Thailand Live Wednesday 14 Dec 2011

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RT @suthichai: A report in @TheKoreaHerald says N. Korea introduces Western coffee shop in Pyongyang http://tinyurl.com/6nvhvx4

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RT @tulsathit: An ASTV article says PAD will take to streets as soon as Yingluck govt introduces amnesty bill that would cover Thaksin.

Electrical wires dumped in garbage can caused bomb scare at Lardprao Soi 80; police don't believe this is New Year unrest /TANN

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Prueksa Group owner named richest person in Thailand with assets worth Bt18.52 bn; Maleenont family richest shareholders /TANN

Court hearing testimony from Arisman, his wife and 2 witnesses in appeal for bail /TANN

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Insurance Firms Urged to Expedite Claim Payment to Flood-hit Clients

The Cabinet has acknowledged a flood damage and assistance report compiled by the Office of Insurance Commission and urged insurance companies to expedite claim payments to affected businesses and households.

The Cabinet yesterday acknowledged the Office of Insurance Commission's report on damage and insurance assistance for flood victims.

The report indicated that damage done to industries and households protected by insurance account for 262 billion baht.

The damage to 926 factories in seven flood-hit industrial estates account for 228 billion baht of the total amount, which is half of their combined insurance claim of 456 billion baht.

The damage to households was estimated at 33.7 billion baht, or 10 percent of the combined insurance claims of 337 billion baht.

The Office of Insurance Commission pledged to expedite claim payments by insurance companies for policy holders.

Insurance firms are required to pay 75 percent of each insurance claim within six months for corporate clients and the full claim amount for household clients within three months.

The commission has also advised insurance firms to increase the number of claim officers to accommodate high demand.

-- Tan Network 2011-12-14

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Small World Event In Maehongson

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Former Thai PM Somchai Opposes Reshuffle after New Year

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Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011 opens in Chiang Mai

CHIANG MAI, Dec 14 -- The International Horticultural Exposition Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011 opened Wednesday in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Mai amid cool breezes.

Chumpol Silapa-archa, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism and Sports, presided over the unofficial opening ceremony with a northern-styled dance procession at the Royal Rajapruek Park. Diplomats and representatives from participating countries witnessed the event.

The event was followed by the flag-raising ceremony with the flag of Thailand, the flag representing the International Asssociation of Horticultural Producers: AIPH and the flag representing the International Horticultural Exposition Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011 as well as the flags of the 30 participating nations.

Meanwhile, the official opening ceremony was scheduled for Jan 15, to be presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The International Horticultural Exposition Royal Flora Ratchaphruek 2011 runs through March 14, 2012, expecting to attract over two million visitors.

Apart from marking the three auspicious occasions of His Majesty the King’s 7th cycle birthday, Her Majesty The Queen’s 80th birthday, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s 60th birthday, the grand floral exposition was organised to pay tribute to the perseverance of the Royal family's royal initiatives and royal projects, to provoke a response against global warming, to demonstrate the potential in horticultural developments of Thailand, to promote international cooperation, to exchange horticultural knowledge and technologies among horticulturists both at the national and international levels and to promote the economic cooperation, society, culture and tourism among the participating countries.

The previous Royal Flora Ratchaphruek was held in 2006 in this northern province. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2011-12-14

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ICT Minister: Lese Majeste Websites To Be Firmly Suppressed

The Information and Communication Technology, or ICT, Minister denied to provide any comments upon the Cabinet reshuffle, while focusing on the suppression of lese majeste websites.

ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap gave an interview on INN News about the his administration during the previous period, saying that it has been well managed, particularly the website established for Thai residents to sign a well-wishing for His Majesty the King's birthday.

Hundreds of thousands of people signed the page to pay homage for His Majesty the King's 84th birthday, which also marks the seventh-cycle birthday anniversary of His Majesty.

The page will be available until the end of year and all wishes will be further forwarded to the King.

Regrading the suppression of lese majeste websites, Anudith said this issue will be strictly focused, despite that many nations raised criticism on this issue after the Criminal Court has sentenced Thai-born US citizen Joe Gordon to two years and six months imprisonment for lese majeste.

Anudith futher insisted that violators posting comments on anti-monarchy messages could be arrested on charges of violating the Computer Crime Act and committing lese majeste, because the law prohibits the dissemination of content deemed insulting to the monarchy, despite lese majeste contents broadcasted in foreign sites.

On the other hand, Anudith refused to provide any comments upon the Cabinet reshuffle.

-- Tan Network 2011-12-14

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Court to Decide on Arisman's Bail on Dec 19

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SET index midday up 1.62 pts, 0.16 pct

Thai composite stocks index (SET) at midday Wednesday stood at 1,032.23, up 1.62 point, or 0.16 per cent amid light trade of Bt 9.63 billion turnover.

Blue chip SET-50 index was at 724.32, up 0.96 points, or 0.13 per cent.

Top five active (value) stocks: PTTGC, KTB, CPF, SCC, TMB.

-- The Nation 2011-12-14

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SEC-SET opens booth at BoI Fair

The Nation

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Stock Exchange of Thailand will jointly host a "Window of Opportunities" booth at the BoI Fair 2011.

The fair will take place during Jan 5-13 at Impact Muang Thong Thani.

Charamporn Jotikasthira, president of the SET, said that aside from advice on fund raising, flood-hit business operators can also seek advice on crisis management.

On Jan 6, a capital market seminar is scheduled, to highlight successful fund-raising case studies and success stories of listed companies.

-- The Nation 2011-12-14

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WIFI SERVICE

4 phone operators launch collaborative WiFi campaign

The Nation

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http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/519005-4-phone-operators-launch-collaborative-wifi-campaign/page__view__findpost__p__4911487

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High Tides and Flash Flood Hit Southern Provinces

Fishing boats are currently unable to set sail due to high tides and the current flood situation in Pattalung Province remains worrisome.

Run off from the Ban Tad Mountain Range continues to flow towards residents' homes and agricultural areas, including roads towards villages.

More than 3,000 residents in three districts of Patthalung Province have been badly affected.

Residents in Moo 3 of Chaison Subdistrict have been most affected as their homes were submerged with 1.5 meters of water, forcing residents to evacuate.

The Royal Irrigation Department of Patthalung Province has warned residents in three areas living near the dam to closely monitor the flood situation while the floodwater continues to rise.

Fishermen at Narathat Beach of Narathiwat's Muang District are also unable to sail the boat for fishing due to strong ocean waves. 200 fishing boats were docked along the port.

The market is facing a short seafood supply and prices of seafood have risen, while the situation needs to be closely monitored over the next few days before sailing the fishing boats.

Meanwhile, in Pattani Province, fishermen are also unable to sail their boats, especially at Laem Po Subdistrict in Yaring District. 300 fishing boats have been parked along the port.

The Meteorological Department of Pattani Province has issued the 11th warning of the northeastern storm covering the Gulf of Thailand and southern provinces, causing the east area of the South region, from Nakhon Si Thammarat Province down provinces, to contain torrential rains in many areas.

Waves in the Gulf of Thailand is as high as 2-4 meters. Residents living along the coasts were warned to watch for strong high tides.

Fishermen were also warned to sail their boats with caution and small boats are prohibited to sail.

-- Tan Network 2011-12-14

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Manhunt Launched For American Martial Arts Brawler Junie Browning: Phuket

An image of Junie Browning that appears on his Facebook page.

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AFP: Bangkok on New Year security alert: PM

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Phuket's Happy Air relaunches services

Happy Air ground staff pose for a group photo. File: Phuket Gazette file.

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Petition for crackdown on insults to monarch submitted

The Nation

The Lawyers Council of Thailand on Wednesday submitted a petition demanding that the government crack down harder on ill-intentioned groups behind insulting remarks against the monarch posted online as well as doctored photos.

LCT Chairman Sak Korsaengruang said the petition was submitted to Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung, who has been appointed chairman of a committee tasked to crack down on websites deemed offensive to the monarchy.

The petition said that the royal insults in cyberspace were spreading because police and the Information and Communications Technology Ministry have failed to deal with the offenders, which could be considered as negligence under the Constitution.

The LCT then requested the police chief and the ICT minister to jointly form a special force to monitor, examine and investigate the offences against the monarch.

The suspects arrested on such charges should be divided into two categories: those who intended to topple the monarch and those who acted impetuously.

The first group should be prosecuted according to the laws while the second should be informed of the facts so that they would have a better understanding of their misdeeds.

The LCT will also forward the petition to the ministers of ICT and Justice as well as the Royal Thai Police.

-- The Nation 2011-12-14

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Ministry Acts against Hoarding, Overpricing

The Commerce Ministry is stepping up monitoring consumer product prices ahead of the New Year holiday to prevent hoarding and overpricing.

Deputy Commerce Minister Bhum Saraphon said the ministry has instructed its officials to monitor the prices of consumer products nationwide during the New Year's holiday to prevent hoarding and overpricing, as ordered by the prime minister.

As of now, there has been no report of shortages. Overpricing and failure to put price tags on products are punishable by a maximum jail term of seven years, a fine of up to 140,000 baht, or both.

In addition, the Internal Trade Department is planning to hold talks with furniture, decorative products and home appliance manufacturers on Friday, to seek cooperation in offering discounts of 20 to 40 percent to help flood victims.

Construction material manufacturers and dealers have agreed to give a discount of ten to 80 percent.

-- Tan Network 2011-12-14

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AFP: Lao women freed in Thai brothel raid: police

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SET index closed at 1023.48, down 7.13; Bt/USD31.10; GBP48.07; AUD31.00; EUR40.45; CAD29.93; HKD3.99; SGD23.69; JPY39.67

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Suthep hands in Red Shirt crackdown documents to police

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GREATER MEKONG SUB-REGION

PM to attend GSM summit in Naypyidaw

The Nation

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will attend the Greater Mekong Subregion summit in Burma next week.

The meeting in Burma's new capital of Naypyidaw will bring together the leaders of Cambodia, China, Laos, Burma and Vietnam, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thanee Thongpakdee said Wednesday.

Covering an area of 2.6 million square kilometres, the six countries formed a subregional economic cooperation programme in 1996.

The twoday GMS summit will start on next Monday.

Thanee said Foreign Minister Surapong Tohvichakchaikul and Energy Minister Pichai Naripthaphan will accompany the premier to Burma and will hold sideline bilateral meetings with their Burmese colleagues. High on the agenda will be cooperation on energy security, an important issue in today's world.

As a developing country, Thailand is at the centre of the region and is in need of energy to drive the economy and develop the country.

"Therefore the meetings of the ministers will also reflect the foreign ministry's role in strengthening cooperation for the benefit of both countries," the spokesman said.

Early next year, they are scheduled to travel to Dawei (Tavoy) in Burma to discuss the cooperation in greater detail.

-- The Nation 2011-12-14

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Magnitude-7.3 earthquake rocks Papua New Guinea

Sydney - A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit Papua New Guinea on Wednesday but there were no immediate reports of death or serious damage from the South Pacific nation.

Geoscience Australia’s website said the quake was near Lae, the second largest city, and that tremors had been felt 225 kilometres away in Port Moresby, the capital.

A correspondent for Australia’s AAP news agency in Port Moresby said the windows of Parliament House shook for more than a minute but that there was no damage.

Geoscience Australia senior seismologist Clive Collins told AAP that Wau, with a population of about 5,000, was only 20 kilometres away from the centre of the quake.

"There’re no reports of people losing lives yet," he was quoted as saying.

-- The Nation 2011-12-14

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Finnish tourist death in Phuket possibly a suicide

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Pitbull terrier mauls 71-year-old owner to death

A pitbull terrier attacked and killed its 71-year-old owner in a Bangkok district Wednesday, police said.

Police said Somsakul Suanphairin, suffered severe wounds on her head, face and throat. Her skull was also broken. She has already died when rescuers and livestock officials arrived at her house on Soi Sukhapibal 5 in Bang Khen district at 12:30 pm.

Somsakul was living with her maid, Taengon Anusri, 65, at the time of attack. Taengon said the dog attacked her employer at 11 am inside the living room. She tried but failed to save Somsakul.

She said the dog stopped the attack only after Somsakul stopped calling for help.

Taengon said the dog, called Khaitoon, usually liked to play with Somsakul but that morning it appeared moody.

Livestock officials had to give the dog an anaesthetic shot before rescuers could enter the house.

Officials took the dog to an animal detention centre in Sa Kaeo's Ta Phraya district.

-- The Nation 2011-12-14

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INDUSTRIAL ESTATES

Nava Nakorn starts cleaning

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RT @tulsathit: RT @Tulip_Oum: Chalerm insists govt will not slow down on amnesty, one of its election campaign promises. via fm96.5

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Australian paediatrician, American acedemics, psychiatrists win 2011 Prince Mahidol Awards for discovering Rotavirus, cure to depression respectively /MCOT

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Japanese companies not shifting production bases elsewhere: JETRO

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BANGKOK TRAIN COLLISION

9 vehicles involved in train collision at Asoke; 6 reported injured RT @js100radio: 19.20น.กรณีรถไฟชนรถที่อโศก

สน.มักกะสัน-กรณีรถไฟชนรถที่อโศกทั้งหมด9คัน ย้ายได้7อีก2อยู่ในทางรถไฟ เปิดจราจรปกติ พนง.ขับรถไฟเพิ่มเหตุหยุดรถไม่ได้ระยะเบรคไม่พอ