 16 villages in Pailin province, which previously were the most affected in the border area, according to a joint press statement of the WHO, the Bureau of Vector Borne Diseases and the Thai Ministry of Health.

In the adjacent area in Thailand - Soi Dao and Pong Nam Ron districts of Chanthaburi province - there was asimilar trend, with incidence of falciparum malaria dropping from 16 cases in 2008, the year the crossborder project kicked in, to seven in 2009.

However, the nationwide situation of Thailand has shown no such progress. From January 3 to April 24, there were 35,993 Thai malaria patients, an increase of 13.57 per cent on the same period last year. For nonThai patients, the figure was 3,771, an increase of 4.92 per cent, according to the Bureau of Vector Borne Diseases' website.

A huge number of migrant workers, mostly from Burma, cross the border to work in Thailand. The WHO did not provide a report on the malaria situation on ThaiBurmese border areas in its recent press release on the disease.

-- The Nation 2010-10-02

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Map Ta Phut Rally ends after protesters offered to meet PM Abhisit

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Bangkokians quite unhappy

By The Nation

The gross domestic happiness (GDH) in Thailand has dropped slightly, with Bangkok residents being the least happy, a recent survey showed.

The capital's GDH index stood at just 5.82 out of a maximum of 10. On a nationwide scale, the GDH index has fallen from 6.77 in July to 6.57 at present.

Dr Noppadon Kannika, who heads the Assumption University's Academic Network for Community Happiness Observation and Research, revealed the survey's results yesterday.

The survey covered 5,096 people in 28 provinces.

Noppadon said people in the North were found to be the happiest, with their GDH index at 7.14, and those in the South came in second with 6.94.

People in the Central region were found less contented with a GDH index of 6.42, while those in the Northeast scored just 6.41 on the GDH graph.

Noppadon said political and economic problems, and social injustices, had taken their toll on happiness.

"Almost everybody said that His Majesty the King and their family made them the happiest," he said.

-- The Nation 2010-10-02

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Fear of flu virus keeps Lampang school closed

By The Nation

A school in Lampang province is going to stay closed until October 10 to avoid an outbreak of typeA (H1N1) influenza.

Of the 100 or so students in Ban Muang Teung School, some 30 of them developed flulike symptoms recently and at least one was confirmed to have caught the typeA (H1N1) virus.

"We are now cleaning our school and equipment to prevent an outbreak," school director Pongdej Kawong said yesterday.

According to the Lampang Public Health Office, the virus has already infected 242 people in this northern province. "Most of them are between five and 14 years old," senior official Dr Chinoros Leesawas said.

-- The Nation 2010-10-02

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MERCHANT OF DEATH

Court to rule on Bout's extradition case Monday

By The Nation

On Monday, the Criminal Court will rule on how to proceed with the embezzlement and money-laundering cases against suspected arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Washington decided to withdraw charges on these cases after the Court of Appeals ruled that Bout should be extradited to face armstrafficking charges in the US.

A source revealed yesterday that if the embezzlement/moneylaundering cases were not dropped, Bout would have to spend at least another year or two in Thailand pending court trials.

Bout, a Russian, has fought against the US withdrawing the charges against him. Arrested in Bangkok in 2008, his case has been a major issue for the US and Russia. While the US wants to have Bout extradited to its soil and charged, Russia wants him back home.

-- The Nation 2010-10-02

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Sanan calls in sincerity so reconciliation can be successful

By The Nation

Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart, the self-styled facilitator of reconciliation, yesterday called on political parties to be sincere about reconciling.

"All the sides must abandon their desires and conditions. There must be no pre-conditions for reconciliation talks. If their hearts are for reconciliation, success is certain in the near future," he said.

"I am not painting a rosy picture. If conflict continues, there will be more killings and you can forget about reconciliation."

Sanan, who is chief adviser to coalition partner Chart Thai Pattana Party, has also called for a humanitarian way of dealing with the conflict.

"We have to stick to the humanitarian principle. Governments should compensate for the loss of lives, injuries and disabilities. If we don't think about compensation, that's not humanitarian. To make people forgive and forget, you must compensate them properly," he said.

The veteran politician said this as part of a lecture on political development and election organised by the Election Commission.

Sanan, who was given the rank of major general before he retired, personally benefited from amnesty given to soldiers and civilians involved in a failed coup attempt in March 1977.

He said he had told red-shirt leaders, who are in remand on charges of terrorism and inciting unrest, that they would not be detained for life.

"I was in the same position when I was sentenced to life [for treason], but was released after eight months and eight days. I have told the red-shirt leaders that nobody is imprisoned for life unless they are drug offenders," Sanan said.

He quoted Nelson Mandela as saying that one must speak from the heart, not just the head, adding that the South African hero managed to overcome his physical and mental pain caused by 27 years in detention during apartheid.

Sanan said the success of his efforts to facilitate reconciliation depended on each and every Thai, and reiterated that he was not doing this for his own benefit or political advancement.

"If I succeed, I will wash my hands of politics and go back to being ordinary Sanan," he said.

Meanwhile, course participant Samran Rodpetch, spokesman for the yellow shirts' New Politics Party, asked Sanan if he would meet fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra especially since the former leader is a key supporter of the red shirts and an "important actor in this reconciliation game".

Sanan responded with the joke that he might first have to seek permission from former senator Chirmsak Pinthong, a yellowshirt supporter who demanded that Sanan resign as deputy PM before meeting Thaksin.

-- The Nation 2010-10-02

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Thai defense minister Prawit to take over as CRES chief

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Thai Govt House compound to be 'adjusted' again

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Trouble in the Golden Triangle

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HM the King visits Queen, in hospital for checkup

By The Nation

His Majesty the King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, visited HM Queen Sirikit at Chulalongkorn Hospital yesterday evening.

On the advice of a medical team, Her Majesty was admitted to the hospital late on Thursday for a comprehensive checkup.

His Majesty, meanwhile, has been receiving treatment at Siriraj Hospital for a year.

To visit the Queen, His Majesty came down from his room on the 16th floor of a Siriraj Hospital building in a wheelchair and then left in a royal motorcade.

His niece, Thanpuying Dhasanawalaya Sornsongkram, accompanied him.

The muchrevered monarch wore a paleblue shirt, a blue suit jacket, and a pair of grey trousers. He held a camera in his hands. His loyal subjects waited to see him off from Siriraj.

The King and his niece reached Chulalongkorn Hospital at 5.15pm.

The hospital's director, Dr Adisorn Pattaradul, Crown Property Bureau director Dr Chirayu Isarangkun na Ayuthaya, His Majesty's principal private secretary Arsa Sarasin and his wife, Army chief Prayuth Chanocha, and many others waited to greet him and his niece upon their arrival.

His Majesty then proceeded to the 20th floor of the Sirikit Building to visit the Queen.

HRH Chulabhorn Valayalaksana and HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn also showed up at the hospital to visit their mother.

Metal detectors have been installed at the entrance to the building. Police and Special Branch officers have also been on duty to boost security there.

-- The Nation 2010-10-02

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Thailand's Queen Admitted To Hospital In Bangkok

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Bomb explosion late last knight at Krung Thai bank (Pratunam branch) on Petchaburi Road. No injuries reported. /via @RichardBarrow:

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Thai Film Wins Best Actor Award and Honorable Mention at US Film Festival

Byron Bishop

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Bombs Thrown at Rooftop of Building in Petchaburi

Two bombs have reported been thrown at a rooftop of a building in Soi Petchaburi 32. Police's preliminary inspection of the crime scene and evidence have ruled that the bombs were RGD. They have not ruled out that the attack was aimed at stirring up chaos in the capital. This is the 11th bombing incident that has occurred in Bangkok and nearby vicinities since Sept.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-02

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Bomb explodes on rooftop of food shop near Krung Thai Bank, Pratunam; no injuries reported /MCOT

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Phuket Gazette goes National

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Explosion At Pratunam

Member Pictures

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Two grenades lobbed at rooftop of famous Pratunam foods shop

Two grenades were lobbed at the rooftop of the Khao Mun Kai Ton Pratunam late Friday night.

No one was injured as a bomb detonated before it reached the rooftop while the other failed to detonate.

The attack happened at 11:30 pm.

Police evacuated residents from the shop-house building before bomb disposal experts disposed the bomb by detonating it inside rubber tyres.

Police also took notes of names of all residents in nearby buildings as the grenades were believed to have been thrown down from one of the buildings.

-- The Nation 2010-10-02

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PM will extend emergency decree in Bangkok and three adjacent provinces, meeting police chief this afternoon /MCOT

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PM will extend emergency decree in Bangkok and three adjacent provinces, meeting police chief this afternoon;

Deputy PM Suthep will oversee security during PM's attendance at ASEM meeting in Belgium

-- TNA 2010-10-02

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Phuket agency helps Burmese workers go legit

Mr Thanadech's company guides Burmese workers

through the registration process.

The office is located on Thepkrasattri Road

southbound in Rassada, near Super Cheap.

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Phuket launches oil-recycling drive

Water quality in Chalong Bay has improved since the

drums were introduced a month ago, the PPAO says.

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