Thailand Live Thursday 29 Sep 2011

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Thailand Live Thursday 29 September 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 Wednesday 28 September 2011

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Today's Thailand weather and forecasts:

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Thai govt all set to control media in every way

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Thai PM Yingluck Worth US$17 Million: Anti-Graft Body

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Travel Warning Issued By 10 Countries Against Southern Thailand

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Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) reworks strategy to deal with Europe woes, floods

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Boost education, English language skills to survive, Thai forum told

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PM Yingluck calls for more early-warning systems: Disaster prevention

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EDITORIAL

Thailand is not ready to legalise its gambling habit

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Which part of history would you delete?: Thai Talk

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Thailand breaches rules on wild dolphins in captivity

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Six nabbed over call centre

The Nation

Six Malaysians were arrested in Bangkok's Bang Na district for allegedly operating a "call centre" and duping people in China to wire money to their bank accounts, police said yesterday.

Chief of the Royal Thai Police's Transnational Crime Suppression Centre, Pol Maj-General Panya Mamen, said five men and one woman in their 20s were nabbed in a condominium room on Srinakarin Road along with three Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) machines, one modem, 13 telephones and one computer notebook. The centre worked hand in hand with an operation in China, which lead to the arrests, he said.

The suspects, who reportedly confessed to working for a Malaysian company for a monthly salary of Bt20,000, were charged for entering Thailand illegally and working and living here without the correct paperwork. The gang reportedly Bt1 billion worth of damages per month, he added.

Police reported that "call centre" gangs were operating in China, Vietnam, Burma, Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and Thailand.

-- The Nation 2011-09-29

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Many see PM Yingluck as right on the number

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Justice Ministry to change 'terrorism' charges against red shirts to 'criminal association'

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MP questions BMA's threat

The Nation

Pheu Thai Party MP Jirayu Huangsap yesterday questioned Deputy Bangkok Governor Theerachon Manomaiphiboon's threat to take action against people who revealed the use of fake surveillance cameras on pantip.com.

He also urged the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to "stop harassing" those who made the issue public and used photographs of the fake units as evidence. "It's their rights to do so and their action is beneficial to society," he added.

Theerachon recently met these Netizens to explain the reason why fake cameras were being used. At the meeting, he showed images of the people photographing the fake units that were captured by real surveillance cameras. He said later that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration would "take action against outsiders" whose comments could be considered detrimental.

-- The Nation 2011-09-29

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AG not phased by impeach threat over Pojaman case

THE NATION

Attorney General Julasing Wasantasing was not upset by the Democrats' threat to impeach him, prosecution spokesman Thanapit Mulpruek said yesterday.

"The Democrats can proceed with the impeachment but the prosecution decision on the tax-evasion case still stands," he said.

Thanapit was reacting on Julasing's behalf to reports the main opposition party was preparing to solicit the endorsement of 125 MPs to launch the impeachment motion.

Last week Julasing invoked his mandate on the final prosecution review, dropping the Bt500-million tax case involving Khunying Pojaman na Pombejra, her brother Bannapot Damapong and private secretary Kanchanapha Honghern.

The case has received huge publicity because Pojaman is the ex-wife of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The lower court ruled to convict all three defendants and sentenced each to three years in jail.

The Appeals Court last month acquitted Pojaman and Kanchanapha, though confirming the guilty verdict on Bannapot. The high court cited Bannapot's good standing in the community as grounds to suspend his jail term. He is still liable to pay a Bt100,000 fine.

Thanapit said the prosecution agreed with the appellate decision that it had no legal or factual arguments to take the case to the Supreme Court for a final review.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said he was puzzled by the prosecution decision. The prosecutors had decided to try the case. The lower court had ruled in the prosecution's favour.

The high court came up with its ruling and the prosecution then threw in the towel without any credible justification, Abhisit said.

-- The Nation 2011-09-29

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Japanese plane keeps eye on deluge: Thailand

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Samut Sakhon hospital first to kick off wage scheme

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Ban Phaeo Hospital in Samut Sakhon province will be the first hospital to implement the new minimum daily wage rate of Bt300 as well as hire new graduates at Bt15,000 per month.

"The hospital should put measures in place to cover the new payment scheme, which kicks off next year," Deputy Public Health Minister Torpong Chaiyasarn said. "It will be a role model for other hospitals and workplaces."

The World Health Organisation recognised the Ban Phaeo hospital as the Kingdom's first public autonomous hospital in 2000. The main hospital, which is a 300-bed facility and employs up to 1,000 people, has an innovative management style that enables it to compete with private hospitals. It uses financial and non-financial incentives to retain staff and maintain a low turnover rate.

Ban Phaeo Hospital was the first health facility that implemented the Bt30 universal healthcare scheme and was applauded by the international community for its disease prevention programme.

Torpong said he was planning to increase the number of beds from 300 to 400 in a bid to provide proactive healthcare services. "This would reduce the financial burden on people," he added.

Ban Phaeo hospital currently operates nine clinics in Samut Sakhon and nearby provinces including Bangkok. The hospital will soon open a new unit to provide care for the elderly and last-stage cancer patients.

The hospital's director, Dr Suraphong Boonprasert, said the organisation had put aside more than Bt10 million to cover the wage increases. "We have to increase the minimum daily wage even if it is a financial burden," he said.

The hospital generates about Bt1 billion per year from the budget allocated by the National Health Security Office and providing medical services. Surapong said the hospital had initially allocated about 45 per cent of its total expenses on salaries, but realised it was only covering 39 per cent.

"We can still afford to increase the wages," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-09-29

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NMG reporters 'took no bribes'

The Nation

In a statement yesterday, the National Press Council of Thailand declared that two reporters from the Nation Multimedia Group had not taken money from a political party representative as suggested in a recent controversial e-mail.

The council also said that the group was very cooperative during the investigation.

Close scrutiny showed that the two unidentified reporters had not been given "tea money" for writing favourably about this unnamed political party. The e-mail, dated July 5, contained ambiguous messages suggesting that a number of reporters from various media outlets were given special treats from a representative of this party.

The press council also thanked "members who strictly imposed a professional code of ethics on their journalist" and for "their cooperation in ensuring high standards" and "commanding long-lasting respect from the public".

-- The Nation 2011-09-29

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Plodprasop is richest minister

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PM Yingluck Denies Casino And Entertainment Complex Plan

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4 soldiers die in southern orchard

The Nation

A teacherprotection team was ambushed in Narathiwat's Reu So district yesterday

At 11am, suspected insurgents attacked the Narathiwat 30th special task force unit's sixstrong team in a fruit orchard opposite Lamor Nok School in Reu So district, before fleeing with the soldiers' weapons. A stray bullet from the 30minute gunfight injured sevenyearold schoolboy Alamin Pokira in the stomach while he was standing in front of his classroom.

Police investigators found the bullet

-- The Nation 2011-09-29

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Pulo calls on Thai authorities to stop making false allegations

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Reminding all our friends in north Thailand that @USConsChiangMai is closed today because of flooding. /via@KristieKenney

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Upper Thailand to see less rain but East and Southwest will still see heavy rain; Chiang Mai and Phichit hit by flooding /TAN_Network

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Railway cancels 4 trains to Chiang Mai due to flooding; call 1690 for more details or go to http://www.railway.go.th/home /TAN_Network

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Rule of law must prevail on reds cases: Abhisit

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Chao Phraya River Tide to Peak Friday

The irrigation agency expects the present flood crisis to ease by around mid-November, but forecasts that the speed of water flowing into the Chao Phraya River in Nakhon Sawan will reach its peak this Friday.

Deputy Director-General for the Royal Irrigation Department Weera Wongsaengnark said the water volume retained by dams and reservoirs have already exceeded 90 percent of their capacities at the moment.

Weera stated his department has ordered the readjustment of the drainage system across the country while the Bhumipol Dam has slowed its discharge to 20 million cubic meters per second to ease the flood situation in the lower part of the North.

He went on to say the volume of the Sirikit Dam is near 100 percent of its capacity and its present drainage speed is 59 million cubic meters per second.

Weera stated the Sirikit Dam will maintain its current drainage speed for a week.

The deputy chief said Ubonrat Dam's volume is at 102 percent of its capacity with a runoff speed at 30 million square cubic meters while the level of the Pasak Chonlasit Dam, which can hold water of up to 110 percent of its capacity, is under close watch.

He remarked the speed of the water flowing through the Chao Phraya River will reach its peak at between 4.35 and 4.4 billion cubic meters per second from Friday to Sunday.

He stated the runoff speed will slow to 3.5 billion cubic meters per second from October 20 onward, hence reducing the level of the river.

Weera continued to say the present runoff speed in Ayutthaya's Bang Sai District, at 3.22 billion cubic meters per second, is still far from causing flooding in Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani.

He predicted the levels of the Chao Phraya River and other water sources will return to normal between November 10 and 15 while his department is expediting efforts to drain the runoff into the sea as soon as possible.

Weera remarked his department will coordinate with the engineering department of the Supreme Command to repair Bang Chom Sri floodgate after a malfunction has allowed a runoff to inundate 300,000 rai of farmland in Chiengrak District.

He said the present flooding has caused difficulties in repairing the floodgate and equipment must be brought by boats.

Meanwhile, the Royal Irrigation Department advised people living in Muang District of Chiang Mai to move their valuables to higher grounds and keep a close watch on the water situation given the rising Ping River is expected to overflow.

-- Tan Network 2011-09-29

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Reminder - U.S. Embassy Bangkok's American Citizen Services unit will be closed tomorrow. For emergency services please call 02-205-4049. /via@ACSBKK

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Thai stock index opens on Thursday at 919.51, down 12.09 points /MCOT