Thailand Live Friday 7 Jan 2011

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Thailand Live Friday 7 January 2011

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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Commentary is still open for Thailand news in the relevant thread posted in News Clippings.

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Related topic: Thailand Live Thursday 6 Jan 2011

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City Police Brace for Red-shirt Rally

The city police have arranged plans to handle Sunday's red-shirt rally and asked protesters not to display messages against the Monarchy.

Spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Police Major General Piya Uthayo, said the red-shirt gathering on Sunday will divide into three groups to organize activities in separate locations, including the Ratchaprasong Intersection, before they relocate to other key venues.

Piya said his agency's Deputy Commissioner Police Major General Kreerin Inkaew will be in charge of overseeing the overall situation while activities at Ratchaprasong will be under the supervision of the city police Division 5.

The handling of events at the Democracy Monument has been assigned to Division 6.

Commander of the city police Division 1, Police Major General Wichai Sangprapai, will continue to coordinate with the demonstrators.

The group's motorcycle procession will be under the watch of the police stations in the areas it passes.

Piya stated he has been informed the group will wrap up all of its activities at 8 P.M.

He urged the protesters not to launch sky lanterns or display inappropriate messages about the Monarchy as they can face arrest straight away.

He also asked the general public to avoid provoking the demonstrators to avoid possible clashes.

-- Tan Network 2011-01-07

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Cabinet grants extension to the payment of the Migrant Workers Repatriation prorgam

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Employers of foreign workers have been given until March 1st next year, a new dead line, to turn over to the Department of Employment the money withheld under the Migrant Workers Repatriation program.

The Cabinet has reportedly granted the extension on grounds that it will give migrant workers sufficient time to renew their work permits and enable their employers to continue to withhold the required amounts without any problems.

Each of the workers from Burma, Laos, and Cambodia is required to have between 2,100 to 2,400 baht of his pay withheld and turned over to the Department’s repatriation fund aimed at helping the Department coping with the costs of a repatriation process. The extension has also been granted to prevent migrant workers from refusing to renew their work permits due to the overlapping of time.

-- NNT 2011-01-07

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Two Romanians arrested in Bangkok in transnational ATM fraud scam

card data skimmed from British victims

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New company registrations soared in Thailand in 2010

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Elephant lovers demand action against Thai temple

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BOMB SUITS

Bomb-protection suits not full protection: Thai general

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BORDER DISPUTES

No bail for 7 Thais jailed in Phnom Penh

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TOLLWAY CRASH

Compo considered from tollway crash teen

By The Nation

Police are coordinating with lawyers appointed by Thammasat University to discuss compensation payments from the family of the underage driver involved in a tollway accident last month that killed nine passengers.

The relatives of the dead, as well as those of five others who were injured in the accident, could separately lodge civil lawsuits for additional payments while police follow criminal procedures in the case, Vibhavadi police added.

Police are also trying to determine the role played by the female owner of the white Honda driven by the girl when it hit the van on the elevated tollway on December 27. They will soon decide whether to take action against the unnamed woman.

Thammasat will hold meritmaking ceremonies for the victims on January 10 at its Rangsit campus and on January 14 at its original campus near Sanam Luang. Thammsatappointed lawyers and the relatives will take part in meetings to discuss legal action against the girl.

Wijitra Panyapraset, mother of wounded survivor Kanjananaphas Panyapraset, said she sympathised with the girl's family but wanted to see them take responsibility for treatment and rehabilitation costs for her wounded daughter.

-- The Nation 2011-01-07

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GOLF

Jeev fit to join Asia's Royal Trophy bid

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New drug developed to help diagnose cancer

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Chulabhorn Hospital has succeeded in developing a radiopharmaceutical substance called "11CCholine", which can be used in conjunction with a PETCT scan to examine tumour cells in cases of prostate, bladder, lung, oesophageal and liver cancer.

The substance, when used along with a PETCT scan, helps diagnose abnormalities and differences in cells. It will also help doctors diagnose brain tumours, as well as evaluate the size and formation of cells before and after treatment.

Chulabhorn Hospital is the first to develop the substance in Southeast Asia, manager of the institute's National Cyclotron and PET Centre, Assoc Prof Dr Rujjaporn Chaichana, said.

The hospital started developing and completed research on the substance in 2009, and has used it on 80 patients. The drug costs Bt40,000 per patient.

-- The Nation 2011-01-07

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Undertakers indicted over abortion scandal

By The Nation

Two undertakers have been indicted for allegedly hiding and getting rid of dead foetuses in relation to the discovery of 2,002 bodies at a Bangkok temple.

Suthep Chabangbon and Suchart Choomee jointly face 348 charges for illegally hiding and disposing of dead foetuses, though Suthep faces another 1,000 or more separate charges, the 402page indictment read.

Both men are expected to submit their pleas today at the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court, which will rule on their anticipated request for bail.

Lanchakorn Janthamanas, a former assistant nurse who was indicted on Wednesday for allegedly carrying out abortions, pleaded not guilty to the three offences lodged against her. The Court of Appeals has released her on a Bt200,000 bail.

On the order of the Court of Appeals, she has been released temporarily on bail of Bt200,000.

The Taling Chan Court, which rejected her bail request, will hold a preliminary hearing on March 14.

-- The Nation 2011-01-07

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New projects to ease pollution in Map Ta Phut area proposed

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We have the right to be paranoid; Thai press freedom

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Red protest absences threaten Thida's credibility

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Silenced Jatuporn asks Thai court to clarify his status

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Nurse's mother blames Army for daughter's death

By Nerisa Nerykhiew

The Nation

The mother of late volunteer nurse Kamolket Akahad told the Senate committee on monitoring the political situation yesterday she believed Thai troopers, by the government's order, shot her daughter and five others dead in Wat Pathumwanaran during the redshirt protest last May.

Phayao Akahad was among witnesses and relatives of the six victims to give information to the committee at Parliament.

"No country will battle at a place where medical staff are trying to save lives, only in Thailand, and they shot into a temple, which is supposed to be a sanctuary. I believe the soldiers shot them by the government's order, but the government, Deputy PM Suthep Thaugsuban and Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situations spokesman Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the "bandits" did it, which made me speechless. Their attempts to cover up information made me decide to step out to fight," Phayao said.

Calling on the government to be responsible for its actions and to stop lying and twisting facts, she said her family would ask for help from everyone, not only for their daughter but all for everyone who died.

"I want people to help people, don't let the government twist facts and insult the dead persons by calling them terrorists," Phayao tearfully said, urging the Department of Special Investigation (DSI)'s probe into this matter to speed up.

The committee chairman Jittipol Viriyaroj concluded that the committee had agreed to invite the Royal Thai Police and DSI to give information. They would invite DSI chief Tharit Pengdit via the Justice Ministry to explain the probe's progress to the committee next week.

-- The Nation 2011-01-07

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Weather bureau warns of flash floods and landslides in the South due to heavy rain; lower part of Gulf of Thailand to see strong winds /TAN_Network

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Pheu Thai MPs: Thaksin approved his Sister Yingluck to become Party Leader

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PM leads Cabinet members' spouses in ceremony to ordain 999 monks as part of celebration of HM the King's 84th birthday /TAN_Network

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Mike Tyson, 44, heavyweight boxing champion, convicted rapist shows gentler side of himself in upcoming TV show as man with lifelong passion for raising pigeons /MCOT

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 1,050.11, down 0.87 points /MCOT

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2 Arrested for Issuing Bad Cheques to Royal Found

Two people have been arrested for issuing bad cheques to the Miracle of Life Foundation under the patronage of Princess Ubolratana.

The bounced cheques total more than 70 million baht.

The Crime Suppression Police have arrested 36 year old Wannaporn Wiriyapan and 25 year old Anant Benjapan at the office of the Association of Human Resource Management for Local Leaders in Lam Luk Ka District of Pathumthani Province, for allegedly issuing bad cheques to the Miracle of Life Foundation under the patronage of Princess Ubolratana.

The foundation said it commissioned the association to organize two training sessions on its behalf.

The association promised to give the foundation the 60 million baht it raised from the session held in September, but paid only 20 million baht, claiming that the program was unsuccessful.

The association also promised to present the foundation with 60 million baht from the sale of two million pink shirts produced by the foundation, and an additional 20 million baht from the training session in November.

The association apparently paid five million baht in cash from the polo sales and wrote a cheque for 15 million baht.

It reportedly gave three million baht in cash from the training session and issued another cheque for 20 billion baht.

Both cheques bounced.

The suspects denied the allegations against them and said they would fight the case in court.

-- Tan Network 2011-01-07

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Thai Police Launch Major Crackdown On Drugs

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BKK police arrest suspect in robbery of 1,100 baht weight (16.72 kg) of gold from 3 gold shops; only 5 baht weight (76 g) of gold left /TAN_Network

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Burmese man murdered in Phuket

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Commerce Min Approves Bt9/Bottle Price Hike for Palm Oil

The Commerce Ministry has approved a Bt9/bottle for palm oil putting the current price for bottled palm oil at 47 baht per bottle. The price change will become effective tomorrow.

-- Tan Network 2011-01-07

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Village head gunned down in Narathiwat

NARATHIWAT, Jan 7 – A village head was gunned down Friday morning while he was riding motorcycle to meet informally and drink tea with villagers.

Singchai Salae, 37, village head of Tanyong Limor, was killed near a bridge in Rangae district. Shot multiple times in the head and chest, he died at the scene.

The initial investigation showed that Mr Singchai was shot five times before losing control of his motorcycle, which fell to the road. One gunman fired again at close range and took the victim’s gun.

At least ten spent bullet casings from an AK-47 assault rifle and a .38 calibre pistol were found at the crime scene.

Mr Singchai was attacked twice earlier before he was killed. The village head is a close aide of Gen Phichet Wisaijon, Assistant Commander-in-Chief and helped him in establishing and implementing a sufficient economy project as a learning model for other villages.

The insurgency resumed in the three southernmost province of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat and four districts of Songkhla in early 2004 and have claimed over 4,000 lives of government officials, military, police, school teachers and local residents. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-01-07

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Russian man found dead in Sattahib

Sattahib, Chon Buri - A Russian man was found dead in the wood opposite from a hotel in Sattahib Friday, police said.

Police said Yumagu Loy, 50, apparently hang himself several days ago before his bloated body was found in the wood in front of the Rawintra Beach Hotel at 8 am by passers-by.

The weight of his bloated body caused the rope to be broken.

A security officer of the hotel, Kriengkrai Mongkolphan said he saw Loy walking out of the hotel at 8 am on New Year Day and he had never returned.

His wife, Voygenko Loy, filed complaint with police that her husband had gone missing.

The wife said Loy suffered from heart disease and Alzheimer.

-- The Nation 2011-01-07