Thailand Live Thursday 10 Mar 2011

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Thailand Live Thursday 10 March 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 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 Wednesday 9 Mar 2011

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PM warns political parties not to interrupt elections

BANGKOK (NNT) -- Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has warned that any political party found interrupting an election or election campaigns of other political parties can be disbanded.

Prime Minister Abhisit believed that some people might not want an election to take place due to their bad experience with some political figures or existing political parties. He added that the society must help the democracy to move forward if its members still have confidence in the system.

The prime minister suggested that those displeased with the prevailing politics should group themselves up and take part in the national politics.

Prime Minister Abhisit then cautioned all political parties that they could face dissolution if found guilty of obstructing an election or election

campaigns of other parties. He said that he would discuss this issue with the Election Commission in their upcoming meeting.

The prime minister stressed that all political parties must be able to visit any areas and launch election campaigns freely after the house dissolution.

-- NNT 2011-03-10

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Defense Ministry to Join Bangkok in Hosting Annual Merit Making for City and HM King

The Ministry of Defense and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration are holding the annual religious ceremony for Bangkok, also in honor of His Majesty the King's 84th birthday on December 5.

Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuvan, together with Bangkok Governor M.R.Sukhumbhand Paribatra are holding the annual religious ceremony to bless Bangkok, and also in honor of His Majesty the King's 84th birthday on December 5.

Merit making will take place at the Bangkok City Pillar, in which many important figures will be participating, including Defense Permanent-Secretary Kittipong Keskowit, Supreme Commander, General Songkitti Jakkabat, and many others.

The general public is also welcome to join the auspicious event.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-10

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Thai Police Arrest Indian For Trafficking 22 Kilos Heroin Worth US$435,000

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Forest Fires Cancel Mae Hong Son Flights

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Thai Transport Ministry To Deal With Illegal Private Vans

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Confessed Phuket murderer Ronald Fanelli on the inside

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More control measures needed for fish spas in Thailand

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DROUGHT

Thai farmers up North battle over water

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Bhum Jai Thai, Chart Thai Pattana to cooperate after elections

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British man accused of embezzling US$150m drops appeal

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ATM transfers to gangsters 'can be cancelled'

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Policeman to stand trial for trafficking M-79s

The public prosecutors on Wednesday filed a criminal suit charging Police Sergeant Parinya Maneekot for illegal possession with the intent to trafficking of 62 40mm grenades produced for M-79 grenade launchers.

Parinya, of the Kukot police station in Pathum Thani, was arrested on April 28 last year at a checkpoint near Don Mueang Airport on Phaholyothin Road.

At the time of arrest, he was riding a motorcycle and trying to avoid the check in a suspicious manner. The subsequent search found the grenades for M-79. His arrest coincided with riots involving the red shirts at National Monument.

-- The Nation 2011-03-10

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ANALYSIS

Thai govt's diesel subsidy leaves many suffering in its wake

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Villagers elated over MoU on land

By Chularat Saengpassa,

Jeerapong Prasertpolkrang

The Nation

Move seen as bid to woo votes; protesters worried Suwit could be a stumbling block

More than 1,000 protesters left Bangkok yesterday - pleased, but still concerned - after eight government agencies signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on community land-title deeds.

The MoU has bolstered the landless people's hopes for a better life but they remained clueless as to how long it would take for such dreams to finally materialise.

"We remain worried because the Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Suwit Khunkitti, didn't show up at the ceremony," People Movement for a Just Society (P-Move) adviser Pongthip Samranjit said. "His ministry will have an active role to play because hundreds of communities are in forest zones."

As the ministry has also pursued legal action against 223 villagers on charges of encroaching on forestland, Pongthip still did not fully trust the government's sincerity.

"We know the government is wooing votes with the MoU on the community land-title deeds. But if this is going to benefit people, we won't mind it," she said.

PM's Office Minister Satit Wong-nongtaey said the government would try to deliver concrete results urgently from the policy based on the issuance of community land-title deeds.

"This is the main election policy of the Democrat Party," Satit said.

Representatives of P-Move, which led a month-long protest in Bangkok and pressed many demands, were present during the signing ceremony at Government House yesterday.

During the ceremony, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said his government had given priority to the community land-title deeds.

"This policy will ease conflict about land use. We have encouraged people to gather as a group and together manage land plots assigned to their community," the premier said.

Abhisit said more than 200 communities had submitted applications requesting community land-title deeds. If all applications were approved, more than 100,000 families would benefit.

Abhisit agreed there were some legal obstacles before the policy could be implemented. However, he said all agencies could work together in removing such problems.

Satit, who chaired a coordination committee on the community land-title deeds, said the MoU would foster closer cooperation among agencies, helping to speed up work procedures.

Currently, his panel had already approved applications for 35 communities. Two of them had already received land-title deeds.

Satit said with the MoU, 33 other communities should get their land-title deeds within a month. He expected to see 100 communities secure deeds before the end of this year.

Pongthip, so far, was not convinced.

"All people know it will take a very long time before we can get the community land-title deeds," she said. "The people were somewhat happy, though."

Pongthip said the MoU would at least give local people a way to defend themselves against official attempts to prosecute them on land-encroachment charges.

She said the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry did not seem willing to cooperate with the government's policy on the community land-title deeds.

Satit tried hard to reassure the villagers that the ministry would have to embrace this policy. "The government policy is binding on all ministries and ministers," he said.

The ministry's permanent secretary, Chote Trachu, yesterday showed up at the signing ceremony. He denied speculation that Suwit had deliberately ignored the ceremony as a protest against the community land-title deed policy. "He fell ill. We were scheduled to show up together," Chote said.

Although the P-Move was somewhat satisfied with the government policy about the community land-title deeds, it issued a statement condemning the government on many other issues, particularly the Cabinet's latest resolution deferring any decision on the opening of the Pak Mun Dam's sluice gates for 45 days.

-- The Nation 2011-03-10

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GURU SPEAK

Five forces that will shape Thailand in the next five years

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Police chief transferred over bomb attack

By THE NATION

The chief of Narathiwat police was yesterday transferred to an inactive post in the wake of a car-bomb attack on Monday at a police residential complex in Si Sakhon district.

Pol Maj-General Chaithat Inthanoojit will take on an assistant role with the Police Operations Centre for Southern Border Provinces. His position will be taken by Pol Maj-General Yongyuth Jaroenphanich.

The reason behind Chaithat's transfer was given as "his failure to prevent the bomb attack".

Deputy national police chief Pol Lt-General Peera Pumpichet, who signed the transfer order, said the attack was successful because the police had let their guard down, and it had reduced the credibility of the police and state authorities.

He said the residential complex was a standalone building located away from Si Sakhon police station, making it an ideal target for a car-bomb attack. A lone driver had parked a pickup truck outside the complex before fleeing on a motorcycle with a rider who had stood by.

Police have a sketch of the attacker and will soon obtain an arrest warrant for him, he said. "I am confident it will lead to the arrests of those behind the attack soon."

Meanwhile a village defence volunteer was killed in a drive-by shooting in Yala's Muang district early yesterday morning, Pol Lt-Col Sonthaya Thoobthong, acting chief of Muang Yala police station, said

Abdulloh Salae, 40, was riding his motorcycle to his duty post at Juenuereh school in Muang district about 12.15am when a gunman on a pillion of another motorcycle fired bullets from a .38 calibre pistol at his back.

The victim fell to the road and the gunman returned, shot him twice in the head, and then fled.

-- The Nation 2011-03-10

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Thai Police announce huge recent drug hauls

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Illegal foreign workers targeted

By The Nation

More than 220,000 immigrant workers who have failed to renew their work permits will be arrested and sent home, the Department of Employment (DoE) said yesterday.

Just 706,445 workers had registered and renewed their permits by the deadline of February 28, from a total of 932,255 on record last year.

The missing workers could have found new employment without registering the changes or might not have realised they had to verify their nationality before renewing their permits, as per new regulations, said Anurak Thossarat of the DoE.

"That is not the correct procedure, which they have been told and retold in PR campaigns," he added.

-- The Nation 2011-03-10

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BURNING ISSUE

Poll shadow over land for poor Thai villagers

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Even today, we receive threats: daughter of missing Thai lawyer Somchai

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Ikea plans two more stores in Bangkok

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Remote region of Papua New Guinea is rattled by strong 6.6-magnitude earthquake but there are no reports of damage or of tsunami /MCOT

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Thailand's vehicle sales continue surging in February

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Tourism entrepreneurs ask Thai Govt to scrap visa fees

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DSI chief set to submit petition for the revocation of red shirt leaders' bail if they appear on the protest stage on Mar 12 /TAN_Network

PAD to submit protest letter to Indonesian embassy today, warning it against interfering with Thai-Cambodian border dispute /TAN_Network

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DSI Chief to Ask for Revocation of Bail if Red Leaders Take Rally Stage

The chief of the Department of Special Investigations Tharit Pengdit said he will immediately petition the court to revoke bail granted to seven red shirt leaders if they take to the rally stage scheduled for March 12.

He said an appearance by the leaders would directly violate conditions set by the court for them not to engage in political gatherings.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-10

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MOAC invites foreign nations to join Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011

BANGKOK, 10 March 2011 (NNT) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has encouraged foreign countries to participate in the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek during 9 November 2011-15 February 2012 in Chiang Mai.

During a conference with foreign ambassadors to Thailand on “the International Horticultural Exposition: Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011”, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut persuaded them to partake in activities of the expo, including garden contests. He announced that the event would take place for 99 days during 9 November 2011-15 February 2012 at the Royal Park Ratchaphruek in Chiang Mai province.

Under the concept of global warming reduction, the horticultural exposition will be organized to commemorate the auspicious occasions of His Majesty the King’s 84th birthday anniversary, Her Majesty the Queen’s 80th birthday anniversary and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn’s 60th birthday anniversary. A variety of activities will be featured in compliance with the International Association of Horticultural Produces’ guideline, such as the Exhibitions of the Outdoor and Indoor International Gardens.

For more information about “the International Horticultural Exposition: Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011”, please visit www.royalflora2011.com or call 0-2579-7531.

-- NNT 2011-03-10

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Jatuporn Claims Validity of VDO Clip to be Revealed in Censure Debate

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