Thailand Live Friday 8 Apr 2011

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Powerful 7.1 magnitude aftershock that rocks area of Japan already reeling from last month's earthquake and tsunami disaster kills two people and injures more than 100 /MCOT

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Weathermen have warned of more heavy rains in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat, Chumphon, Trang and Pattalung (now till Tuesday April 12). /via@tulsathit

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Two Teenagers Survive Drive By Shooting

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Miss Thailand Universe comes home

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Pheu Thai MPs to Meet Thaksin in Dubai

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PM: Positive Atmosphere Needed to Facilitate Release of 2 Thai Detainees

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Thai Airways to raise fuel charge for international-flight passengers

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Bus Operator Prepares to Serve Songkran Travellers

The inter-provincial bus operator has announced that it will increase the number of bus trips to 5500 trips per day for the upcoming Songkran Festival.

The company ensures that passengers leaving Bangkok will enjoy safe travel.

Chief Managing Director of Transport Company, operator of the inter-provincial buses, Wuthichart Kallayanimitr has revealed that the southern route has recovered 100%.

The route reopened two days after a one-and-a-half day closure.

The buses will have to avoid routes in Trang and Satul provinces damaged by the latest round of flooding.

He said three buses were damaged by the floods, but passengers were not injured.

He also noted that none of the travellers who booked the advanced tickets to the South have asked for refunds.

The bus operator has said it would continue to follow reports from the Meteorological Department to avoid being affected by weather.

The situation is expected to return to normal within 1-2 days.

It is estimated that approximately 1.1 million passengers will travel between April 6-18.

Therefore, the bus transportation company will increase daily buses from 3500 to 5500 trips a day, with 300 additional buses.

Daily and additional buses will be carefully checked for safety standards.

There will be two drivers per bus running on routes of more than 500 kilometres.

Policemen and plain-clothed soldiers are prepared to provide security at the bus station as well as at checkpoints every 300 kilometers on the main road.

-- Tan Network 2011-04-08

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South-bound trains resume services after flood recedes

SONGKHLA, April 8 - State Railways of Thailand (SRT) southern rail services resume full operations on Friday after severe floods in 10 southern provinces forced services to be suspended for 10 days.

The trains have resumed services from Bangkok to Hat Yai Junction in Songkhla on Friday while trains from Hat Yai proceeding further down to three southern border provinces will resume service on Saturday.

In Trang, the floods remain in only two districts – the provincial seat and Kantang, which is a water catchment area and high tides kept the water submerging the two districts. Floodwaters in Bangrak sub-district in the provincial seat is one metre deep. Without further rain, the floodwaters will recede and the situation will return to normal within two weeks.

In Phangnga, some traders reportedly overcharged commodity prices in the face of a shortage of fruits and vegetables because they could not be delivered from the central region, the main production area.

All varieties of vegetable oil are also in short supply, and smuggled and overpriced palm oil is sold, causing trouble to the public.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation reported there are now four provinces still affected by flooding --Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phatthalung, Surat Thani and Trang. Six other provinces are under post-flood restoration --Phangnga, Narathiwat, Satun, Chumphon, Songkhla and Krabi.

According to the department, 58 people have died and 535,000 households were affected in the flooding, and 376 homes were destroyed.

The disaster response agency is still providing assistance to flood victims and surveying damages to provide aid after the floods end. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-04-08

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Work on Phuket’s rival marina in Krabi well underway

The site of what will be Port Takola Marina in Krabi, adding to

the region's four existing marinas.

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House session canceled again due to lack of quorum; House speaker postpones deliberation of consumer bill to next week /TAN_Network

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House Session Canceled Once Again

A session of the House of Representatives meeting has once again been canceled due to lack of quorum. Deliberation on a consumer protection bill has been delayed to next week. The House has been canceled several times in the past few weeks as MP's gear up for general elections.

-- Tan Network 2011-04-08

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Energy-Transport Ministries Aims to Reduce Global Warming

The Ministry of Energy, in association with the Ministry of Transportation, has launched an energy saving campaign to reduce the current global warming for the King's 84th birthday.

Energy Minister Wannarat Channukul stated that the ministry has cooperated with the Ministry of Transportation, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), and the Transport Company to launch a global warming reduction campaign as a gift for His Majesty the King's 84th birthday.

The campaign aims to promote energy saving and effective energy consumption.

Since 1993, the campaign has successfully encouraged consumers to save electricity of more than 2,000 megawatts, deferring the construction of three nuclear power plants.

Energy consumption has dropped by 12,000 electricity units, saving approximately 360 billion baht and reducing 7.8 million tonnes of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The goal is to save electric energy of not less than 200 megawatts as well as 3 billion baht from the state budget, and to reduce more than 500,000 tonnes of CO2 released each year.

EGAT has also promoted its energy saving campaign to reduce global warming on 84 public buses travelling across the country from April to December 2011.

-- Tan Network 2011-04-08

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Thailand denies using cluster bombs

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4 dead, 140 injured from last nite's aftershocks in Japan #nation /via@tulsathit: /via@Juarawee: /via@wannasiri_:

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Thai Govt to face Bt39.8 million lawsuit on last year's bloodshed

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Chalerm's son to contest a House seat

Wan Yoobamrung, son of former Pheu Thai MP Chalerm Yoobamrung, on Friday notified the main opposition party of his intent to adopt the party's banner to contest for a House seat from Bangkok's Bang Bon constituency.

"I want to represent Bang Bon which is my birthplace and incumbent Pheu Thai MPs from Bangkok have already endorsed my candidacy," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-04-08

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PM Denies Dissolving Parliament on May 9

Despite rampant reports in the Thai media that the prime minister will dissolve Parliament in early May, Abhisit Vejjajiva has denied that he will make the crucial decision by May 9. Yesterday, the Lower House passed three important bills which will pave the way for the next general election. As soon as Senate gives its green light, it will be up to the prime minister to decide when the dissolution will occur.

-- Tan Network 2011-04-08

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Thai police, Interpol and US FBI jointly raid Ploenchit office as suspected call centre fraud gang base; Scams cost Bt100 million /MCOT

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Thaksin accused of being alien in Thai politics

The Election Commission should open an inquiry into the involvement of fugitive Montenegrin Thaksin Shinawatra with the Pheu Thai Party, Democrat MP Boonyod Suktinthai said on Friday.

"Thaksin's involvement might have violated Article 21 of the Political Parties Act banning an alien from intefering with Thai politics," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-04-08

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Japan's airport in Sendai, badly damaged by the March 11 earthquake + tsunami, will reopen Wed. http://on.wsj.com/fwbFkW /via @Juarawee: /via@tukky_nt

Thaksin said his immediate goals r slashing corporate taxes & pushing for political amnesty covering a period starting from the 2006 coup. /via@tulsathit

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Govt Accused of Covering Up Border Issue

The People's Alliance for Democracy warns that permission for Indonesia to observe the situation at the Thai-Cambodian border area will result in a loss of the country's territory.

People's Alliance for Democracy spokesman Parnthep Puapongpan said the prime minster should make it clear if the meeting of the Thai-Cambodian General Border Committee, or GBC, in Indonesia will result in any legal change in the country's right over disputed territory with Cambodia.

Parnthep then unveiled what he claimed to be the terms of reference attached with a letter from Indonesia, which is this year's chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN.

He slammed the government for refusing to disclose these documents to the public.

The document detailed Indonesia will send 30 military and civilian delegates to the disputed areas between Thailand and Cambodia.

They will be divided into two groups of 15 each, one of which will observe the situation on the Thai side and the other in Cambodia.

Parnthep argued the areas the TOR claimed to belong to Cambodia are where Kaew Sikha Khiri Sawara Temple and Phu Makua cliff stand.

He said both are actually on disputed territory.

He said the presence of troops from a third country would bar Thailand from being able to push Cambodian soldiers out of the overlapping area and could eventually result in Thailand losing the disputed territory to Cambodia.

Parnthep suggested the government's proceedings related to the TOR may not be in compliance with the law as it could cause a change to the country's territory and possibly lead to a loss of sovereignty, which must undergo Parliament's approval.

He said the army's refusal to attend the GBC meeting in Indonesia and its disapproval against the entry of Indonesian troops into the disputed area are the right decision.

PAD core leader Major General Chamlong Srimuang said the country will never lose its territory if the government meets any of the PAD's three demands, namely scrapping the memorandum of understanding over the non-demarcated area signed with Cambodia in the year 2000, pushing out Cambodian settlement from the disputed area and withdrawing from the World Heritage Committee.

Chamlong stated the government should not lie to the public about the country's loss of territory.

-- Tan Network 2011-04-08

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Thailand’s flood-related death toll rises to 61

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First day of Thai-Cambodian border meeting in Indonesia 'satisfying'

BOGOR, April 8 - Thailand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday reported the first day of Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) meeting now being held in Indonesia's Bogor was satisfying, with both sides preparing to send a joint team to survey border posts and discuss how to select a company to take aerial photos of the disputed border.

Co-chairman Asda Jayanama of the Thai-Cambodian JBC led Thai delegates to the Bogor meeting yesterday and today, while the Cambodian delegation was led by Var Kim Hong, head of the Cambodian government's boundary commission.

The meeting was described by the Thai authorities as delightful and both sides have shown understanding to each other in order to resolve the border conflict by peaceful means.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Information said Thailand has informed the meeting that the minutes of the last three JBC meetings are now pending parliamentary approval.

Cambodia reportedly acknowledged the matter and said it understood Thailand’s legal procedure, but while both countries are waiting for the Thai parliamentary approval, the two neighbours have discussed the plan to send joint a working team to survey border posts numbered 1 to 23.

The meeting also discussed qualifications of a company to take aerial photos of the area. The two preparations can be carried out immediately once the Thai Parliament endorses the three documents.

On Friday, the second day of JBC meeting, the delegations are scheduled to discuss the opening of new border crossings.

The Thai foreign ministry added that the ongoing JBC meeting was supported and facilitated by Indonesia, but the talks were held bilaterally, which means the existing bilateral framework can still function.

Indonesia, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), earlier called for both the Thai-Cambodian JBC and the General Border Committee (GBC) meetings to be held on Thursday and Friday in Bogor.

The arrangement was part of an agreement to settle the border conflict between the two ASEAN neighbours and included a plan to dispatch Indonesian observers to monitor the ceasefire as earlier committed to by both Thailand and Cambodia. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-04-08

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SET index closed at 1082.69, down 6.52; Bt/USD29.91; GBP48.90; AUD31.34; EUR42.97; CAD31.21; HKD3.84; SGD23.67; JPY34.98

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AFP: Thailand seizes 1,800 monitor lizards

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Thaksin to Draft Econ Policies for Pheu Thai

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to be continued

Thailand Live Saturday 9 April