Thailand Live Tuesday 12 Oct 2010

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Thailand Live Tuesday 12 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 11 October 2010

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Immigration Bureau arrests 155 Sri Lankan illegal immigrants

BANGKOK, 11 October 2010 (NNT) - The Immigration Bureau has joined forces with the commando unit of the Crime Suppression Division arresting Sri Lankan illegal immigrants.

Intelligence information indicated that a number of Elam rebel group members were among the Sri Lankan illegal immigrants living in Thailand.

Upon a tip-off, the commando units and the Immigration Bureau raided several apartments in 17 locations around Sai Mai district, Bangkok, and arrested of 155 Sri Lankan immigrants.

The Bureau received reports from the security center of the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters that s Sri Lankan illegal immigrants had been sneaking into the country, and living in Saphan Mai and Sai Mai districts.

Most of them either had no travel documents or overstayed their visas.

Police also found a picture of Elam terrorist leader Prapa Karan, who has been declared an international terrorist by the United Nations.

Police suspected that some of the Elam group members were staying in the Kingdom, waiting to seek asylum in a third country. Officials are conducting interrogation to speed up the progress to stamp them out of Thailand.

-- NNT 2010-10-12

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Police Looking for 64 Armed Men in Black

The national police chief instructed police from the Special Branch to be on the lookout for 64 men in black, whom the police believed were looking to create chaos during the rally by the red shirt group at the Democracy Monument, during their gathering to mark the sixth month since the April 10 bloodbath at the Kok Wua intersection.

About 1,000 supporters of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship, commonly known as the red shirt group, gathered at the street around Democracy Monument to organize a rally to celebrate its having been six months since the April 10 bloodbath that took place at the Kok Wua intersection.

The red shirt group wrapped the monument with red cloth and held up pictures of people who were injured and killed in the clash with the soldiers on April 10.

They also wrote letters that they will mail to prisons where their leaders and other red-shirt protesters are being held across the nation.

At about five PM, they held a candlelit vigil at Din Sor Road and the Kok Wua intersection.

Some red shirts rode motorcycles and pick-up trucks with red flags around Ratchadamnoen Road, honking their horns.

Leaders of the red shirt group were also present at the rally, except for Khattiya Sawasdipol, the daughter of late Major General Khattiya Sawasdipol or Seh Daeng.

The gathering reportedly caused the traffic congestion on Ratchadamnoen Road and its surrounding routes.

National Police Chief, Police General Wichean Potephosree said that the red-shirt gathering is not a cause for concern.

He said the police were coordinating with rally organizers and requested that they cease all activity at 5 PM, or before the nightfall.

Regarding reports that 64 men in black were preparing to

stage a disturbance in Bangkok, he said that officers from the Special Branch of Royal Thai Police were instructed to be on the lookout.

He added that the identities of the 64 individuals are known and police are currently in the process of locating them.

Acting Deputy National Police Chief, General Panupong Singhara na Ayutthaya said that soon, the suspects wanted for the blast at an apartment called Saman Metta Mansion in Bang Bua

Thong would be arrested.

He declared that the individuals involved in the bombing will be brought to justice.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-12

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Phue Thai asks for new by-election date

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Phue Thai Party has asked the Election Commission to reschedule the date for the Surat Thani by-election; citing candidates do not have enough time to campaign.

Phue Thai Party Spokesperson Prompong Nopparit, accompanied by the party’s legal team, presented a document to the Election Commission (EC), asking for a new date for the Surat Thani’s Constituency 1 by-election. The team requested that the date for advanced voting, initially set for October 16th and17th, be moved forward for a week.

Mr Prompong explained that the candidates did not have enough time to campaign; therefore, it was not fair for all. The Party also expressed concerns over the fact that the ballot boxes would have been kept by the EC for two weeks when the election took place, making it easier for some people to stuff ballots into those boxes. It also asked the EC to limit the advanced by-election voting to only one day. In addition, it demanded that CCTVs be installed to watch over the ballot boxes.

has kept The spokesperson also urged the EC to file a petition asking the Prime Minister to order local civil servants to be impartial during the election given their boss, the former Deputy Prime Minister ,was running in the poll.

The by-election will be held to fill an MP seat up for grabs after former Democrat MP Chumphon Kanchana has been slapped with a five-year ban from politics for false assets declarations.

-- NNT 2010-10-12

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Too many foreign workers without working permits

BANGKOK (NNT) – The Thailand Development Research Institute has pointed out that the number of illegal foreign workers has jumped in the past decade.

Thailand Development Research Institute Director Dr. Yongyuth Chalamwong said the number of foreign workers in Thailand has increased dramatically, from 350,000 people to approximately 2 million people in the past ten years. This is due to the registration system which allows new employees to be added to the existing workforce without forcing those whose work permits have expired to leave the country as required by law. What makes the matter worse is that an increase in the number of illegal workers has paved way for employers to take advantage of them,

with the help of corrupt officials, by paying them much lower than the minimum wage specified by the present labor law.

Overall, the situation is bad for the nation, as it stands to gain nothing. Only unscrupulous employers can reap enormous profits from hiring illegal workers; other employers will most likely follow suit, which in turn, will eventually cause more problems

-- NNT 2010-10-12

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FHM

Model may have been shot dead: police

By The Nation

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Two killed and one missing as mudslides and storms rock Trat and Rayong

By The Nation

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La Nina to cause record drop in temperature: study

By Janjira Pongrai

The Nation

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Minimum wage has not kept up with inflation: study

By The Nation

The minimum wage for labourers has not kept pace with the actual cost of living and inflation in the past 10 years, Labour Ministry permanent secretary Somkiat Chayawong said yesterday.

This conclusion was based on initial findings by a panel assigned by a tripartite committee to study wage increases, said Somkiat, who is the ex officio chairman of the committee.

For example, inflation was 5.6 per cent in 1997 and there was no increase in the minimum daily wage; the rate was 8.1 per cent the next year, which saw a wage hike of 1.8 per cent. There were no minimum-wage increases in 1999 or 2000, which saw inflation of 0.3 and 1.6 per cent respectively.

There were only two years in the past decade when the hike in the minimum wage was higher than inflation: 2001, when inflation was at 1.6 per cent and the hike was 2.2 per cent, and 2007, when inflation was 2.3 per cent and the pay rate rose 3.1 per cent.

The panel is tasked with working out the final figure for the next hike by November, which needs to be approved or rejected before January.

In working out the final figure, which may not reach Bt250 as proposed by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, four conditions are to be taken into consideration. First, the increase must lift standards for labourers while not burdening employers.

The three other conditions are: the new wage rate must reflect the rate of inflation and the cost of living; cost-reduction measures will be introduced for free to employers; and skill training must be extended to new employees.

-- The Nation 2010-10-12

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New rules for Pang Ung

By The Nation

The northern province of Mae Hong Son has revised its regulations for people visiting Pang Ung in Muang district's Tambon Mok Jampae, in a bid to prevent accidents, provincial governor Kamthorn Thavorn-sathit said yesterday.

The province would provide trucks to transport visitors for Bt50 each for the round-trip, he said. That would mean less traffic disturbing the environment, less crowds at tourist attractions, and it would help prevent accidents by drivers unfamiliar with local roads.

Kamthorn said last year over 100,000 people visited Pang Ung - a scenic attraction in winter known as Thailand's Switzerland. It was reportedly voted the number 1 site that tourists wanted to visit - and more tourists, both Thai and foreign, are expected this year.

So, authorities revised regulations to try to reduce problems. He said people wishing to stay overnight in Pang Ung should contact Mae Hong Son's Silpacheep Centre on 053-611-244 or 085-6183303.

-- The Nation 2010-10-12

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Flu vaccine here this week

By The Nation

Some 210,000 doses of flu vaccine that could prevent three strains of the virus are due to arrive in Thailand on Friday.

The vaccine will be sent to 100 hospitals nationwide by the Disease Control Department.

Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said yesterday that the situation in regard to H1N1 influenza and dengue fever had improved.

Last month some 12,573 patients were treated for dengue fever - a decrease from August, when there were 22,394 patients. Nine people died from dengue in the past week.

The common flu has also dropped significantly. Jurin said about five patients per 100,000 people was reported when the outbreak was severe, but over the past three weeks the ratio had dropped to three patients per 100,000 people. Last week the ratio increased slightly by one patient per 100,000.

In regard to Swine flu, the total number of patients for the year was 14,083 cases with 107 deaths, he said, adding two patients died of Swine flu in the past week in Prachuap Khiri Khan and Roi Et.

He said some 1.83 million doses of vaccine had been given to people regarded as being at risk, and the vaccine would be sent to some 100 hospitals once it arrives on Friday.

-- The Nation 2010-10-12

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Ammar blasts private insurance plan

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Says move will cut medical benefits for civil servants

A prominent economist at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), Ammar Siamwalla, yesterday slammed the Finance Ministry over its plan to buy health-insurance policies for civil servants, saying the move would reduce medical benefits under the scheme and be exploited by the private insurance company.

"It's too bad if the Finance Ministry goes ahead with this plan. This method will reduce the medical benefits of civil servants instead of controlling the rising cost of medical treatment under the scheme," Ammar said.

According to the Comptroller-General's Department, the cost of medical care for civil servants and their families has drastically risen to Bt123 billion during the past two years. The cost had increased by between 20 and 25 per cent every year.

Medicines accounted for 80 per cent of the budget allocated for the medical-care scheme for civil servants and their family members. The number of people eligible for the scheme is about 4.5 million. This means the average cost per head is about Bt13,777 per year.

Ammar said he was worried that the healthcare insurance company will exploit the fund and reduce medical benefits for civil servants if the ministry allows it to manage the fund under schemes such as the Office Insurance Commission, which manages the insurance fund to pay compensation for accident victims.

"If you want to see the ability of insurance companies to exploit state money, you can learn your lessons from the Traffic Victim Protection Act," he said.

He said there were several options to curb the rising cost of medical care. "Buying healthcare insurance from a private company must be the last option. In fact, I think this method should not be considered as an option to resolve the problem."

However, he said the TDRI was conducting a feasibility study about Medisave, which requires new civil servants to save some part of their salary for their future medical needs.

Ammar said the results of the study would be finalised next year and handed over to the Comptroller-General's Department to determine how else the government could significantly curb the cost of the medical-care scheme. Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said there was no clear solution to the Finance Ministry's plan to buy healthcare insurance from a private company for civil servants.

However, he said the Public Health Ministry had asked the Finance Ministry to seek its opinion before launching the plan.

Jurin added that he had instructed his ministry's permanent secretary, Dr Paijit Warachit, to undertake a study on how to help civil servants get easy access to medical treatment.

-- The Nation 2010-10-12

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NONTHABURI BLAST

Police detain woman, man in blast probe

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Home of Khon Kaen billionaire shot up by gunmen

By Somphote Sombat

The Nation

Two gunmen attacked the Khon Kaen home of a local billionaire businessman late on Sunday with automatic weapons and a grenade, but he had gone abroad. It appeared to be a second attempt on his life possibly resulting from a will left by his father.

Nawin Chaicheewinlikhit escaped death once in June in an ambush by gunmen while on the way to a wedding in Loei province.

Sunday's attack, seen in action-packed security footage, was the fourth aimed at taking lives of people in Nawin's family. There was one attempt on his father Cheewin before he died of sepsis in 2006, and a successful one on Aranya Luengsaeng-tham, Cheewin's second wife, in January 2008.

Nawin and Aranya were two of the three co-executors of Cheewin's will; the third has not been identified in press reports or by police. In his will, Cheewin said 14 people, including eight children born to his six wives, would not benefit from his assets in the billions of baht until after the 100th anniversary of his death.

The will says all 14 people will only enjoy interest or other fringe benefits of the assets in the meantime.

In his original will, Cheewin reportedly said his assets would be distributed in different proportions to all 14 people with immediate effect after his death, but he added the 100-year condition after he was wounded in an assassination attempt in 2003. He reportedly believed that the plot was perpetrated by one or more of the 14 beneficiaries.

Nawin, 48, was the first child of Cheewin born to Phayao, his first wife, who now lives abroad, while Aranya was Cheewin's second wife. In the first attack on Nawin, he was ambushed while on the way to see Khemika Jaijadee, the sixth wife of Cheewin, who had remarried.

Since the first attempt on his life, Nawin infrequently travels and is guarded full-time by four policemen. He left Thailand on Sunday for a trip to China and the four policemen were excused temporarily from his home, which the two gunmen attacked just hours after the officers left.

In the security footage, the two gunmen arrived on a motorcycle and walked to the front gate before one of them sprayed bullets from an AK-47 while the other stood guard. They then threw a grenade into the home before fleeing. The attack, which took place at 3.54am, damaged the home and a wall section along with four of five luxury cars parked in the compound. Three people who were inside the house were not injured.

Police cited the conflicts of interest among the surviving beneficiaries as the only motive behind such an attack. They vowed to make arrests within two weeks.

-- The Nation 2010-10-12

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UPDATE

BAD EXES

Thaksin did not live illegally in Germany: Noppadon

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DEMOCRAT DISSOLUTION TRIAL

Auditors insist campaign boards cost Bt29m

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Modern Thai Women 'less tolerant' of marriage

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Use of Thai security laws comes under attack

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BURNING ISSUE

All sides in Thailand should stop playing the military card

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Red shirts rally in front of Bangkok Remand Prison

Some 20 redshirts rallied in front of the Bangkok Remand Prison Tuesday to provide moral support to their leaders being detained there, FM 100.5 radio station and INN reported.

The INN reported that the red-shirt people started gathering in front of the prison at 8:31 am and laid some flowers there.

The FM100.5 station reported that about 20 soldiers and police officers were deployed to keep order in front of the prison after prison officials received arson threats.

-- The Nation 2010-10-12

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Revocation of withholding tax waiver to affect bond market development

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Thai stock index opens on Tuesday at 977.82, down 0.03 points /MCOT

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A royal gift from Finland

By NEENA MALISAK-LEMIRE

THE NATION

Collectible medals from Helsinki commemorate His Majesty's 60 years on the throne

Finland's state mint - which has long collaborated with the Thai Treasury Department - has created a series of medals to commemorate the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's coronation.

The Initiative Memorial Medals Collection can now be ordered at local banks and online (see box).

The 150-year-old Finnish Mint is internationally acclaimed for the quality of its casting, producing coins for neighbouring Sweden and Norway and dozens of other countries.

"We've produced coins for Thailand for many years," its vice president, Matti Rastas, said as the medals were unveiled last Tuesday at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

"The Thai Treasury Department went looking for someone with the level of advanced technology and qualifications that we have."

It does so when demand for coins outstrips its own ability to keep up, Rastas said. Finland only helps it meet the demand - fresh batches of coins are always minted in both countries.

"There's a bidding process for the contract, and we win the bidding most of the time."

The Finns produce both collectors' coins and currency for general circulation, Rastas said.

Now the Mint wants to join in the royal celebrations, while at the same time bolstering its 20-year relationship with the local Treasury.

"Over the years we've seen how the Thai people show their tremendous respect for their king, and we wondered why. Then we realised that, although there are many kings in the world, this one has done so much for the country, and that's why he is so well respected."

The collection from Finland comprises six coins made of Nordic gold, 25 to 28 millimetres in diameter and weighing 9.6 grams each.

The coins bear different patterns, each with its own meaning, and different inscriptions: "Long Live The King", "The Rainmaker", "The Forest Protector", "The Philanthropic Philosopher", "The Land Reclaimer" and "The Eminent Inventor".

On the obverse side His Majesty is depicted at work, and the reverse shows various royal projects aimed at improving people's living conditions.

"This is the first time we've done something like this," Rastas pointed out. "The idea wasn't to produce coins of particular value but of significant meaning, to join together all Thais - who share the same King and country.

"I believe every coin should have a story on it, not just simple patterns engraved. As a foreigner, it's so marvellous to see someone who is so much loved. He is truly the father of the country."

Designer Erkkt Vainio faced quite a task, Rastas said.

"The challenge was how to make the coins meaningful so that they would touch Thai hearts. The technicians are also Finnish, not Thai, so they don't fully understand the Thais' feeling toward the King."

View a video about the collection at www.NationMultimedia. com.

MINT CONDITIONS

- The limited-edition medals can be ordered until December 25 at any branch of Siam Commercial Bank or Bangkok Bank or online at www.KingInitiativeMedal.com.

- They cost Bt990 each.

- The medals will be delivered by registered mail starting on November 30.

-- The Nation 2010-10-12

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Crackdown On Pattaya Beach Road Prostitutes

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Appeals Court upholds Criminal Court sentence of ex-president of now-defunct Bangkok Bank of Commerce, Krirkkiat Jalichandra to 20 years jail for fraud /MCOT

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Court Upholds Jail Term and Fine in BBC Embezzlement

The Appeals Court has upheld the Criminal Court's 20-year jail term and fine of $472 million for Krirkkiat Chaleechan, former president of the now-defunct Bangkok Bank of Commerce, for embezzlement. Three members of the bank's board of directors all got a 6-year, 8-month jail term for the same charge.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-12

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Cambodia Denies Thai Militant Training

Cambodia has come out to deny reports that suspected black-shirt Thai militants received weapons training there.

However, the National Security Council secretary-general affirmed the report is true.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-12

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Cabinet agrees with measures to solve baht appreciation by collecting 15% withholding taxes from foreign bond holders, setting up Bt5 bln fund to help SMEs /MCOT

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Cabinet Approves Measures to Curb Strong Baht

Cabinet has approved three measures to indirectly curb the strong baht by limiting capital inflow. The measures including taxing foreign investors on profit from the bond trade, encouraging the private sector to carry out forward trade and issuing loans to SMEs.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-12

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Red Shirts gather at prison to support detained leaders

BANGKOK, Oct 12 – About 200 Red Shirt supporters from a number of northeastern provinces gathered at Bangkok Remand Prison Tuesday morning to give moral support to Kwanchai Praiphana, a leader of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) and other UDD leaders detained in prison for more than four months.

Karom Polthaklang, a Red Shirt lawyer, led a group of activists to visit Mr Kwanchai amid tightened security with about 150 metropolitan police officers on hand.

Mr Karom said Red Shirts from the Northeast were worried about Mr Kwanchai as he has been detained for four months and his request for bail has been rejected. The UDD supporters said they wanted to give him moral support and to reaffirm that the Red Shirts would continue seeking bail and seeking justice.

Speaking about recent bombings in Bangkok and the three adjacent provinces which are still under a state of emergency, the attorney said he believed the actions were not the work of the Red Shirts as their leaders have been detained in prison and that most of the activists who gathered at the prison Tuesday were women and the elderly.

Contrary to charges voiced by some, Mr Karon said, the women and the elderly had not undergone weapons training as charged by some people.

The lawyer said the Red Shirts in the northeastern provinces were planning a mass merit-making ceremony in Roi Et for those who lost their lives in political unrest. They would talk to a Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan, also an opposition Puea Thai Party MP, when the ceremony is held.

The Red Shirts laid red roses at the signboard of the prison as a symbolic act that they had visited the detainees before leaving as not all of them could wait to enter the prison in small groups according to prison policy.

Mr Kwanchai, together with a number of fellow Red Shirt leaders, is being detained without bail at Bangkok Remand Prison, having been charged with terrorism following their protests to demand House dissolution which began March 14 but turned violent with grenades and shooting incidents, leaving at least 89 dead and nearly 1,900 wounded during the period.

The UDD leaders announced the end of their protest on May 19 after a military operation cleared the protest from the Ratchaprasong business area. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2010-10-12