Thailand Live Friday 22 Jul 2011

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Thai Election Commission endorses more MPs, including Red Shirt leaders

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Thai-Cambodian Border Remains Peaceful

The national police chief is investigating the disputed area along the border to Cambodia, while locals in several border provinces are taking precautionary measures in case of armed clashes.

In Phnom Dong Rak District of Surin Province, the army simulated clashes along the border.

Although no new rounds of border clashes have broken out, locals are coordinating with state and military intelligence units to take precautionary measures in case of possible violence.

Lieutenant General Worawit Daroonchoo closely monitored the training.

He said the main objectives of practice are to make the military units and civilians aware of the situation and learn how to deal with it effectively.

Phom Dongrak is counted as one of the highest danger zones because at least 59 sub-districts of Phnom Dong Rak share a border with Cambodia.

In the latest armed clash, a total of 155 BM 21 and cannon shells from Cambodian units were found in the area.

Likewise, in Ban Non Sawang Pattana, Sao Thong Chai, Kantalalak District of Si Sa Ket Province, Governor Somsak Suvannasujjarit and military units held a practice for locals for an evacuation to the nearest emergency shelters as soon as gunfire is heard.

In addition, the military informed locals that they should not be alarmed when they hear loud noises, as Cambodian troops will destroy some 500 bombs and cannon shells.

Meanwhile, National Police Chief, Police General Wichien Pojphosri explored Pa Mor E-dang at Preah Vihear National Park.

He insists police will keep security at Preah Vihear Temple and its vicinity after the military withdrawals.

He said border police are ready to take action immediately after the official announcement.

Currently, the border atmosphere remains peaceful and there is no movement of Cambodian military units.

-- Tan Network 2011-07-22

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Army Chief Visits South, Orders Tightened Security Ahead of Ramadan

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Thailand Welcomes International Observers to Demilitarized Zone

Thailand has agreed to the deployment of Indonesian observers to a temporary demilitarized zone around Preah Vihear Temple.

Foreign Minister Kasit Biromya said that an Indonesian observer team is welcome to access the provisional demilitarized zone around the temple of Preah Vihear Temple.

The International Court of Justice ordered that Thailand and Cambodia withdraw troops from the disputed area and allow international observers to be dispatched to the area.

Kasit said his ministry will hold a meeting on Monday with the Defense Ministry and security agencies to discuss approaches to further talks with Cambodia.

A report will be submitted to the new foreign minister and tabled for Cabinet consideration.

-- Tan Network 2011-07-22

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Yingluck says she has a House speaker candidate in mind and denies having to discuss with her brother about the appointment /TAN_Network

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3 Inmates Escape Songkhla Jail, 1 Recaptured

Three inmates escaped from a prison in Songkhla Province yesterday. Police say they've captured one of them.

At 4 A.M. yesterday morning, three inmates escaped from the Songkhla jail.

Police managed to capture one of the escapees, Weerayuth Thongkhao, who took refuge in the Wat Koh Tham community in Khao Roop Chang Sub-district.

Weerayuth is serving a jail term for trafficking methamphetamine pills.

He said he and his fellow inmates picked the lock on the ceiling and climbed over the prison wall.

Weerayuth said he was electrocuted while climbing.

Police are still hunting for the other two, Meechai Huangnak and Bandit Chaithaworn.

They are focusing their search in Na Mom and Muang Songkhla districts, where the prisoners' homes are.

It was the second jailbreak at the Songkhla prison this year since January.

-- Tan Network 2011-07-22

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BlackHawk Crash: chopper found on Burmese side of border, 200mtrs from Huey crash on July 16. One unidentified body recovered. /TAN_Network

BlackHawk Crash: Details remain sketchy, search officials try to conserve radio battery,requested for masks, ropes and body bags. /TAN_Network

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Andaman fishermen net seasonal jellyfish for Bt10,000 bonus daily income

PHANGNGA, July 22 - Several months every year local fishermen in this southern Thai Andaman Sea province shift their attention to catching a seasonal seafood speciality -- jellyfish -- for supplementary income of as much as Bt10,000 per day.

The catch takes place annually April through August in Takua Thung district, where local fishermen spend their mornings finding jellyfish drifting with the sea currents and catch them to sell at Bt8 each to buyers.

To earn Bt10,000 (about US$335) a fisherman must catch some 1,300 jellyfish daily. The daily catch usually peaks when the annual monsoon hits the coast, carrying large numbers of the creature to the coast.

Some of the sea animals are sent for processing and packaged in boxes or containers as dried jellyfish for export.

Jellyfish are eaten a lot in China, Japan, and South Korea due to their high protein content and low calorie level. According to a study, not only does the use of jellyfish collagen moisturise the skin, but it also helps cure rheumatoid arthritis and bronchitis.

Japan is currently the leading food processor and exporter of several varieties of jellyfish, but the sea creature has been consumed for over a thousand years in China. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-07-22

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Region 1 Army chief holding press conference on crash of BlackHawk. Confirming discovery of BlackHawk 200mtrs from 16/07 crash site /TAN_Network

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Country Singer Celebrates 11M YouTube Views

A male country singer held a party to celebrate the success of a mega-hit single that has surpassed 10 million views on YouTube within three months.

Cham Chamram organized a thank-you party to celebrate the super-hit single 'Karuna Fang Haichob'after the tune enjoyed 11 million YouTube views since its release three months ago.

The tune was also awarded the Intensive Watch award for an excellent performance on a total of 40 radio stations in Bangkok in May.

At the party, Cham performed the song and said he is overjoyed that his tune has received incomparable feedback from Thai audiences and the rest of the world.

The song is best known for its outstanding refrain phrase, in which 102 syllables are sung in just 30 seconds.

Cham said in his next album, which would be his ninth, he will probably sing in reverse.

-- Tan Network 2011-07-22

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Air force chief: People do not want any more protest

BANGKOK, 22 July 2011 (NNT) – Air Force Commander-In-Chief Air Chief Marshal Itthaporn Subhawong warns any protest groups not to stage their rallies or incite further unrest in the society since the 3 July general election has already reflected the will of the majority.

Air Chief Marshal Itthaporn believed that Thai people want peace in the nation and do not want any groups of demonstrators to come out and launch street-protests again. He admitted that the country had enough of serious disorder in the past.

Air Chief Marshal Itthaporn made the call after the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) had announced to stage a mass rally if the Election Commission (EC) did not endorse the MP status for its elected key figures.

Some of the mentioned UDD core leaders are elected party-list MPs of the Pheu Thai Party Mr Jatuporn Prompan and Mr Natthawut Saikua.

The air force chief stressed that everything should be back into the normal democratic system after the general election.

-- NNT 2011-07-22

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Araya Alberta Hargate (Chompoo), who played 'Ray-ya' in famous Thai soap,voted as most sexy actress in THL at FHM '11 http://j.mp/nzlkyv /

Um Patcharapa (right) voted as most sexy woman in THL at FHM 2011. Pou Praiya voted as most sexy up&coming female actress http://j.mp/pCI2qp /

/TAN_Network

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Yingluck Still Silent on Cabinet Appointments

Yingluck Shinawatra has insisted that the appointment of the House speaker will be deliberated by the Pheu Thai Party's executive committee without involvement of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Yingluck Shinawatra, the Pheu Thai Party's prime ministerial candidate, said that even though she has some idea who would be the ideal candidate for the House speaker post, the final choice still has to be decided by the party's executive committee.

Yingluck also insisted that former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is not involved in the selection process, and that she has not been pressured by any of the party's MPs, as they are free to nominate their own candidates.

Yingluck also refused to say whether a female or constituency-based MP would be appointed as the next House speaker, saying only that the ideal candidate must have experience working in Parliament.

In addition, Yingluck has not specified how many non-party members will be appointed to the Cabinet, but she did say that the most appropriate candidate, regardless of that person's party affiliation, will be selected as the head of the Finance Ministry.

After having reported to the National Election Commission and the Parliament, Yingluck said she will discuss the new government's policies with the Pheu Thai Party once all MPs have been endorsed within the deadline.

-- Tan Network 2011-07-22

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DTAC Expresses No Concern Over Probe

The CEO of DTAC has expressed no concern over the probe into their company's case after having been alleged of being illegally owned by foreigners.

Total Access Communication or DTAC CEO Jon Addy Abdullah has expressed no concern over the Commerce Ministry's action of submitting a file with the Central Investigation Bureau to further investigate the foreign shareholdings of DTAC.

He said DTAC has nothing to worry about as it is innocent, and the company is ready to cooperate with police in the investigation.

Abdullah said that the shareholders of the company will be the ones to clarify the case.

Meanwhile, the CEO said DTAC's large shareholding company, Telenor Asia Pte, is still confident in DTAC and will continue to invest in the company, as it is still able to generate significant revenue.

He said DTAC's total sales for the second quarter of this year stood at 19.7 billion baht, a growth of 13 percent compared to last year.

He added that the revenue was generated from providing additional services and selling smartphones.

DTAC has also experienced a rise in the number of customers by 400,000 and now has a total of 22.7 million customers.

Moreover, DTAC confirmed that it will launch its 3G network services, frequency 850 MHz, in September of this year.

He said DTAC will be using 1.2 billion baht to develop its 3G services covering 2,000 stations, while expanding with 780 additional stations covering 40 provinces next year.

-- Tan Network 2011-07-22

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ICT Ministry Offers Online Well-wishing for HM the King

The Information and Communication Technology Ministry has offered an online well-wishing message service to mark the 84th birthday of His Majesty the King, until the end of 2011.

The ICT Ministry said its ministry launched the welovekingonline.com website to mark His Majesty the King's 84th birthday, and welcomes members of the public to add messages to wish His Majesty a happy birthday.

On the website, people will have to click on the picture of His Majesty the King, select a flower that represents the month of their own births, chose a well-wishing message template, and write their names and surnames.

The service will be online until December 31, 2011.

-- Tan Network 2011-07-22

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Rights Commission apologises for leaked report

By The Nation

National Human Rights Commission chairwoman Amara Pongsapich on Friday issued a formal apology for confusion over a leaked report on the last year's riots.

"I apologise for confusion caused in connection with the deaths found inside Wat Pathum and the gunfire at Ratchaprasong," she said.

Amara said the report was prepared by a fact-finding panel and had not been reviewed by the commission.

She said the report was still incomplete because the collection of evidence was in progress in order to reconcile differing testimonies and views from all sides related to the bloodshed.

She said she expected a long delay in drawing conclusion on the bloodshed due to differing views on what happened.

The leaked report seemed to have portrayed the red shirts in an unfavourable light. It also claimed that several victims were shot dead elsewhere before their corpses were placed inside Wat Pathum.

The leak coincided with the Pheu Thai's election victory, prompting the red shirts to reject the report's findings.

-- The Nation 2011-07-22

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No survivors from the Black Hawk crash

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Cambodia's PM Hun Sen says Cambodia can withdraw troops from demilitarized zone only if Thailand does the same and at the same time: Reuters /MCOT

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Epidemic Zone Declared in Nan Province After Massive Pig Deaths

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Swedish Hotelier Dies In Phuket Sidewalk Crash

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Bangkok Poll: 14 Pheu Thai policies posing concern

BANGKOK, 22 July 2011 (NNT) – Economists are concerned over implementation of 14 policies by the Pheu Thai Party-led government, according to a recent survey by the Bangkok University Research Institute (Bangkok Poll).

The survey was conducted with 62 economists with experience in economic analyses and researches at 26 leading organisations in Thailand during 15 to 21 July 2011. The respondents were questioned about policies announced during election campaign of the new government.

The respondents voiced concern over 14 out of 26 policies that the Pheu Thai Party would implement when becoming the government, and they wanted the new government to consider them thoroughly prior to implementation as most of the policies would affect the living costs of people.

The top three policies of concern identified by the respondents are the 300-baht daily minimum wage hike, the credit card scheme for farmers and the free tablet PC for students.

On the other hand, top three policies supported by the respondents are establishment of training centres in all vocational institutes, elimination of narcotic drugs within 12 months and free internet services in public places.

-- NNT 2011-07-22

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Attorney-General's Office confirms Thailand will not pay 20 mln euros for plane impound to be lifted; case should conclude by end-Aug /TAN_Network

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Govt Calls for Talks before Troop Withdrawal

A deputy prime minister maintains that Thailand and Cambodia must seek mutual agreement before the two countries will proceed with the World Court's ruling for them to pull out their troops from the Preah Vihear border area.

Deputy Prime Minister in charge of national security Suthep Thaugsuban said Thailand and Cambodia must seek mutual understanding over the withdrawal of both countries' troops from the disputed border zone as ordered by the International Court of Justice.

Suthep's statement was in response to Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong 's demand that Thailand permit Indonesia, the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to dispatch its observers to the disputed zone.

Suthep said the Defense and Foreign ministries will take charge of negotiations with Cambodia over the entry of the Indonesian observers.

He said the current border dispute has hurt investment and tourism between the two countries while asking the new government to restore relations with Cambodia.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry today holds a meeting with various departments under its supervision about the ICJ order.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said Thailand and Cambodia must talk before proceeding with the court order and Indonesian observers should not be allowed to enter the disputed zone as long as the two counties still cannot not reach any conclusion.

Kasit went on to say his ministry is scheduled to hold a meeting with the Defense Ministry on Monday over the handling of the Thai-Cambodian border affairs as many issues are beyond the power of the existing agencies.

Kasit said he is now arranging for related information to be prepared by his ministry's permanent secretary to be presented to his successor.

-- Tan Network 2011-07-22

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Suthep: No rift in Democrat to select his successor

BANGKOK, 22 July 2011 (NNT) – Acting Democrat Party Secretary-General Suthep Thaugsuban is confident that there will be no conflict in the party upon the selection of his successor although there are many suitable candidates.

The acting secretary-general expressed his confidence that the selection of a new secretary-general will be smooth. He admitted that Democrat key member and former Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin has volunteered to perform the task.

Mr Suthep elaborated that the party’s prospective secretary-general must be able to manage and coordinate both internally and externally. He voiced his opinion that members of the party's new generation are also appropriate to take this vital post.

The acting secretary-general then downplayed the rumour that he was supporting outgoing Secretary-General to the Prime Minister Anchalee Vanich Tephabutra to be his successor. He said everything depends on the consideration of the new party leader.

As for an Election Commission announcement that it would speedily endorse elected MPs for the first house session and would later consider yellow or red cards, Mr Suthep said the EC should complete the consideration in one go, and he believed that it could be done in time if the EC works hard enough.

-- NNT 2011-07-22

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FLASH: N.Korea official says two Koreas agree on efforts to resume six party talks as soon as possible - Yonhap /via@Reuters

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Tomorrow (23 Jul) 10.00 a.m. BTS will arrange the emergency rehearal at Bearing Station /via@BTS_SkyTrain

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Danish man attacked and robbed in East Pattaya

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SET index closed at 1121.04, up 16.89; Bt/USD29.71; GBP48.35; AUD32.03; EUR42.65; CAD31.32; HKD3.81; SGD24.40; JPY37.56

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Urgent: British Honorary Consulate Pattaya Closed Next Tuesday, July 26

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Bank of Thailand maintain GDP growth forecast at 4.1%, inflation 3.9%; worries 300 baht daily minimum wage will push up inflation rate /MCOT