Thailand Live Saturday 30 Apr 2011

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Thailand Live Saturday 30 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 Friday 29 Apr 2011

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New Politics Party postpones decision on Thai poll boycott

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Cambodia seeks ICJ clarification on Preah Vihear

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TOT board okays 3G deal with Loxley-Samart

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No political motivation behind closure of red-shirt radio stations

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E-Sarn University under OHEC as staff admit to selling diplomas

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EDITORIAL

The Thai government is not asking the right questions

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Second-to-last House session collapses

By THE NATION

The parliamentary session collapsed yesterday due to a lack of quorum in the second-to-last meeting before anticipated House dissolution next week.

House Speaker Chai Chidchob adjourned the session following attendance checks and rescheduled a vote on the draft bill on the formation of an autonomous organisation for the environment, natural resources and health to Wednesday.

Poor attendance meant the session convened at noon, hours behind schedule. MPs emptied out of the chamber after hearing a report summing up their legislative work.

Under the present government, from January 21, 2008 to yesterday, the House convened 216 times and saw the passage of 66 pieces of legislation.

About 138 bills were in various stages of preparation before reaching the House floor for a first reading.

The House approved six organic laws, passed four pieces of legislation initiated by the people, endorsed six executive decrees and acknowledged five reports.

Eight motions of censure were filed and debated. MPs lodged 4,206 query motions, 3,597 of which reached the House floor.

For the question-and-answer sessions, the government replied to 221 queries on the House floor and another 675 replies were published in the Royal Gazette.

-- The Nation 2011-04-30

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Rising road carnage in Thailand pushing up medical spending

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US Forces ‘love Phuket’

The nuclear-powered USS Ronald Reagan will arrive in Phuket tomorrow,

along with about 5,000 US servicemen on shore leave. Photo: US Navy

A plane loaded with disaster relief supplies prepares for take-off from the

USS Ronald Reagan, which was assigned to provide humanitarian assistance

in support of Operation Tomodachi in Japan. Photo: US Navy

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Three Thai soldiers wounded in clash at Thai-Cambodian border Friday night /MCOT

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EC busy preparing election

BANGKOK, 30 April 2011 (NNT) – The Election Commission (EC) has confirmed that a new general election will take place since it is an exit for the country amid the political conflicts and frequent rumors of coup d’état.

Election Commissioner Prapan Naikowit admitted that the EC had been busy after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced to dissolve the House in the beginning of May; however, he was quite surprised to hear frequent coup rumors confusing the public.

Mr Prapan said he personally believed that the new election would certainly take place since it was the democratic way globally accepted. He admitted speculation was high that the upcoming election would be fierce due to differences in political opinions in the society.

As for the Thai-Cambodian border clashes, the commissioner said the issue would not affect the general election arrangement. He added that there was no need to defer the election date because the situation was affecting only some areas, and polling stations could be relocated to safer venues.

-- NNT 2011-04-30

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AFP: New skirmishes on Thai-Cambodian border

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Banharn: New poll to take place

BANGKOK, 30 April 2011 (NNT) – Ex-Prime Minister and Chart Thai Pattana Party Chief Advisor Banharn Silapa-archa has voiced his belief that the next general election will definitely take place, but the political conflicts will remain.

Upon the opposition’s concern that there would be no election, Mr Banharn expressed his confidence that a new election was definite since Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had already given a promise to dissolve the House in the first week of May.

The former prime minister added that the military had also responded positively to the upcoming election. He however noted that the new election would not be arranged if a war broke out -- a situation which is unpredictable.

Mr Banharn also believed that the upcoming election would be fiercer than ever because all conflicting sides show no compromise to their standpoint. He predicted that political conflicts would remain after the election as it was difficult to bring the two conflicting sides to reconciliation.

The Chart Thai Pattana chief advisor also confirmed the readiness of his party to run in the next election. He said he had suggested the party that it should not issue many populist policies as they might harm the country in the long run.

Meanwhile, Chart Thai Pattana Party Spokesperson Watchara Kannikar announced that his party has improved its policies, which do not focus on just populist projects, but emphasize on agricultural aspects such as water resources and agricultural land.

-- NNT 2011-04-30

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Phuket Airport international arrivals up 25%

Phuket Airport is enjoying record numbers of international arrivals,

while the expansion project there is on target for completion by

September. Photo: Gazette file

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Students want friendly teachers: ABAC Poll

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Voice of Thaksin editor arrested

The editor of the Voice of Thaksin magazine was arrested by the Department of Special Investigation Saturday on charge of taking part in the conspiracy to topple the monarchy.

DSI investigators arrested Somyos Prueksakasemsuk in Aranyaprathet district in Prachin Buri.

He was taken to the DSI head office in Bangkok for questioning.

-- The Nation 2011-04-30

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Ten Thai soldiers wounded in border clashes

SURIN, April 30 – Ten Thai soldiers were wounded in clashes at Thai-Cambodian border in Surin on Friday night and Saturday morning.

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Two dead in Thai south attacks ahead of PM visit

YALA, April 30, 2011 (AFP) - Two Thai troops died and nine were injured in bombings that struck Thailand's restive south on Saturday just hours before a visit by the prime minister, police said.

Unknown attackers detonated two bombs within a kilometre of each other in the district of Raman in Yala, one of three insurgency-plagued provinces near Thailand's border with Malaysia.

The bloodshed coincided with a rare one-day visit to the southern region by Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, who was due in Raman on Saturday afternoon.

A first roadside explosion injured four soldiers shortly before noon.

It was followed by a gun battle and a second blast that killed two troops responding to the initial bombing. Another five were wounded.

"All the victims, including the dead and injured, are rangers," police in Raman said.

Thailand urged authorities in the violence-ridden south to step up security surveillance earlier this month as the bloody toll of years of unrest continued to rise.

More than 4,500 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have died since shadowy insurgents launched an uprising in Thailand's southernmost region bordering Malaysia in early 2004.

The three southern provinces have been under emergency rule since 2005, giving the military broad powers of arrest.

Abhisit, accompanied by his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban, was in the region to chair a meeting of a government body tasked with mapping out strategic development for the south.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-04-30

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Red-shirt leader Jatuporn denies reports he has fled to Cambodia and says he is traveling across Chiang Mai to meet supporters /TAN_Network

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Pacific navies in Phuket discuss disaster relief, nuclear meltdown

SERIOUS BUSINESS: Commander William Wesley explains to the press

the role of the forum in providing disaster relief throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

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Phuket police nab meth 'delivery man' at Tesco

Arrested for trafficking ya bah and crystal meth, Aram 'Paek' Or-Yam (seated, left)

hides a smile at the press conference this morning.

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to be continued,

Thailand Live Monday 2 May