Thailand Live Saturday 9 Jul 2011

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Thailand Live Saturday 9 Jul 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 8 Jul 2011

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Today's Thailand weather and forecasts:

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Loosen Foreign Business Act, Thai Institute tells new Govt

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

'Thai public must be involved' to reconcile

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Yingluck: 'No meeting with Thaksin'

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Thailand 'to comply' with ICJ ruling on Preah Vihear

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EDITORIAL

The time has come to rediscover our moral compass; Thai opinion

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WEEKENDBRUNCH

Thailand must win back trust overseas

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CONTESTED RESULTS

Democrat seeks Pheu Thai dissolution

By The Nation

Songkhla MP alleges that banned politicians took part in campaign

The Democrat Party's legal expert yesterday filed a petition with the Election Commission (EC) asking it to recommend that the Constitution Court dissolve the Pheu Thai Party for allowing banned politicians to take part in its election campaign.

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Bangkok forum to prepare for animal to human diseases

By Thasong Asvasena

The Nation

Inaugurating a "One Health" initiative at a Bangkok forum on Thursday, a panel comprising experts on public health and animal health pledged to kick start the implementation here of a new global trend aimed at improving human health and preventing outbreaks of zoonoses - diseases that originate in animals and migrate to humans.

The forum, titled "One Health Network of Thailand", welcomed experts on the environment and ecology from the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, into a task force that consists of existing member who are officials from the Department of Disease Control and government veterinarians and those from zoo organisations.

One Health has been defined as "the collaborative effort of multiple disciplines - working locally, nationally and globally - to attain optimal health for people, animals and the environment," according to Wikipedia.

It is a global movement to promote collaborative efforts between different health related professionals and paraprofessionals - including physicians, osteopaths, veterinarians, dentists, nurses and other scientifichealth and environmentally related disciplines.

One Health has been prompted by concerns of international health agencies over anticipated outbreaks of zoonoses as a result of forecasts of future scenarios where food shortages and residential areas compete against each other. Major outbreaks in recent decades have included H1N1 and H5N1, E Coli, Aids and SARS.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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'Parking rage' doctor recovering

By The Nation

A female doctor is recovering well from serious brain injuries that her mother said were caused by an incident of "parking rage".

Dr Hathaiporn Imwitthaya was admitted to Phramongkutklao Hospital on June 4.

Her mother says somebody deliberately ran Hathaiporn over after she quarrelled with a teenage girl over a parking issue.

Colonel Saksit Phuklan, father of the girl, has surrendered to police, claiming Hathaiporn was injured after jumping onto his car's hood.

Police are yet to press charges against anyone in the case. Doubts remain as to whether Saksit made the confession in an attempt to protect the real culprit.

Saksit yesterday did not show up as scheduled to a police reenactment of the incident after contacting police to ask for a postponement.

His daughter's friend, who was also present at the incident, postponed giving a statement to police too.

Metropolitan Police Division 1 commander MajGeneral Wichai Sangprapai said the results of forensic tests relating to the case would come out next week.

"Investigators have already contacted doctors treating Hathaiporn to see when she will be ready to testify," Wichai added.

Although Hathaiporn's condition is improving, she will need speech therapy and physical rehabilitation.

Her doctors expect her to recover within six months.

She was able to walk on her own for about 15 minutes yesterday.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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Tollway crash girl pleads 'not guilty'

By The Nation

The teenage girl blamed for a fatal tollway accident in December denied any wrongdoing before the Central Juvenile and Family Court yesterday.

She faces charges of reckless driving causing deaths and injuries.

The accident took place on December 27, claiming nine lives and injuring many more.

The girl was 16 years old at the time and did not have a driving licence. She was allegedly using a cell phone while driving.

The young defendant was summoned before the court to officially hear the charges against her yesterday. She pleaded not guilty.

The court scheduled the first hearing of the prosecutor's witnesses for October 27.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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Seminar presses need for pandemic preparedness

By Thasong Asvasena

The Nation

Pandemic preparedness and advanced actionable measures are vital to cope with future public health emergencies, outbreaks and extensive zoonoses - animalborne diseases - according to a Bangkok seminar held by the Public Health Ministry addressing epidemiological issues, which ended yesterday.

Outbreaks of Escherichia coli infections and avian and H1N1 influenza pandemics have all killed thousands of people worldwide in the past six years, and are examples of how costly lack of preparedness can be - and all of them are zoonoses, the 21st National Epidemiology Seminar was told.

Epidemiology is the study of healthevent patterns in a society.

In the future, consumerism and profiteering by pharmaceutical giants will make treatments and medications expensive for poorer countries - a practice described as unacceptable by Privy Councillor Professor Emeritus Kasem Watthanachai, a keynote speaker at the threeday event.

The seminar focused on working out measures to deal with emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, reflected in its title "Epidemiology in the Challenge of Emerging Global Health Threats".

As part of preparedness for pandemics, effective measures to contain outbreaks while maintaining surveillance are even more important as global transport has become more rapid and accessible.

Outbreaks can travel rapidly with human carriers because of extensive global transport, while zoonoses can become a greater risk with extensive cattle farming to combat food shortages.

The seminar is held every two years. This one featured a number of presentations of works by public health officials and epidemiologists. Among more than 1,000 papers submitted, 152 were selected, 36 of which were oral presentations and another 45 were poster presentations.

The seminar also presented for the first time the Sujarti Jatanasen Award. The recipient was Dr Nadda Sriyaphai, a former directorgeneral of the Department of Disease Control, for his establishment of the Expanded Programme in Immunisation and his roles in launching a national plan to control and contain tuberculosis.

Nadda, 88, was selected from 14 candidates, mostly senior epidemiologists, by a team of 10 judges. He was commended for using epidemiology to improve publichealth services at the community level, a precedent that has now become a countrywide network of publichealth volunteers.

The Sujarti Jatanasen Foundation was established in 2002 in honour of Dr Sujarti Jatanasen, who founded the Epidemiology Division and Thailand's International Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP) under the Department of Disease Control's Bureau of Epidemiology. Sujarti, now 82, serves as an adviser to the bureau.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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OBITUARY

Pioneering physician dies at 100

By Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Prominent 100yearold physician and health activist Dr Sem Pringpuangkeo yesterday succumbed to neurological illness and coronary artery disease, after undergoing treatment at Rajavithi Hospital for eight months.

Sem was born on May 31, 1911, in Bangkok. After graduating from Siriraj Hospital's faculty of medicine, he continued his higher education abroad in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan.

Sem was a pioneering physician who dedicated his whole life to developing modern medicine and medical services for poor people living in remote areas.

He set up a hospital in Samut Songkhram province's Amphawa district to provide medical treatment for patients suffering from cholera, which was spreading through the country at that time.

After working at Amphawa district for several years, Sem went to work in Chiang Rai province. In 1937 he teamed up with local authorities and citizens to collect donations and built Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital, the country's first hospital built using donations from the public.

Sem was highly respected in Chiang Rai province because of his attempts to help local people access medical treatment.

A few years later he became director of Women's Hospital, which became known as Rajavithi Hospital. He was also appointed director of the Nursing Midwifery School.

In 1951, he established the first National Blood Bank, which provides fresh and dried blood to help patients. He also played a crucial role in eradicating syphilis during World War II.

He was the first physician in Thailand to perform separation surgery on a pair of conjoinedtwin girls.

He was appointed to drive several healthcare projects as public health minister and head of the Public Health Ministry's reform committee.

He pressured the ministry to set up hospitals in rural areas throughout the country and developed the National Essential Drugs List.

"Even though we've lost him, his crucial role sets a good example for the young generation to follow his willingness to do good things for our nation," said National Health Office secretarygeneral Dr Amphon Jindawattana.

"Working to improve medical services in rural areas is still important for us to continue his plans."

Sem was pronounced dead at Rajavithi Hospital at 5.30am yesterday. A funeral ceremony was scheduled to take place today at Wat That Thong.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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Merseyside 'God' Fowler flies in to join Muang Thong

By Kitinan Sanguansak

The Nation

Local fans' dream of watching a familiar face play in the Thailand Premier League is just a blink away as former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler flew in yesterday to thrash out details about his shock move to TPL champions Muang Thong United.

The 36-year-old, who scored 183 goals during his eight-year stay with the Merseyside club, is set to become one of the highest-profile players to play in the country's top-flight division, though some details of his contract still need to be ironed out.

Fowler's arrival could be a vindication of the giant leap the league has taken over the past few years, which saw a sharp increase in audiences during competitions that not so long ago struggled to draw any interest from the public.

Observers believe that the signing of Fowler, who was nicknamed "God" for his scoring exploits, would be a big boon to the league in terms of growth - a notion that was strengthened by positive reaction from fans in general, not just supporters of Muang Thong.

Fowler arrived an hour later than scheduled. But when he emerged out of the arrival gate, he was welcomed by a flood of flashes from a huge gathering of media and fans wearing Liverpool shirts and chanting his name. Asked by reporters about his target with the new club, Fowler said he did not set any particular target but hoped the team would do well.

"I want to do as well as I can but the team cannot rely on one player so I will try to help the team," said Fowler, who will be handed the No 9 shirt.

Earlier reports suggested that Muang Thong had only offered Fowler a short-term contract, though the club's deputy chairman, Wiluck Lohtong, did say the Englishman was signing a one-year contract, without elaborating.

"I think the initial contract would be for one year. We have to take many factors into consideration. We cannot give you the exact figures about his wage, but it's a sum worthy of a player of his status," Wiluck said, adding that having a player of Fowler's calibre should help improve the team.

"We want to become one of the top teams, both in Asia and internationally. Having a player who was once was a star in the English Premier League, shows our capacity. I have no doubts about his ability, and despite his age, we believe he can play in our league without any trouble," Wiluck said.

Fowler will undergo a medical check-up today before being a announced a Muang Thong player tomorrow.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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THAI MOVIE

Girls, ghouls and Gancore

By Kitchana Lersakvanitchakul

The Nation

Rapper Joey Boy makes his first movie - an island hip-hop horror-comedy with babes in bikinis

He's helped to write a film, starred in two flicks and won a prize for his creative direction of a music video. Now rapper Joey Boy is making his debut as a director with "Gancore Gud", a horror-comedy that opens in cinemas later this month.

"It was the greatest surprise of my music career," says the 37-year-old entertainer of winning the 2009 Seed Award for Best Music Video for directing the video for "Ratree Sawad", a song by Golf Sing Nuea featuring Thee Chaiyadej. "Taking home that prize encouraged me to do more on the film scene."

Apisit Opasaimlikit, as Joey Boy was named at birth, isn't going into the industry blind.

He created the plot for GTH's 2006 time-travelling rock 'n' roll satire "Kao … Kao" ("The Possible") in 2006 and also starred in the movie. In 2008, Phranakorn Film tapped him to play a monk in "Luangphee Teng 2" ("The Holy Man 2").

And he's watched and listened to his friends and colleagues in the film industry, learning from several directors how to shoot a movie and picking up techniques from the production teams.

"Although movies tend not to make any more money than other sectors in the entertainment business, I've always found that moviemakers love their craft and work hard at it. For a long time, I couldn't figure out why and I guess that challenged me to enter the movie circle.

"Movies are an easier way of communicating with the masses than music, which is limited by language. Movies can be appreciated through visuals, sound and emotions," he says.

Joey Boy hasn't only drawn his filming experiences from being involved in the movies but also from his vast collection of DVDs.

"I'm a movie lover as well as music lover. I have a lot of DVD movies in a variety of genres though I tend to focus on horror and drama in particular. I've tried to learn emotional scenes and capture techniques I've seen in these movies.

"I also love watching Korean movies because they have cool plots - they can be enjoyable and horrifying at the same time.

One of his favourites is "Thirst", a thriller by South Korean director Park Chan-wook about a priest who turns into a vampire.

"It has many more techniques and tricks than a Hollywood flick," Joey Boy says. "I can't say I'm keen on Korean TV series though."

"Gancore Gud" ("Gancore Bite"), a homophone of Joey Boy's hip-hip group Gancore Club, is described as a kind of dark comedy adventure.

The story starts when the Gancore Club's eight members are on a boat trip and are stranded on a deserted island. They then find themselves up againstbrutal islanders and the dreadful kradiew, a marine creature that's a blend of a zombie and phi phray (Thai spirit).

Made with a budget of Bt12 million to make, "Gancore Gud" was filmed around Sattahip and Rayong. It Lakana "Oum" Wattanawongsiri, who gained critical notice for her masturbation scene in last year's erotic movie "Namtan Dang" ("Brown Sugar"). She plays the Goddess of the Forest.

Other cast members are model Pakjira "Atom" Wisawawisut and Japanese model Kumiko Sugaho, in addition to Gancore Club's members including DJ Spidamonkee and Buddha Bless.

"Because this is my first film, I tried to think of a story and a cast that would be easy for me to handle as a new director. So, I started with my hip-hop team who mostly perform as themselves. At first, I worked at getting rid of their original behaviour. One thing I do know well is their emotional expressions so I can tell if they are playing their roles or not. That's a strong point of the movie.

"When I created the Goddess of the Forest role, I immediately thought of Nong Oum with her good looks. I never saw her in 'Namtan Dang' though," says Joey Boy. "As for the Japanese girl, well, it goes along with my plot, which is based on World War II, when the Japanese military invaded Thailand and spent their lives with some Thai people."

Joey Boy refuses to give more details about the film, just saying that he hopes the movie-going public will find it entertaining. With a plot that involves shipwrecks, WWII and strange creatures, it may prove to be just that.

A GUD CAUSE

Released by Phranakorn Film, "Gancore Gud" opens in cinemas on July 28.

The movie soundtrack includes "Serakapoi", "Helo" and "Pla Cartoon" featuring Singto Numchok.

"Serakapoi" is a charity single. Proceeds from downloads will go to Wat Phrabat Nampu in Lop Buri.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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Court upholds libel charge on Da Torpedo

By The Nation

The Court of Appeals yesterday upheld a guilty verdict against prominent red shirt Daranee Chancherngsilapakul, widely known as Da Torpedo.

The verdict concerned a defamatory speech she made on a redshirt stage in 2007, which resulted in the Council for National Security suing Daranee.

On September 16, 2009, a lower court found Daranee guilty of defamation and ordered her to pay a Bt50,000 fine.

Daranee appealed against the verdict, asking for a lighter sentence.

The Court of Appeals, however, yesterday ruled that the punishment against her was appropriate.

"She used rude words to defame many people," the court said.

Daranee is currently serving a jail term for a lesemajeste conviction.

-- The Nation 2011-07-09

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WATCHDOG

Confusion still reigns over incoming Thai govt's economic policy

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BREAKING NEWS -- First Lady Betty Ford has died /via@mpoppel

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AFP: 230 people arrested in Kuala Lumpur lock down

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ASTV: Cambodian media claims Thai troops opened fire on Cambodian illegal loggers opposite of Cambodia's Udonmeechai killing 5, injuring 8 /TAN_Network

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Insurgents shot Yala religious teacher in the head leaving him in critical condition /TAN_Network

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Southern haze relieving

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Pheu Thai: Matchima faction not needed

BANGKOK, 9 July 2011 (NNT) – The Pheu Thai Party reaffirms not to cooperate with the Bhumjaithai Party although the latter’s Matchima faction will support Ms Yingluck Shinawatra, the number one party-list candidate of Pheu Thai, to be the new prime minister of Thailand.

Pheu Thai Party Deputy Leader Plodprasop Suraswadi stands firm in the resolution of the party executives not to work with the Bhumjaithai Party, saying it is impossible to join hands with the Matchima group led by Mr Somsak Thepsuthin.

Mr Plodprasop went on to say that he has no interest in whether the Matchima group is going to betray Bhumjaithai or whether its members will raise their hands for Ms Yingluck in Parliament with a hope to work with the Pheu Thai Party in the future.

The deputy party leader reasoned that the Pheu Thai-led coalition now has 300 seats in total after small parties like Mahachon and New Democracy have joined the coalition. He stressed that support from other parties is deemed unnecessary.

Mr Plodprasop also quipped that the Pheu Thai Party will not steal MPs from others although some parties used to do that with Pheu Thai. He said his party is now only considering forging ahead with its policies in a bid to solve people’s problems.

-- NNT 2011-07-09

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ASTV reports red-shirt leaders support Jatuporn, Nutthawut to be ministers; say blocking red-shirts from min posts hampers reconciliation /

Blue flag cheap good fair at Phra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathom until Sunday /

Buddhist Lent candle procession to start at Sukhumvit 48 at 11am, take Rama IV, Phrakanong and back same route for 5 hours /

/TAN_Network

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1st Tourism & Sports Fest to commence next Friday

BANGKOK, 9 July 2011 (NNT) – The Ministry of Tourism and Sports will hold the Tourism & Sports Festival 2011 to honour His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej on the occasion of his 84th birthday anniversary on 5 December 2011 at IMPACT Muang Thong Thani.

Permanent Secretary for Tourism and Sports Sombat Kuruphan said at a press conference that the Tourism & Sports Festival will be the first of its kind. The ministry has spent about 20 million baht to prepare the event while around 200,000 participants are expected.

Mr Sombat continued that the event will be organised under 3-S concept – Smile, Smart, and Sabai (comfort). It is scheduled to take place from 15 to 17 July at Hall 3 of IMPACT Muang Thong Thani in adjoining Nonthaburi province.

The 3-day event will feature an exhibition to honour HM the King, and a big royal portrait and offerings will be installed. Get-well books will be arranged for visitors to offer their wish for the improvement of His Majesty’s health.

Other activities include an exhibition on tourism and sports, Thai cultural and sport shows, mini concerts featuring famous stars and singers as well as booths of provincial tourism and sports offices from 77 provinces nationwide.

-- NNT 2011-07-09

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Yala's Pattana Islam Wittaya schoolteacher riding motorcycle shot by suspected insurgents, was critically injured & died at hospital /MCOT

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Ten arrested in Phuket drug busts

The suspects are escorted out of Patong Police Station in Phuket after

yesterday's press conference. Photo by Yodsak Jarana.

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Phuket crackdown on motorbike sidecars

A convoy of salaeng cruise the byways of Phuket encouraging people

not to "Vote No" in the run-up to the general elect

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Chuwit has launched a "dog-style politics" book, branding politicians who have no ideology as "beating dogs to the wombs" /via@nnanews /via@tulsathit