Thailand Live Wednesday 20 Apr 2011

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Thailand Live Wednesday 20 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 Tuesday 19 Apr 2011

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Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Vows To Crack Down On Thailand Tourist Fraud

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Fatal Accident At Waterfall In Thailand Claims The Life Of A British Woman

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Thai Tourism To Grow Only 5%

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DSI Withdraw Bail Of Red Shirt Leaders Suporn, Payap

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PM Abhisit stalls computer crime act

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Suthep: Thai Democrat Party wIll form the next govt

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Watchdog accuses developer of Bangkok condo complex of overcharging

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Royal Guards parade their loyalty to the monarchy

By The Nation

The Army's First Infantry Division of the Royal Guard yesterday organised a mock exercise billed by its commander Maj-General Kampanat Ruddit as a show of force to uphold the monarchy.

"The Army has multiple responsibilities to deal with external and internal security threats and the First Infantry Division has also a foremost duty as the Royal Guard," he said.

The mock exercise was held at the 11th Infantry Regiment.

Kampanat said soldiers of the Royal Guard are duty-bound to uphold the oath of allegiance taken every year to mark the King's birthday on December 5.

He said he wanted the Royal Guards to remember the oath - "I swear to give my life to protect the King's honour, I swear my loyalty to ensure His Majesty's safety until the day I die."

Speaking to reporters following the exercise, Kampanat said Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha had made it clear that the soldiers were fully behind the monarchy and the military would do everything in its power to protect and uphold the country's revered institution.

He said the monarchy was above politics, insisting the military's reverence for the King should not be politicised.

-- The Nation 2011-04-20

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Thai Ministry moves to hold down prices of eggs, pork

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Companies baulk at funding free electricity for low-income families

By WATCHARAPONG THONGRUNG

THE NATION

The private sector yesterday cried foul over the move to stick big companies with the cost of providing free electricity to low-income households.

"If the government wants to launch a 'welfare' or 'populist' policy, it should thoroughly weigh the pros and cons," said Chen Namchaisiri, vice chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).

Industrial users oppose the proposal as it will increase their operating costs and blunt their competitiveness, he said.

According to the proposal of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), which would be presented to the National Energy Policy Committee next Wednesday, large users like industrial plants, office buildings and shopping malls that consume over 400 kilowatt hours per month could be held responsible for contributing Bt12 billion per year to finance the scheme.

The subsidy had been expected to come from the government budget.

The Finance Ministry is now tasked with shouldering huge social costs. It could lose Bt45 billion this fiscal year after agreeing to exempt diesel from excise and value-added taxes starting next month. Thanks to a brief drop in oil prices, the diesel subsidy shouldered by the Oil Fund was cut yesterday by 40 satang to Bt6 per litre.

ERC member Pallapa Ruangrong said the commission will limit the number of low-income households eligible for free electricity to 7.9 million nationwide, by requiring them to have only 5-Ampare meters and consume less than 90 units per month.

Industrial plants have become a target of criticism for being power hungry. They should bear the brunt of electricity costs, since they account for nearly half of power consumption, activists say.

Thailand needs massive investment in new power plants, including controversial nuclear power plants, mostly to satisfy the demands of these big operators, they say.

If the National Energy Policy Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, approves the formula, it would be put into effect in June.

The proposal is part of "Thailand's power tariff framework for 2011-2015", which recommends the segregation of fuel costs, to educate consumers on the cost of generating electricity.

The ERC will soon announce the fuel tariff for the May-August period, which tends to rise along with oil prices. To help absorb the burden, the three state enterprises involved in electricity generation and distribution will be required to return a Bt9 billion sum set aside for their investment projects planned for 2009-2010. The ERC estimates that this could reduce the power base rate by 8 satang per unit.

Direk Lawansiri, chairman of the ERC, said there was no political pressure to delay the increase in the fuel tariff for this round, in connection with the expected election. If there were any, there would need to be a plan to cope with the missed revenue. When the oil price spiked in 2008, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand shouldered the cost of about Bt20 billion incurred by the price cap.

-- The Nation 2011-04-20

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Mekong countries urge delay of Laos dam project amid ecological concerns

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EDITORIAL

Flawed Thai govt's energy policy designed to garner votes

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Thai couple arrested for offering 'swinging service'

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Death penalty confirmed in activist murder case

By The Nation

The Court of Appeals yesterday upheld the death sentence handed down to a Samut Prakan local politician convicted of masterminding the assassination of an activist campaigning against a garbage disposal project in Racha Thewa district 10 years ago.

The judges said there were no grounds to grant leniency to Somyuth Phoomphakdee who was behind the shooting death of Suwat Wongpiyasathit, while the life sentence handed to another two defendants - gunman Seri Klamcha-nuana and getaway motorcyclist Prajak Sinphrome - had been upheld.

Somyuth was then a member of the Racha Thewa tambon administrative organisation reportedly with connections to a company hired under a concession to dispose of garbage on a 200-rai plot in the district. The disposal procedures by Somphong Phairoj Phanich were said to have been below standard and in violation of sanitary regulations, causing stench and allowing toxic discharge to contaminate waterways.

Another defendant, Somchai Yordyoi, had his life term commuted to 33 years and four months, for the redefining of his act to that of a support role and his cooperation during the trial and throughout the police investigation process.

The first defendant, former Army sergeant Kiattisak Khongkhamee who contacted the convicted gunman, died during the trial.

-- The Nation 2011-04-20

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Topless pair sorry for Songkran frolic

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Suwit to discuss his move with Abhisit

By THE NATION

Minister leaves Cambodia issue up to Foreign Ministry; says disunity bad

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suwit Khunkitti yesterday blamed a different stance taken by the Foreign Ministry for his decision to leave the Thai delegation for World Heritage Committee (WHC) meetings in June.

However, he will meet with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva today before making the decision final.

"We have different takes on the matter," Suwit told a news conference. He dismissed initial reports that he was leaving the delegation because he wanted to prepare for the upcoming election.

"The lack of unity is not good. I have thus decided to step down. With my resignation, the Foreign Ministry will be able to handle the issue the way it wants," he said.

According to Suwit, the Foreign Ministry wants to develop a management plan for the Preah Vihear Temple with Cambodia. He, on the other hand, would prefer to see such a plan suspended until demarcation along the Thai-Cambodian border is completed.

Since Cambodia unilaterally asked the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to declare the Preah Vihear Temple a World Heritage Site a few years ago, ties between Cambodia and Thailand have turned sour.

Last year, a Thai delegation led by Suwit successfully persuaded the WHC to delay any decision on Cambodia's proposed management plan for the Preah Vihear Temple's sprawling complex.

"I am worried that by joining Cambodia in developing the management plan, Thailand may be [placing itself] at a disadvantage at the negotiation table," Suwit said yesterday. He is also concerned that the move will expose Thailand to the risk of territorial loss.

Some parts of the Preah Vihear Temple's complex are in disputed areas.

Suwit has not yet ruled out the possibility that he might remain on the delegation, if Abhisit agrees with his stance at their meeting today.

"We will have some discussions after the Cabinet meeting ends," Abhisit said, adding that he had already asked Suwit about his decision to step down from the delegation.

He said Deputy Prime Minister Trairong Suwankhiri and representatives from the Culture and Foreign ministries would be present during the discussions.

The upcoming WHC meetings will run from June 19-29 in France.

Earlier yesterday, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya dismissed reports that he and Suwit were in conflict and this is why Suwit wanted to leave the delegation.

"We had a frank talk on Monday and there's no problem at all," he said.

Kasit declined to comment on whether Suwit had bowed to pressure from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), which has long pushed the government to take a tough stance against Cambodia over the Preah Vihear Temple.

PAD spokesman Panthep Puapongphan said he supported Suwit's decision to quit the delegation.

"If he stays there, he will be made a scapegoat," he said.

Panthep said Suwit had encouraged the government to cut energy and oil supplies to Cambodia and to use military force to push Cambodian civilians as well as soldiers out of disputed areas.

"His suggestion has not received any response," Panthep said.

-- The Nation 2011-04-20

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Storms expected in 48 Thai provinces

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60 Burmese freed in factory raid

By The Nation

Police rescued 60 Burmese workers yesterday from a clothing factory in Bangkok's Din Daeng area and arrested a Chinese couple who allegedly ran the factory.

The suspects - identified as Darong Wu, 50, and his wife Namee Li, 26 - were detained on suspicion of human-trafficking and labour-law violations. Police claim a worker had tipped them off.

The worker said he was lured from Burma to work at the factory, adding that they were forced to work from 8am to midnight and then locked in. He said that he was only paid a monthly wage of Bt6,000 - less than he was promised.

Li said they kept the workers locked up because they had hired Burmese workers legally before and they had run away. She said the wages were low because they were deducting the Bt15,000 that each worker owed them for becoming eligible for work.

-- The Nation 2011-04-20

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Scrap advance vote, says Senate panel

By THE NATION

A Senate panel has proposed scrapping advance balloting, allowing only officials who have election-related work to cast advance votes.

Jittipoj Wiriyaroj, chairman of the senatorial panel scrutinising three electoral organic laws, said the panel had suggested changes to the electoral bill.

The panel suggested that only officials doing poll work be allowed to vote in advance. The House had earlier proposed advance voting one day before the election. Advance voting has been criticised by legislators as paving the way for electoral fraud. Some have suggested that advance voting be scrapped. "I'm confident the laws will be brought to the Senate meeting by April 25, then on April 27 the House is likely to approve the Senate's proposals without having to set up a joint panel," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-04-20

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Proposed land bank penniless

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

There were claims yesterday that the proposed Land Bank Administration Institute, whose job will involve redistributing abandoned land to landless people, will face an immediate financial crisis because the Council of State has taken away its ability to collect money from land taxes.

Last month, the Council of State revised a draft law to establish the Land Bank Administration Institute (LBAI). The institute's job will be to collect abandoned land owned by the private sector and the state and distribute it among landless people through community title deeds.

The original draft law proposed to allocate 2 per cent of land taxes to the LBAI each year, to run the institute and purchase land from privatesector owners.

However, Union for Civil Liberty secretarygeneral Pairoj Polphet said yesterday that the Council of State had deleted this part of the original draft, disabling the institute before it was formed by denying it enough money to purchase land from private owners.

He was speaking at a seminar titled "Land Bank Administration Institute and the Way to Resolve Problems for Poor and Landless People", organised by the Land Reform Network, the Local Action Group and Chulalongkorn University's Political Economy Study Centre.

Without money from land taxes, the LBAI will be allocated a budget directly from the government, with no certain figure, he said, adding: "The Land Bank's budget will depend on government policy, and this is always uncertain."

The government has already established the Agriculture Land Reform Office to provide land for poor people, but it has received too little money from government to resolve land problems, Pairoj said.

"The big issue is: We have to think how the Land Bank can have its own budget," he said.

An economist from Thammasat University, Duangmanee Laovakul, said the Land Bank needed at least Bt10 billion to run its administration and to purchase land from private owners. But it would be able to get only Bt1 billion from land taxes, which was not enough for its administration and the purchase of land.

"There is no clear financial security for the land bank," she said, adding that there was also no protection for agricultural areas under the new law.

A Chulalongkorn University law lecturer, Ittiphon Srisaovalak, said there was no regulation under the new law that enabled the Land Bank to force state agencies or private owners to hand over their land to the bank.

"Negotiation with landowners is the only thing the bank can do. It has no authority to force other agencies or privatesector owners to give it their land," he said.

At present, about 30 million rai (4.8 million hectares) of land that is held as nonperforming assets will represent a priority for purchase by the land bank for distribution to landless people.

However, Pairoj said he worried about the independence of the LBAI's administration, as the proposed bank's executive board was unbalanced between representatives of state agencies and civic groups.

The LBAI will have 10 executiveboard members, but four of them will be permanent secretaries from the Interior, Agriculture and Cooperatives, and Natural Resources and Environment ministries and the Office of the Prime Minister.

It will have only two members from community organisations and three appointed experts.

"We hope this institute will not be a bureaucratic organisation that cannot make any decisions," Pairoj said.

-- The Nation 2011-04-20

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More surgery for shooting victim

By The Nation

Dr Pipattra Sailohit, a victim of a shooting rampage last Thursday, underwent surgery yesterday to remove bullet fragments from her left elbow and armpit and will need four days to recover, Rajavithi Hospital director Dr Warunee Jinarat said.

Pipattra said doctors were also checking the bullet wounds in her back to determine whether further surgery was necessary. The fragments could be benign enough to be allowed to remain, as the affected area is the body's nervous centre, she said. The victim is healing from an earlier surgery to remove a bullet from her stomach.

Pipattra also commented on reported offers by the Royal Thai Police and Suntec Corporation to replace for free her Toyota Camry sedan, bullet-ridden during the shootout. She said she and her family were happy that all parties had admitted their responsibility and were helping.

-- The Nation 2011-04-20

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Thai university accused of selling graduate teaching diplomas for upwards of Bt30,000

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Chavalit heartbroken old man: Red-shirt leader Kokaew

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Arnold Schwarzenegger set on new job as next head of European Union

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who made seamless transition from Hollywood film stardom to California governor, could have his sights set on new job as next head of European Union /MCOT

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,105.41, up 9.53 points /MCOT

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The bare-faced cheek of our hypocrisy: Thai opinion

To the Songkran girls who have whipped up a storm of controversy by doing what Patpong showgirls are paid for, I want to say, "Thank you."

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Nigerian Drug Dealer Falls To His Death In Bangkok While Fleeing From Police

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7-Eleven to Maintain Goods Prices

The management of well known convenient store 7-Eleven says they will not increase egg prices along with market prices, unless approved by the Commerce Ministry.

CP ALL Managing Director and Operator of 7-Eleven, Piyawat Titasattavorakul said price increases have been requested for many items in the store, as they are all facing the impact of higher oil prices.

However, Piyawat confirms that 7-Eleven will not increase prices unless approved by the Commerce Ministry.

He added that the store will be the last to increase goods prices, as they understand the burden customers have to face with the current rate of inflation.

As for the elevated egg prices and shortages, Piyawat said 7-Eleven will not increase egg prices and will maintain their usual quantity sold in stores, despite the decline in supplies due to hot weather causing hens to lay fewer eggs.

Meanwhile, 7-Eleven, together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, is setting up campaigns to reduce global warming by reducing plastic bag usage and reducing carbon dioxide.

Piyawat added that 7-Eleven is promoting a new campaign called 'Seven Go Green', for which the company will launch a new energy saving 7-Eleven store that will sell green products.

Moreover, CP All will promote global warming reduction by separating wastes, recycling plastic bags, and promoting a non-plastic bag campaign.

-- Tan Network 2011-04-20