Thailand Live Tuesday 14 Jun 2011

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If election T-shirt sale is any indication, Chuwit, whose T-shirts beat others in Bkk in sale volumes, will win in city. /via@tulsathit

Clarifying the previous tweet, it's not Chuwit's own election T-shirt. It's T-shirs made by vendors with his face on it./via@tulsathit

Link to Thai Rath T-shirt story (in Thai). U can see photos of the T-shirts there. http://bit.ly/j6kYqo/via@tulsathit

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Democrat to hold 3 grand campaigns in Bangkok

BANGKOK, 14 June 2011 (NNT) – The Democrat Party remains confident that it will win at least 27 MP seats in Bangkok despite a recent poll in favor of the Pheu Thai Party and has announced its plan to organize three major campaigns in the city this week.

According to Mr Apirak Kosayodhin, Director of the Democrat Party’s election center for Bangkok, preparations are underway for three major campaigns of the party which will be held at Wong Wian Yai on 16 June, at Benjasiri Park on 17 June and at Lam Phak Chi Market in Nong Chok district on 19 June. With stages to be set up for the party’s addresses to eligible voters, the events will be an addition to the current mobile campaign being carried out three times a day within the capital.

In regard to the latest survey conducted by Bangkok University which suggested that the Pheu Thai Party was gaining more support from Bangkok residents than the Democrat, Mr Apirak was skeptical about the information, insisting that the party would be able to win at least 27 out of 36 seats in total. He admitted that focus would need to be placed on people intending not to participate in the poll and youth voting for the first time as well as residents of Sai Mai, Don Mueang and Nong Chok districts, which are Pheu Thai’s strongholds.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party Spokesperson MD Buranaj Smutharaks deemed the Bangkok Poll unconvincing as it also came up with an unprecise prediction in the 2007 general election. He cited a different survey, in which Democrat prime ministerial candidate Abhisit Vejjajiva was considered more suitable than Pheu Thai contender Yingluck Shinawatra in all aspects, including leadership, experience, international acceptance, ethics and honesty.

-- NNT 2011-06-14

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Cabinet approves budget of Bt3.6 mln to compensate those affected by the sunken sugar barge incident in Ayutthaya /TAN_Network

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Tsunami detecting radar coming to Phuket

Patong Deputy Mayor Chairat Sukkaban expects the tsunami radar

to be installed by the end of the month.

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Muslim women in Yala welcome 'Yamila' Yingluck

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Pheu Thai PM candidate Yingluck takes campaign trail to South

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PM Finds No Time to Settle Dispute with Coalition Partner

The Democrat Party leader says he still has not had a chance to talk with the leader of a coalition partner about his remark about not having many choices in the selection of coalition partners.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said Chart Thai Pattana leader Chumpol Silapa-archa did not attend the Cabinet meeting today as he has submitted a leave of absence so that he can help his party's MP candidates in their election campaign in the provinces.

Abhisit's statement on his Facebook page about not having much choices when he was choosing coalition partners drew harsh remarks from Chumpol.

Abhisit conceded that should clarify his remarks to Chumpol.

Meanwhile, Deputy Government Spokesman Supachai Jaisamut said today's Cabinet meeting endorsed the reinstatement of Interior Ministry Inspector-General, Wongsak Sawasdipanich, as director-general of the Provincial Administration Department, at the suggestion of the Civil Service Commission's panel in charge of protecting state officials' rights.

However, Supachai said the reinstatement will not go into effect until the Cabinet's decision is approved by the Election Commission or EC. Supachai stated that if the EC approves the reinstatement of Wongsak, the Cabinet will forward it to the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary for royal endorsement.

Supachai then said the Cabinet will also rule on the interior minister's proposed appointment of Wongsak as the governor of Lamphun Province, clarifying that it can be brought up at the meeting after his reinstatement to the post of the Provincial Administration Department chief has been officially completed.

The Interior Ministry proposed that the Cabinet transfer Director-General of Community Development Department Surachai Khan-arsa to the post of Provincial Administration Department chief and name the current Provincial Administration Department chief Mongkul Surasajja as his replacement.

-- Tan Network 2011-06-14

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PM Brands Amnesty Move for Thaksin National Threat

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AFP: Thai stock watchdog clears Thaksin's sister Yingluck

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PAD Demands Govt to Swap Cambodian Spies with Detained Thais

The People's Alliance for Democracy is demanding that the government use the arrested spies working for Cambodia to negotiate for the release of Veera Somkwarmkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, two Thai citizens currently being held in a Cambodian prison.

Chamlong Srimuang, who is a leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, or the PAD, pointed out that unlike other political parties, the group is working with the Puea Fah Din Party in conducting the 'Vote No' campaign, which is calling on voters to check the no vote box on their party-list and constituency-based ballots to bring about true reform to the current corrupted political system in which he claimed all politicians are only looking out for their own interests.

Chamlong also claimed that none of the competing political parties have any genuine concern about country's sovereignty problems or Veera Somkwarmkid and Ratree Pipattanapaiboon, the two Thai citizens thrown into a Cambodian prison.

The PAD leader also reported that the campaign has been conducted in many areas throughout the country and it has garnered a great deal of attention from the public.

At the same time, campaign billboards have been modified to comply with electoral regulations.

Chamlong has advised the government to use the arrested Cambodian spies to negotiate for the release of Veera and Ratree.

-- Tan Network 2011-06-14

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Clashes reported between Myanmar army, ethnic Karen armed group near Three Pagodas Pass border checkpoint; one Myanmar soldier wounded /MCOT

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A tribute to Tagore

Chulalongkorn University celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore with an international conference on June 16 and 17.

The event is being organised by the university in collaboration with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in New Delhi and the Indian embassy in Bangkok. Speakers include Prof Sugata Bose from Harvard, Prof Saranindranath Tagore from National University of Singapore, who's the poet's great-grandnephew, and Supriya Roy from the Rabindra Bhavana Library.

Tagore's 150th anniversary this year is something to celebrate for the Thai-Indian community in Bangkok. Tagore visited Siam only once in 1927 during the reign of King Rama VII, but he left his mark. Widely touted as a pioneer of Thai-Indian cultural relations, Tagore is considered as the man who started what's become a long sustainable relationship between Thailand and India.

During the course of an eventful life spanning eight decades, Tagore won international acclaim as a playwright, poet, songwriter, novelist, educator, philosopher and humanist. He became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in 1913.

The international conference to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore takes place at the Maha Chulalongkorn Building, Chulalongkorn University.

Running in parallel with the conference are two exhibitions also being held at the university. One is an exhibition of digital prints of 45 works of art by Tagore, the other is titled "Tagore and the Romance of Travel" and showcases his travels around the world through photographs and texts.

-- The Nation 2011-06-14

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SET index closed at 1034.92, up 19.39; Bt/USD30.32; GBP49.60; AUD32.10; EUR43.62; CAD31.03; HKD3.89; SGD24.44; JPY37.57

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Swedish national on trial after drugs arrest in Thailand last year

Mr. Kim Roger Eriksson Siriwan was escorted

out the court by his prison guard by the end

of the first day in his trial.

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to continue

Thailand Live Wednesday 15 Jun 2011

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