Thailand Live Monday 1 Aug 2011

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Thailand Live Monday 1 August 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 Saturday 30 Jul 2011

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Today's Thailand weather and forecasts:

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AFP: Thailand to open new parliament

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TrueMove and CAT in talks on buying back network

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Yingluck 'faces many tricky hurdles'

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Mahachai mourns slain anticoal protester

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Bhichai: Abhisit is best to lead party

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Call for new body to set wages

By The Nation

Tripartite panel always favoured bosses: unionist

An independent body to calculate minimum daily wage should be set up to replace the current system under the national Wage Tripartite Committee, whose government representatives have regularly sided with employers, a Bangkok seminar on subject was told yesterday.

Labour activist Sakdina Chatkul na Ayutthaya said labourers' representatives had regulary been at disadvantage under the WTC mechanism, because the wages were calculated and approved based on favouritism and negotigations between authorities and employers, not on fair criteria relying on economic factors.

"Labourers who make up a vast majority in the Thai society have never had leverage power in the body which designate the minimum income for them. The new body to be set up will serve as a tool to ensure better welfare and more pay, and fairness in overall in their lives," he added.

"The hike in wage should be increased through a new perspective which sees employeremployee relations, not as master and servant, the way it has been," he said.

According to figures by the Labour Ministry's own tripatite panel, inflation had increased by 2.76 per cent each year in the past decade while the wage was increased by 2.57 per cent.

A deputy head of the The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), Thaweekij Jatujaroenkhun, as a speaker in the seminar, said a government fund should be set up to support employers at the small and medium levels as well. He said SME businesses would be hardest affected by the Bt300 wage and the decrease of valueadded tax announced by the incoming government.

The chief of the shoemaking sector under the FTI, Thamrong Thitiprasert, said shoemakers would be most affected, because manpower was needed in most businesses, around 2,000 in the SME level compared to only 30 largescale makers, who rely mostly on machinery.

A senior economist at Tisco Securities, Kamphol Adireksombat, said the flat Bt300 rate would cause inflation and another hike would be needed soon afterwards because of much higher costs of living. He agreed with a proposal that career or skill trainings should be required of workers who demanded Bt300 from their employers.

Labour leader Chalee Loisoong called on government subsidy for both workers, in the flat Bt300 daily wage, and a fund for employers after the hike was in effect.

He said a statistics of SMEs to be affected by the Bt300 should be made available soon so that the government could decide on what measures to be taken and seeking extra money to fund those affected SMEs.

-- The Nation 2011-08-01

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Storm,flood threat to 13 north, NE provinces

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New foreign minister must put the country first; Thai opinion

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Noppadon: Show us proof

By The Nation

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama has turned the tables on the Democrat Party, challenging the party to disclose the name of an office-holder accused of taking a bribe from a US liquor company.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) alleged that liquor producer Diageo bribed officials in Thailand, South Korea and India to win sales and tax benefits in the countries. The Democrat Party had challenged Noppadon to name the person who was under Thaksin's administration when the scandal took place in 2005.

Noppadon said yesterday he had checked and found that no official in the administration was involved in taking any bribe from the American company.

If the Democrat Party had clear information and evidence about such a person, the party should unveil it to the public, he said.

-- The Nation 2011-08-01

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Apiwan pulls out of bid to be House speaker

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Suspended jail term

By The Nation on Sunday

The Nakhon Ratchasima Court has sentenced the owner of an illegal chicken slaughterhouse in Pak Chong district to a nine-months imprisonment and a Bt20,000 fine.

But the jail term was suspended on the grounds the man had no previous criminal record.

Pol Col Wachirawit Kritrittisak, deputy chief of Nakhon Ratchasima police, said Amnuay Thurata, 44, confessed to an illegal chicken slaughterhouse but refused to reveal the origin of chickens he killed, so a charge of unauthorised transport of animal carcasses was filed against him in court, leading to the ruling.

In regard to three suspects arrested in June for involvement in the illegal chicken abattoir in Pak Chong, Wachirawit said police had gathered evidence and submitted it to the provincial court, which would read a verdict on August 7. He said he had already warned local police that if officials from other agencies raided and arrested such operations in their jurisdiction, they would face disciplinary punishment.

-- The Nation 2011-08-01

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Pheu Thai may win first seat

By The Nation

Pheu Thai and Bhum Jai candidates retained their victories in Nong Khai and Sukhothai by-elections yesterday while a Pheu Thai candidate was leading the Democrat in a new ballot count in Yala.

Unofficial results showed that Pheu Thai candidate Somkid Balthaisong and Bhum Jai Thai candidate Jakkawal Chaiwiratnukul, the winners in the July 3 election, won the by-election in Nong Khai and Sukhothai respectively.

Somkid received 46,403 votes in the by-election in Nong Khai's Constituency 2 while the first runner-up of the Chart Pattana Puea Paen Din, Pithak Sritabutr, won 10,726 votes,

In Sukhothai's Constituency 3, Jakkawal won 34,233 votes while Chart Pattana Pua Pandin's Somjet Limpraphan got 22,882 votes.

At press time, the ballot recount in Yala's Constituency 2 had not been completed and the Democrat's Abdulkarim Dengrakina took the lead ahead of Sugarno Matha of Pheu Thai Party .

The Election Commission ordered a new ballot count in Yala's Constituency 2 because of a discrepancy in the results.

Initially, the EC announced Abdulkarim beat Sugarno by 48 votes but the provincial election committee saw Abdulkarim winning by only 33 votes, while there were 9,000 invalid ballots.

As the ballot recount proceeded at a slow pace at press time, the number of invalid ballots stood at 4,000, Yala Police chief Pol Maj-General Chote Chawalwiwat said. He added that the ballots were invalid because voters checked No 5 for Chuwit Kamolvisit's Love Thailand Party, although the party did not contest the constituency.

In the July 3 election, Pheu Thai failed to win a single seat among the 11 in the three southern border provinces, while the Democrats won 9.

-- The Nation 2011-08-01

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Thai, Malaysian educators share research studies

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Young Ambassadors of Virtue project opens

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Feckless Briton Deported From Thailand

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President Obama speaking now, says deal reached. Thanks American people for pushing Washington to craft an agreement. /via@KristieKenney

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Democrat candidate in Yala retains victory in ballot recount

The Democrat Party candidate in Yala's Constituency 2 retained his victory over his rival from the Pheu Thai Party in a ballot recount Sunday.

Democrat's Abdulkarim Dengrakina won 28,269 votes, compared to Pheu Thai's Sugarno Matha who got 27,649 votes.

The ballot recount was ordered by the Election Commission following a discrepancy of results and the high number of invalid ballots that stood at over 9,000.

-- The Nation 2011-08-01

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Thai stocks expected to rise today after U.S.debt ceiling hike plan awaits Congress' approval /via@Biz_TheNation

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Thailand's new parliament is to officially open on Monday, HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will preside over opening ceremony /MCOT

Several provinces under water due to tropical storm Nock-Ten; meteorological dept warns of heavy rain in North, Northeast, East /MCOT

Bomb kills one soldier, injures another, during patrol duty in Pattani's Yarang district /MCOT

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Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,143.79, up 10.26 points /MCOT

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SET index to go up this week

BANGKOK, 1 August 2011 (NNT) – Kasikorn Research Centre (KResearch) has projected that the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index is likely to increase this week (from 1 to 5 August 2011) thanks to capital influx.

KResearch reported that the SET index last week closed at 1,133.53 points, up 1.11% from the week earlier. Meanwhile, the MAI index closed at 318.02 points, up 2.43% from the week before.

The SET index skyrocketed last Monday; however, it slipped on Tuesday due to selling forces before going up again in the middle of the week after the Election Commission certified MP status for 95% of the elected candidates. It then slipped on Friday as the US could not finalise the debt ceiling increase.

KResearch and Kasikorn Securities predicted that the SET index this week would go up thanks to capital influx while the new government formation will be clearer this week. The support line will be at 1,127-1,109 points and the resistance line at 1,140-1,150 points.

Domestic factors to be monitored are operational profits for the second quarter this year of listed companies, inflation announcement from the Ministry of Commerce while external factors in focus are still with US economic figure reports and its debt ceiling issue.

-- NNT 2011-08-01

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Election Commissioners Cautioned Against Inappropriate Remarks

The outgoing prime minister has advised that Election Commissioners be more cautious about their remarks as they could damage the military and weaken the public's confidence.

Outgoing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva advised that Election Commissioners be more discreet when making remarks, after Election Commissioner Sodsri Sattayatham voiced dissatisfaction over the red-shirt group's attempt to intimidate her agency into endorsing its core leader and Pheu Thai Party MP-elect Jatuporn Phromphan.

Sodsri allegedly asked if the red-shirt group wants Yingluck Shinawatra to become Prime Minister or it wants the country to return to a dictatorship.

Abhisit noted that such remarks will affect the military and the confidence of the public, adding that the panel should act with integrity and respond to challenges through legal procedures.

Meanwhile, a group of endorsed red-shirt MPs, led by Nuttawut Saikuea and Weng Tojirakarn, registered at Parliament.

Nuttawut ruled out the possibility of a military coup and urged ill-intentioned groups to stop creating circumstances or instigating chaos.

The red-shirt MP denied that his group ever intimidated Election Commissioners, but it is looking to bring legal action against the panel.

Meanwhile, soon-to-be Prime Minister Yingluck said there has been no conclusion about Jatuporn's issue, and the Election Commission is scheduled to consider endorsement of his MP status.

-- Tan Network 2011-08-01

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HRH Maha Vajiralongkorn Set aside Money to End Jet Dispute

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Two persons missing in flood triggered by tropical storm Nock-Ten

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Pheu Thai chooses Somsak as House speaker

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Thai Delegation to Make Surety Payment for Royal Jet

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Obama announces deal to raise debt limit, cut spending

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Red-shirts Denies Pressuring EC to Endorse Jatuporn

A red-shirt core leader insists the group did not pressure the Election Commission to endorse a red-shirt MP-elect.

Today, the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship key leader, Thida Thavornsed, denied Election Commissioner Sodsri Sattayatham's accusation that the red-shirts threatened the Election Commissioner via telephone if the commission does not certify red-shirt MP-elect Jatuporn Phrompan.

Thida strongly believes there must be an ill-intentioned group that wants to blame the red-shirts, saying red-shirt supporters do not pressure the EC.

Thida also warned that Sodsri should not blame the red-shirt group.

Meanwhile, Sodsri is threatening to file a lawsuit against the EC if its core leader, Jatuporn is still not endorsed as MP.

-- Tan Network 2011-08-01