Thailand Live Friday 20 May 2011

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This will be the most violated rule in our political history. RT @ThaiElection11: EC fixes campaign spending per head at Bt1.5 million.

RT @ThaiElection11: EC chief says Yingluck is qualified to run in election.

/via@tulsathit

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20 Countries Want to Send Observers to Thai Election

The Election Commission has revealed that as many as 20 member states under the United Nations has requested permission to observe Thailand's July 3 election.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-20

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EC says Yingluck qualified

Election Commission Chairman Apichart Sukhagganond said Friday that Yingluck Shinawatra, a sister of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, is qualified to contest the July 3 election although a part of her assets has been seized.

Apichart said Yingluck was not charged in a criminal case and the asset case has not been ruled by the Supreme Court yet.

Apichart was apparently referring to allegations that Yingluck had committed perjury when testifying to court in the assets seizure case against Thaksin.

The investigation into the perjury case against Yingluck has not begun yet.

-- The Nation 2011-05-20

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EC sets election campaign spending ceiling at Bt1.5 million

The Election Commission Friday set the election campaign ceiling for each candidate at Bt1.5 million.

EC Chairman Apichart Sukhagganond said the EC commissioners have resolved the set the ceiling, which will take effect once he signs a directive to announce the resolution.

-- The Nation 2011-05-20

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Yingluck: Amnesty Will Restore Peace in Thailand

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Paradorn is disqualified as MP candidate for failing to vote in BKK councilor & district councilor in 2008 /via@Saksith /via@ThaiElection11

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Democrat Seeks Votes via Social Networks

The Democrat Party will use more online communication tools to publicize its policies and campaign messages.

Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, also the caretaker prime minister, and some key Democrats visited Kanchanaburi's Tha Muang District to help their election candidate campaign for votes.

The Democrat leader assured the Tha Muang constituents that the farm produce price insurance program will be continued if the Democrat Party is elected back into office.

He then traveled to Rai Khing Temple in Nakhon Pathom's Sampran District, using the 15 year-free education policy to campaign for support.

Democrat deputy leader Apirak Kosayodhin said the Democrats will install an interactive live stream VDO program on Abhisit's Facebook page.

He said the party hopes to create a direct channel for the public, both in Thailand and overseas, to communicate with Abhisit.

Apirak said Abhisit now has approximately 600,000 fans on his Facebook page.

Most of the fans are between 18 and 35 years old.

He added the party also has a plan to create a smart phone application which helps users follow Abhisit's live tweets.

The application will also update the users with the Democrat Party's campaign policies and activities.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-20

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Abhisit plagued by around 10 red-shirt protesters as he was campaigning at Raiking Temple in Nakhon Pathom /TAN_Network

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Abhisit to campaign live on Facebook every Sunday

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva will talk live on his Facebook page every Sunday to seek support for his party, the Bangkok election director of the party said Friday.

Apirak Kosayothin said Abhisit will talk like at 8:10 pm every Sunday, using Livestream technology.

-- The Nation 2011-05-20

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Rolltop - Future Laptop

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Snooker stars take their cue for Phuket Cup

Alfred Burton prepares to sink the pink. Burton will take on fellow Englishman

Stuart Bingham and Thai star Ratchapol Pu-Ob-Orm (formerly 'James Wattana')

for the Phuket Cup title.

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Poll Panel Asked to Investigate Pheu Thai Party

A Democrat MP candidate has asked the Election Commission to investigate the Pheu Thai Party as it has joined the red-shirt group in a rally which closed off streets yesterday.

Democrat MP candidate and acting Prime Minister's Office Minister Satit Wongnongtaey questioned the relations between the Pheu Thai Party and the red-shirt group.

Satit said he did not believe that the Pheu Thai Party was sincerely trying to distance itself from the red-shirt group as many party-list candidates of the party are red-shirt leaders.

Satit noted that although the main policy of Pheu Thai is to reconcile, the people who are supposed to carry out such a policy are red-shirt leaders.

He said that this contradiction would only conflict the policies set by the party.

Satit went on to comment that the red-shirt leaders have not changed the way in dealing with politics and several party-list MP candidates from Pheu Thai joined the red-shirt protesters to block main streets in yesterday's gathering to mark the first anniversary of the dispersal of their protests.

He added the group also verbally assaulted the government on their rally stage but came out later to deny doing so and also denied that they have not used the gathering to seek votes for Pheu Thai.

Consequently, Satit asked the Election Commission to investigate the issue as the law bans all MP candidates from mudslinging activities against their competitors.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-20

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PAD Slams Pheu Thai's Party-list Line-up

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Eight wounded in two Narathiwat bombings

NARATHIWAT, May 20 - Eight people were wounded as two bombs exploded in this restive southern border province Friday morning, in the latest attacks after four presumed insurgents were killed in an early morning raid by security forces.

Provincial police and a bomb squad unit rushed to the bombing scene in Sungai Padi district after being informed of the incidents.

The first bomb blast took place near a coffee shop. A 10kg bomb had been built into a motorcycle parked nearby and was detonated by mobile phone.

The second bomb was hidden in a pickup truck parked just 100 metres away from the scene of the first incident, and exploded three minutes later.

Seven local residents and one police officer were wounded in the two latest attacks and were sent to district hospital.

Local officials believe the incidents are part of an ongoing campaign by an insurgent group wanting to foster uncertainty and disorder in the province.

More than 4,000 people have been killed in the three restive southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat since renewed violence erupted in January 2004.

The twin bombings occurred only a few hours after combined forces of military, police and provincial civil servants raided a previously targeted area in Yala's Than To district to search for insurgents Friday early morning.

The 20-minute exchange of gunfire left four suspected insurgents dead,one of whom was identified as an insurgent leader with many outstanding arrest warrants on national security-related charges. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-05-20

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Attempt To Smuggle Drugs Into Rayong Prison Foiled By Huayai Police

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Nine Uzbekistani Prostitutes arrested by Police in Jomtien

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Red-shirt Leaders Discuss Further Bail Effort with Jailed Peers

Red-shirt leaders have visited their jailed peers, Chatuporn Prompan and Nisit Sinthuprai, at the Bangkok Remand Prison to discuss legal alternatives in seeking bail for them.

However, they declined to comment whether they believe the Pheu Thai Party will become the new government.

Weng Tojirakarn, a red-shirt leader, and Thida Tavornseth, acting chairperson of the red-shirt movement, former deputy House speaker Apiwan Wiriyachai and other key red-shirt elements visited Chatuporn Prompan and Nisit Sinthuprai at the Bangkok Remand Prison earlier today.

Jatuporn and Nisit are detained on terrorism charges related to last year's political riots.

According to Thida, the red-shirt leaders discussed with Chatuporn possible legal alternatives to appeal the court's decision to revoke bail for him.

On top of that, the red-shirt leaders also discussed the Department of Special Investigation's, or DSI, move to prosecute 18 red-shirt leaders on lese majeste charges.

Eighteen red-shirt key figures could face prosecution by the DSI for their involvement in the April 10 gathering of the anti-government group.

Chatuporn's bail was revoked when the court ruled he violated bail conditions by speaking against the Monarchy while participating in the April 10 demonstration at the Democracy Monument.

Thida declined to say whether the red-shirt movement will be disbanded if the Pheu Thai Party wins the majority of House seats in the upcoming election.

She added if the parliamentary system can efficiently address the problems of the public, there will be only a few or no red-shirt rallies at all.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-20

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Thaksin's Sister Defends Qualifications for Election:

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Thai police arrest 2 Czechs in Bangkok on Interpol warrant for 2 million Euro bank cash delivery robbery in Czech Republic /MCOT

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Guns and drugs seized by Police in East Pattaya

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Phuket murder victim found nearly decapitated

Police and locals gather at the rubber plantation where the nearly

decapitated body was found. Photo: MCOT

An officer points to where the body was discovered. Photo: MCOT

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CARAT 2011 sparkles with 150 shore, ocean-based exercises

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SET index closed at 1072.94, down 4.56; Bt/USD30.14; GBP48.77; AUD32.02; EUR43.01; CAD31.07; HKD3.87; SGD24.23; JPY36.71

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Appeals Court dismissed the appeal for Jatuporn's bail, saying his public statements may cause unrest /TAN_Network

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Appeals Court Denies Jatuporn's Bail

The Appeals Court has denied Jatuporn Promphan's request for bail.

The court reasoned that his speeches on the red shirt stage were vicious.

The wordings have led the court to fear that he may incite violence if released.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-20

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AFP: Thai trade balance in red as exports slow

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City Police Tighten Security at Campaign Sites

Metropolitan police have tightened security at 14 venues where political parties are expected to stage their election campaigns.

They also report that no unrest broke out during the red-shirt gathering on Thursday.

Deputy city police chief Police Major General Kririn In-kaew reported that five police squads and plainclothes officers were deployed to maintain peace and order at the red-shirt rally on Thursday.

Tens of thousands of red-shirt protesters gathered at the Ratchaprasong Intersection to remember the first anniversary of the dispersal of the the red-shirt protests in 2010.

Kririn stated that the red-shirt rally was conducted lawfully and peacefully with no reports of any kind of unrest.

The deputy city police chief went on to comment on the election campaigning, stating that 14 venues have been designated for election campaigns of various candidates and parties.

Each candidate must request an official permission from the Metropolitan Police Bureau before setting up a campaign stage.

The city police have devised measures to beef up security at the 14 sites by increasing inspection to ensure safety and prevent traffic congestion.

The number of officers to be deployed will depend on the number of the audience.

Police stations in the city have been instructed to keep a close watch on the offices of various political parties and monitor the movement of suspected hitmen.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-20

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Thailand Live Saturday 21 May 2011