Thailand Live Monday 14 Mar 2011

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Thailand Live Monday 14 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 Saturday 12 Mar 2011

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Meltdown Likely Under Way At Japan Nuclear Reactor

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Thai Reds Mass In Bangkok To Mark Anniversary Of Protest

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Thailand, Japan on different plates

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Travel business in Thailand faces a dip after Japan quake

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Thailand DSI: 'We Serve The Public, Not The Government'

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AIS subsidiary seeks nod to test 4G

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Thai rice booms for all but the growers

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Pheu Thai Party to campaign against foreign cigarette manufacturers

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BRIEFS

Situation is still not good: Banharn

Former prime minister Banharn Silapa-archa yesterday expressed his disagreement to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's announcement on Friday that he would seek House dissolution in May.

"The prime minister called me [on Friday] and told me he planned to dissolve the House in May. I asked him why he did not want to stay on to ease the [political] situation. I just offered him encouragement," he said.

Now chief adviser to the coalition Chart Thai Pattana Party, Banharn said the political situation remained "fiery" and the conflict remained unsolved.

Chart Thai Pattana yesterday held a fund-raising event at Muang Thong Thani, which was expected to raise Bt50 million.

-- The Nation 2011-03-14

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Shipyard shut

By The Nation on Sunday

Industry Minister Chaiwuti Bannawat has closed a shipyard near Samut Prakan's Phra Samut Chedi district for operating without permission.

Following residents' complaints last week that the shipyard had polluted the area for years, Chaiwuti yesterday said he sent officials to inspect the shipyard and they found it was operating without permission, so it was temporarily closed pending application for a permit.

Preecha Petchwong, deputy head of the Marine Department, yesterday denied the shipyard owner's claim that the department previously approved the company's activities. Harbour Office Region 6 director Surat Sirisaiyat filed a police complaint against Chalermpol Pogsasirikul, 31, for operating a business that could affect others' safety without permission.

-- The Nation 2011-03-14

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Thai Govt pushes ahead with poll

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Assets seized after money found in car

By The Nation

The Office of Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) has recently confiscated Bt35million in cash and assets from a South-based drug-trafficking gang.

Justice Minister Piraphan Salirathavibhaga yesterday disclosed at a press conference that the confiscation started after Bt6.9million cash was found inside a pickup that overturned on a road in Songkhla last Wednesday.

In the accident, Muhamad Nuri Hayibaka was slightly injured but his wife was killed.

After Muhamad sneaked out of a hospital, anti-narcotics officials suspected that the huge amount of cash found in the pickup must have come from illegal drug trade.

"Further checks show that pickup belongs to Sainudeng Ma," Piraphan said.

Last Thursday, Sainudeng was arrested for having 4.69 grammes of crystal meth-amphetamine in possession. He has reportedly confessed of having been involved in drug trafficking.

The ONCB has since sought court approvals to conduct searches at places related to his networks and to seize ill-gotten gain.

In all, Bt10.6million in Thai currency, 17,433 ringgits, seven cars, three motorcycles, three houses, 23 electrical appliances, six furniture items, and 23 ornaments have been seized from Sainudeng's network.

ONCB secretary general Sureeprapha Traivej said the asset-seizure moves would cripple the cash flow for the drug-trafficking activities.

According to her, the ONCB has already arrested 356 suspected drug traffickers this year and has seized about 250million in assets and cash.

ONCB deputy secretary general Narong Ratananukul said asset seizures in drug-related cases during the current administration were in the tune of Bt2.5billion.

-- The Nation 2011-03-14

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Plane with relief items being prepared

By The Nation

Bt100200m in aid to be spent on materials most needed in Japan, Kasit says

Thailand would allocate Bt 100-200 million of assistance for the relief and rescue in quake devastated Japan, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said yesterday.

The Foreign Ministry would ask the cabinet to approve the budget for humanitarian assistance to the country in a meeting this week, he said. A bank account was also opened to receive donations from Thai people to help Japan, he said.

The Thai government has already pledged Bt 5 million for the assistance to Japan.

The budget would not send directly to Japan but mostly be spent to buy stuffs and as expenditure for Thai officials who would go to Japan for the matters, Kasit said.

Japanese Ambassador to Thailand Seiji Kojima told Kasit in a meeting yesterday that his country badly needed basic necessities for people notably blankets and cloth as weather in Japan is still cold.

Thai aircraft C130 with full load of assistance materials would take off for Japan in a couple of days, Kasit said.

However the government has not yet decided to send Thai rescue team to Japan at this moment since there are adequate foreign rescue teams in the country now, he said.

The ministry insisted to dispatch some 35 medical personals to Japan to help Thai people who might be affected from the disaster, he said.

Ambassador Kojima said he would consult with the Thai authority again on the assistance which Japan really needed.

"In deed, we also need rescue team but it would be difficult to have more foreign rescues since there are some communication problems at this moment," he said. "Local residents cannot exactly indicate the locations where people need assistance."

There are some 50,000 Thai people in Japan and 200 of them live in the quake and tsunami hit Sendai but there has been no report of casualty among Thai people, according to Thai Ambassador to Tokyo Virasakdi Futrakul.

However the Thai embassy can not reach most of Thai people in Sendai. So far, only 20 Thai people there have been contacted and they are safe, Virasakdi said.

-- The Nation 2011-03-14

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ANALYSIS

DSI results hit by leadership changes, interference

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More Thai schools to adopt the Lamplaimat system

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Police surround all sides of PAD rally. Operations started around 4:30 AM this morning with orders to dismantle protesters' restrooms /TAN_Network

Commuters are advised to avoid Sri Ayuthaya Road as police look set to disperse PAD rally /TAN_Network

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Police Move in to Disperse PAD Rally in Bangkok

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Police fail to parley with PAD on regaining protest site for Red Cross Fair

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Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,007.77, up 0.71 points /MCOT

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PM warns farmers of new rounds of flood

BANGKOK, 14 March 2011 (NNT)-Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said the Finance Ministry is expediting its project offering insurance to farmers whose crops are hit by natural disasters, ahead of the monsoon season.

In his weekly radio and television address yesterday, the Prime Minister urged Thai people to frequently check the weather updates as several storms are expected to make landfall in Thailand one after another soon. This may cause flash floods in many areas across the country.

As for the damages caused by floods last year, Mr Abhisit said farmers who had registered for the insurance scheme could now report for compensations. As for those whose applications were unable to be processed, the Prime Minister said he would instruct related officials to look into the problem to allow the assistance to reach the farmers as soon as possible.

In an attempt to help farmers in the long term, the prime minister said the government has a policy to include all farmers in the insurance scheme, which has the same operating principle as the guaranteed minimum income scheme for farmers. With the two projects, farmers whose land is affected by a natural disaster will be able to seek state assistance in the forms of both damage compensations and the guaranteed minimum income.

Mr. Abhisit also mentioned his visit to Trang province where he met rubber planters as well as construction workers from northeastern Thailand, all of whom complained about the high cost of living. He said government measures had been devised to relieve the hardship, one of which was to increase Thai people’s income and decrease their spending.

-- NNT 2011-03-14

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PAD Not Worried about Possible Protest Dispersal

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Grey market iPad 2 to range between Bt31000 to Bt 43500, available around 15 March.- siampod /RT @veen_NT: RT @nateev:

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Information hotlline of Sendai city. 022-265-2471, 022-224-1919 (Eng, 24h) /#jishin_e #earthquake #tsunami #japan /RT @veen_NT: RT @UKinJapan:

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Letter from Tokyo

By Thidarat Noisuwan Brouqueyre, a Thai freelance translator

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4 Red leaders -- Suporn Atthawong, Payap Panket, Chinnawat Haboonpad, and Waipoj Arpornrat -- turn selves in at DSI, bail granted /MCOT

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Police Seizes Assets of Southern Drug Gang Worth 35 Million Baht

The Anti-Narcotics Police have busted a major drug-ring in the southern part of the country, seizing more than 35 million baht in assets.

Justice Minister Peerapan Sareerathawipak held a joint press-briefing with the Office of the Narcotics Control Board, announcing that the government has seized more than 35 million baht in assets from a major drug-ring in the South.

The seizure was brought on by an investigation triggered by a car accident on March 9 in Songkhla Province, in which a pick-up truck rolled over, killing a passenger.

The driver later fled from the hospital. The police discovered 6.9 million baht in cash hidden inside the truck.

Investigators learned that the money belonged to Saimudeng Ma, a major drug dealer in the region, and the truck was to be used to transport 98,000 methamphetamine pills.

The police later raided Saimudeng's house and found methamphetamine pills, three million baht in cash, and a number of cars.

Samudeng has been charged with possession with intent to distribute a schedule-one controlled substance.

Other assets, worth more than 15 million baht, have also been confiscated.

The authorities are currently hunting down other members of the ring.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-14

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10 Suspects Linked to Missing Weapons

The Army spokesperson is asserting that the army chief is not skirting his responsibility for the weapons that went missing from an army arsenal, and has reported that more than ten suspects have been detained for further questioning.

Army Spokesperson Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd commented on the latest progress of the investigation into the missing weapons from Thanarat army camp in Prachaub Kirikhan Province, saying that the Army's investigation panel has apprehended more than ten suspects, all of whom have been found to have been involved with the ongoing investigation.

Authorities are prepared to take necessary legal action and move forward with the proceedings.

Sansern asserted that the army's commander-in-chief did not shrug off his responsibility in overseeing the army's weapons depots, but due to the large number of depots nationwide, the army chief is unable to personally take care of each individual operation.

The army spokesperson went on to say that all weapons inspections are conducted under army protocol and that inspection teams are instructed to conduct frequent inventories of the weapons caches.

Nonetheless, some of the weapons that went missing from Thanarat army camp have been recovered, though further details have not been disclosed, as it could affect the ongoing investigation.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-14

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More than 60 governments offering to help with quake search and rescue efforts in Japan /CNN