Thailand Live Friday 15 Apr 2011

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Thailand Live Friday 15 April 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 Thursday 14 Apr 2011

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Killing spree in Bangkok, Carjacker murders two

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Purachai To Be Commander Of Raks Santi Party

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Thai law on high-rise buildings needs updating

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Stop expioiting monarchy, ex-premier Thaksin tweets

By The Nation

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday urged all sides to stop exploiting the institution of monarchy for their own benefit by levelling lese majeste charges at each other.

Thaksin posted this message on Twitter as part of his Songkran wishes. "We should splash water for fun during Songkran and stop smearing political dirt on each other. Let all Thais join hands and help the country move forward," he tweeted.

A military coup brought the former premier down in 2006, and lese majeste was one of the allegations that brought him down.

Thaksin appealed to all factions, including the red and yellow-shirt movements, the government and military, to not use the monarchy for their own political purposes.

He said Thailand was a democracy with the King as head of state, but under the Constitution, the monarch stayed out of politics. Nobody can claim that one attacks the opponent to protect the monarchy, he said.

"Politicians should present their policies in the political contest and people should decide which is better," he advised. "Don't claim that you love the monarch or are more loyal to him because we all love the King. Don't drag the institution of monarchy into political conflict."

The military, the government, the opposition as well as the yellow and red-shirt movements have been trading lese majeste charges.

Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha filed a lese majeste complaint against red-shirt leaders Jatuporn Promphan, Suporn Atthawong and Wichian Khaokham, claiming they had made derogatory remarks during their speech on April 10, delivered at a rally near Demo-cracy Monument to mark the first anniversary of the military crackdown.

The reds responded by saying that they would file libel charges against Prayuth as well as lese majeste charges against Privy Council President General Prem Tinsula-nonda for comments that were recently released by WikiLeaks.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said the Army was only doing its duty of protecting the monarchy by filing this complaint. "Thaksin should tell his men to stop saying anything related to the institution of monarchy," he said. "I received a report recently proving that even Thaksin himself has said improper things about the monarchy."

First Army Region Commander Udomdej Sitabutr said some parts of the red-shirt leaders' speeches on April 10 might affect the feelings and sentiments of many royalists. "Like the military, most Thai people love and respect the monarchy, and don't want to hear other Thais speak against the institution. The Army cannot tolerate such behaviour. I don't say this to please anybody, but we are faithful to our commander [Prayuth] and will follow his orders to protect the monarchy," he said.

Red-shirt leader Natthawut Saikua, meanwhile, insisted his group was loyal to the monarch, and that the Army chief had filed the lese majeste complaint just to create political tension for some reason. "I understand that the Army chief simply wants to provoke the royalists to confront the red-shirt group, which would give him an excuse for suppressing the red shirts," he said.

Natthawut compared this situation to the one on October 6, 1976, when an ultra-rightist group attacked students in Thammasat University for having anti-monarchy sentiments. He added that the Army was doing this because some commanders did not want an election to be held, so Pheu Thai would not win and bring Thaksin back.

-- The Nation 2011-04-15

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More water projects to be launched for King's birthday

By PIYANART SRIVALO

THE NATION

The government will support water management projects in 840 more communities countrywide to celebrate His Majesty the King's 84th birthday anniversary this year.

The first communities have already joined in the water management projects, provided by the Science and Technology Ministry's Hydro and Agro Informatics Institute (HAII). The projects adopting HM the King's ideas help local people to flexibly prepare for floods and droughts. It also encourages awareness of the importance of water resources.

To extend the projects, a committee in charge of community water management has been set up to follow HM the King's ideas, said Anek Permwongsenee, deputy permanent secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, in his capacity as committee secretary. The committee was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankhiri.

Anek said HM the King's plans for community water management had paid a crucial role in dealing with flooding and drought risk from community to national level. Climate change has been blamed for contributing to many floods and droughts this season, which could occur again in the same areas and at the same time of the year. Therefore, water management in Thailand is important, he said.

The projects would be completed in all 840 communities - with financial support from agencies - before the King's birthday on December 5.

Anek said a number of agencies had been integrated to work under the committee. They were the HAII, the Prime Minister's Office of the Permanent Secretary, the Defence Ministry's Royal Thai Army, the Royal Irrigation Department, the Land Development Department, the Department of Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, the Water Resources Department, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Local Administration Department under the Interior Ministry.

-- The Nation 2011-04-15

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Bangkok records most fatalities so far during Songkran holidays

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EDITORIAL

The Thai election is a chance to let go of the hatred

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Light plane crashes, killing two

By THE NATION

A two-seater plane crashed in Nakhon Nayok's Ongkharak district yesterday evening, leaving its two occupants dead, police said.

The pilot was identified as Kraiwut Saringpaiboon, 50, and the passenger an Australian man named Peter Frank. The wreckage was found in a rice field not far from a private airstrip.

Initial investigation found that the two occupants were on a training flight and the plane was about to land when the engine ceased causing the plane to crash, according to Police Lt-Colonel Opas Walaiphet of the Ongkharak district police station.

Witnesses saw smoke coming out of the plane before it crashed into the rice field in Canal 15 along Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok Road and went up in flames.

-- The Nation 2011-04-15

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New Politics set to pull out of upcoming Thai polls

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Defection of Ruam Chart Pattana

By THE NATION

Ruam Chart Pattana Party leader Wannarat Charnnukul yesterday downplayed the defection of party secretary Pradit Pattaraprasit, also a deputy finance minister.

"We still have the deputy secretary of the party working and I understand that his [Pradit] leaving will not affect his Cabinet portfolio," said Wannarat, also the energy minister.

Wannarat declined to go into why Pradit had decided to leave the party, saying only that he had no chance to talk with Pradit yet, but his resignation had been accepted.

Speculation on pre-election musical chairs has Pradit joining the Chart Thai Pattana under Sanan Kachornprasart, a deputy prime minister.

Wannarat said the party would hold a campaign fundraiser on Monday with 150 tables on sale for a dinner banquet at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

Some candidates might be unveiled at the event, he said.

Chart Thai Pattana leader and Tourism Minister Chumpol Silapa-archa said his party's list of candidates would be revealed next Thursday and they will all look promising.

He refused to comment on the possibility of Pradit joining the party.

The election would see a coalition government emerging, as no party would win a majority, he said.

Only the Bhum Jai Thai has decided to team up with Chart Thai Pattana after the poll, he said.

"It's a political alliance, not a marriage. We may live in different houses but we're ready to work with each other on all matters," he added.

-- The Nation 2011-04-15

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1.31m more people file tax returns

By The Nation

Some 9.35 million people filed income tax returns last year, up 1.31 million, while Bt10 billion in tax refund cheques were sent out.

Sathit Rungkasiri, director-general of the Revenue Department, said yesterday that tax refunds requested on personal income tax returns had risen by 7-8 per cent last year because of 21 new tax reduction measures, several of which are permanent.

In 2009, 8.04 million people submitted tax returns and refunds of Bt8.8 billion were paid out.

About 2.12 million taxpayers asked for a refund last year, up 3.17 per cent.

The department expects its tax collections this year to exceed the target of Bt140 billion by Bt14 billion, or 10 per cent.

The recent southern flood damage will not hurt income tax receipts because more money will be spent and invested on rehabilitation.

Total income tax revenue up to last month reached Bt98 billion, about Bt5.3 billion or 5.69 per cent higher than the previous year.

Personal income taxes rose 3.91 per cent, while corporate income taxes jumped 8.92 per cent and value-added taxes 5.23 per cent.

-- The Nation 2011-04-15

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AFP Feature - Thai military draft a lottery many hope to lose

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Public Health Min warns of 8 types of food which may cause diarrhea during Songkran; Jan-Mar saw 300,000 patients and 16 deaths /TAN_Network

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148 dead, 2316 injured reported in first four of seven dangerous days of Songkran holiday:INN /via @tukky_nt

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32 dead, 556 injured, 515 road accidents reported on fourth of seven dangerous Songkran holiday days; cumulative death toll for four days 148 /MCOT

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Three villages in Surat Thani province still under deep floodwaters

SURAT THANI, April 15 -- Three villages in Thailand's flood-ravaged southern province of Surat Thani are still under at least a metre of floodwater, forcing local residents to sleep on the roadways and in temporary relief centres, a district officer said Friday.

Phunphin district officer Paisan Trithanya said three villages in his charge remain submerged after nearly three weeks of flooding; small vehicles cannot travel there and villagers must travel by boat.

Floodwaters have become increasingly dirty, filled with sewage, garbage and other refuse; villagers have erecet tents and sleep on roads and temporary relief centres, Mr Paisan said. Many villagers have become stressed due to flooding.

Fifty-nine houses were destroyed while more than 9,000 were damaged, he said, noting that repairs could start after April 20.

Surat Thani is the second most damaged province in the spate of floods and mudslides out of the 10 flood-impacted southern provinces which began on March 23. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-04-15

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Police Seize 100,000 Meth Pills in Chiang Mai Drug Bust

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Capital inflow needs to be watched for influence over Thai baht

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Tokyo Disneyland reopens five weeks after quake

Five weeks after Japan's quake, tsunami and nuclear crisis struck, Tokyo Disneyland threw open its doors again Friday, bringing some welcome relief to thousands of disaster-weary families

-- MCOT 2011-04-15

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Highway death toll rises to 148 during first four days of Songkran

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Phuket rides high as Songkran road deaths remain at zero

Phuket police inspect passing motorists at a checkpoint in Chalong

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Welfare 'gift' from Bangkok to include Phuket taxi drivers

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanichi says that Phuket and its taxi drivers

will benefit from the expanded welfare program.

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Thailand, Russia to hold trade talks next week

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Songkran holiday-makers gradually returning to Bangkok, avoiding crowded transport, heavy traffic although two days remain of holiday /MCOT

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DSI chief: At least 18 UDD leaders to be charged with insulting monarchy while addressing Red Shirt rally April 10; Seeking to withdraw bail for 9 leaders Monday /MCOT

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Extra train, bus services available for Songkran travellers

BANGKOK, April15 -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) and bus transport companies are offering extra services to travellers during the Songkran festival, Thailand’s traditional New Year, as train and bus tickets are fully booked until Sunday, transport officials said Friday.

Many holiday-makers during the three-day festival, which officially ends Friday, have started returning to Bangkok to start work either Saturday or Monday to avoid traffic which is expected to be heavy during the weekend, officials said.

At the bus station in the southern transport hub of Hat Yai, transit point for the Thai-Malaysian border, holiday travelers were seen queueing to buy tickets for Bangkok and elsewhere.

Tickets for all 35 buses scheduled daily for the capital from Hat Yai are fully booked until Sunday while state-operated Transport Co, Ltd said it is prepared to offer extra buses for passengers so that they would not be stranded there.

A similar scene is seen in the northern province of Phichit and in the northeastern province of Si Sa Ket as many holiday-makers tried to squeeze in into trains leaving for Bangkok.

Realising the heavy demand, five added trains are now offered at Si Sa Ket train station while private bus companies have added eight more bus trips daily after railway tickets were sold out until Sunday.

The SRT headquarters in the capital said the SRT increased 12 more train services daily on Saturday, Sunday and Monday for passengers travelling from the northern and northeastern provinces heading for Bangkok. Normally, some 250 train services are offered by SRT on those lines. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-04-15

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Pheu Thai Party to Soon Announce Election Candidates

The Pheu Thai spokesman said that the party did not appoint the sister of former Premier Thaksin to run for the Prime Minister post in the upcoming election.

Pheu Thai party Deputy Spokesperson Jirayu Huangsub urged the Democrat Party to focus on administrating the country in the people's best interest, rather than accusing the Pheu Thai party of appointing the sister of former Premier Thanksin Shinawatra, Yingluck Shinawatra, to run for the Prime Ministers post.

Jirayu confirmed that the Pheu Thai party did not say they would appoint Yingluck to run for the Premier post during the upcoming election.

He clarified that Yingluck recently visited Thanksin to greet her brother during the Water Festival Holiday, and that the visit was personal, not political.

The Pheu Thai party challenged the Democrat Party to run on policies and the party's work, and leave the decision to the people as to who would be most suitable to run the country.

Pheu Thai will announce their candidates for the party list tomorrow, and will announce their election campaign to their candidates at the Thammasat University Hall on April 23.

Jirayu went on the say that the Army should focus on creating harmony in the country, rather than being involved in political situations. He said it is not right for the Army Spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkamnerd to say that there is a political party behind the red-shirt movement.

-- Tan Network 2011-04-15

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BOT: Credit Card Spending on the Rise

The Bank of Thailand said that credit card usage is on the rise.

The Bank of Thailand, or BOT, said that the amount spent on credit cards in February soared to 90 billion baht, an increase of 12.09 percent from the previous year.

The amount of international spending soared to 4.1 billion baht, an increase of 65.3 percent, and the amount of domestic spending soared to 68 billion baht, an increase of 12.85 percent from the previous year.

Of that amount, 4.9 billion baht was from domestic commercial bank cards, followed by non-bank cards which increased by 1.9 billion baht and foreign banks with increased 0.95 billion baht.

The BOT said that an increase in credit card usage is due to the strong baht, which gives people incentive to travel abroad and consume more.

The number of personal loans granted has been on the decline, with total loans, at the end of February, at 842,000, a decline from the previous year by 3.59 percent, with most loans coming from commercial bank accounts.

-- Tan Network 2011-04-15