Thailand Live Tuesday 30 Aug 2011

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Thailand Live Tuesday 30 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 Monday 29 Aug 2011

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Today's Thailand weather and forecasts:

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Chalerm: 42 dens in city will be closed

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SHINAWATRA GOVERNMENT

Thaksin and red shirts not doing Yingluck any favours

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OIL FUND

Oil Fund: Thai Govt diving into deep well of trouble

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FLOODS

Flood relief too slow in coming: PM Yingluck

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Grand plan to funnel water to dry Thailand's Northeast

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Enforce the law and stamp out illegal copying: Thai opinion

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La Nina to keep on wreaking havoc in Thailand

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Forest resorts in phony rent deals

By The Nation

Many people who built illegal resorts in Wang Nam Kheow in Nakhon Ratchasima acquired land via purchases disguised as rental deals, in order to avoid non-transferable conditions on the properties, the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) said yesterday.

To tackle longstanding land encroachment in the area, the ALRO will file civil lawsuits to demand money accumulated through non-payment of rent from owners, as well as seeking their eviction via prosecution, deputy ALRO chief Sathitphong Sudchookiat said.

He offered a compromise to owners - they could choose to renounce acquisition rights over the land to avoid long court battles by renting the land from ALRO and paying rent retroactively for the periods they have lived there.

Of the 21 resorts subject to a crackdown by the ALRO and Royal Forest Department (RFD), four had submitted documents to prove ownership of their land and properties, while another four had stayed put and made no response to no-entry orders filed by the authorities.

The RFD oversees national parks, fertile land or forest reserves, while the ALRO has authority for granting temporary farming rights on deteriorated land that is part of or adjacent to areas restricted to farmers.

Sathitphong said the agencies had still not reached a conclusion on overlapping jurisdiction over areas regulated by RFD and ALRO, because each relied on their own, different regulations to deal with encroachment.

A verification of land use in the whole 240,000 rai in Wang Nam Kheow would be done by September 20, and further decisions would be made then on what action would be taken against farmers, villagers and encroachers.

Officials at Thap Lan National Park would order more than 60 plantations on 2,000 rai to be uprooted if they were in areas where they were not authorised to farm, in the park perimeter near Wang Nam Kheow.

-- The Nation 2011-08-30

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BMA wants Bt40bn

By The Nation

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is looking to seek Bt40 billion from the Cabinet to implement the new government's policies.

BMA deputy governor Theerachon Manomaipibul told reporters city executives met yesterday and agreed to ask for extra funds to implement the new government's policies such as the salary hike to Bt15,000 a month for university graduates and the Bt300 a day minimum wage. The BMA currently spends Bt3 billion a year on officials and employees' salary, he said.

The policy to supply tablet computers for schoolchildren would need Bt6 billion while the same amount would be needed to hike the monthly allowance for senior citizens from Bt500 to Bt1,000 a month, he said.

As for the existing BMA projects, such as tackling traffic jams around Siriraj Hospital, the water drainage tunnel, and a flood-prevention dam on the Chao Phraya River, the city had considered cutting spending on non-urgent projects that weren't quite in line with the new government policies, hence they would need Bt40 billion in total. They would put the request to the Interior Ministry for submission to the Cabinet.

-- The Nation 2011-08-30

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Yingluck charms the bureaucrats

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Police arrest 4 in Bt5m yaba bust

By The Nation

Four Hmong men were apprehended while trying to deposit some Bt5 million they allegedly earnt from smuggling ya ba (amphetamines) at a bank in Chiang Dao, police said yesterday.

Police presented the four at a press conference: Noppadol Songsitthicharoen, 33, Wanwichit Chatnapalai, 29, Charin Songsawatwong, 31, and Wongsakorn Phupakampanat, 30, along with Bt3.599 million in cash, a Toyota Vigo pick-up, four bank account books and two ATM cards.

Provincial Police Region 5 chief Pol Lt General Chaiya Siri-amphankul said they had followed the gang they suspected had smuggled ya ba from the North to central Thailand many times before.

When the suspects were depositing the alleged drug money to a cash deposit machine at Krungthai Bank's Chiang Dao branch last Thursday, police searched their pick-up and found Bt3.599 million in cash and 184 ya ba tablets.

The group reportedly confessed to police they had transported one million ya ba pills from Ban Arunothai in Chiang Dao to a customer in Pathum Thani and received Bt5 million as payment at Ban Arunothai on August 15.

-- The Nation 2011-08-30

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Poor marks for 25% of free-education kids

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Matichon vice president quits council over bribe investigation: Thai media

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Thais still not reading critically, historian says

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Central Lardprao to hold Midnight Sale on Friday and Saturday and will close at midnight /TAN_Network

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Chularatchamontri announces today as Eid al-Fitr; Muslims nationwide to celebrate /TAN_Network

Red-shirt leader Kwanchai says Thaksin has canceled plans to visit Laos, fearing criticisms from within Thailand /TAN_Network

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NSC chief to stay on his job: Kowit

By The Nation

Deputy Prime Minister Kowit Wattana on Tuesday denied rumour about replacing National Security Council secretary general Tawin Pleansri.

"The rumour is groundless," Kowit said.

He said he had not planned to appoint deputy national police chief General Adul Saengsingkaew as Tawin's replacement.

There will be no reshuffle of security personnel, he said, adding that he had already attended two seperate introductory sessions to get a briefing and give policy directions at the NSC and the National Intelligence Agency.

-- The Nation 2011-08-30

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Phuket update: Patong Hospital flooding 'worst in ten years'

STEADY STREAM: Patong Hospital has a much higher percentage of foreign

patients than any other government medical facility in Phuket. Most are road

accident victims. Photo: Sumpawat Wannasangkam.

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Domestic tourism in Thailand expected to see year-end spike

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Thai stock index opens on Tuesday at 1,065.51, up 9.88 points /MCOT

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PM: Govt to bring living cost down further

BANGKOK, 30 August 2011 (NNT) – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has promised that the government will try to bring living cost down after it has cut oil prices. However, she confirms that the government will still support people to use gasohol.

Speaking about some consumer goods whose prices remain the same despite the reduced oil prices, Ms Yingluck stated that the reduction is only the beginning of efforts to curb consumer prices. She said her deputy Kittirat Na Ranong will seek talks with many entrepreneurs to seek cooperation on the issue.

Asked if the government will order the private sector to comply with its demand or not after some private bus operators still refuse to cut bus fare, the prime minister responded that she preferred to use negotiations while prices of some products must be floated according to the market mechanism.

Regarding the policy to increase the difference between benzene and gasohol prices to support alternative energy, Ms Yingluck responded that the government actually wants to support gasohol in the long term, but so far, the oil price structure had not been allowed to develop according to the market mechanism.

The prime minister explained that three types of oil now have their prices reduced, but the true objective of the government is to reduce living cost for people; therefore, several strategies will be used to adjust product prices in line with the market mechanism.

Ms Yingluck reaffirmed that the government will support people to use gasohol. Asked if the government will cut gasohol prices, she replied that it is possible as Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan and Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala will bring the issue to the cabinet.

-- NNT 2011-08-30

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Nakhon Sawan Monk Expelled For Tattooing Students Buttocks

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Phuket memorial for Ken Brookes

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US$2 mil reward for US most wanted drug dealer nabbed by Thai police

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Red Shirts Scheduled to Rally at Channel 7 at 1 P.M.

Red shirt supporters from Petchaburi Province are scheduled to rally at television Channel 7 today at 1 P.M. They intend to pressure network executives to fire a reporter who was allegedly threatened by a red-shirt member via email. According to reports, the owner of the email apologized, expecting the reporter to drop criminal charges filed at the Dusit Police Station. However, the female reporter refused to drop the charges, saying she will leave the issue in the hands of police.

-- Tan Network 2011-08-30

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Democrat Party Launches Political Traning School

The Democrat Party has launched its political training school to improve the standard and quality of MPs.

Surat Thani Democrat MP Suthep Thaugsuban disclosed that the Democrat Party political training school is up and running.

Subjects covered include politics, economics, law, and current events.

The training school is aimed to improve the standard of MPs, since the political arena is changing rapidly and MPs must be able to adapt to these changes.

Suthep dismissed a claim that the training school was established as a means of extending its political influence.

The Democrat Party MP went on to say that party key figures such as Chuan Leekpai, Abhisit Vejjajiva, and Trairong Suwankiri, along with university lecturers from prominent universities, were invited to teach.

The first course is open only to MPs, which will help them keep up with the domestic and global changes both politically and economically, while the second course will also be open to the general public.

-- Tan Network 2011-08-30

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Red-shirts Defend Appointments of Key Leaders as Political Officers

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Army line-up worked out between Yuthasak and Prayuth

By The Nation

Defence Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha and Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha appear to have worked out an arrangement for the military line-up.

Yuthasak instructed for and the top brass complied to revise the dispensing of job assignments although the rotations of key positions would remain intact. Under this arrangement, the Defence Ministry and the armed forces avoided a showdown from having to take a vote to settle their differences in the Defence Council.

Yuthasak and Prayuth both had a say in the Army line-up.

Yuthasak is expected next week to submit the list of annual military reshuffle to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra who in turn will forward the list for royal endorsement.

In the Defence line-up, Yuthasak has reportedly pushed for the promotion of General Wittawat Ratchatanan as the permanent secretary.

At the Armed Forces Headquarters, General Sathien Permthong-in is poised to succeed Superme Commander General Songkitti Jaggabatara who will retire on September 30.

The Army will likely see the promotion of Chief of Staff General Dapong Rattanasuwan as deputy Army chief. General Sirichai Dithakul is slated to become the new Army chief of staff.

Prayuth and Dapong were involved in the anti-riot operations last year, hence seen in an unfavourable light by the red shirts.

Amid wild rumours on the fate of the two, Dapong got to remain in the Army following his promotion upstairs. Prayuth had his say in keeping Dapong as his side and naming fellow graduates from Pre-Cadet Class 12 to severy key positions But his succession plan seemed to be up in the wind.

-- The Nation 2011-08-30