Thailand Live Tuesday 29 Mar 2011

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Good news: 5 crocs that escaped from Nakhon Si Thammarat zoo have been recaptured. Bad news: 6 remain at large. /via @veenarat

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Bangchak assures no oil price hike this week

BANGKOK (NNT) – Bangchak Petroleum Plc has issued confirmation that there will not be any oil price increase this week, citing the weakening price of biodiesel B100 and a looming end to Libya’s political unrest.

Bangchak President Anusorn Saengnimnuan forecast a relatively stable oil price this week with a tendency to decline, provided that political heat in Libya eases off. Personally, he believed that the Western coalition forces would successfully seize areas under the control of Libyan dictator Moammar Ghadafi and eventually topple his regime while the chaos was unlikely to spread to nearby oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Although Libya’s situation remained uncertain, Mr Anusorn assured that no significant changes would yet be seen in the oil price, thanks to the lowering of the price of biodiesel B100, which had helped cut the production cost of diesel and allow the marketing margin to touch 1 THB per liter. He added that Bangchak would continue to peg the retail price of diesel under 30 THB per liter in compliance with the Government’s policy until the end of April, after which the price would be floated to correspond with the global rate.

-- NNT 2011-03-29

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Bangkok Airways postpones all flights to Koh Samui in Surat Thani from 6am due to bad weather; to resume flights at noon /MCOT

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Former Deputy Leader of Pheu Thai Party on Short List for Premiership

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Southern train service halted due to flooding; 7 Sripathum students still stranded on island in Chumphon /TAN_Network

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The Prime Minister’s Office has warned residents in Phuket to brace for flooding, which has already stalled services at Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Samui airports. /Phuket Gazette

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State Railway of Thailand: All train services to South scheduled to leave Bangkok between 1pm and 10pm are suspended due to heavy flood. Passengers can refund the tickets

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Officials rescued 6 Sri Pathum students, a 9yr-old boy from Koh Klaeb in Chumphon after stranded by flood; Narathiwat reports flooding /TAN_Network

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Bangkok Airways announced postponement of all flights in-out of Samui from 06.00 -15.00 hrs today http://bit.ly/h1UG0n /RT @bangkok_airways:

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Southern train services suspended

All southern train services were suspended Tuesday after parts of tracks in Chumphon were inundated.

Nualanong Wongchan, the chief public relations officer of the State Railway of Thailand, said the southbound services scheduled to leave Bangkok from 1 pm to 10 pm were cancelled.

She said passengers will be refunded in full amount.

The spokeswoman said the tracks in Chumphon and in Surat Thani's Thachana district were under water.

The Surat Thani-Bangkok train that left Surat Thani at 8:05 am had to stop at Chumphon station, she added.

-- The Nation 2011-03-29

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Train Services to Southern Thailand Stopped Due to Floods

Train services to southern Thailand have been halted due to heavy flooding. Rain and winds are now battering Chumporn Province.

Meanwhile, officials have been able to rescue six university students and a nine-year-old child who were previously stranded on Klab Island.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-29

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Government Whip: Approval for JBC Meeting Minutes Crucial

The government whip chief has indicated that the purpose of today's House-Senate joint session is to seek the lawmakers' acknowledgment on the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Meeting minutes .

Government Whip Chief Witthaya Kaewparadai has claimed that the purpose of today's House-Senate joint session is only to seek the lawmakers' acknowledgment on the three Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Meeting minutes.

Witthaya has pointed out that the MPs and senators will not be asked to ratify the meeting minutes because the issue is still being reviewed by the Constitution Court on whether it is applicable to the Article 190 of the Charter in regard to the ratification of international treaties.

The government whip chief has reaffirmed that the vote to acknowledge the meeting minutes will not jeopardize Thailand's border integrity but it will allow the Foreign Ministry to resume a bilateral talk with Cambodia.

Witthaya has threatened that failure to acknowledge the meeting minutes could lead to a multilateral talk which could put Thailand at a disadvantage or even another open conflict.

Meanwhile according to Phnom Penh Post, Chairman of the Cambodian JBC Var Kimhong believes that the Thai lawmakers will not vote on the meeting minutes as the voting session has been postponed many times before from many excuses.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-29

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Rains expected to taper off on Nakornsri Surat side, Andaman side gets hit next. /via@terryfrd

Bangkok trains heading to Southern Thailand will now terminate at Chumphon due to flooding #thaiflood /via@RichardBarrow

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Court postpones verdict in bus seizing case against 6 PAD members in 2008 to Apr 29 due to illness of a defendant /TAN_Network

Authorities in Samui evacuate people to temples on higher ground as heavy rains cause flash floods /via@RichardBarrow

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Severe floods batter southern provinces

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Airport Link Express Line Shut Down for Repair for at Least 3 Days

The Airport Link has stopped operations of their Express Line due to technical problems.

The service is likely to resume by March 31.

State Railway of Thailand's Deputy Governor, Pakorn Tangjetsakow announced that they had to stop operations of Airport Link's Express Line for 3 days due to technical problems.

He said the City Line will continue normal operations.

The Suvarnabhumi Airport Link, or SARL, has ordered parts from Siemens company and expects to receive them by March 30.

He said authorities found that the broken parts wore out sooner than they should have.

He urged Siemens to take responsibility, as they were responsible for the construction of the project.

The State Railway of Thailand has assessed losses for the pause in operations of the Express Line at 1.2 million baht per day, and plans to demand compensation for losses from Siemens.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-29

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Villagers in Yala Province Prepare for Flood Evacuation

An overnight downpour has caused residents of the southern province of Yala to prepare to evacuate to higher ground, as a flood watch warning has been issued there.

Residents along the Sai Buri River in Asong, Tha Thong and Ramun sub-districts of Yala province, as well as those along the Pattani River in Tha Saap and Phron sub-districts, are preparing evacuations after flash flood warnings were issued following heavy rainfalls which have wreaked havoc in the southern region of Thailand.

Head of the Yala Disaster Prevention and Relief Center Waeroj Saithongtae said his office has issued flood warnings to people living in low-lying areas, adding that they can seek assistance from village and sub-district heads any time, day or night.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-29

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HM the King worries about flood situation in Thailand's southern provinces, gives relief packages to flood victims /MCOT

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BMA launches 24-hour satellite TV

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will launch a 24-hour satellite TV, BMA Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said Tuesday.

The Bangkok City Channel (BCC) will be aired on TrueVisions Channel 76 and a C-Band frequency starting on April 1.

Sukhumbhand said the station would inform the public of the BMA's policies and projects and would become a channel for the city residents to air their grievances.

The governor said when city residents air their complaints, the directors of respective district offices will have to go on air to answer the residents' questions.

"This TV station is the property of Bangkok residents and it will be run on people's taxes so I would like Bangkokians to watch it," Sukhumbhand said.

-- The Nation 2011-03-29

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Tak Governor Dimisses Possibility of Bhumibol Dam Collapse

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Briton withdraws appeal, agrees to be extradited to UAE

A Briton accused of cheating a firm in United Arab of Emirates has withdrawn his appeal against a court order for him to be extradited to the UAE.

Michael Bryan Smith's decision to withdraw the appeal was approved by the Court of Appeals Tuesday.

He was accused of cheating Limitless - UAE of US$150 million or about Bt5 billion from March 11 to May 31 2008.

On February 18 2010, the Criminal Court ruled to have Smith extradited to the UAE. He appealed against the ruling but later withdrew his appeal.

Smith smiled when the court approved the withdrawal.

-- The Nation 2011-03-29

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AFP: Thai floods death toll reaches 7

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Chiang Mai's mercury drops to 5 C Tuesday morning

The grass minimum temperature on top of the Doi Inthanon Mount fell to 5 Celsius degree Tuesday morning, the Doi Inthanon National Park chief said.

Kriengsak said the temperature during the day rose to 13 degree.

He said there were a lot of clouds over the mountain but there were no rainfalls.

-- The Nation 2011-03-29

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Govt's Internal Rift Claimed over Thai-Cambodian Deals

The People's Alliance for Democracy warns the prime minister that his push for the House's endorsement of the minutes of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission's meetings will only cause more rifts within his government.

People's Alliance for Democracy's spokesman Parnthep Puapongpan said the objection by some Parliament members to the consideration of all three minutes of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission, or JBC's, meetings is proof of disunity within the government coalition over the vote on them.

Parnthep said several government MPs still have questions on the legality of those minutes and their flaws that could lead to the country' loss of territory.

Parnthep then expressed disapproval against the prime minister's support to the meetings of the Thai-Cambodian JBC and the General Border Committee in Indonesia given his stance contradicts the army's chief's opposition for Indonesian troops to observe the situation in the overlapping border zone.

He said the presence of a third country's troops in the disputed border area will eliminate a chance for the Thai government to push out Cambodian troops there.

The PAD spokesman suggested Indonesia has very close relations with Cambodia as they always have joint military exercises and Indonesian investors have been awarded natural resource concessions in Cambodia.

He insisted the government must limit the resolution on border conflicts with Cambodia to a bilateral basis only.

PAD coordinator Prapan Khoonmee said the prime minister's failure to have those minutes endorsed by the House is his loss of credibility among the people and cautioned the renewal of such an attempt will hurt the government's unity.

Prapan then dismissed as groundless a claim by Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya and chairman of the House's panel reviewing the JBC meeting minutes, Charoen Khanthawong, that the minutes are not international agreements which need parliamentary approval and have no bearing on the country's sovereignty.

Prapan stated Thailand has already lost its territory since Cambodia managed to occupy the overlapping border area.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-29

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Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara Tuesday denied that he was a contender for the position of prime minister: http://bit.ly/gVo10N

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Famous stars Om Piyada & Pong Nawat have been stuck on Koh Tao for 3ds due to flooding; governor to send naval boat to rescue tomorrow /TAN_Network

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16:30 Flood Warning (1): Chumphon, Surat Thani, Nakhon Si, Phatthalung, Songkhla, Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat /MET Dept /RT @RichardBarrow:

16:30 Flood Warning (2): Ranong, Phang-nga, Phuket, Krabi, Trang & Satun /MET Dept /RT @RichardBarrow:

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SET index closed at 1036.36, up 3.42; Bt/USD30.17; GBP48.26; AUD30.85; EUR42.49; CAD30.82; HKD3.86; SGD23.77; JPY36.75

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BANGKOK AIRWAYS - Note fon Facebook @ 4:40pm

Weather at Samui is not clear for visibility to land and take off. The flight from Bangkok this afternoon couldn't land at Samui and divert back to Bangkok. For inquiry and flight change please contact 02 265 8777.

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Women Sales Representative Murdered In Her Car

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