Thailand Live Wednesday 23 Mar 2011

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Thailand Live Wednesday 23 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 Tuesday 22 Mar 2011

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Industry Council Backs Nutrition Labeling

The Federation of Thai Industries is cooperating with state agencies to improve the labeling system for packaged food and drinks to protect consumers' health.

Following the Food and Drug Administration's effort to introduce the Guideline Daily Amounts nutrition labeling system in Thailand, the Food Group of the Federation of Thai Industries, or FTI, has followed up on the initiative.

The FTI has unveiled plans to work closely with the government to educate consumers on how to read the nutrition values of products they consume.

This new nutrition labeling system is used in many countries worldwide and is now being implemented by a number of FTI Food Group member companies on a voluntary basis.

The key feature of the system lies in the factual information given without any attempt to shape an opinion for consumers or influence consumer judgment on the nutritional value of the product.

This new system is hoped to tackle health problems Thais are facing, particularly obesity.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-23

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MWA: Tap water untainted by nuclear radiation

BANGKOK (NNT) -- The Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) has confirmed no radioactive contamination in Thailand’s tap water while urging the public not to worry about impacts from Japan’s nuclear emergency.

Director of the MWA’s Water Quality Department Jongkolnee Asuwet insisted that tap water in Thailand was completely free of

radioactive contamination and safe for consumption. She encouraged people to have confidence in water safety as samples of tap water had been constantly collected and sent to the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) for inspection even before the leakage of nuclear radiation in Japan.

As for concerns that radiation would be carried by wind from Japan to Thailand, the Director deemed such an incident unlikely as the wind had been blowing east towards North America. She assured that Thailand would remain unaffected by the Japanese catastrophe.

-- NNT 2011-03-23

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Japan's More Demand for Thai Rice to Drive Price Up

The Thai Rice Mills Association says that Japan is prepared to import Thai jasmine rice as its emergency supply after the devastating earthquake and tsunami.

This extra demand for Thai rice is expected to hike its price.

Thai Rice Mills Association Chairman Banjong Tungjitwattanakul commented on the current Thai rice price by saying that the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan severely damaged its industrial and agricultural sectors.

As a result, the country's import of Thai rice to store as its emergency supply is expected to rise since Japan is among the biggest importers of Thai jasmine rice.

This is expected to bring up the price of Thai jasmine rice.

He also commented on the government's plan to send 10,000 tons of rice for the tsunami relief efforts, stating that the government should send top quality rice to the victims as a gesture of good will.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-23

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ATM Scams In Thailand Run Rife

One of the scammers hands off Mr Treherne's ATM card to his

accomplice while he is preoccupied with the cash machine.

Image: YouTube

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Yingluck Shinawatra heading Pheu Thai leadership

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Thai public indifferent to PM's TV show

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Renewed nuclear fears to fuel demand for natural gas in Thailand

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Kidnapping Of Dogs On The Rise In Khon Kaen

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EDITORIAL

We can't improve if we do not invest in Thailand's future

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ISA extended for one month

By The Nation

The Cabinet yesterday approved the extension of Internal Security Act enforcement until April 24 in Bangkok's seven districts, including areas near Government House and Parliament.

The Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order cited recent street protests to justify the ISA extension.

-- The Nation 2011-03-23

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Warplanes to combat hailstorm threat in northern Thailand

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Mixed feedback on 'nominee' sister

What do you think about Thaksin choosing his sister Yingluck as Pheu Thai's candidate for prime minister?

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Teachers hurt in bus flip

By The Nation

Six teachers from a school in Phrae were injured when a double-decker overturned early yesterday on Loei's Phu Reu-Dan Sai Road.

After receiving the accident report at 3.10am, police and rescue workers rushed to the scene, the roadside in front of the Chateau de Loei winery.

After freeing the victims, who all worked at Denchai School in Phrae, rescue workers took them to Phu Reu Hospital.

Bus driver Suthep Phaikham told police he had been taking 42 teachers from the school on a field trip to Chiang Khan district in Loei.

At the scene, Suthep said the road was being expanded, though there was no sign to warn passing motorists. When the bus hit the road shoulder it overturned, he said.

-- The Nation 2011-03-23

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Japanese ask for progress on cameraman death probe

By The Nation

Kwanhathai Malakarn

The minister of political affairs at the Japanese Embassy yesterday met with Pol General Ek Angsananon, who headed the panel probing deaths during the red-shirt protests last year, to request a progress report on the investigation into the death of a Japanese cameraman killed during clashes on April 10.

The one-hour meeting, which journalists were not allowed to attend, was the second meeting between the minister, Nobuaki Ito, and the Thai authorities regarding the death of Hiroyuki Muramoto.

Ek said police had told him there was no evidence indicating that the death of Muramoto, who was a cameraman for the Reuters news agency, was a Thai officer's doing. Police investigators had concluded their work and submitted related documents to the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to proceed with the case, he said.

Ek said that police were willing to discuss and coordinate with the inquiry but that it was now the responsibility of the DSI.

He said Japan had thanked the police for trying to solve the case, especially by performing an autopsy.

He said they had not discussed red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan's claim that the case report had identified the person who shot Muramoto.

Ek affirmed that the Thai government was not ignoring the case or the deaths of another foreign journalist and Thai people during the protests.

-- The Nation 2011-03-23

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Tolls on 2 roads waived for Songkran

By The Nation

Motorists will be able to use the Bangkok-Pattaya Motorway and Bang Pa-In/Bang Phli ring road for free between April 8 and April 18, according to a plan approved by Cabinet yesterday.

Deputy government spokesman Supachai Jaisamit said tolls would be waived for all vehicles using the routes from 4pm of April 8 till noon of April 18.

"This is to facilitate traffic flow out of Bangkok during the Songkran Festival," he said, "Less traffic jams means reduced energy consumption too".

A large number of people head out of Bangkok for their home provinces during the Songkran Festival each year.

-- The Nation 2011-03-23

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Thailand Poll may be held on July 1 or 2: Suthep

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Foreign ministry voices cautious support for un resolutions on Libya

By Piyanart Srivalo,

Nuntida Puangthong

The Nation

The Cabinet was reluctant to make a decision yesterday on whether to fully comply with the United Nations' resolution on Libya as many ministers expressed concern about the sensitiv ity of the situation and the impact on Thai national interest, a government source said.

The Foreign Ministry issued a statement yesterday regarding Resolutions 1970 and 1973 (2011) saying that Thailand, as a member state of the United Nations, would comply with "the relevant provisions" contained therein.

But support was measured.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya briefed his colleagues yesterday, saying the UN Security Council had adopted Resolution 1970 last month to impose sanctions on Libya. This asked member countries not to supply weapons to Libya, to freeze the assets of Libyan leaders and ban travel by Libyan leaders to member countries.

Many ministers, such as Tourism and Sport Minister Chumpol Silapa-acha, cautioned that any stance taken by the Thai government might affect national interest. A move against Libya could affect the situation in the restive South, Chumpol was quoted as saying by a source in the Cabinet.

Labour Minister Chalermchai Srion said the government should be well aware that many Thai workers were still in Libya. Thousands had expressed a desire to return to work in the country after the situation, he said.

Kasit eventually concluded that the government didn't need to make a quick decision on the UN resolution since the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) had yet to take a stance on the resolution.

Asean could consider the situation in Libya and the UN resolution in a meeting later this month, Kasit said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva later told Kasit to listen to Asean first and report back to the Cabinet after that.

The PM told reporters that ministers had deferred making a decision on the UN resolution as it needed to carefully weigh the consequences. Cabinet had asked related agencies to analyse the situation and propose options on how to comply with the resolution, he said.

Some 80 Thai workers had expressed a desire to stay in Libya despite of the attack by Western nations on pro-Gadhafi forces, Abhisit said.

The Foreign Ministry statement said Thailand urged all parties concerned to ensure the safety of civilians, both Libyans and foreign nationals, in Libya and stressed the need for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access and delivery of humanitarian assistance to affected population.

-- The Nation 2011-03-23

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Doc tells of stoic Japanese way of coping with crisis

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

After spending 10 days in Japan helping Thais affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami, Dr Pairoj Khruekarn-chana of Rajavithi Hospital says he has learnt how the Japanese coped with the worst calamity of their lives.

"No one has left their hometown and run away to other cities. They don't worry about radiation leakage and natural disasters like earthquakes, as they are a part of their lives," he said.

Instead of panicking, Japanese people looked for information from news reports related to the earthquake and nuclear accident. They consider information released by government agencies to be the most reliable, he said.

"A Japanese taxi driver told me he would listen to all the information from several sources and think about it carefully before making any decision," Pairoj said.

The doctor and two colleagues - a physician and a nurse - were assigned by the Medical Services Department to travel to Japan on March 14 to provide medical services for Thais affected by the disaster.

They visited Pak Nam Temple in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, which has become a temporary shelter for Thai people evacuated from areas affected by the earthquake and tsunami in the northeast of the main island.

They also visited Thais in Fukushima prefecture, living about 55 kilometres from the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The team found that most of the Thais, who had married Japanese men and been living there for several years, showed symptoms of panic and had high levels of anxiety due to fears of radiation leakage. They were receiving information from their relatives in Thailand.

"There was panic among Thais in Tokyo due to rumours spreading via the Internet that people should evacuate from Tokyo within 10 hours due to the radiation leakage. But when I checked with my Japanese friends, they told me that there had been no such reports, he said.

Looking at Japanese people, Pairoj saw many fighting their hardest to help other people and cope with the worst situation of their lives.

On his trip to Fukushima prefecture, Pairoj met a Japanese man whose family lived within 55 kilometres of the nuclear plant. The man said he would not leave his home and move to another city, even though radiation levels had reached 5 microsieverts per hour. He said he would only abandon his home if the government told him to.

Pairoj said the Japanese did not panic over the recommendation to take potassium iodide to prevent radiation contamination, since they consume a lot of seafood.

Amid the crisis, Japanese people were still waiting in line to receive food from relief agencies, taking just one or two slices of bread. They also waited for three hours to fill their tanks with gasoline.

The most important tasks for Japan now were helping homeless people and rebuilding infrastructure and buildings destroyed by the quake and tsunami.

"They are now helping each other to rebuild roads and hospitals and to connect electricity wires," Pairoj said.

After spending 10 days in Japan during the crisis, Pairoj said it was time for Thailand to think carefully about how to deal with natural disasters.

"Are we ready for a situation like this? It is time for us to start thinking about it," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-03-23

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Bangkok hit by heavy rain and wind, huge signboards collapse; floods in many areas, road accidents include 5-car crash at Suthisarn tunnel /MCOT

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,022.79, up 3.65 points /MCOT

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Former Thai Finance Minister Surapong To Face Trial For Abuse Of Power

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Interior minister chairs 77-monk religious ceremony celebrating newly-established Bueng Kan as Thailand's 77th province, former Nong Khai district /MCOT

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House to debate organic laws on elections Thursday: Chai

By The Nation

House Speaker Chai Chidchob on Wednesday said he had prioritised three organic bills on the revamped electoral system to pave way for the legislative debate by tomorrow.

"The House will today clear the work backlog in order to deliberate on the three bills for the electoral system by tomorrow," he said.

Chai said he would try to speed up the legislative deliberation despite his scepticism about the prime minister's timetable to dissolve the House by the first week of May.

"I don't think there would be any political accident, therefore the elections would take place although I still have some doubts about the timetable," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-03-23

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Thai econ unaffected if oil price stays below US$130 per barrel

BANGKOK, 23 March 2011 (NNT) – The Bank of Thailand (BoT) has voiced its belief that the current oil price hike in the global market will not hinder the Thai economic growth in 2011.

BoT Governor Dr Prasarn Trairatvorakul stated that there is nothing to worry about as long as the global crude oil price remains below 130 US dollars per barrel. The oil price has been increasing continuously after the escalation of violence in the Middle East, especially in Libya.

According to the governor, the rising oil price at present is less intense than several oil crises in the past. Moreover, the current hike has developed gradually, enabling entrepreneurs to have time to adjust themselves to the market.

Regarding a possible current account deficit, Dr Prasarn said Thailand would not face with the issue as the kingdom has reduced the amount of imported oil from other countries as a result of people’s lower consumption while there are new sources of oil apart from those in the Middle East that Thailand can rely on.

The governor also noted that higher prices of some agricultural produce would help shore up the country’s balance of payments. He reassured that Thailand would not experience the deficit problem as long as the oil price did not go beyond 130 US dollars per barrel.

-- NNT 2011-03-23

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Former Thai Rak Thai Executive Backs Thaksin's Sister for Pheu Thai Party's Leadership

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Diesel Subsidy Raised by Another 40 Satang

The National Energy Policy Committee has raised diesel subsidy by another 40 baht per liter, effective.

The Energy Minister, meanwhile, says oil could top 140 US dollars a barrel soon.

The National Energy Policy Committee has resolved to raise the subsidy of diesel from 4.70 baht to 5.10 baht, effective, in an effort to keep diesel prices below 30 baht per liter.

Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul said the subsidy costs the Oil Fund 307 million baht daily, and has cost the Oil Fund nearly 14 billion baht since it was introduced.

The Oil Fund has around 15.6 billion baht remaining, which, the energy minister says, is adequate to peg diesel prices through the end of April.

Wannarat added global oil prices will continue to soar amid Libya's political crisis.

He said all eyes are on the US-led coalition's operation to bring an end to the North African country's conflicts.

The Energy Ministry expects crude to reach 140 US dollars soon, as political violence continues to spread in the Middle East where lies the world's major oil supplies.

Wannarat forecast that the import of liquefied petroleum gas or LPG at 110,000 tons for March and April.

LPG currently costs 800 baht per ton and is subsidized at 18 baht per liter.

The Oil Fund has paid around two billion baht in subsidy so far.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-23

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AFP: Militants kill three in Thai south: police

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RT @REUTERSFLASH: Radiation found in a Tokyo city water purifier - NHK