Thailand Live Wednesday 2 Nov 2011

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True relaxes Oct bill payments

The Nation

True Group of Companies has extended the monthly bill payment due on October for its group customers affected by the flood to November 30 as part of the measures to help flood victims.

The clients can also file requests for payment of bills in installments.

True group services range from cellular to pay-TV and broadband Internet.

-- The Nation 2011-11-02

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Evacuation ordered for residents in Nong Kang Plu, Nogn Kaem, Sena Nikom housing estate project 1/Lad Phrao via @pr_bangkok/via@veen_NT

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BMA issues evacuation announcement for two sub-districts in Klong Sam Wa, Nong Khaem and Lat Phrao; Northern Phasi Charoen is under close watch/MCOT

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Safari World closed Safari Park today as half space flooded. Unaffected Marine Park will be opened on Nov 3. bit.ly/vhGRUg/viaBiz_@TheNation

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Chatuchak residents who need to move your car can contact @Atavit 086-322-4688 24hrs. Free of charge. via @HuaJessica/via@veen_NT

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No radiation contamination, chemical leak from flooded installations

BANGKOK, Nov 2 - The Thai government confirmed on Wednesday that there was neither radiation contamination nor chemical leaks at flood-ravaged premises and industrial estates.

Office of Atoms for Peace Secretary General Chaiwat Torsakulkaew and Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) Deputy Director Sirinat Lauharojanaphan jointly told a news conference at the government’s Flood Relief Operations Centre (FROC) that although floodwater has reached the Institute on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, TINT has so far been spared flooding.

Test results showed no radiation contamination, the officials said.

Mr Chaiwat said the Institute, which operates a small nuclear reactor for research, has been well-protected.

Located on the third floor of the Institute, 8.70 metres above the ground, the nuclear reactor is surrounded by a one-metre thick concrete wall in a 240 cubic metre pool which could resist water pressure as great as one to two tonnes, Ms Sirinat said.

Additionally, the nuclear reactor has already been shut down, she said, so the public should be assured that there will be no danger of radiation contamination.

Meanwhile, the government’s Chemical Control Department tested water quality at the flooded industrial estates and parks in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani and found no chemical contamination. Water quality remains intact, according to the department’s deputy director-general Worasart Apaipong.

Seven industrial estates and parks are now under water. Five are in Ayutthaya – the Ban Wa Hi-Tech, Saha Rattana Nakhon, Bang Pa-in, Rojana and Factoryland estates – while the other two – Nava Nakorn and Bangkadi – are in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok.

Mr Worasart said that the department staff found no chemical contamination in water around the industrial estates and parks except at Ban Wa Hi-Tech where an explosion occurred at a plastic factory.

He said that an oil slick was found and while chemical tanks were scattered around the factory site, tests showed that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were only slightly higher than standard and had no effect on human health.

He said the test results came from 44 teams of technical specialists who examined and tested the water quality at 149 flooded locations.

According to the survey, he said, 46 per cent of the samples were found to have very poor quality while 25 per cent were of poor quality.

Fair quality was found in 13 per cent of the locations surveyed, but only 16 per cent were found to be of good quality, he said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-11-02

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MINIMUM WAGE

No delay to wage hike

The Nation

Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Kittirat Na-Ranong today insisted that the government will impose the minimum wage hike in April as scheduled, despite calls from the private sector for a delay in light of severe flooding.

He said that the increased wage will help stimulate the economy, as higher income would push up purchasing power.

Federation of Thai Industries Chairman Payungsak Chartsuthipol retorted that if the policy is imposed without any postponement, the manufacturing sector would revise its plan to set up a fund. Earlier, on expectation for a delay in higher wages, the FTI considered setting up a Bt70 billion fund. The fund will be distributed by companies, which expect to benefit from the government’s policy to cut corporate tax rate from 30 per cent to 23 per cent next year.

-- The Nation 2011-11-02

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482 bank branches closed

The Nation

A number of 482 bank branches are closed as of Nov 2, an increase by 46 from the previous day as floods started to ravage the eastern and western districts of Bangkok - Ram Indra and Bang Khae.

According to the Bank of Thailand, the bank branches are located in 8 provinces. Of total, 196 are in Bangkok, 154 in Pathum Thani and 69 in Nonthaburi.

Despite the increasing number of closed branches, the central bank said that it represented a small number of all bank branches - 5,823 nationwide and 2,719 in Greater Bangkok.

A number of 4,506 ATMs in 22 provinces are unplugged, an increase by 118 from the previous day. Those in Pathum Thani constituted the biggest portion, 1,426; followed by 1,333 in Bangkok and 732 in Nonthaburi.

-- The Nation 2011-11-02

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Airbus A380 soon to be delivered to THAI

The vertical tail section for the first A380 for Thai Airways International has been painted with the airline's logo at Airbus facilities in Hamburg.

THAI will be the ninth operator of the A380 when it takes delivery of first aircraft in the third quarter of 2012. The airline has firm orders for six A380s and will operate the aircraft on its premier routes from Bangkok to Europe.

The painting was completed at the weekend and the section is now being prepared for shipment to Toulouse, where assembly of the airline's first aircraft is set to begin this month.

The distinctive THAI logo comprises violet, gold and magenta and was applied over a period of 10 days. In addition, red and blue paints were also used for the national flag of the Kingdom of Thailand.

-- The Nation 2011-11-02

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Latest BMA evacuation call covers Nongkangplu sub-district(in Nongkhaem), Sena 1 estate (Ladprao), Saikongdintai (eastern KlongSamWa)./via@tulsathit

Water expert Dr. Seri: water will reach 5-way LadPrao intersection in 2 days. Water level won't exceed 50 cm. TR @jin_nation/via@veen_NT

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TR @Rawangpai: Irrigation Dept chief: It won't get any worse than this. Water in western Bkk won't b higher than now./via@tulsathit

Rice expert says Isarn rice farmers may be winners in short-term as their crops less affected by floods & domestic prices expected to rise/via@terryfrd

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