Thailand Live Tuesday 5 Oct 2010

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Thailand Live Tuesday 5 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 Monday 4 October 2010

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More than 7 millions Thais have Osteoarthritis problems

BANGKOK (NNT) -- 7 Million Thais have osteoarthritis and osteoporosis, mainly found in the elderly and other risk groups. People suffering from the two ailments are advised to eat more fruit and vegetables, get some morning sunlight, and take vitamin c and d supplement to prevent the problems.

Under the patronage of her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Osteoarthritis foundation,a seminar on the topic of “New decade of Osteoarthritis cure” is held annually on October 12, which happens to be an International Osteoarthritis day. the seminar is held to urge people from all walks of life to be aware of the real danger of Osteoarthritis and to keep it at bay. The event is usually attended by hundreds of the elderly.

According to Chairman of the foundation MD Thumrongrat Kaewkaj, Osteoarthritis is mostly found in people over 45 years of age. Recent researches disclosed that over 7 million Thais suffered from the disease thanks to their longer life span. Even though the disease does not lead to death, if left untreated for a long time, it could cause a lot of pain and lead to disability.

As for the cause of Osteoarthritis, it is caused by different sitting postures. Certain types of sports can also cause osteoarthritis. To prevent the disease, one must watch his weight and eat more fruit and vegetables. Get more sunlight in the morning can also help as it gives the body the much-needed vitamin d.

-- NNT 2010-10-05

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Tourism and Sports Minister assures Thailand’s strength in the sector

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Minister of Tourism and Sports Chumpol Silapa-archa has asserted that the country’s tourism sector will gradually return to normal after being hard hit by the political turmoil last May.

Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa said during the celebration of the 8th year anniversary of the Ministry that the ministry has been working in cooperation with several other agencies to ensure progress for the tourism and sports industry.

He further revealed that Thailand’s tourism sector had been severely affected by the political crisis earlier this year; resulting in a sharp drop of tourists. However, a positive sign of recovery was apparent during the third quarter, as, according to a recent survey, the number of hotel reservations and tourist attraction’s bookings have gone up.

The ministry also confirmed that at least 14 million holidaymakers would visit Thailand this year, bringing approximately US$600 billion to the country. If the situation remains calm and no violence occurs, Thailand's tourism sector would certainly make a comeback.

-- NNT 2010-10-05

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Alternative Energy Pilot Project

BANGKOK (NNT) -- In a bid to improve biomass products for alternative use, the Ministry of Energy and the National Innovation Agency will give financial supports to industrial sectors.

The Office of Energy Policy and Planning (EPPO) have joined hands with the National Innovation Agency launching a pilot project on alternative energy improvement from Biomass. The project will start from a small local scale by focusing on ‘Gasification Technology' ,a process which converts Biomass to Fuel Synthesis’.

This alternative energy can replace the fuel presently used in the industrial sectors, and substitute for the liquid natural gas for household use. If things go as planned, a small-scale Biomass power plant could be constructed for community use.

In addition, the National Innovation Agency will earmark 46 million baht to subsidize, for a period of one year, entrepreneurs interested in being part of the alternative energy improvement program

-- NNT 2010-10-05

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Chiang Rai sinkhole 'stable' after destroying 8 homes

By Varataya Chailangka,

Janjira Pongrai

The Nation

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NHSO to seek Bt9-bn so state doctors can get pay raise

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

The National Health Security Office (NHSO) will ask the Budget Bureau for Bt9 billion so state doctors can be given a pay raise, NHSO secretary-general Dr Winai Sawasdivorn said.

The move is intended to ease the state hospitals' financial crisis.

Owing to limited budgets, many state hospitals find it difficult to pay reasonable wages to doctors, to develop infrastructure or buy new equipment.

The starting monthly salary for a doctor at a state hospital is Bt9,800, but including special allowances they make about Bt18,000 a month, not including overtime. Their salary rises in tandem with the number of years put in.

"The government should understand that doctors at state hospitals have a huge workload," Winai said yesterday.

He added that as told by the Cabinet, Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankhiri held discussions with NHSO, the Budget Bureau, Office of the Civil Service Commission and the Public Health Ministry to find ways to help state hospitals cope with financial problems. Eventually, he said, all sides resolved that state doctors should be given a pay raise.

Winai said he had previously asked the Budget Bureau to add Bt4 billion to the per-capita healthcare coverage so hospitals would have enough money to give state doctors reasonable salaries, but the bureau disagreed.

Last year, former public health minister Chalerm Yoobamrung asked the Cabinet to allocate Bt2.8 billion to increase doctors' salaries in rural hospitals, but Winai said this proposal had still not been approved. He added that rural hospitals had to seek funds from other sources to cover doctors' salaries.

"If the government can allocate a budget for the salaries of doctors, then this would not affect the per capita healthcare coverage budget," he said.

Winai added that the NHSO was planning to put aside Bt23 billion to help hospitals and healthcare units facing financial crisis this month.

He said the hospitals' lack of funds stemmed partly from ineffective budget management because money for the hospitals came from several different sources including the Social Security Fund and Medical Benefit Scheme for Civil Servants.

-- The Nation 2010-10-05

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Floods trap tourists, disrupt road and rail transport

By The Nation

Floods stranded more than 40 tourists at several resorts in Ratchaburi's Suan Phung district after bridges to other areas were damaged.

Soldiers and local villagers were trying to build a temporary bridge late yesterday before sending vehicle-loads of food to villagers and the stranded tourists. Officials were also considering dispatching flat-bottomed boats to bring the tourists out.

Flooding has ravaged many parts of Ratchaburi causing damage to farms and upsetting the lives of locals.

Ratchaburi Governor Suthep Komonpamorn has already declared Chom Bung district and Ratchaburi town as disaster-hit zones because of serious flood damage. People were advised to move their belongings to higher ground, as the flood risk continues.

The situation was serious also in Kanchanaburi with train services suspended as rail-lines were submerged by floodwater.

Many roads in the town were also flooded, causing traffic disruption. Residents described the ongoing flood as the worst in 15 years. Kanchanaburi's new Governor Nattapon Wihien-prerd ordered officials to survey flood damage in all districts.

Meanwhile, six districts in Phetchaburi were also declared disaster-hit zones as floods seriously damaged houses, farms and properties. They are Tha Yang, Kaeng Krachan, Ban Lad, Khao Yoi, Phetchaburi town and Ban Laem districts.

Phetkasem Road, which leads to Bangkok, was also flooded.

Several elephants at the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) Rescue Centre near Kaeng Krachan were moved to higher forest areas after a nearby lake overflowed and flooded the centre. Volunteers were monitoring the situation to ensure all animals were unharmed. Centre boss Edwin Wiek estimated damage at about Bt300,000.

Phetchaburi deputy mayor Pollayut Angkinan led a team giving out sandbags so people in the town could build temporary embankments if necessary. Medicine was also handed out to people hit by the floods.

In Tambon Talaeng, soldiers helped more than 200 families move livestock and belongings to higher ground. In worst-hit spots, the floodwater reached the level of house roofs.

-- The Nation 2010-10-05

Related topic:

Thailand Flood Update - More Than 30 Tourists Stranded

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Floating market crash sinks 20 boats

By The Nation

Wat Tha Ka Rong's floating market in Ayutthaya's Muang district has been closed for repair after a rice tugboat crashed into a market raft, sinking 20 merchant boats and slightly injuring three people on Sunday .

Abbot Phrakru Sutthipanyasopon has workers repairing the rafts around hardest-hit pier area while 10 merchant boats have been retrieved from the riverbed. Several others are missing and are feared to have been swept away.

The 100m-long market raft that can support 200 persons was safe, the abbot confirmed, saying most of the people standing on the raft managed to escape, with only a few sustaining bruises. Damages were being assessed and the floating market will be closed until repairs are complete.

Police have filed charges of reckless driving, causing injuries and property damage, and are interviewing witnesses.

-- The Nation 2010-10-05

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Customs intercept large drug hauls at airport

By The Nation

An Iranian man was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday allegedly smuggling 2,650 grams of "ice"- crystal methamphetamine hydrochloride - worth Bt9 million into Thailand, Customs Department chief Prasong Poonthanes said yesterday.

Following a tip-off that an Iranian passenger would smuggle drugs through the airport, customs officials apprehended Gholamhassan Bakhshandehpalangsaraei, 41, who arrived from Dubai yesterday morning. They claim to have found the ice in the bottom compartment of his bag.

Officials said the suspect confessed he was hired to transport ice from Syria to Thailand for the promise of US$1,000 and a job so he could save money before returning to Iran. He was then charged with smuggling the drug into Thailand with intention to sell.

In another separate drug bust, customs officials at the airport checked incoming cargo last Friday and found a package - labelled for the Customs Department as 1.7kg rubber tiles from Korea - to be 9,648,000 of white flu medication tablets worth Bt4.8 million.

Officials suspect the drug would have been used to produce ice or yaba because its ingredients included pseudoephedrine, a chemical precursor in the illicit manufacture of methamphetamine, Prasong said.

-- The Nation 2010-10-05

Related topic:

Iranian Detained At Suvarnabhumi Airport With 'ice' Worth US$300,000

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Malpractice network to stage big rally today

By Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul

The Nation

The Network of Medical Malpractice Victims and its allies will stage a big rally today outside Government House and Parliament. About 3,000 people are expected to join the demonstration.

"We will ask Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit to honour his promise about the Medical Malpractice Victim Protection Bill," the network's chairwoman Preeyanan Lorsermwattana said yesterday.

According to her, Jurin assured the network on February 15 that he would fully support the legislation of this bill, but no significant progress has been made since.

"There have been cases of medical malpractice and we want an official system to help the victims," Preeyanan said. "There aren't so many victims."

The bill has not been able to progress very much because of stiff opposition from medical workers. In fact, their opposition has been so strong that the Public Health Ministry has had to appoint a panel to mediate.

Jurin said the Network of Medical Malpractice Victims had the right to stage a rally, but he would prefer to see the network bring up its points with the panel.

Led by Public Health Ministry permanent-secretary, Dr Paijit Warachit, the panel will meet on October 12 in the hope that the matter can be concluded.

The Federation of Healthcare Workforce of Thailand, which has been opposing the bill, yesterday urged the National Health Security Office to accept medical malpractice complaints at the rally today.

"We would like to know the exact number of victims and the compensation they should be entitled to," the federation's deputy chairwoman Dr Orapan Methadilokkul said.

-- The Nation 2010-10-05

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Border police team blamed for drug dealer's escape

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Southern holistic programmes do more than just treat illness

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MERCHANT OF DEATH

Court rules today on Bout extradition

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ASSASSINATION PLOT?

11 arrested fighters cooperating

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NEWIN'S BIRTHDAY

Newin hints at Thaksin's role in assassination attempts

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DEMOCRAT DISSOLUTION TRIAL

DSI chief discredits previous probe into Democrat case

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Pheu Thai backs off reconciliation meeting with PM

By The Nation

The opposition Pheu Thai Party will not send its MPs to meet with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to discuss reconciliation, deputy leader Plodprasop Suraswadi said yesterday.

He said the party would instead submit its open letter to the prime minister as it found "no need" for its MPs to meet in person with Abhisit.

The about-turn took place after a Pheu Thai meeting regarding Plodprasop's proposal for reconciliation, which earlier requested that 20 MPs representing Pheu Thai meet with the prime minister.

Plodprasop yesterday said the opposition party still insisted that "only reconciliation will solve the country's problems". The party also called on the prime minister to take responsibility and ensure compensation for people affected by the recent political violence.

When asked why Pheu Thai would send no representatives to meet with the PM, Plodprasop replied that party MPs agreed the government should "play the host" in the reconciliation efforts and that Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart was already campaigning for reconciliation.

Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan said yesterday that party MPs should care about possible dissatisfaction by relatives of those killed and injured during the recent political unrest. He said the MPs "had no reason" to meet with the prime minister, who was accused of ordering the killings of protesters. He called for a meeting through a mediator, who could be anyone including Sanan. "There is no need to rush to meet with Abhisit," he said.

Jatuporn, a leader of the red shirts, led the anti-government protests in April and May that resulted in riots in Bangkok and arson attacks on many city buildings and other provinces.

-- The Nation 2010-10-05

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DEMOCRAT DISSOLUTION CASE

EC case against Democrat Party very suspect: Banyat

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EDITORIAL

Grass-roots action has power to stem rampant graft in Thailand

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BURNING ISSUE

Thailand: Plenty going on behind the scenes

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Bomb explosion on a female Vet doctor's car at Thonglor Vet hospital in Bang Plad late last night. No injured. /TR @Neaw_NBC /via @tukky_nt

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Piracy cases and arrests summarized

BANGKOK (NNT) -- During the first nine months of this year the Ministry of Commerce and the Royal Thai Police were able to arrest more than 26,000 cases of piracy and to collect 3 million pieces of evidence of piracy products all over the country.

Mr. Alongkorn Ponlaboot, Deputy Minister of Commerce revealed that the ministry had cooperated with the national police to prevent piracy and stop intellectual property infringement all over the country. In the last 9 months there have been 2,635 cases of piracy with more than 3 million pieces of evidence collected.

As for the results of the arrest at 8 important spots in Bangkok such as, Klong Thom, Saphan Lek and Panthip Plaze during 1 July to 30 September, there were 418 cases and more than 1 million pieces of evidence collected, including clothes, jewelry, VCDs and seasoning products.

-- NNT 2010-10-05

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Thailand's Workpoint Entertainment "Talok Hok Chak'' sitcom nominated for TV comedy category of International Emmy awards; winners to be announced Nov 22 /MCOT

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More 2009 Flu Pandemic (H1N1) cases reported in Thailand

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Public Health Ministry urges people in an at-risk group of 2009 H1N1 Influenza to urgently receive vaccine against three influenza viruses, after 2 more deaths are reported from the group.

Mr Jurin Laksanawisit, Public Health Minister stated that the spread of 2009 flu pandemic in Thailand still remained critical, as last week’s report found two more deaths from an at-risk group. These two patients were supposed to be given the vaccine; however they failed to receive it in time.

According to the report, the first case is a patient who weighs 120 kilograms from Ayutthaya province and the second case a pulmonary emphysema patient from Nakhon Sawan. Both of them were listed in at-risk groups without sufficient immunity against the virus.

Public Health Ministry urges people in the at-risk group such as children under 3 years, patients with chronic disease, overweight and elderly person to immediately get vaccinated. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization has produced over 200 thousands doses of H1N1 vaccines against 3 immunological types in order to reach every person at risk nationwide.

The Public Health Ministry will keep stepping up measures in areas where spread of the virus has been reported. It has also asked the public not to panic but to adopt sanitary habits such as frequent hand washing and use of serving spoons.

-- NNT 2010-10-05

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PM Abhisit, attending ASEM in Brussels, plans to meet with his Russian counterpart to discuss outstanding rice debt, case of alleged arms dealer Viktor Bout /MCOT

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UPDATE

Berry Pickers Received by Minister

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Thai stock index opens on Tuesday at 967.71, up 3.49 points /MCOT

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Lao PDR's Pakse Airport ready for service

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SET chief sees foreign capital flow into Thailand at normal level

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Five flood-hit districts of Ratchaburi, provincial seat, Pak Tho, Chom Bung, Suan Phung and Ban Kha, declared disaster areas /MCOT