Thailand Live Thursday 20 Jan 2011

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Thailand Live Thursday 20 January 2011

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 sothat 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 Wednesday 19 Jan 2011

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Police Question Owner of Car Blamed for Tollway Crash

Investigators are considering filing charges against the owner of the car driven by an underage woman who allegedly caused a tragic tollway crash that killed nine people.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Police Major General Amnuay Nimmanoe said the owner of the car driven by a 17 year old woman which rearended a van and caused it to crash and kill eight passengers and the driver on the Don Muang Tollway last month has met investigators to give a testimony.

The last person who drove the car prior to the girl has already presented his story to police as well.

Amnuay said investigators are considering what charges they might file against the two, adding their inquiry showed the license plates of the car are authentic.

The deputy police chief said the investigation is 80 percent complete while the inquiry of survivors of the crash is still in progress and it is uncertain how long they will have to stay in hospital.

He also said the legal team of Thammasat University last Friday had a meeting with relatives of the dead victims, most of whom were students and staff of the university, and discussed with them legal procedures related to the case and the amount of compensation.

Amnuay said their conclusions on the matter will be forwarded to investigators in the near future.

-- Tan Network 2011-01-20

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Minister Comfirms Officials' Involvement in Southern Unrest

The deputy interior minister discusses the new structure of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center with the prime minister and confirms reports on state officials' involvement in southern violence.

Deputy Interior Minister Thavorn Senneam, along with the director of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center, or SBPAC, Panu Uthairat, met with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to discuss the new structure of the SBPAC.

The meeting agreed that strategic moves to quell southern unrest will be adjusted to suit different locales and the 49 members to the advisory board will be selected from local figures.

Thavorn believes the unrest in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat will improve after the implementation of the SBPAC's new structure as there will be more public participation in the authorities' work.

Moreover, the new SBPAC Bill will give full authority to the center's secretary general to transfer civil servants and police officers from Level 10 downwards, but not members of the judiciary and the military in the region.

However, Thavorn admitted that there have been reports about some state officials' involvement in southern unrest with the aim of gaining certain benefits.

Asked about the three-month extension of the Emergency Decree enactment in the three southernmost provinces, the minister said the move will give officials more flexibility to do their jobs.

Further asked about recent violent attacks in the area, Thavorn believes that the incidents did not stem from the emergency rule extension.

He reasoned that stricter measures to curb the unrest may have forced militant groups to challenge the state by coming out to stir up the situation.

-- Tan Network 2011-01-20

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Bangkok Police Arrest Former American Lawyer For Fraud

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Thai Teens urged to prevent unwanted pregnancy, unsafe sex

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STOPPAGE TIME

One fine day in Thailand's deep South

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THAI TALK

Lieutenants everywhere, but no sign of a successor anywhere; Pheu Thai

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Make polluters in Thailand pay the full price for damage done

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PAD man Chamlong - Torn between 2 camps

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Singtel execs 'lobby' govt to save AIS concession from possible termination

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Reds to get Robert Amsterdam to file case against Thai govt

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Closing Thailand's marine parks 'won't save coral'

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Daring attack on South Thailand army post

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BURNING ISSUE

Rift over House seats not serious

By Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

Even though the ongoing conflict between the ruling Democrat Party and its coalition partners over constitutional changes might look serious, they are bound to get over it. This is because not many politicians would like to lose their power, especially when they've been at the helm of the country.

The Democrats are currently at loggerheads with their coalition partners over the apportioning of House seats. The ruling party wants 375 seats for constituency MPs and 125 for party-list MPs, while other coalition parties are in favour of the 400-100 formula.

In the first round of the debate, the Democrats conceded by accepting that the electoral system be changed from multiple MPs to one MP per constituency as proposed by the Sombat Thamrongthanyawong-led political reform panel.

Acceding to these changes did not mean that the Democrats had lost. In fact, this gave the ruling party a greater advantage over smaller parties, because a bigger constituency would mean more party-list MPs. This means, big parties would be destined to win a bigger portion of proportionate votes cast for party-list MPs.

Reducing constituency House seats from 400 to 375 would result in 24 provinces seeing a lower number of MP representatives. Under this, the South - the Democrat stronghold - would see the loss of just four House seats, which means the party would be compensated by winning more party-list seats via proportionate votes.

The ruling party is planning to wine and dine its partners on Monday - one day before the charter amendment bill is debated by Parliament. This appears to be a move to woo the partners so they vote for the 375-125 formula.

Apart from trying to win them over with a dinner, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is reportedly also planning to discuss the issue with key coalition leaders in person. Apparently, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban has told Abhisit that the leaders would accept the 375-125 formula, even though their parties back the 400-100 scheme.

"The key leaders want the prime minister to personally explain the Democrat Party stance. In fact, Abhisit has yielded to us over the charter change. We nearly got what we wanted, and now we just want to bargain [on the apportioning of House seats]," one of coalition leaders said.

He said he believed the coalition partners would possibly opt for the 375-125 formula and the charter amendment bill would eventually be passed.

Though a new 400-125 formula is being floated by Bhum Jai Thai and Puea Pandin Party as a compromise, it is really being seen more as an ironic move than something that can actually have an actual impact.

"The Democrats should share some of the benefits with us. While the ruling party enjoys 125 party-list MPs, why shouldn't we get 400 constituency MPs? This is a win-win formula for both sides," a Bhum Jai Thai source said. They also accepted that it was impossible for the Democrats to agree on anything other than their preferred 375-125 formula.

No matter how many formulas are proposed, the coalition partners have no other choice but to vote for the Democrats' preferred formula because they fear one of the prime minister's most powerful tools - House dissolution - a source from another coalition partner Chart Thai Pattana said.

This is over and above the fact that the Democrat Party appears to be the favourite contender in becoming the core party to form the government again after the next election. So, who could possibly dare to stand in their way?

-- The Nation 2011-01-20

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Encroaching trees felled in Krabi's natural reserve

By The Nation

The Forest Resource Management Office 12 in Krabi joined forces with related officials yesterday to destroy rubber trees and oil palms planted on the 18 rai of a national forest reserve in Tambon Khao Khram in Krabi's Muang district.

At 11am yesterday, 100 officials and volunteers brought down 720 rubber trees aged two to three years old and 209 oil palms planted on encroached forestland, office director Phachern Molee said. Legal action was filed against those behind the encroachment last August and the trees were felled under the National Reserved Forest Act's Article 25, he added.

As for allegations that some forestry officials might be involved, he said the Royal Forest Department was still investigating the case but had not found any witnesses to back the allegations. The retrieved land will be reforested and turned into a nature learning centre, he added.

In related news, rubber could cost Bt180 per kilo in this year's first and second quarters, acting chief executive of International Rubber Consortium, Yiam Thavarorit, said yesterday.

The price has been rising because drought has affected existing rubber trees and that while the demand was on the rise, the supply was low due to last year's natural disasters.

Also, he said, some rubber trees were planted in unsuitable areas, such as lowlying land or rice fields that have claylike soil, which made the trees grow slowly and be much smaller. He added that this was practised in the North and Northeast. Yiam added that agricultural agencies should train farmers interested in growing rubber.

Raw rubber sheet is currently sold for about Bt155 to Bt156 per kg.

-- The Nation 2011-01-20

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Royal honours for medical researchers

By The Nation

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will present the Prince Mahidol Awards to five foreign professors next Wednesday.

The award-presentation ceremony will take place at the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall.

The award recipients are Professor Nicholas J White, Professor Kevin Marsh, Professor Ananda S Prasad, Professor Kenneth H. Brown, and Professor Robert E. Black.

This year, 72 people from 31 countries have been nominated for the prestigious awards but only five have been honoured.

White and Marsh won the awards for their life-saving research on malaria in Southeast Asia and Africa.

Prasad, Brown and Black are being honoured for their research into the role of zinc in human health, including immunity against chronic diarrhoea.

-- The Nation 2011-01-20

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Man boarding Bangkok bus shot to death

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Court okays detention of yellow-shirt pair

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Three foreigners nabbed over drug charges

By The Nation

The Narcotics Suppression Bureau (NSB) recently arrested three foreigners over drug charges.

The bureau's chief, Pol Lt-General Atithep Panjamanon, told a press conference yesterday that 33-year-old Malaysian, John Lim Kuok Liang, was nabbed at Suvarnabhumi Airport allegedly in possession of 4 kilograms of crystal meth-amphetamine. The suspect was about to board a flight to Jakarta. "He is under detention pending further legal action," Atithep said.

NSB deputy commander Maj-General Hanphon Nitwiboon said two Lao nationals were arrested in the parking area Carrefour Rangsit in Pathum Thani with 2,000 meth-amphetamine tablets allegedly in their possession. The suspects were identified as Thao Kamtan Thepwongsa, 32, and Buaphan Thepsuruang, 28.

Hanphon said the Laotians were arrested in a sting operation.

-- The Nation 2011-01-20

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Education Ministry launches sex ed campaign

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Phuket market vendors outraged by fake cop shake down

Vice Governor Weerawat Janpen meets the vendors.

Tossapol Rungruengpawan of the Patong Retailers Association hands the complaint to

Col Chalit Kaewyarat at Phuket Provincial headquarters.

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Brit pensioners take on Thai 'killer bride'

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Thai stock index opens on Thursday at 1,029.19, down 5.61 points /MCOT

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Thai naval ship returns from anti-piracy duties in Somalia; ceremony to welcome officers at Sattaheep naval base /TAN_Network

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AFP: Rebels kill four in attack on Thai military: army

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Police Nab Drug Dealer and Thief in Bangkok

The Metropolitan Police Bureau has announced the arrests of one drug dealer and one thief, seizing a great number of items in the bust.

In the first case, a 30 year old Supanburi native, Attapon Kotchasan, has been nabbed in a drug seizure while he was distributing 20,000 methamphetamine pills in the parking lot at the southern bus terminal in Talingchan district of Bangkok.

The accused stated that he was paid 30,000 baht by a friend who is a prisoner in Ratchaburi province to deliver imported methamphetamine pills to a client.

Police seized 20,000 methamphetamine pills and two guns.

However, police said the buyer, Sarayuth Watbunma, managed to escape.

In the second case, six men have been arrested for robbing a second-handed car shop called “V.S. Motor” in Bangkuntian district.

Police said they confiscated bank cheques, bank account books, and photocopied documents.

The thugs claimed this was the very first time they've committed such a crime, and that they did it out of bad judgement.

Police argued the team used to rob people in the northeastern region and has been involved in a series of drug and theft cases.

-- Tan Network 2011-01-20

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Four soldiers killed, six wounded in surprise attack on Narathiwat army base

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Bomb attack on Pattani patrol unit in Yarang, no injuries; motorcycle bombing in front of tea shop in Bajoh, Narathiwat injures 2 soldiers /TAN_Network

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Protesters agree to open one lane of road to traffic

The Thai Patriots Network Thursday agreed to open a lane of Phitsanulok outside the Government House to traffic.

The group continued to occupy the road on the sixth day of its rally to demand the government to help seven Thai arrested by Cambodian troops.

Police tried to ask the protest leaders to clear two lanes of the road for the traffic but they agreed to open just one lane from 6 am to 10 am and 3 pm to 6 pm.

-- The Nation 2011-01-20