Thailand Live Friday 18 Nov 2011

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Thailand Live Friday 18 November 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 Thursday 17 Nov 2011

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Today's Thailand weather and forecasts:

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AMNESTY

No public debate allowed in 'secret' draft on amnesty: Chalerm

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POLITICS

Democrats seek to impeach Justice Minister Pracha over floods

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LABOUR

'No reason to delay Bt300 wage hike': Thai Labour Ministry

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Setback for east Bangkok: Flood

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FLOOD CRISIS

Some Bang Kunthien residents evacuated

The Nation

While flood water is receding gradually elsewhere in the capital, the inundation level has increased in western Bangkok, where residents of part of Bang Khunthien district were evacuated yesterday.

The area, located mostly in Samae Dam subdistrict, stretches from Bang Khunthien Road and its branch roads and sois to the Wong Wian YaiMahachai rail line, Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said.

Many districts in lower Thonburi saw slightly higher levels of flood water arriving from Nakhon Pathom's Salaya district, but flood waters below that point are stable, said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's flood situation centre. The levels in eastern Bangkok, northern Bangkok - including Don Muang - and northern central Bangkok - including Chatuchak and Lat Phrao intersection - have receded slightly, it said.

Bang Bua Thong district and adjacent areas in Nonthaburi province remain under high levels of flood water. Residents have complained of excessively high boat fares and called for more military truck services.

Efforts to restore Route 340, an alternative to Rama II Road linking the South with the rest of the country, are not complete, while Rama II remains partly inundated but still accessible to interprovincial buses and large vehicles.

The Department of Mental Health has begun training military and civilian officials of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) in counselling skills to enable them to assist flood victims at shelters or in flooded homes.

A first batch of 150 officials will work as counsellors, while other staff and members of the public will be supplied with information through radio announcements via more than 700 ISOCoperated stations across the country.

The Traffic Police Division has listed the following alternative routes for motorists heading out of Bangkok:

Northbound traffic: Take the Don Muang Tollway, then Route 1 and Route 32 to Bang Pain and Bang Pa Han in Ayutthaya, and then on to Angthong.

Or, take Route 9 (motorway), then the eastern ring road to Thanya Buri, and use Route 1 from there.

Eastbound traffic: Take Route 314, then 304 and 319 to Prachin Buri.

Southbound traffic: Take Rama II, 3097, and Route 4 (Phet Kasem). For those going further to Suphan Buri, take Route 321 to the province.

-- The Nation 2011-11-18

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EDITORIAL

Govt is focused on short-term plans for political gain: Thai opinion

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INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT

BOT chief suggests baht bonds to fund anti-flood projects

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Hospital to hold rehab workshop

The Nation

Manarom Hospital, located near Bangkok's Bang Na intersection, will host a workshop on postflood rehabilitation for Human Resource executives and officers on November 25 from 9am to midday.

The freeofcharge workshop, led by Dr Woralaksana Theeramok, aims to reach at least 40 applicants, will provide advice to flood victims and help boost their morale so they can return to work.

Those interested can call (02) 725 9595, extensions 1245 and 1250, to make a reservation. Details are also available on www.manarom.com. The hospital's mental health experts also offer free advice at the (02) 725 9555 hotline from 8am to 6pm daily.

-- The Nation 2011-11-18

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Vendors told to look out for stolen goods

The Nation

Police are looking out for thieves trying to sell valuables stolen from flooded houses to pawnshops and secondhand goods shops.

Shopkeepers noticing anyone trying to sell something cheaply or that does not look like it belongs to them should record the suspicious person's details and alert police, National Police spokesman Piya Uthayo said yesterday. Offenders could be charged with theft or possession of stolen goods.

The police chief and senior police would visit floodhit provinces and hand out relief kits in Nakhon Sawan on Wednesday and in Ayutthaya on Friday, he said.

-- The Nation 2011-11-18

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14 roads tentatively open to traffic

The Nation

The Metropolitan Police's Traffic Command reported yesterday that 14 Bangkok roads were unofficially reopened after flood waters subsided.

They were Phaholyothin Road to the Ratchayothin Intersection, VibhavadiRangsit Road to the Lat Phrao Intersection, RamIntra Road from Km 18, Lat Phrao Road, Ratchadaphisek Road to the RatchadaLat Phrao Intersection, Khamphaeng Phet Road, Ngam Wongwan Road from the Bang Khen to the Phong Phetch Intersection, Charan Sanitwong Road from Rama VII Bridge to Charan Sanitwong Soi 34, Somdet Phra Pinklao Road, Arun Amarin Road from Rama VIII Bridge to Arun Amarin Intersection, Rajavithi Road, Borommarajajonani Road to Buddha Monthon 2 Road, Ratchapreuk Road and the elevated highway to Taling Chan Police Station.

-- The Nation 2011-11-18

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Compensations will be paid on Dec 20

The Nation

The Bt5,000 flood compensation payments should start reaching 600,000 affected households in 30 Bangkok districts on December 20, Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday.

Officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have prepared places for flood victims to register for and receive the payments, he said.

The BMA also plans to give each household an additional Bt1,500 and officials were working on the details, he said.

-- The Nation 2011-11-18

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O-Net postponed to mid-February

The Nation

The Ordinary National Educational Test (O-Net) has been postponed to February 15 for sixth graders and February 16-17 for ninth graders.

The test results will be released on March 31, the Education Ministry said yesterday.

For 12th graders, the O-Net remains set for February 18-19, with test results on April 10.

All dates will become official when endorsed by the National Institute of Educational Testing Service on Wednesday.

The opening of the next semester for schools in Bangkok and a few flooded provinces, after many extensions, will be on December 6, and for schools located elsewhere or in areas not flooded, will be at the discretion of their directors. Most are expected to start classes on December 1.

The enrolment of students advancing to the seventh and 10th grades will likely be delayed but the new dates have not been worked out yet.

The application for O-Net has been deferred to November 17-22, from 9am on the first day to 23.59pm on the last day, and the payment of fees for the seven basic test subjects to November 18-23, from 9am on the first day and to 8pm on the last day.

-- The Nation 2011-11-18

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Conflict over barriers a sign of divide: Thailand flood

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Reconciliation panel to choose leader

The Nation

The 38-member special parliamentary committee on national reconciliation will elect a chairman when it meets for the first time at Government House at 10am today.

The panel was appointed yesterday with a 271:5 vote after the conclusion of a debate kicked off on Wednesday. The committee includes National Security Council secretary-general Wichean Potephosree, Pheu Thai MP Jatuporn Promphan, Council of State secretary-general Achporn Charuchinda, Democrat MP Ong-art Klampaiboon and Bhum Jai Thai MP Supachai Jaisamut.

Matubhum MP General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who had initially proposed that the committee be established, is also a member.

-- The Nation 2011-11-18

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ASEAN disaster-management centre officially inaugurated

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Shady dealings set the stage for another crisis: Thai opinion

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Investigation launched into Phuket police brutality

Chalermporn Keawmanee, 20, at the Damrongtham Center yesterday as his father,

Kaset, shows photos of the injuries his son allegedly sustained in a police beating.

Photo; Warisa Temram

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Phuket's 'troubled lovers' rumoured to be alive in Surat Thani

A boat heads out during the heat of the search for the bodies of the disappeared lovers.

The search has now been called off, but rumors are circulating that the couple are alive

in Surat Thani. Photo: Gazette file

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8.30am: Floodwater on Phaholyothin outbound from Major cineplex is 40cm high, Kaset junction is 50cm #ch3 http://pic.twitter.com/CkH2ZI3g

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RT @tukky_nt: BTS & MRT operate as normal from 6am-midnight; San Saeb boats run from Wat Sri Boonruang-Pratunam from 5.30am-8.30pm #ThaiPBS

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RT @ACSBKK: Report from Chatuchak Market and River City yesterday, had both shopping areas open, with no visible flooding

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World Bank Assesses Provincial Flood Damages

A World Bank representative investigated the damage caused by flooding in the provinces.

Finance Ministry Inspector General and World Bank representative Kulit Sombatsiri attended a meeting with state officials in Phitsanulok province to assess the cost of flood damages that struck seven provinces such as Ayutthaya, Lopburi, Chainat, Nakhon Sawan, and Phitsanulok.

The damage assessments will be classified into four main categories regarding residence, transportation, public health, and crisis management.

Kulit reiterated after an initial inspection, the flood damage estimates were greatly exaggerated due to a lack of a standardized system.

In the future, information will be processed in an online system to help international organizations such as the World Bank and other related agencies to offer aid more efficiently.

He added that within a week, the World Bank will propose a draft plan that will prioritize solutions for fixing Thailand's flood problems to the Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development or SCRF, which will be forwarded to the Cabinet for approval.

Buriram Hospital Director Doctor Chailit Thongprayoon added that many hospitals in the province faced shortages of pharmaceutical drugs, especially drugs for patients suffering from chronic diseases.

He pointed that hospitals cannot supply medicine, as many pharmaceutical factories have been inundated and were forced to shut down.

As a result, the hospitals reduced the amount of drugs prescribed to patients to ensure that every patient receives an adequate supply.

-- Tan Network 2011-11-18

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BMA to Prepare Comprehensive Flood Rehabilitation Center in Bang Plad District

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has prepared to evacuate more than 3,000 households in Bang Khunthien District.

Meanwhile, an integrated flood rehabilitation center in Bang Plad District will be opened today, as the water-level there continues to decrease.

Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra ordered people to evacuate from parts of Samae Dum subdistrict of Bang Khunthien, from Rama II Road Intersection to the railroad between Wongwien Yai and Mahachai, including the Soi along the Bang Khunthien Road, since a high volume of floodwater has begun to enter the area, causing the water level to rapidly increase.

Bang Khunthien District Assistant Director Somchai Tripittayakul said officials are currently preparing to evacuate more than 3,000 households from Bang Khunthien area, excluding alien workers from industrial factories.

Officials will be dispatched to the areas and monitor the situation closely.

In Bang Plad District, the water-level continues to decrease and is now at 20 centimeters.

Small vehicles can now pass the area. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, or BMA, is rushing to remedy the situation, while the Public Works Department will examine the areas in order to restore the roads and electricity.

Meanwhile, the Environmental Department and the District Office was responsible for waste management and cleaning the areas, as there were large amounts of waste in Bang Plad District, including household waste and old furniture, which residents had left at locations designated by the BMA.

All waste has been removed from the areas.

The BMA has prepared to open an integrated flood rehabilitation center in Bang Plad District by today, where flood victims can register to receive compensation.

Currently, 37 districts have been declared disaster zones.

The BMA estimates that more than 600,000 households have been affected.

In some districts, flood victims can now register to receive compensation at the centers provided.

The conditions set by the Cabinet for receiving a 5000-baht compensation for each household requires that the homes must have been affected by rapid flooding or have been flooded for more than seven days.

The documents needed to receive the compensation include an ID card and a copy of the House Registration Certificate.

However, if the documents have been destroyed by the flooding, the victims can inform the District Office for verification.

For renters, eyewitnesses are needed to prove verification of their lost documents.

The BMA will gather all documents and send them to the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department by November 21.

-- Tan Network 2011-11-18

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RT @tulsathit: TR @news1005fm: Life returning to normal at dry Lad Prao intersection.

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RT @tulsathit: Nonthaburi residents, after a month of ordeal, to gather at provincial hall today to demand clear-cut relief measures.

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 987.50, down 5.88 points /MCOT

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Flooding in Thailand: Latest Updates (November 18) http://thailand.prd.go.th/view_around_thailand.php?id=5995

via @prdthailand

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RT @tulsathit: THAI cancelling 500 domestic and international flights due to big drop in numbers of in- and ou-bound tourists. - #ktnews