Thailand Live Tuesday 9 Nov 2010

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Thailand Live Tuesday 9 November 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

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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 8 Nov 2010

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Tiger Woods donated money to help flood victims

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Former world's number one golfer Tiger Woods has donated 2,200,000 baht from the sale of tickets for the Skins Games to help flood victims Thailand’s very own Thongchai Jaidee and America’s Tiger Woods yesterday paid Prime Minister Abisit Vejjajiva a visit at the Government House to make the donation.

Both of them are participating in a friendly charity competition entitled “World Golf Salutes King Bhumibol,” held at the Amata Spring country club today; in honor of His Majesty the King’s 60th Accession to the throne. All the proceedings from the event will be donated to flood victims.

-- NNT 2010-11-09

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Many flooding zones in the south remain critical

PATTALUNG (NNT) -- Water levels in flood affected areas in the South remain critical, owing to high tides. Moreover, the government's compensation process is still unorganized and rife with irregularities.

Over 300 villagers from Muang Districts, Pattalung, gathered together complaining to the District Administration Organization over the compensation for the damage caused by a tropical depression on last week. According to one of the villagers, the compensation money is much lower than the amount quoted by the government; some of them have been paid only 10 percent of the initial amount.

Meanwhile, several districts in Pattalung still remain inundated; more than 5000 families have been severely affected. People in more than half of the province have to do without electricity and water supplies; 20 schools have been closed.

In the provinces of Pattani and Satun, victims have already received survival kits delivered by the rescue teams. Although the water levels

in the two provinces have receded, locals are still living under difficult condition and unable to get back to work, given most places in the area have been heavily damaged by winds and water.

-- NNT 2010-11-09

[george]

Thai crises drive down beer sales

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ONE DAY AFTER ELECTION

Thousands of Burmese flee fighting

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Evacuations loom in Thailand's South

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FHM

FHM model committed suicide, police say

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ROBOT OLYMPIAD

Thai teams return as winners from Robot Olympiad

By The Nation

Thai students will be returning from the World Robot Olympiad, held in Manila from November 4 until today, with one gold medal, one silver, two bronzes, two consolation prizes as well as three Judges Awards.

Education Minister Chinnaworn Boonyakiat said 28 teams, comprising primary and secondary students from 20 schools, contested against 229 teams from 22 countries in the competition titled “Robotics Promote Tourism”.

The Chaiyaphum Pakdichumpol School team won the gold medal in the under-18 category, while Saint Gabriel’s College won the bronze for the under-15 set. Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi School won silver in the robot soccer contest, while Bangkok’s Yothinburana School won the bronze. Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pakthongchai Prachaniramit School and Tak’s Petcharawit School each won a consolation prize for the automatic robot contest in the under-18 category. Bangkok’s Samsen Nok Pracharatnukul School, Pathum Thani’s Anubal Pathum Thani School and Ubon Ratchathani’s Nareenukul School came back with Judge Awards.

The Thai teams are scheduled to return tonight at 11.50pm.

-- The Nation 2010-11-09

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Thai Ministers don't need to resign : EC's Sodsri

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Court clears Briton over lack of evidence

By The Nation

The Ratchadaphisek Criminal Court yesterday acquitted a Briton in a lawsuit accusing him of luring a 31-year-old Thai woman into prostitution overseas.

According to the charges, Ian Shuttleworth, 50, allegedly offered the victim a well-paid job overseas" for which she claimed she had to pay Bt530,000 beforehand" before apparently forcing her into prostitution.

The court said the prosecution’s testimony was conflicting and other witness’s testimony merely hearsay, which was not convincing enough to prosecute the accused. The court also said that since the so-called victim was 31 years old and had travelled overseas previously, she could hardly be duped easily. The man has been acquitted and the other side has 30 days to appeal.

-- The Nation 2010-11-09

Related topic:

British Ex-cop Arrested In Bangkok On Sex Trafficking Charges

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Human traffickers disguise themselves as benefactors

By Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Human traffickers have made the job of stamping out their trade more difficult by posing as their victims’ benefactors, a children’s advocate says.

Cruel actions have been replaced with good relationships. The traffickers make their victims trust them and ally with them, said Chakkrid Chansang, Regional Advocacy Coordinator of Save the Children.

“It makes our work more difficult, as the victims themselves do not want to leave the traffickers,” he said.

“Police and my team were surprised when they cracked down on a brothel and we accompanied them to help the victims there. One told us before we took her from the brothel that she wanted to say goodbye to the brothel owner. She looked intimate with him.”

Chakkrid said many women he had taken from brothels told him they wanted to go back to work there.

“I had to persuade them not to go back. I told them it was illegal and they would get better work opportunities. We had to monitor them closely to prevent them going back.”

Save the Children is an independent organisation that serves impoverished, marginalised and vulnerable children and families in more that 120 nations. Its programmes reach both children and those working to improve their lives. It helps save children from exploitation and assists them in accessing education and healthcare.

Of about 200,000 people trafficked annually in the mekong region, 24,700 are children and young people, and Thailand has the highest number of young victims at up to 6,000, the third mekong Youth Forum on Human Trafficking and Migration was told last week.

Youth leaders from all six countries in the mekong region joined the forum to brainstorm and propose recommendations to address human trafficking and unsafe migration to the governments of those countries and relevant organisations.

They proposed integrating human trafficking and migration in school curricula, making youngsters aware of traffickers’ tricks. They also urged authorities to investigate factories and make sure factories are safe for young workers.

The youth leaders said setting up regional hotlines would help coordinate authorities’ efforts. Literature on human trafficking and migration should be available at border checkpoints, and bribery at the checkpoints should be stopped. Authorities should arrest corrupt border officials who take advantage of migrants.

Staff at reintegration centres should be trained, and they should check the conditions of victims after reintegration, they said.

They also wanted to have a greater role in planning how to tackle human trafficking and unsafe migration and implementing the plan.

The youth representatives from Thailand, Laos, China, Cambodia, Burma, and Vietnam yesterday highlighted their recommendations to government representatives with their “Let’s Talk. Let’s Act” performance.

“We hope the government officials who listened to our recommendations today will put them in their plan and implement the plan against trafficking,” said Prae, a Thai youth representative.

A Thai government official listening to the youth leaders at the forum, Saowanee Khomepatr, director of the Anti-Trafficking in Women and Children Bureau, said one of the young people would be chosen to present the recommendations to the Coordinated mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking (COMMIT) meeting scheduled for early next year.

As the forum’s organiser, Chakkrid said children and adolescents should be empowered. They should play a more important role in addressing the trafficking problem.

“They are closer to trafficking victims than authorities, so they can help more victims,” he said.

-- The Nation 2010-11-09

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OCCUPATIONAL HAZARD

Weaving mill ordered to pay Bt3.69m in compensation

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Road bill put at Bt4.3 billion

By The Nation

Apart from causing a vast amount of general property damage and casualties, flooding across the country has done huge damage to roads and highways. The cost of this has been put at more than Bt4.27 billion.

The Department of Rural Roads reported yesterday that 611 roads had been damaged in 66 provinces hit by floods. Most of these "477" have reopened after temporary repairs, while the remaining 134 are still being repaired.

The damage report only gave the number of roads and did not reveal details about their length. The South has suffered the most road damage, with 191 roads affected" 102 of which have been reopened. The total bill for road damage in the South was Bt1.37 billion.

In the North, 130 roads were damaged but only two are still closed. Some Bt826 million was spent on repairs.

In the Northeast, 136 roads were damaged in 18 provinces. Bt943 million was spent on repairs and most of these "123" have since reopened.

In the Central region, 154 roads in 20 provinces were damaged, and 30 are still undergoing repairs. Bt1.31 billion has been spent on fixing these roads.

Prakit Chinamourphong, president of the Thai Hotels Association, has urged the government to step up advertising campaigns to revive the tourism industry after the big floods. Hotels in Hat Yai have suffered losses of Bt50 million a day over the past week, and destinations like Koh Samui have also seen cancellations.

At present, hotels around the country had a 60-per-cent occupancy rate.

Prakit said many destinations were hosting festive activities and campaigns to boost the number of tourists during the high season. The association will meet with presidents of regional offices on Thursday to evaluate the impact of the floods, before asking for government assistance.

He still believed the number of tourists arrivals would be about 14 million this year.

-- The Nation 2010-11-09

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FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Govt aims to cash in on strong baht

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Thai Army Chief Denies Coup Plot

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Violence Continues in Myanmar, 10 Explosions at 6.25 A.M.

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Former US President Bill Clinton will be giving a talk in Bangkok this Friday at Govt House. http://twitpic.com/3570bq /via@RichardBarrow:

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PM Abhisit Orders Probe into Kickback on Thai Flood Aid

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3rd Army Area Commander says clashes between Karen and government forces in Myanmar eases; will return Myanmar nationals who fled fighting back voluntarily /MCOT

[george]

Phuket Rail Link, Taxis: 'Solutions on the Way'

http://www.ethailand.com/news/phuket-rail-link-taxis-solutions-on-the-way-16697.html

Bangkok: Fire breaks out in Time Square /Bangkok Post

Army official: Burma border battle ended /Bangkok Post

[george]

Death toll from flood countrywide hits 181; 30 provinces are still flood-affected /MCOT

[george]

Kanchanaburi: Sangkhlaburi now a danger zone from war; gunfire on Myanmar side; more refugees stream into Thailand /MCOT

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Severe flooding in Thailand has left 181 people dead

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PIWC ready for annual Phuket ball

There are still some tickets left for the annual ball, which has

a "Latin American elegant" dress code.

Current president Wipa Tanmanatragul has been

a driving force in the the PIWC for more than 15 years.

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PM: Thailand will not intervene in Myanmar domestic conflict

BANGKOK, 8 November 2010 (NNT) - After a clash between a faction of ethnic minority Karen rebels and Burmese troops in Myanmar border town of Myawaddy, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Kingdom would not interfere in the neighbor’s internal affairs.

Soldiers of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) reportedly stormed a Burmese military camp and several government offices in Myawaady yesterday morning.

Thousands of people from Myanmar fled their hometown, crossing the border into Thailand's district, as violent clashes broke out on Monday, one day after the junta government held its first general election.

The Premier said several bomb shells had strayed into Thai soil, injuring five civilians; however,Thailand would take no action as the conflict was between the rebels and Myanmar soldiers; Thailand was not involved.

A reliable source has reported that sporadic fighting continues in Myanmar's ethnic regions, but this appears to be between government troops and a breakaway faction of the government's Karen army opposed to the election.

Mr Abhisit stated that he had talked to the Myanmar government about the conflict, which was affecting Thailand, adding there were no problems between the two governments.

What the Thai side would do at the moment, he said, was to watch out for illegal activities conducted along the border.

As for the closure of the Thai-Myanmar border, the Prime Minister said it would be closed for the time being to protect Thai citizens from the current fighting, which some said could last for three months.

-- NNT 2010-11-09

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Thailand will host 14th Int l Anti-Corruption Conference during Nov 10-13 to exchange views and experiences on anti-corruption /MCOT

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Reports of refugees getting sent back [to Myanmar] NOW. Many are not happy. /via@RichardBarrow /via@dusitac

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Heineken to introduce more brands into Thai market

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Bangkok poll on "Most honest politicians": 1. Abhisit (49.8%). 2. Chuan (30%) Least honest: 1. Suthep (39%) 2. Newin (24%) /via@tulsathit:

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Shock and fall: Burmese worker plummets to his death in Phuket

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