Thailand Live Friday 14 Jan 2011

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Thailand Live Friday 14 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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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 Thursday 13 Jan 2011

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La Fête Festival 2011: A great come back

BANGKOK (NNT) – The French Embassy has revealed that the annual cultural festival La Fête, which usually takes place in

Bangkok every June, is now once again back in town, but this year it will be held from February 9 to April 10.

With over 300,000 visitors every year, La Fête has become one of the most popular events in Thailand, covering a wide range of cultural and art activities. The festival features theater performances, classical music, circus shows, rock concerts, contemporary and hip-hop dances, puppet shows, photography exhibitions, films, fashion exhibitions, gourmet dining and many others.

According to Mr Alain Gavillet, Press Attaché of the French Embassy, this year’s La Fête has been extended to 7 other cities in the kingdom, including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui, with an aim to create a better understanding of French culture and tighten the long-standing Thai-French relations.

Mr Gavillet further added that many events of La Fête are free of charge to allow Thai people to fully enjoy being a part of this great festival. Visitors can also attend the special events throughout the festival, such as the Valentine’s Day cinema-picnic at the Museum Siam, the ‘Fashion’ exhibition at the Bangkok Art & Cultural Center on February 18-April 10, the ‘Tuk Tuk 26’ show in various areas of Bangkok on February 18-19 and an exhibition of photos of Paris at the Alliance Française in Bangkok on February

26-April 3.

La Fête was postponed last year due to the political turmoil; however, for its comeback this year, it has become even greater than all other previous arrangements. It was named not only one of the most important cultural events within Thailand but also one of the most important cultural festivals launched by France in Asia. Over 80 percent of satisfied spectators consider La Fête as one of Bangkok’s major cultural events and also a good reflection of French contemporary creativity. For more information

about the festival, please visit its official website www.lafete-bangkok.com.

-- NNT 2011-01-14

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Landslide Hits Southern Tourist Attraction

A landslide has ravaged a popular tourist destination in Trang province while the flood situation in other southern provinces remains woeful.

Trang’s Palien subdistrict administrative chief Weerasak Saemun, along with the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officials, traveled to the popular Nan Sator Waterfall on Banthat Mountain to assess the damage from a landslide and fallen boulders.

Officials trekked for more than two hours before reaching their destination due to the altitude and steepness of the mountain.

Upon inspection, they found boulders of various sizes, some as large as a car, have rolled down the slope as well as a landslide from the mountain top.

Weerasak said it was fortunate the landslide occurred at night and thus did not cause injuries and fatalities among tourists.

He has issued a warning to locals in the vicinity to closely monitor the situation.

Meanwhile, flooding in various southern provinces has yet to recede.

Floodwater is measured at 50 centimeters in certain parts of Phattalung’s Muang district where villagers have been trying to cope with three months of lingering floods.

Flood draining efforts at villages in Muang and Kuan Kanun districts have been very slow and more than 500 homes continue to suffer under adverse conditions.

The affected villagers, who are predominantly farmers, are under severe stress as the floods have caused them to use up their savings and left them unemployed with no indication of aid from the province.

Chanya Chimsaeng, a farmer in Muang district, said today is the first time she is able to assess the damage on her farmland after three months of inundation.

She urges the province to quickly provide emergency aid to flood-hit farmers as all her crops were destroyed.

Pattani province is seeing a relief as floodwater has begun to recede in five districts, except for parts of Muang district remaining submerged under one-meter deep floodwater.

The province predicted that if rainfall ceases and the sea tide is low for two to three days, flooding will likely recede.

Nonetheless, the local task force has dispatched medical teams on boat to assess the condition and livelihood of the affected locals.

-- Tan Network 2011-01-14

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Phuket Gang Rape Victim Now Safe

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UPDATE

Cops to grill kids who stay out after 10pm

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Korn to propose Bt85 billion mid-year budget for Thailand

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Slowest growth among peer countries predicted for Thailand

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Excessive cattle exports boosting beef prices, Thai traders complain

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EDITORIAL

Interest rate hike needed to tackle rising inflation in Thailand

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House to revote for organic law on anti corruption

By The Nation

House Speaker Chai Chidchob plans put the National Anti Corruption Commission Act, an organic law, for a revote after a provision was found to be unconsitutional, a senior House official said on Thursday.

The House and the Senate previously voted for the legislative passage and forwarded the legislation for a mandatory judicial review ahead of enactment.

On Monday, the Constitution Court notified the House Secretariat of its verdict, saying Article 64 violated the Constitution although the spirit of legislation taken as a whole stayed intact.

Article 64 empowers the NACC to independently fix the salaries and benefits for its officials.

This clause was amended by the Senate deviating from the original draft. At the time of its passage, the upper chamber justified its vote by saying it wanted the NACC to have full independence in supervising its affairs.

House secretariat Pithoon Phumhiran said based on the judicial decision, Article 64 must be dropped before the enactment of the legislation. The revote is expected to drop Article 64 before enactment.

The high court formed a five-to-four majority decision that the provision was a form of discrimination violating the spirit of the Constitution because it put NACC officials above the rest of public officials. It also made a uninanimous decision that the legislation could still be enforced without this unconstitutional provision.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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BMA gets most complaints about public nuisance

By The Nation

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) hotline 1555 received 40,543 complaints last year, most of which were about public nuisance.

Bangkok Deputy Governor Pornthep Techapaibul said yesterday that related agencies had already managed to solve 37,110 cases, or 91.53 per cent of the total complaints, and are working on the remaining 3,433. The number of complaints last year was lower than the 43,811 complaints recorded in 2009.

Of the total complaints, 9,578 were about public nuisance, of which 8,900 have been solved; 4,434 were about public offences and 3,700 have been seen to; while 4,194 were about the water drainage system and 3,900 had been addressed among others.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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Pheu Thai says mid-year budget's a chart change ploy

By Praphan Chindalert-udomdee,

Yossawadee Hongthong

The Nation

The Pheu Thai Party has described the government's mid-year budget plan as a ploy to "bribe" coalition partners.

Former deputy finance minister Pichai Naripthaphan, a member of Pheu Thai Party's economic team, said he was worried the government would allocate the Bt100 billion mid-year budget which reflected a severe lack of fiscal discipline.

The government was creating debts for the future, he said.

Meanwhile, Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit questioned whether the budget represented a conspiracy among coalition parties to share the benefits and silence coalition parties who disagreed on charter amendment.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij earlier this week said there had not yet been a conclusion on the mid-year budget, but Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had assigned the ministry to study its projected income. The mid-year budget, if allocated, would be used as a rehabilitation budget for people hit by natural disasters and to compensate for the fiscal reserve the government had spent earlier this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the Democrat Party would host a reception party for the coalition parties on January 25 at the Plaza Athenee Hotel as a traditional event for the coalition parties to talk and get ready to work together. The Parliamentary legislation session starts on January 21.

Suthep said differing opinions on changes to the number of MPs as part of the Constitution amendment would not cause conflict among the parties.

Democrat representatives have already won a narrow victory in the ad-hoc panel deliberating the charter draft in their bid to change the number of representatives to 375 constituency MPs and 125 party-list MPs.

Suthep denied the party had threatened to dissolve the House unless the numbers were changed.

Suthep also denied the ruling party had an agreement with coalition parties that the number of MPs would be returned to 400 constituency and 100 party-list MPs, as proposed by the coalition parties. "We agreed only that there would be a charter amendment," he said.

Suthep declined to answer whether charter amendment could lead to rifts among the coalition parties. PM Abhisit has set the Constitution amendment as a condition to be decided before House dissolution. The other conditions included solving economic problems and restoring peace and order to the country.

Social Action party-list MP Thewarit Nikornthes said Pheu Thai MPs joining the vote on charter amendment would be an important factor in deciding if the number of MPs was to be changed.

He said Pheu Thai MPs were likely to agree with the 400+100 formula and 10 Pheu Thai MPs had requested a debate on the constitutional amendment during the second and third readings.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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Fireworks explosion prompts house searches

By The Nation

Ayutthaya

An explosion at an illegal firework factory yesterday - which killed three people, injured two and damaged several homes - has prompted the provincial governor to order police searches of nearby houses for similar operations.

When police arrived at the scene in Tambon Ban Koh at 9am they found one house on fire. Two others had totally collapsed.

The bodies of Chaliew Homthes, 38, Ubon Homthes, 40, and Pairat Samorn, 40, were found along with two injured people, who were rushed to Ratchathani Hospital. On the back of Chaliew's pickup truck, which was parked near the scene, police found a sack of "Khai Kong" egg-shaped fireworks.

Neighbour Thien Sammarat, 72, whose house was also damaged, told police the house where the explosion happened belonged to La-ied Srinongnuch, 72. La-ied's nephew Pongphisanu Ngaphrom, 37, stayed there and was using the place as a firework factory.

Prior to the explosion, Pairat and two other workers were mixing gunpowder and potassium while Chaliew and Ubon drove the pickup truck there to pick up the products, he said.

Ayutthaya governor Wittaya Phewpong, who inspected the scene yesterday, said she had asked police chief Maj-General Anurak Taengkasem to search all houses in the area.

This wasn't the first time such an incident had happened, she said. In 2003 an explosion killed many people. The authorities stopped issuing permits for firework making, though some people had continued to do so illegally, she said.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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Ministry to rebuild torched city halls

By Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

The Interior Ministry is to ask Cabinet for Bt1,323 million to rebuild four city halls and government properties that were burned after red-shirt protests were broken up last May.

The four provinces are Khon Kaen, Mukdahan, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani. In Chiang Mai, the governor's residence and assistant governor's home were also burned.

The ministry said the damage was worth Bt774.8 million.

"The ministry asked for Bt1.3 billion but the Budget Bureau said only Bt837 million should be approved," said a report that will be sent to the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Rebuilding the four city halls will cost Bt724.8 million. But the Budget Bureau said only Bt108.7 million should come from this year's budget while the remaining Bt616.1 million should come from the budgets for the next two fiscal years.

The money required to rebuild the other properties should come from this year's budget, the report said.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Department has asked for Bt150 million to buy a new outdoor broadcast vehicle because its old one has been in use for more than 20 years.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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Cattle farmers turning to rubber

By The Nation

Farmers in Loei province are selling their cattle and turning their farms into rubber plantations following a drastic drop in the price of live cattle.

The cattle population has dropped from 80,000 to 50,000 head in just two years, said Prasit Rattainachawanont, chief of the provincial livestock office.

"The main reason is that cattle farmers are giving up the business and turning to growing rubber trees, resulting in a sharp decrease in prairie areas for cattle to graze on," he said.

Rubber and vegetable plantations require minimal care and entail much lower costs than cattle farms, he said. Falling herd numbers had also been noted in other northern and northeastern provinces after farmers sold cattle to foreign buyers at high rates.

Tun Jan-usah, a villager in Ubon Ratchathani, said Isan-style banquets, which traditionally feature beef, were increasingly favouring cheaper pork cuts.

"Two years ago, we would kill one cow priced at Bt8,000 for a party," she said. "Now we have to pay twice that price to get a cow, while Bt10,000 can get us 100 kilos of pork."

A small calf cost Bt1,000 two years ago, but the price had jumped threefold, prompting farmers to sell their cattle both as calves and fully grown.

A senior livestock official, Thossaphorn Srisak, has set up a network for cattle farmers and buyers to exchange information and educate each other about the cattle trade and breeding techniques.

He warned against specifically dam cows, which could lead to shortages in the long run. Replacing them would be costly because of anticipated higher prices due to high demand, he said.

Despite legal export of cattle, smuggling of the animals remains constant. The areas most associated with smuggling in Ubon Ratchathani province are tambon Na Waeng in Khemmarat district and two villages in Na Tal district, said Navy Lieutenant Karant Minwong, chief of a mekong River Navy patrol unit.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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Court rules against anti-graft law amendment

By The Nation

The Constitution Court has found that a provision in the proposed amendment to the anti-graft law is unconstitutional.

Constitution Court president Chut Chonlavorn this week informed House Speaker Chai Chidchob and Senate Speaker Prasopsuk Boondet in writing about the court's decision, a source said yesterday.

The court's judges voted 5-4 that Article 64 of the amendment to the Corruption Prevention and Suppression Act, an organic law to the Constitution, contravened Article 30 of the charter.

The provision prohibits discrimination against a person on the grounds of origin, race, language, sex, age, disability, physical or health condition, personal status, economic or social standing, religious belief, education or political view.

Article 64 of the organic law, which would empower the National Anti-Corruption Commission to independently set salaries and remuneration for its officials, was found to discriminate against other groups of state officials, according to the source.

Pitoon Pumhirun, secretary-general of the House of Representatives, said yesterday that he expected the problematic provision to be removed as there were no problems with the rest of the amendment.

"The article must be removed because this was a ruling by the Constitution Court," he said.

When asked if that meant the legislature was "losing face" over the matter, he said he did not think so as it was part of the law-making process and the court decision did not result in the cancellation of the entire amendment.

Senator Paiboon Nititawan, chief legal adviser to the Senate speaker, said the speaker had received the letter from the Constitution Court president on Monday. He expected the problematic article to be removed with the rest of the law remaining intact.

"The Senate requested this amendment because we want the NACC to work independently in suppressing corruption and to be free from any intervention," the senator said.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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ASK THE EDITOR

Are senators pursuing the right course?

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Road rage shooting wounds Thai International Airways pilot

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Sedan owner ignores summons

By The Nation

The owner of the Honda Civic sedan that a 17-year-old girl was driving when she crashed into a passenger van on an elevated tollway road in Bangkok last month, killing nine people, did not go to see police yesterday as requested by a summons.

Traffic police deputy commander Col Chaiwat Kalanthapura wrote in a report to the Metropolitan Police chief and his deputy for traffic that police had interviewed six witnesses and still had more questions to ask them.

The report also said the owner of the sedan did not go to see the police yesterday, telling them that he or she wanted to be interviewed later in the month. The police are considering charging the owner with allowing a person with no driver's licence to drive his or her car, punishable with a fine of up to Bt2,000.

Chaiwat also told reporters that a story claiming the sedan carried another vehicle's licence plate was untrue. He said the police would wait for a report from the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection and attach it to the case report. He said police had also contacted relatives of the accident victims to invite them to a meeting about compensation requests and affirmed that the case would not just fade away as many had feared.

Meanwhile, Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection deputy chief Sunthorn Perngmak yesterday said the department completed an interview and physical and mental health assessment of the 17-year-old driver on Monday, as well as interviewing her mother.

It was up to probation officials to decide whether to summon more people before sending the findings to police investigators working on the case. The indictment should be completed in 30 days, he said.

Sunthorn declined to comment on the agency's recommended punishment and assessment of the girl, which would be submitted to the Central Juvenile and Family Court.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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Lack of local wisdom teachers decried

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Explosion heard/flames and smoke seen at Bangchak oil depot in Sukhumvit. Fire under control, traffic extremely congested. /TAN_Network

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Explosion, fire occur in Bang Chak oil refinery

An explosion occurred at an oil tank of the Bang Chak refinery on Soi Sukhumvit 64 Friday morning.

The explosion occurred at 7 am, prompting police to seal off the area for fear that the fire would escalate.

Five fire engines rushed to the scene. The fire was brought under control at about 7:50 am, Nation Channel reported.

-- The Nation 2011-01-14

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SET likely to surge to 1,754 points, says finance minister

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THAI chairman upset over delay in planned set-up of budget airline

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 1,032.29, down 2.79 points /MCOT

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AFP: Hate Mobs Thrive In Asia's Booming Social Media

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Police Crackdown On Illegal Medicine

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Thailand Sees 20 Per Cent Increase In Arab Visitors For 2010

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Phuket Red Cross draw blesses the lucky

Atiphon 'Tu' Wongmaha with his winning ticket.

Photo: Pimwara Choksakulpan

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