Thailand Live Monday 29 Nov 2010

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Thailand Live Monday 29 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

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 Sunday 28 Nov 2010

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Mor-E-Daeng Cliff re-opened for tourists

Si Sa Ket (NNT) -- Thai and foreign tourists have flocked to Si-Saket Province to enjoy breathtaking views from mor-E-Dang Hill, which has been re-opened on a trial basis since last week.

The opening of the Mor-E-Daeng has given a chance to tourists of all nationalities who have flocked over the area since early morning to have a glimpse at the Hill’s marvelous evergreen forest and the sea of fog at the top of the hill, a gateway to Khao Praviharn. The area had been sealed off until two weeks ago when Thai authorities decided to re-open it. Not to let a chance go by, the local Administration has arranged for student tour guides to take visitors around all day long.

Thai troops deployed at the hill will patrol the area under Thailand’s jurisdiction to ensure safety for sightseers and holidaymakers; from 8.00a.m. until 5 p.m. In addition, the official opening of the More-E-Daeng Hill ceremony will be held on December 4th, 2010.

-- NNT 2010-11-29

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Private sector: Corrupted officials take 25% of their income

KHON KAEN (NNT) -- The majority of Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) members wanted the government to eradicate corruption, the chronic problem of this country, which took up to 25 percent of the contract budgets.

TCC’s Center for Economic and Business Forecasting Director, Dr Thanawat Polvichai, yesterday revealed the result of a survey, conducted among Thai entrepreneurs, on the nation’s current corruption situation compared to that of the past three years.

62 percent of those surveyed said corrupt practices had been continuously on the rise throughout the country. Over 80% of them were forced to bribe government officials or politicians, paying them at least one-fourth of their contracts’ worth, in order to be awarded the contracts and survive in the fierce business.

Thailand has for years been high on the list of the world’s most corrupt countries, with over 80 percent of politicians and state officials busy lining their own pockets, stalling the country’s progress, for decades.

As for the economy next year, Dr Thanawat reported that most entrepreneurs said politics would have the most detrimental effect on the Thai economy, followed by economic confidence and oil prices. He said most of them expected the 2011’s growth to be around 3.1-4.0%.

-- NNT 2010-11-29

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Ratchavitee Hospital: Children with impaired hearing will be cured

BANGKOK (NNT) -- After successfully curing more than 300 children with impaired hearing, Ratchavitee's Hospital Cochlear Implant Center is prepared to help another 50 children with the same problem next year.

According to Dr. Kiatiyot Komin, an Ear Specialist, the Ratchavitee Hospital Cochlear Implant Center has successfully implanted auditory nerves into over 300 children with impaired hearing; which has helped them to learn and develop just like normal children.

To carry on helping the society and to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the hospital, the Center has planned on helping 50 more children with hearing problems. The Ratchavitee Hospital Cochlear Implant Center is internationally accepted in the field of Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT).

Contrary to what has been mistaken about an auditory nerve implant, Dr. Kiatiyot said it takes several months after an implant for a patient to hear, as he will have to undergo training to revive his auditory nerves to function properly.

-- NNT 2010-11-29

[george]

‘I am helping Thai tourism’, says US porn man

by Andrew Drummond

American Tony Poer the pornographer whose arrest reports were wiped clean from all the newspapers in Pattaya claimed yesterday that women flocked to be filmed and his arrest ‘never happened’.

Full story:

Edited November 28, 2010 by Maestro
Fixed link

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DEMOCRAT DISSOLUTION TRIAL

Don't blink

Democrat dissolution trial formally wraps up today, amid strong speculation of an immediate verdict

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DEMOCRAT DISSOLUTION TRIAL

Poll: 50% fear court result

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Thaksin and Sondhi equally bad: Suthep

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ELECTION

PM supports early poll but date uncertain

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EDITORIAL

Thai parliamentary panels law: better late than never

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Govt push to ease HIV confidentiality rules for young people

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

The Public Health Ministry has asked the Medical Council to amend its HIV confidentiality laws - because thousands of teenagers are diagnosed with HIV each year.

The ministry wants people under 18 to get greater access to testing and counselling services, without parental permission.

Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said he believed the move would help teenagers obtain anti-HIV drugs more promptly and speak with consultants at an early stage of the disease, thus reducing its spread among youths.

The move follows increasing HIV infection among youths, blamed on their lack of access to testing and counselling services, he said.

According to Medical Council regulations, the consent of a parent or guardian is needed for young people getting medical care. If they want HIV testing, they must first show a parent's permission to doctors.

Jirapat Wongsrikeaw of the Thai Youth Network on HIV/Aids project estimated 17,000 to 20,000 teenagers get HIV each year and up to 400,000 people around the country could have the disease.

"Blood tests for HIV would help them to access medication and consultants more quickly," she said.

To date, 1.16 million Thais have caught HIV since the first reported case in 1984 and about two thirds (644,128 people) had died of Aids.

This year there have been 10,853 new infections among adults and

children.

Gay men remain the group most affected by HIV, health officials said.

Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said the ministry aimed to halve HIV infection rates next year.

"We will focus on reducing new infections among gay men and housewives, as they are at the highest risk of HIV infection," Jurin said.

The National Aids Committee on had introduced a government supported needle and syringe programme on November 1, which, he said, required injecting drug users to exchange used needles for new needles.

And the Public Health Ministry has launched a major campaign with the slogan "Light for Rights" to raise public awareness about the rights of people living with HIV.

A group of teenagers yesterday organised a parade at Chatuchak Park to distribute packs of condoms to bystanders.

Some flocked to receive the condoms but others declined, saying they that carrying condoms was socially taboo.

-- The Nation 2010-11-29

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Raising liquor tax will save lives: academic

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EDUCATION

Training workers for the growing meetings industry

By WANNAPA KHAOPA,

DARAPAN KAEWMUKDA

THE NATION

Convention & Exhibition Bureau working on university courses

The Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions industry - known as MICE - is growing in Thailand. The problem is the country still lacks qualified human resources to support this growth. That's why educational institutes are being engaged to help resolve the problem.

"MICE has annual income of Bt45 billion and an annual growth rate of around 20 per cent. However, entrepreneurs in related businesses have told me they have faced a serious shortage of qualified staff," Akapol Sorasuchart, president of the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB), said recently.

TCEB is, thus, carrying out a study to determine the scope of this personnel shortage.

Akapol said there were not many people with MICE expertise in Thailand because most Thais still had no clear idea about the industry and education in the field was very limited.

To tackle the problem, TCEB has joined hands with Prince of Songkla University (PSU), Hat Yai Campus to creating a MICE tourism curriculum - a new specific hotel and tourism related curriculum. TCEB is considering signing another memorandum of understanding with Khon Kaen University to create another MICE curriculum too.

Director of MBA Tourism Management at PSU's Faculty of Management Sciences, Assist Prof Kaedsiri Jaroenwisan said TCEB and the university signed a memorandum of understanding on the curriculum in August. She has since then been working on drafting the bachelor's degree curriculum. She believed the course should be ready to launch in the 2012 academic year.

"Many universities have tourism curricula. But ours will be different. It's going to be specific. It's about MICE," she said.

Kaedsiri said the basic and core subjects may be similar but there would be special courses designed especially for the convention industry. She has prepared the curriculum in close consultation with MICE experts from TCEB.

Akapol said many hotels had MICE sections. Personnel in MICE tourism should be able to handle bigger groups of guests. For example, being a chef in MICE tourism, the chef would have to be able to cook for thousands of guests.

Kaedsiri said students graduating from the MICE tourism curriculum had to be equipped with English language and understand the industry, plus the different functions of services before, during and after events take place, as well as marketing and other factors linked to the industry. "We plan to teach 25-50 per cent in English. And we're considering if we'll provide other languages, like Chinese or German as a selective subject."

In addition, real work experience is important. So, Kaedsiri said she would try to have students intern under a partnership between the university and the private sector. "They should learn from internships at convention centres."

Kaedsiri said launching a MICE programme at university level alone would not be enough.

"How we will attract students to the MICE programme is a challenge given that school students do not know much about the industry," she pointed out.

"So, I have told TCEB that we should work with schools to make sure that their students know about the industry and its benefits."

The curriculum Kaedsiri is working on is one of several measures that TCEB is undertaking to handle the shortage of personnel and to improve employees' qualifications under its "Thailand MICE Education" push.

TCEB has organised roadshows in major provinces such as Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Chon Buri and Songkhla over the past two years before the official launch of the campaign in Nonthaburi province.

Akapol said the roadshows involved some 36 universities and vocational institutions with hundreds of students aiming at jobs in the MICE field or studying in educational fields related to the industry. They also sought to create partnerships with leading universities in different regions to train teachers and lecturers and create standard guidelines for the industry.

After the roadshows, TCEB will run its "Train the Trainer" project as part of the Thailand MICE Education project to provide MICE seminars and training to vocational teachers and university lecturers who will later pass on knowledge about the industry to students, as well as offer an opportunity for them to get work experience.

In addition to the educator training, TCEB plans to boost awareness about the industry to students via seminars and to career-specialised students, who will get to use their acquired skills in workplaces.

-- The Nation 2010-11-29

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BUSINESS

PTT launches century bond

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PM Abhisit has arrived at the Democrat Party, discussing w/legal team b4 going to Constitution Court w/Chuan Leekpai. /via@veen_NT

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Constitution Court's session on Democrat's dissolution case will begin at 9. Dem's chief advisor Chuan will give verbal summation at 9.30am. /via@veen_NT

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5 companies of police deployed to keep security at Constitution Court

Five companies of policemen were deployed to keep security at the Constitution Court Monday morning when the Democrat Party and the Election Commission are scheduled to make closing statements in the party dissolution case.

Ten mobile detention trucks were put up outside the court. Police also set up metal barricades around the court.

Police also use mobile phone jammer to turn off mobile phone signals in the area.

The court is expected to announce its ruling in the afternoon.

-- The Nation 2010-11-29

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Background: Founded in 1946, Democrat Party is Thailand's oldest political party that has been around for 64 years. /via@veen_NT

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(8.05) PM Abhisit and Chuan group arrive at the Constitution Court /TR @jeerapong_nna /via@veen_NT

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Democrats want the case to end asap: Banyat Bantadtan /via@veen_NT

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Democrat Party Travels to Constitution Court for Closing Statement on Dissolution Case

Democrats chief advisor Chuan Leekpai leads the party legal team to the Constitution Court to deliver the closing statement on a party dissolution case. The Democrats has been accused of abusing he 29 million baht political party development fund from the Elelection Commission.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-29

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Democrats Advisor Confident of Written Statement Submitted to Constitution Court

Democrats chief advisor Chuan Leekpai said he's confident that a written closing statement submitted earlier contained all the details the party needs to clarify the accusation of abusing the 29 million baht political party development fund.

-- Tan Network 2010-11-29

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CRES has prepared a helicopter in case needed for emergency escape by the Constitution judges /via@Juarawee /via@RichardBarrow:

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FT. LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA (BNO NEWS) -- A Canadian radio station is reporting that actor Leslie Nielsen has died in Florida.

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Ruling Democrat Party's judgment day

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Prosecution & Dems 2 b given 30 mins each 2 make closing statement'. Speculation persists over immediate verdict. /via@tulsathit

All Democrat big guns are at Constitution Court, which has tight security with lines of police - TPBS /via@tulsathit

Prosecutor Kittinan Thatpramuk will represent prosecution and Chuan Leekpai the Dems in making closing statements. /via@tulsathit

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Prosecutor Kitinan started by defending the whole inquiry as legitimate to pre-empt Dems' attack on the process. /via@tulsathit

Prosecutor's closing statement has 86p, denying reds' pressure &claiming Dems obsessed with technicality&elusive on charges. /via@tulsathit

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3 likely scenarios for the verdict: Not guilty, Guilty with party disbanded & all 49 party execs barred from politics for 5y /via@@tukky_nt

Guilty with party disbanded but only only those party execs linked to the fraud penalised #nation /via@@tukky_nt

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Prosecutor insists new political party law (2007) is applicable in Democrat case. /via@tulsathit

In other words, wrongdoings must b as stated in old law, but legal proceedings must refer to 2007 law /via @Aim_nt /via@tulsathit

I can't see how the tentative 30-min time allocation for each side can b met. /via@tulsathit