Thailand Live Friday 27 May 2011

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Thailand Live Friday 27 May 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 26 May 2011

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ANALYSIS

Newin started a joke, but who will have last laugh?

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Gun attack on home of Democrat canvasser: Thailand election

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GAMBLING

SMS raffles another form of gambling

By The Nation

Luckydraw text messages are another form of gambling, because they force people to spend even though 90 per cent of the punters never win a prize, an academic revealed yesterday.

Television shows and cellphone operators are estimated to earn Bt15 billion in profits per year, which also goes unchecked by the authorities.

At a seminar held by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation yesterday, researcher Juthamas Suksai said that TV shows required viewers to send an SMS, which cost between Bt3 and Bt6 per message, to answer a question or express an opinion to win a prize. This encourages people, especially the youth, to spend unnecessarily and get addicted to gambling. Many of the hosts also do not notify consumers that they are paying for both sending and receiving messages, she said.

Therefore, she urged the authorities to control the content and age of participants, air a warning message, have the operators apply for a legal permit and ensure that they are not violating people's rights or the gambling law.

-- The Nation 2011-05-27

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BURNING ISSUE

The gripping battle for the North: Thailand election

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Philippines 'ready to help' in Thai-Cambodian row

BANGKOK (AFP) - Philippine President Benigno Aquino said his country was prepared to step in to help resolve a bitter Thai-Cambodian border row, during a visit to Bangkok on Thursday.

Aquino said that the Philippines was ready to send observers to help efforts to cool the dispute, which erupted into deadly clashes between the neighbours last month, if they were needed.

"If both sides are interested, the Philippines is ready to help," he told reporters following a meeting with Thailand's leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The fighting, which left 18 dead and temporarily displaced 85,000, dominated the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this month, and failure to find a resolution raised doubts over the effectiveness of regional diplomacy.

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia centre on a small patch of land surrounding the 11th century Preah Vihear temple on their shared border, although the most recent clashes were about 150 km (90 miles) further west.

The relationship between the neighbours has been strained since Preah Vihear was granted UN World Heritage status in July 2008.

Thailand and Cambodia agreed in February to accept Indonesian military observers on the border but the initiative remains on ice due to Thai demands that Cambodia first pull troops out of the temple.

Aquino, who arrived in Thailand Thursday afternoon, is expected to meet members of the Filipino community in Bangkok before departing for Manila on Friday afternoon.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-05-27

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Asia has many IMF candidates: Thai finance minister

TOKYO (AFP) - Thai Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij said Thursday that Asia had "a number of potential candidates" for the new International Monetary Fund chief.

The best candidate for IMF managing director should be selected "regardless of the nationality," Korn told a business forum in Tokyo. "We certainly have a number of potential candidates."

Korn said the current practice under which the United States and European countries share top posts of the World Bank and the IMF should be revised.

ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan also told the forum that the next IMF chief should not necessarily be North American or European, the Nikkei daily reported.

Surin insisted that East Asia should and could put a candidate forward, even if the effort may be in vain, according to the Nikkei.

IMF directors from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- the world's largest emerging economies -- said in a declaration Tuesday that Europe's grip on the IMF leadership "undermines the legitimacy of the Fund".

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has emerged as front-runner for the post, receiving wide European backing, after Dominique Strauss-Kahn quit following his arrest in New York on charges of attempted rape.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2011-05-27

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Poll shows Pheu Thai ahead in Bangkok

By The Nation

The following are findings of a public-opinion survey conducted jointly by Dhurakij Pundit University and the Nation Group on 6,230 eligible voters in 33 Bangkok constituencies between May 23 and 25.

The 19 constituencies where Pheu Thai has taken the lead (constituency numbers are in brackets):

Bang Kho Laem, Yan Nawa (3), Klong Toei, Watthana (4), Dusit, Ratchathewi (5), Huai Khwang, Part of Wang Thonglang (7), Lat Phrao, Part of Wang Thonglang (8), Chatuchak (9), Lak Si, Don Muang (Airport subdistrict) (11), Don Muang (except Airport sub-district) (12), Bang Khen (14), Bang Kapi (15), Klong Sam Wa (18), Nong Chok (19), Saphan Sung, Part of Prawes (21), Phra Khanong, Bang Na (23), Part of Thon Buri, Klong San (24), Chom Thong, Part of Thon Buri (25), Thawee Watthana, Part of Nong Khaem (29), Bang Khae (30), Phasi Charoen, Bangkok Yai (31)

The five constituencies where the Democrat Party leads:

Phra Nakhon, Pom Prab, Samphanthawong (1), Pathum Wan, Bang Rak, Sathon (2), Min Buri, Part of Khan Na Yow (17), Suan Luang, Part of Prawet (22), Taling Chan, Part of Bangkok Noi (32)

9 constituencies where it is a close contest between Pheu Thai and the Democrats:

Din Daeng, Phya Thai (6), Bang Sue (10), Sai Mai (13), Bueng Kum, Part of Khan Na Yow (16), Lat Krabang (20), Rat Burana, Thung Khru (26), Bang Khunthien (27), Bang Bon, Part of Nong Khaem (28), Bang Phlat, Part of Bangkok Noi (33)

AVERAGE POPULARITY RATING:

Pheu Thai: 47%

Democrats: 41%

Other parties: 12%

-- The Nation 2011-05-27

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THAI plans new Euro destinations

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NEXT PM

Focus on your football team, Abhisit tells Newin

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Child labour in Thailand remains a problem: DLPW

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Thai foundation for consumers demands probe into 'herbal water'

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E-Sarn diploma cheats face prosecution

By The Nation

Eleven graduates who knowingly used diplomas they bought from ESarn University to secure government jobs will face prosecution, the Education Ministry said yesterday.

Also facing charges will be the rector, dean of the graduate faculty and other staff of the Khon Kaenbased private university.

A complaint accusing the management of public fraud will be lodged with local police on Saturday after the Office of the Higher Education Commission ruled that ESarn University was at fault for granting diplomas to graduates in exchange for money - without giving them lectures.

The OHEC has also refused to take over the assets of ESarn University despite an agreement that it would administer them after discovering that a large number of assets were illegally owned and transferred by a single person, rather than the entire management.

Within 30 days of June 1, the university has to revise its lists of assets and hand them over to the OHEC. If irregularities are still present, document forgery and embezzlement charges will be filed against the rector and staff found responsible.

Education Minister Chinnaworn Bunyakiat called on 974 ESarn University graduates to "prepare themselves mentally" to see their degrees nullified by the Office of the University Council, which jointly investigated the scandal. Those who were hired as teachers will lose their jobs.

Chinnaworn urged the teachers to jointly lodge a complaint against ESarn University management to set an example while the ministry worked out ways to compensate their losses.

ESarn University is still allowed to admit 560 students of a quota of 3,000 it had requested from OHEC.

The administration has divided current students into three groups. The first is those who have proved that they really attended lectures and apprentice courses. These students will have their degrees certified by OHEC upon graduation.

The second group, which makes up the greatest number, is those who honestly want to attend lectures and apprentice courses but did not before news of the scandal broke. They will be assigned to complete their courses and granted diplomas.

The third are those who knowingly paid money to buy diplomas. "They will not be given any help," said Assoc Prof Kamjorn Tatiyakawee, an OHEC deputy secretarygeneral who now heads the administration of ESarn University.

-- The Nation 2011-05-27

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Thai Court rules in favour of AMLO in Kamnan Poh case

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NHSO ready to help smokers quit

Smoking 3rd Most Risky Factor Behind Deaths In Thailand, After Unsafe Sex And Drinking

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SHORTAGE OF STAFF

Ministry to station new graduates at three state hospitals in Loei

By Boonchu Sritraipop, Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Doctors will be on threeyear contracts to repay govt subsidy

Under a new Public Health Ministry scheme, more doctors will be stationed at the three state hospitals in Loei province, which has been suffering severe staff shortages for more than a year now, chief of the provincial public health office Dr Wiwat Korwiriyamol said.

The hospital on Loei's Phu Kradung mountain in particular is regularly without any doctors mainly due to difficult access. This is despite the fact that the area is a top tourist destination. Another two hospitals, named Phu Kradung and Nong Hin, in different districts are also constantly short of doctors.

Director of Phu Kradung Hospital, Dr Kriangsak Watcharanukoolkiat, works at two other hospitals, which only have one fulltime doctor each.

Under the Collaborative Projects to Increase Production of Rural Doctors (CPIRD) programme, Dr Wiwat said he expected more doctors to be stationed at all three hospitals as part of their threeyear mandatory service to repay government subsidy for medical study.

In order to cope with the shortage, doctors at Loei hospital, which is also facing a shortage, take turns at serving at the three hospitals in threemonth cycles. More doctors are expected to join in the next two years, when the expansion to Nong Hin Hospital is completed.

"We hope the CPIRD programme can recruit more doctors who will serve [at the three hospitals] at least through the threeyear mandatory period," he said.

Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry insisted yesterday that rural hospitals in the South, East and Northeast had enough fulltime physicians.

This move comes after a recent survey conducted by the Health Research and Development Office (HRDO) showed that hospitals in southern province Yala's Bannang Sata district, eastern province Trat's Koh Kood district and Loei's Phu Kradung Hospital were facing a severe shortage of fulltime doctors.

The ministry's spokesperson Dr Suphan Srithamma said to date, the Bannang Sata hospital has had five doctors but most are waiting to complete their twoyear internship program. Meanwhile, the hospital in Trat's Koh Kood district did not have a fulltime physician, but the hospital director from Koh Chang had volunteered to look after the hospital. Every month, he moves a doctor and a team of 11 professionals and nurses from Koh Chang Hospital to provide services at the Koh Kood hospital.

-- The Nation 2011-05-27

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Isoc task force swaying votes, Pheu Thai claims

By The Nation

The Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) has formed a military task force to sway votes under the pretext of suppressing illicit drugs, Pheu Thai candidate Vicharn Minchainant said yesterday.

On his party's behalf, Vicharn submitted two petitions - one to Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha and another to the Election Commission - calling for the dissolution of the Isoc Task Force 315.

The task force has dispatched soldiers to monitor the red shirts and their campaign activities in key Bangkok constituencies such as Min Buri, Nong Chok, Khan Na Yaw and Lat Phrao, he said.

"Soldiers have been asking questions that are not related to suppressing drug abuse," he said.

Meanwhile, the June 24 Democracy Group yesterday led some 300 anti-coup activists and red-shirt supporters to demand changes at the Department of Special Investigation.

Protesters rallied for the resignation of DSI director-general Tarit Pengdith and the department being freed from political interference.

Rally organiser Songchai Wimolpatranont also circulated an open letter, addressed to the next government, calling for the restructuring of DSI.

Songchai said Tarit was biased and that the DSI had been used as a tool of intimidation for gagging the government's opponents with false charges of lese majeste

Next week, the DSI is scheduled to summon 17 red-shirt leaders to face formal indictments for charges of offending the monarchy and sedition.

-- The Nation 2011-05-27

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Farmers want the next govt to tackle rising production cost

By PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI

THE NATION

Farmers want the next government to give top priority to tackle the "severely skyrocketing" costs of production, as their incomes are failing to cover the need for higher spending, according to a survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).

Almost 90 per cent of farmers in the survey said that they had higher debt burdens because of higher costs of production.

However, the farming-sector policies of political parties provide only for short-term benefits for people on the land, mainly as populist measures to gather support.

Although the survey showed that farmers were quite satisfied with the policies of all parties to increase farm-sector income, there was no clearly preferred policy.

The most preferable measure among farmers was a lowering of production costs, mainly arising from higher land-rental fees and prices for oil, fertiliser, seeds and pesticide, the director of the UTCC's Economic and Business Forecasting Centre, Thanavath Phonvichai, said.

He said policies on farming should focus more on reducing the cost of production and developing irrigation systems to promote sustainable growth in the farming sector.

The UTCC survey, which covered the three main farming industries - planting, fisheries and livestock - found that skyrocketing production costs were the single biggest concern. Although all political parties plan to promote farm incomes, these measures will be insufficient to offset the doubling of production costs, leaving farmers just as poor as in the past.

"Farmers may give good scores for each party's policy |to raise farm incomes. However, these policies will create only short-term benefit as long |as production costs continue |to rise," Thanavath said.

For example, 1,182 respondents gave an average of 7 points out of 10 for party policies to raise farmers' incomes. These policies included increasing profits from farming by 25 per cent under price-guarantee schemes, raising the price of rice to Bt20,000 per tonne, and giving farmers credit cards, with which to buy farm equipment.

Thanavath said it seemed that all political parties were concerned only with gaining short-term popularity, as they did not focus on long-term measures to shoulder higher production costs. More efficient policies should be introduced to promote sustainable growth of farming, in particular to develop irrigation systems and provide knowledge to farmers in each sector, he said.

The survey showed that other policies preferred by farmers included guaranteeing the price of farm goods, encouraging farmers to grow other crops or finding other jobs as a way to increase their incomes, and educating farmers on modern techniques and trading.

Respondents to the survey said that over the past year, increasing prices for farm goods had failed to offset higher production costs and farmers had to shoulder higher debts in order to keep going.

UTCC lecturer Wachira Khuntaweethep said that more than 87 per cent of Thailand's farmers had a debt burden, and only one-third of them could earn enough to meet their repayment commitments.

Farmers who are unable to earn enough to cover their rising costs of living and spending must go to "unorganised lenders". This group accounts for 34.7 per cent of all farm debtors.

Other problems forcing farmers into greater debt have been natural disasters, higher family spending, being cheated by middlemen and less land on which to farm, he said.

-- The Nation 2011-05-27

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UNESCO supports proposal to postpone Preah Vihear temple management plan,pending demarcation btw Thailand-Cambodia; Phnom Penh will respond this afternoon /MCOT

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UNESCO Chief Removes Preah Vihear Management Plan from June Agenda

The chief of UNESCO has decided to postpone consideration of Cambodia's proposed management plan of the Preah Vihear world heritage site. Originally, deliberations were to take place in the June meeting. Thailand has successfully lobbied that an approval of the plan would aggravate border conflicts between the two countries.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-27

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Rival Students Gun Each Other Down on a Bangna Bus Injuring 4 By Standers

Students of rival schools opened fire on the Number 132 bus on Bangna-Trad Road this morning.

Initial reports say four people have been injured, including by standers.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-27

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Suthep Rules Out Any Possibility of Democrat-Pheu Thai Coalition

Democrat Party Secretary General Suthep Thaugsuban has ruled out any chance of a coalition government between the two leading political parties, Democrats and Pheu Thai. The announcement came as speculation was rampant that the two major parties could decide to swallow their differences and leave all other parties out in the cold.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-27

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House of lead actress from Thai flick 'Kuan-Mun-Ho' in Bangbuathong area robbed; thief made off with Fortuner vehicle and 2 car keys /TAN_Network

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Unesco support Thai proposal to delay meeting on Cambodia's management plan : Suwit

Unesco's World Heritage Committee support Thai proposal to delay another year the consideration on Cambodia's management plan for Preah Vihear Temple.

Resource and Environment minister Suwit Kunkitti, leader of Thai team to the WH annual meeting in Paris, told Thai PBS that Unesco agreed that the consideration should be postponed following Thai-Cambodian border conflicts and clashes.

Last year, the WH panel already postponed the consideration after Thailand's strong protest against the management plan drafted by Cambodia.

The Thai side claimed that the mutual border around the temple has not be demarcated.

-- The Nation 2011-05-27

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UNESCO Backs Thai Proposal To Postpone Consideration Of Preah Vihear Management Plan

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 1,068.33, up 2.88 points /MCOT

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New Phuket bridge to open next week

The finishing touches, such as the marking out of lanes, are now underway.

Signs notifying drivers of the coming change will be erected near the bridges.

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Red-Shirts Demand Resignation of DSI Chief

The June 24 Democracy Group, a group affiliated with the red-shirts, rallied at the head office of the Department of Special Investigation, demanding the removal of DSI chief Tharit Pengdit and reform within the organization.

The protesters claim that Tharit is discriminating against them, especially their core leaders who are running as MP candidates.

Red-shirt protesters, led by Songchai Wimonpatranont, chairman of the June 24 Democracy Group, submitted a letter to the Department of Special Investigation or DSI via its officer Police Colonel Thawan Mangkhang, asking that the next prime minister and justice minister dismiss the DSI Director-General Tharit Pengdit.

The letter claimed that Tharit is biased against the group, that his attempt to withdraw bail for red-shirt leaders was irrational, and that using the lese majeste charge to intimidate the red-shirt people creates a disadvantage for their leaders who are fielding the July 3 election.

The group claimed the DSI needs to be reformed because it has widened social division.

Tung Song Hong Police were deployed to maintain law and order outside the DSI office.

The red-shirt group is preparing to ask for a postponement of a summons by the DSI for some of its member to hear the lese majeste charge.

The DSI said its officials will consider whether there is enough grounds to grant a postponement for the group.

If there is not, a second summons will be issued for the lese majeste suspects and if they do not show up as called, arrest warrants will be issued.

-- Tan Network 2011-05-27

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Abhisit to hold Friday's mass rally in South

By The Nation

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is scheduled on Friday's evening to hold a mass campaign rally, a first for the Democrats since the start of campaigning, in Phuket.

Abhisit will introduce Democrat candidates for the 14 southern provinces.

On Friday's morning, he campaigned for Democrat candidate Sakoltee Phattiyakul contesting in Bangkok Constituency 11.

The campaign trials covered Muanthong Thani, Chaengwatthana Road and Soi Watcharphon.

Meanwhile Democrat secretary general Suthep Thaugsuban played down the lead of Pheu Thai Party according to opinion polls, saying the Democrats would work harder to overcome the adversity.

Suthep also ruled out a scenario in which Chart Thai Pattana's Sanan Kachorprasart might be a compromise choice to lead the next governmnet given the fierce race between Democrat and Phue Thai.

"The Democrats give their complete support for Abhisit and will not ally with Pheu Thai, therefore it is impossible for the scenario involving Sanan to happen," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-05-27