Thailand Live Wednesday 27 Oct 2010

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Thailand Live Wednesday 27 October 2010

News, Bits and Tweets

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Keep up to date with live updates from the news, hour by hour.

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a daily basis only, this thread is closed to commentary so that those

who wish to follow the news can find it here...

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Related topic: Thailand Live Tuesday 26 October 2010

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Surat Thani By-election Campaigns under Watch

The Surat Thani by election committee has projected that about 55 percent of voters will turn up for the Surat Thani's Constituency 1 poll.

The committee has assigned officials to monitor candidates' campaign activities.

Investigators from the Surat Thani Election Committee have reviewed video footage of the two candidates' campaign efforts to find any irregularities ahead of the Surat Thani's Constituency 1 by election this Sunday.

The two candidates are Suthep Thaugsuban from the Democrat Party and Worawut Wichadit from the Pheu Thai Party.

Director of the office, Thongchai Wantapisit, stated that all involved officials have been preparing for the upcoming by-election.

As for the two candidates' campaign, he said that no irregularities have been found, with only a minor case of vandalism which was believed to have been carried out by a group of rogue teenagers.

Thongchai has notified the candidates that all vehicles used in the election campaign need to stop running by 6 P.M. on Saturday and on the by election day, while officials will be monitoring the vote.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-27

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BURNING ISSUE

PM's sincerity questioned over charter

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PM Abhisit Says He Will Seek Extradition Of Arisman

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FLOOD CRISIS

Bangkok survives but round 2 coming

By The Nation

More rain, runoff and high tides coming in early Nov

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BAN'S WORKING VISIT

UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon Rejects Red-Shirts Appeal For Intervention

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Doi Mae Salong at risk of landslides

By Janjira Pongrai

The Nation

The Department of Mineral Resources has prohibited the construction of any buildings at a village in Chiang Rai's Doi Mae Salong because of fears of landslides and subsidence.

The result of soil stability tests should be ready in two months and the department may need to demolish some existing buildings, deputy department chief Noppol Srisuk warned yesterday.

Noppol said an earlier check at Santikhiri village in Mae Fa Luang district's Tambon Mae Salong Nok found that subsidence resulted from underground water and the formation of a granite layer under a layer of shale. Both of these decayed easily and could make the area prone to landslides.

Officials also found landslide indicators, such as tilted trees and cracked roads, at least two years before the reported subsidence, he said.

Heavy rains over the past two years had caused soil cracks to widen and the construction of buildings for tourists to Doi Mae Salong had made the situation worse.

Accelerated land subsidence had resulted in a one-kilometre sinkhole. So, the department had declared the area a landslide and subsidence-prone zone.

Staff from the department would spend two months trying to solve the subsidence problem, he said. They would survey the soil layers to see if they were safe next month, before designing structures to prevent landslides.

Once the soil capacity results were ready, related agencies would be notified. But it was possible some buildings may need to be pulled down, he said.

Related agencies and local people had initially been told they would have to choose between sustainability and tourism-oriented survival. That allowed construction without planning and created more subsidence.

The community had eight months to recover before the next rainy season, he said, and it was expected to be equally wet due to the La Nina phenomenon.

A total of 323 districts in 51 provinces are said to be prone to landslides - 15 provinces in the North, 14 in the South, six in the East, seven in the Central and Western regions, and nine in the Northeast.

-- The Nation 2010-10-27

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FLOODS

Cabinet to rush aid to 600,000 victims

By Piyanart Srivalo

Samascha Hunsara

The Nation

Each household to get Bt5,000; Death toll 56; Bt2.9bn in funds approved

The Cabinet resolved yesterday to offer Bt5,000 in compensation to each household affected by flooding. That means at least Bt3 billion will be required for almost 600,000 households said to be eligible for payment.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the government could end up having to pay up to Bt5 billion, as the number of affected households was rising and up to a million households may turn out to be eligible.

The Cabinet approved an initial budget of Bt2.9 billion for compensation to flood-hit households, deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamut told a press conference after the Cabinet meeting.

Abhisit said the compensation would be given to households hit by a flash flood or people whose homes were flooded for at least seven days.

He said that although Bt5,000 was not a large amount and was unfair to households with severe damage, flat-rate payment would be the quickest way to help the victims.

He said households that did not qualify for the payment could still apply for the existing compensation available - of up to Bt20,000 for each case - depending on actual damage to their houses, that would have to be assessed by authorities on a case-by-base basis.

Abhisit said this method would take more time for victims to get compensation.

The prime minister said farmers could apply for further compensation for damage to their plantations in addition to the Bt5,000 payment for damage to their houses. An initial figure suggested by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives was at least Bt600 for each rai of damaged crops.

Similar additional compensation would also be available for business owners whose properties were damaged by flooding. They would also be eligible for the maximum compensation of Bt20,000.

The Cabinet would discuss the compensation in further detail next Monday, according to PM's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey, who heads the newly established Committee to Oversee and Follow Up Flood Relief.

He said compensation would be paid through the Government Savings Bank for flood victims in urban areas and through the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives for those in the rural areas.

As of yesterday, nearly 890,000 households with more than 2.5 million people in 25 provinces had been hit by the flooding, according to data collected by Satit's panel. Some 56 deaths have been reported as of press time last night.

At their meeting yesterday, Cabinet ministers mostly discussed measures and problems in the flood-relief efforts, according to a Government House source.

Abhisit raised complaints that victims in certain areas were still not receiving aid and many victims complained about the poor quality of relief items given to them.

He said the high-powered panel headed by Satit would look into these complaints and deal with the problems.

-- The Nation 2010-10-27

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Universities urged to help flood victims

By The Nation

Universities have been told to help students affected by flooding.

The Higher Education Commission sent a memo to public and private universities yesterday, asking them to waive tuition fees, deal sympathetically in regard to registration fees and payment for dormitory costs, and to even help them find students part-time jobs.

Commission secretary-general Sumet Yaemnoon said the Education Minister was so concerned about flood victims that he ordered a memo be sent to universities to get cooperation to open/close when it was appropriate and to provide the above-mentioned assistance to affected students.

Universities were also urged to host social activities to assist victims and communities affected by the flooding with help to repair damaged homes or arranging mobile medical units, he said.

-- The Nation 2010-10-27

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Debate on charter rewrite will cover two drafts: Chai

By The Nation

The upcoming debate on charter amendments will cover the government-sponsored bill as well as a counter draft submitted earlier by the reconciliation panel, House Speaker Chai Chidchob said yesterday.

"The current House session will end on November 28, therefore the passage of charter amendments depends how soon the government can submit its draft for deliberation," he said.

The government is expected to push for the charter rewrite based on the report by Sombat Thamrongthanyawong.

Chai said the debate might last one to two days before forming a panel to scrutinise the proposed changes. Should it be deemed necessary, organic laws would be revised following enactment of any charter amendments.

Transport Minister Sophon Saram said Bhum Jai Thai Party was ready to go along with the majority vote on the charter rewrite and would not set any pre-conditions.

Sophon said his party deemed it unnecessary to hold a referendum before enforcing the amendments.

In a related development, Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart said he would suspend his talks on reconciliation in order to focus on assisting the victims of flooding.

Even though he has not seen details of the proposed charter amendments, he said he was confident the charter rewrite would compliment his efforts to ease the political divide.

"I believe charter amendments, if enacted, will accelerate the reconciliation process," Sanan said.

He expected the rewrite of the charter to be completed swiftly, possibly before the next general election. The government's term will expire next December, so there was plenty of time to amend the charter, he said.

Sanan said he wanted the government to complete its term, arguing that he saw no reason hold a poll before then.

Meanwhile, the New Politics Party stood by its three demands on changes to the charter rewrite, spokesman Panthep Puapongpan said.

They are that the rewrite must not aim to benefit political parties, must not violate the monarchy and must not grant amnesty to barred politicians.

The party was prepared to meet and decide on its next step if its demands were not met, he said, hinting at a possible resumption of street protests similar to what happened under the Samak Sundaravej and the Somchai Wongsawat administrations.

-- The Nation 2010-10-27

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Police begin probe into video clips affair

By The Nation

Police investigators looking into the video clips scandal linked to judges at a top court have met to outline their work.

They have also conducted forensic checks at a restaurant in Prachachuen, where one of the clips was allegedly filmed, chief investigator General Aek Angsananont said yesterday.

"The investigation will proceed from checking the five clips, the locations where the clips were recorded before summoning and questioning individuals involved," he said.

Aek said investigators would begin by focusing on the clip recording the meeting between Democrat MP Wiruch Romyen and Pasit Sakdanarong, private secretary to the Constitution Court president.

Wiruch's complaint that he had been defamed would be the starting point of the investigation, he said.

The investigating team was scheduled to meet on Mondays to assess progress in the case, he said, adding that the inquiry would have no bearing on the judicial hearing of the Democrat Party dissolution trial.

After pursuing all leads related to the clips, investigators would then make conclusions on suspects and charges, he said.

Five clips were posted on YouTube portraying alleged lobbying efforts related to the trial. One clip shows Wiruch meeting Pasit over dinner. The two were seen discussing the summonsing of a witness.

Forensic officials checked the restaurant in question and found that a recorder may have been placed at a nearby table. The dinner took place in a special function area on the second floor and there were no other guests at the time.

Democrat MP Thepthai Senpong said he suspected Wiruch was a victim of a frame-up. The Pheu Thai Party conspired to lure the Democrat to the meeting before conducting a questionable survey to try to show lobbying to influence judicial proceedings, he said.

But the bid to depict Wiruch in a bad light and subsequent survey lacked credibility, Thepthai said.

Pheu Thai MP Chalerm Yoobamrung said the issue was not about how the clips were recorded but the remarks made.

The Wiruch-Pasit discussion curiously coincided with judges' remarks regarding the summoning of witnesses, he alleged.

Chalerm dismissed claims that Pheu Thai was involved in posting the clips on Youtube. An individual uploaded the clips using the pseudonym "oh my god", he said.

Instead of trying to create a diversion about the clips, the Democrat Party owed the public a full explanation on why Wiruch's remarks appeared to foretell what judges said later, he said.

-- The Nation 2010-10-27

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Water Level in Chrao Phraya to Peak at 10 A.M. and 7:10 P.M. Today

Officials have revealed that last night's rain showers have slightly affected water levels in the Chrao Phraya River. The river's water levels will peak at 10 A.M. this morning and 7:10 P.M. this evening. Residents living along the banks of the Chao Phraya are advised to continue keeping watch for overflowing flood waters.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-27

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South to Experience Heavy Rain/Wind Oct 27-31

The Weather Department has warned southern Thailand of heavy rain and strong winds between October 27 to 31. The north, northeast, and central Thailand should expect a two to four degree drop in the temperature.

-- Tan Network 2010-10-27

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Thai floods claim 59 lives during Oct 10-27-- 46 men and 13 women; Bangkok has so far avoided heavy deluges, no serious flooding /via @MCOTEnglishnews

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Increase in violent crime reports in Phuket

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BKK braces for high tide at 10am; Nonthaburi adds sandbags to prevent water overflow from Chao Phraya River /via @MCOTEnglishnews

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Morning high tides not as high as feared. Bangkok expected to escape major floods this month. Next danger period 6-10 Nov /via @RichardBarrow

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 997.59, up 1.55 points /via @MCOTEnglishnews

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Officials revealed last night's rainfalls have slightly afftect water level in Chao Phraya, residents 2 keep watch 4 overflowing flood water /via @TAN_Network

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Provincial Flood Situation Stabilizes

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Thailand a 'vibrant democracy'

Differences in views part of maturing process, says foreign minister

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THAI MARKET

Tablets set to take off big time in 2011

Dell, Samsung plan new models; other vendors to join the local fray

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BKK reached highest tide level 2.17m at 10am. Tomorrow the highest tide expected to be 2.15m at 11am /via @RT @tukky_nt

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Suvarnabhumi Airport director confident no flooding at airport due to efficient flood-prevention; dyke, water-retention, drainage systems /via @MCOTEnglishnews

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Thai opposition urges world court to probe Bangkok violence

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New international hospital under construction in Krabi

Work on the new international hospital in Krabi Town

is well underway.

A signboard showing what the facility will look like

upon completion.

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PM reaffirms general election to be held next year, government won't finish term; hopes election will be fair, not cause more conflict /MCOT

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Baht begins to move steadily, says BoT

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Floods affect 1 million families so far: Interior Ministry

The Civil Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department announced Wednesday that 36 provinces have been so far hit by floods, which drowned 47 people.

The department under the Interior Ministry said 16,299 villages in 289 districts of the 16 provinces had been hit by floods from October 10 to 27.

The floods had affected 1,091,515 families or 3.22 million people.

It announced that waters had already subsided in 11 provinces - Phichit, Phetchabun, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Trat, Tak, Chon Buri, Lamphun, Chiang Mai, Sa Kaew, and Nakhon Nayok.

-- The Nation 2010-10-27

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Chinese National Arrested in Pattaya for Indecent Act

Follow this link: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/en/2010/10/27/chinese-national-arrested-for-indecent-act/