Thailand Live Wednesday 6 Oct 2010

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Thailand Live Wednesday 6 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 Tuesday 5 October 2010

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Red Freedom Fighters Investigation

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The military is conducting an investigation into activities of the red freedom fighters nabbed by the authorities for weapon training along the Thai-Burmese border in Tak Province.

Mae-sod Chief-of-staff staff of special unit region 4 , Colonel Prasan Saengsirirak said that he had sent officers to inspect the area said to have been a training site, but found no suspicious movements. He, however, ordered troops to set up check points in front of Mae-sod district in order to step up security measures.

Burma has also set up check points in the area.

-- NNT 2010-10-06

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BAAC extends debt repayment period for flood-hit farmers

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) has extended debt payment period for farmers affected by floods.

BAAC Manager Lak Watchananawat explained that the bank would give a one year grace period for debtors who were affected by floods, and three year grace period for those whose incomes had reduced by over 50 percent.

The bank has assigned its officials to inspect damages caused by floods and to give immediate assistance. As for the policy to tackle non performing loans (NPLs), the BAAC announced that any debts before 30 June 2010 could be repaid with 3 percent interest within 31 March 2011. Customers can ask for more loans after repaying debts.

In addition, the BAAC also prepare emergency funds for quick loans worth 50,000 baht each with 6.75 percent interest. This is meant to help reduce informal debt problems.

-- NNT 2010-10-06

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Crackdown on illegal hotels, guesthouses

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[george]

Chiang Mai pleads for help as tourist 'high season' seem very slow

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MERCHANT OF DEATH

Court ruling may speed up Bout's extradition to US

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BORDER DISPUTE

Thailand and Cambodia to meet on border again in Hanoi : PM

Brussels - Thailand and Cambodia will hold talks on border dispute on the sidelines of the Hanoi Summit late this month, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Tuesday.

The Thai premier said he had discussed with Hun Sen about the unsettled border dispute. The two countries would prepare information related to the conflicts and would hold talks again when they meet on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Hanoi between October 28 and 30.

Abhisit was speaking after meeting his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) summit, currently being held in Brussels until October 5.

"The framework to tackle the problem is in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Thailand and Cambodia on demarcation for land boundary 2000. We must look back to the intention (in the MoU)", State-run Thai News Agency quoted Abhisit as saying.

The talks (in Brussels) is a good thing and frequent talks will help prevent misunderstanding that could lead to a possible clash which no one want to see, Abhisit said.

He noted that the bilateral relations now are gradually improving as the heads of both governments could hold talks and put efforts to drive concerned agencies to foster healthy relations which is considered a positive sign.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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MALPRACTICE BILL

Doctors threaten 'defensive' medicine

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Anger grows over malpractice bill

Doctors at state-owned general hospitals around the country threatened yesterday to resort to "defensive" medicine if the government pushes forward the draft bill on protection for victims of medical malpractice.

"Defensive" medicine means doctors will treat far fewer patients, down from more than 100 to about 30 per doctor per day.

In addition, Association of General and Central Hospitals president Dr Pojjana Konggern, representing the doctors, said some of them could feel the need to stop working for a while to protect their rights.

The threats followed a rally at Government House by members of the Network of Patients and their allies urging the government to move the medical malpractice bill to the top of the House of Representatives' agenda so it can be considered before the end of this parliamentary session on November 1.

"I have been working as a doctor my whole life and I will retire next year. I have never been sued by a patient. So I will do everything to protect my dignity and rights that could be damaged by this bill," Pojjana said.

There is now an atmosphere of growing distrust between doctors and proponents of the medical malpractice bill.

Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Paijit Warachit is expected to organise a new meeting soon in an effort to strike a compromise after doctors' representatives walked out of a meeting last week.

Pojjana said the association would join the next round of talks on October 12 next Tuesday and there would be no walkout.

However, if there is no resolution from a new round of mediation and the government insists on going ahead with the bill, doctors at state hospitals would reduce their workload to protect themselves. As well, general hospitals will transfer more patients to other specialised hospitals, such as medical-school hospitals, which have a higher capacity for treating complicated ailments, she said.

Meanwhile, Medical Council secretary-general Dr Samphan Khomrit said doctors could air their opinions as long as this did not affect patients, especially those in critical and emergency conditions.

"Actually, doctors cannot leave or abandon patients. We should think about our spiritual obligations, more than our rights," he said.

However, Samphan urged both sides to find the best solution that benefited patients.

The director of Ubon Ratchathani Hospital, Dr Manus Kanoksilp, said that even though he opposed the bill, he and other medical workers at the hospital would not stop providing medical services to patients.

"We have the right to express our opinions, but providing treatment and saving patients' lives is still our responsibility," he said.

A leading supporter of the medical malpractice bill, Saree Ongsomwang, said doctors and hospitals had failed to work with the bill's proponents to resolve their differences and move forward.

According to Saree, differences remain in terms of the parameters of protection for victims, the structure of a compensation fund committee, the participation of private hospitals and the committee's jurisdiction.

In a related development, the Public Health Ministry yesterday set up a committee to investigate the alleged wrongdoing of a pharmacist at Pranarai Maharaj Hospital in Lop Buri.

The pharmacist reportedly prescribed a diabetes drug to the wrong patient, causing low blood sugar and unconsciousness. The victim had to be admitted to an intensive-care unit.

Ministry spokesman Suphan Srithamma said the hospital had accepted that the error had been caused by its staff, and was continuing to provide treatment to patients. Moreover, the hospital will improve its drug-prescription system to prevent similar errors in the future.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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Suvarnabhumi Airport blamed for Bangkok flood woes

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Rungson vows to cut healthcare costs

By The Nation

Newly appointed Comptroller-General Rungson Sriworasat promised yesterday to control the increasing cost of healthcare spending on state officials and their families.

There are two options to solve the issue, he said - one is to set up a fund dealing directly with the healthcare system for state officials; and the other is to buy coverage from life-insurance firms.

The new system is expected to cap the healthcare budget at about Bt60 billion annually. This item has increased every year and eaten into government capital spending, Rungson said.

The government has planned to cap spending at about 60 per cent of annual expenditure - from about 80 per cent currently - to save more for capital spending.

In addition, the Comptroller-General's Department has started to impose some measures, such as limited medicine lists, designed to prevent medical scamming by officials.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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UPDATE

Terror In Suburbs

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Thai Health defends its spending

By Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul

The Nation

A senior official of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation has spoken out in the agency's defence after plans for an official review of its spending.

The vice president of the foundation's board, Wichai Chokewiwat, said yesterday that the agency's spending was among Thailand's most effective and most transparent.

He said 99 per cent of the agency's Bt3-billion-per-year budget was spent on projects and only 1 per cent went on administrative expenses.

The agency has intensive internal and external auditing, it has a Finance Ministry representative on its board, its books are audited by the Office of Auditor-General and it has an obligation to submit annual balance sheets to the government and Parliament, he said.

Wichai was commenting on a plan by the Comptroller-General's Department to inspect the agency's budget spending after news that the agency had a lot of funds remaining.

He said ThaiHealth's budget came from a 2-per-cent increase in tax on cigarettes and alcohol. It was intended to fund health-promotion activities. This "off-central budget" money has nothing to do with the tax revenue the government uses to run the country, he said.

Although it is a lot of money, the agency spends most of it on projects through alliance networks and 1 per cent on its administrative expenses.

The agency has about 100 officials, he said.

ThaiHealth has undertaken 3,000 projects that not only promoted good health but encouraged good social conditions and the "volunteer spirit". They were of various sizes, with budgets ranging from several thousand to 1 million baht.

Wichai said the results of the projects had been very worthwhile. An anti-drunk-driving campaign had helped to lower the number of road accidents and casualties and an anti-smoking campaign had helped to reduce the number of people suffering illnesses caused by smoking.

He said that since 99 per cent of the foundation's annual budget had gone to projects, there wasn't a lot of it left. Project managers were required to spend funds in a worthy manner and to return unspent money to the agency.

Wichai said the agency's accumulated funds now stood at Bt3.4 billion, but this was earmarked for projects that needed continuous funding and they hadn't yet withdrawn the money. This is not "leftover money" that the agency has put in some banks to gather interest, as many people seem to think, he said.

He said the agency tried to put aside between Bt500 million and Bt1 billion to guarantee its financial liquidity, but this was a normal budget-management procedure.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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Govt officials owe Bt800,000 each on average: survey

By The Nation

Each government official has about Bt800,000 worth of debt on average, with those in higher-ranking positions owing greater amounts, a government survey revealed yesterday.

Government officials owed Bt872,388 on average to all types of creditors, while their average income was Bt43,650.

The figures come from a survey conducted last year by the Information and Communications Technology Ministry. The total number of government officials was not specified.

Those in executive positions made up 39 per cent of respondents but owed the highest amounts - averaging more than Bt1.65 million each.

On average, the highest proportion of debts were housing loans (56 per cent), vehicle purchase or repair (15 per cent), daily consumption (13 per cent), personal investment (6 per cent), and education (4 per cent).

The survey found that debts grew the higher people's positions were, with debt on average increasing 18 to 20 times over the past four years.

Asked what state benefits they expected, 92 per cent said a salary rise, while others said they expected to be reimbursed for treatment at private hospitals (48 per cent), or to get a bigger travel allowance (44 per cent), or for their housing allowance to be replaced by higher rental fees (44 per cent).

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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Riot property compensation pay-outs

By The Nation

More than 3,000 people affected by the April-May political riots have been given assistance money of Bt50,000 each, Cabinet was told yesterday.

Ninety-one other eligible persons who have not collected the assistance money were urged to collect their compensation before March 31, 2011.

Deputy government spokesman Watchara Kannikar said Cabinet was told that so far 3,096 riot-affected entrepreneurs or property owners had each been paid the Bt50,000, for a total Bt154 million. He said that if the remaining 91 eligible persons did not collect their money by next March, it would be returned to the Central Budget Bureau.

The government initially set a Bt250-million budget to help riot-affected people.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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Free advice offered on epilepsy

By The Nation

People can seek free counselling about epilepsy from experts at the Chulabhorn Epilepsy Centre until tomorrow.

Free check-ups and displays about proper care for epileptic patients are also available.

The centre, a part of the Chulabhorn Research Institute, is holding the activities to mark World Epilepsy Day and to help epileptic people lead a normal life.

In Thailand, 600,000 people suffer from epilepsy. During the past 15 years, about 6,000 have sought treatment from the centre. Each year, it has performed operations on between 80 and 100 patients to improve their health and quality of life.

For more information on the centre's activities, call 08 1722 4356 or 0 2576 6680.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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Thaksin wants Sanan to lead party

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BURNING ISSUE

An insecure Newin makes a bid for sympathy

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Red-shirt militants scouted leaders home: Suthep

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Thailand still seeking a way forward: Thitinan

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World green groups will fight Lao dam across Mekong

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UPDATE: 4 Dead in Nonthaburi Blast

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Thai Govt Blames Red Shirts For Deadly Bomb Attack

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Bang Bua Thong exlosion a warning

BANGKOK: -- The Bang Bua Thong explosion at an apartment building last evening was a warning sign for the escalating violence, Department of Special Investigation director general Tharit Pengdit said on Wednesday.

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Bang Bua Thong exlosion a warning; PM's condolences to victims

By The Nation

The Bang Bua Thong explosion at an apartment building last evening was a warning sign for the escalating violence, Department of Special Investigation director general Tharit Pengdit said on Wednesday.

"October is expected to be a month of violence signifying political gestures to coincide with politically-important dates such as October 6, 10 and 14," he said.

Tharit urged for calm, saying the situation is under control.

Commenting on an earlier remarks by Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, he said he could confirm that about 39 red shirts had received training on terrorism and that 11 of them completed the course.

He also revealed that the DSI took part in interrogating 11 men in Chiang Mai on the suspicion that they were involved in an assassination plot and a plan to stir up violence. The case might be transferred from the police's jurisdiction in order to designate as a special investigation case, he said.

In a related development, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed his condolences to the victims of the explosions, which at least three people killed and infliced a score of injuries, including four being hospitalised.

Abhisit, speaking on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Summit in Brussels, said he instructed for a speedy investigation into the explosion.

He said at the summit, he took the opportunity to explain the necessity of the state of emergency in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. The European leaders understood the precarious situation and did not voice objection to emergency rule, he said.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 974.05, up 4.77 points /MCOT

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BoT is studying more measures to oversee currency, says senior officials

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UPDATE

Police Confirm Reports that Nonthaburi Bomb Exploded Prematurely

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Security tightened Oct 6-14

By The Nation

The Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation has assinged police to take charge of security measures on October 6-to-14 in the face of rallies held by the yellow shirts and the red shirts, CRES spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Wednesday.

In his first instruction as the CRES director, Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan ordered police to deploy 2,600 security forces bracing for the upcoming rallies, Sansern said.

"Prawit wants the anti-riot forces to be ready for reining in the situation within 15 minutes if violence erupts," he said.

The defence minister also instructed police to explain to rally organisers that the authorities would strictly enforce the law, including the ban for erecting a rally stage, he said, adding the security measures will be applied to both the yellow shirts and the red shirts.

The Metropolitan Police Bureau has been assigned the primary responsibilities to keep peace at red and yellow rallies.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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Hunt for a man linked to Bang Bua Thong explotion: police

By The Nation

A man was detected by security camera leaving the apartment room number 202, where the Bang Bua Thong explostion happened, police said on Wednesday.

Under the instruction of national police chief General Wichean Potephosree, a manhunt has been launched for the unidentified man who could shed light on the explosion. The man left the romm shortly before the explosion aroud 6 pm on Tuesday.

Police found human organs, including an arm, inside the room, triggering speculation about bomb-making in progress.

-- The Nation 2010-10-06

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Dane Killed By Two English Men in Pattaya

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