Surapong pays two-day official visit to Cambodia

Foreign Minister Surapong Towichuckchaikul left for Cambodia Thursday on a two-day official visit during which he would discuss joint cooperation and royal pardon of two Thais being detained in a Cambodian prison.

Speaking to reporters before departing from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Surapong said he would meet Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong to discuss the topics initiated by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra when she met her Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen two months ago.

Surapong said he would also discuss with Hor Nam Hong about preparations for the next meeting of the Joint Commission on the Bilateral Cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia (JC).

Surapong said he would also find out the progress of the appeal of two Thais - Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Pipattanapaibul - for a royal pardon. The two have been convicted of spying and have been detained in a Cambodian prison.

-- The Nation 2011-12-29

SET index midday down 3.65 pts, 0.35 pct

Thai composite stocks index (SET) at midday Thursday at 1,024.54, down 3.65 points, or 0.35 per cent in line with regional shares amid light traded of Bt4.80 billion.

Blue chip SET-50 index was at 717.89, down 3.98 points, or 0.55 per cent.

Top five active (value) stocks: PTT, PTTEP, CPF, IVL, PTTGC.

-- The Nation 2011-12-29

RT@Biz_TheNation: Domestic gold bar prices Thur,up Bt50: Bt23,400(buy),Bt23,500(sell)

Defence minister, top military officers wish Prem Happy New Year

Defence Minister Gen Yutthasak Sasisprapha led the permanent secretary for Defence and commanders of the four armed forces to visit Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda to wish him a happy New Year.

The Supreme commander, the Army chief, Navy chief, Air Force chief and other senior military officers met Prem at his Si Sao Theves residence at 9 am.

Prem thanked them for the visit, saying it made him feel as if he still belonged to the armed forces.

Prem asked the military leaders to be united in tackling the crises of the country.

Prem also urged Thais to love one another and give priority to the nation.

-- The Nation 2011-12-29

Songkla Court Grants Bail for Arisman

The Criminal Court of Songkla Province has released red shirt leader Arisman Pongruerngrong. Arisman was flown to Songkla this morning to face charges of libel filed by Democrat MP Sirichoke Sopha. He was just granted bail yesterday on terrorism charges.

-- Tan Network 2011-12-29

BLAZE

Burma's warehouse fire kills 1, injures dozens

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LIBEL SUIT

Arisman granted bail in defamation suit

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WORST FLOOD IN DECADES

Death toll rises to 790

The death toll from the worst floods to hit Thailand in more than half a century hit 790 Thursday with more than 2 million people still affected by the disaster, officials said.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said that in addition to the 790 confirmed fatalities since the monsoon flooding began on July 25, another three people were listed as missing.

Parts of five provinces near Bangkok - Ayutthaya, Lop Buri, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi - were still flooded, the department said.

Bangkok was declared flood-free this month, and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra pledged that all remaining flooded areas would be dry by the end of the year.

The Thai floods caused about 21.3 billion dollars in damage, according to the World Bank.

-- The Nation 2011-12-29

Thai Activists Jailed in Cambodia Hope for Royal Pardon

Two Thai activists, sentenced on spying charges, tell a Cambodian appeals court that they will not appeal, but would hope for royal pardon.

Two Thai activists, jailed on espionage charges told a Cambodian court yesterday that they would not appeal in the hope that it could pave the way for their royal pardon.

Leader of the Thai Patriots Network, or TPN, Veera Somkwamkid, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon were sentenced to eight and six years in prison respectively by the Phnom Penh Court in February on charges of illegal entry, entering a restricted military zone and espionage.

Both were arrested on December 29, 2010, along with five others, after they crossed the border from Thailand into a disputed border area in Cambodia to inspect the demarcation process, according to local media reports.

The two activists then made an appeal to the Cambodian Court of Appeals through their lawyer on March 14 but requested to withdraw it two weeks later.

The other five activists have been released after the court suspended their sentences of nine months in jail.

The two neighbours have been involved in border skirmishes over the ownership of some ancient temples and the 900-year-old Preah Vihear Temple -- a UNESCO World Heritage site, on the border -- which have killed 18 people on both sides.

Diplomatic ties between the two countries were strained after Cambodia appointed Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's brother Thaksin Shinawatra as economic advisor in November 2009.

Relations were only normalized after Thaksin, the self-exiled Thai former prime minister, resigned from the position in August 2010.

-- Tan Network 2011-12-29

No short-term solution for Phuket Airport Immigration bottleneck

Long lines are the result of a lack of counters, not staff, Phuket Airport Immigration maintains.

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Phuket raids land 15mn baht in pirated goods

Prayut Maneechote (wearing suit), director of the Customs Bureau regional head office in Haad Yai, is overwhelmed by the scale of the haul in the Phuket raid. Photo: Warisa Temram

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AFP: Thai Red Shirt Leader Arisman Gets Second Bail In Days

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Cambodia says two Thai spies must serve two thirds of jail term before amnesty

PHNOM PENH, Dec 29 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong, minister of foreign affairs, reiterated on Thursday that there will be no royal pardon for the two Thai "Yellow-Shirt" activists jailed here for espionage until they have served two thirds of their jail term.

His remarks were made after visiting Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul asked him to consider to reduce the jail term or to give royal amnesty by Cambodia's King to the pair.

"According to Cambodia's law, a prisoner must be jailed at least two thirds of his jail term before being considered for royal pardon from the King," Hor Namhong told reporters in a joint press briefing after the meeting.

However, he said that it is possible to release the two Thai spies earlier if the government of Thailand has a request to Cambodia for a meeting "to exchange prisoners as package."

Surapong thanked the government of Cambodia for giving good care to the two Thai detainees in the Prey Sar prison on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The two "Yellow Shirt" Thais are Veera Somkwamkid, one of the leaders of the People's Network against Corruption and a high- profile activist in the Thailand Patriot Network, and his secretary Ratree Pipatanapaiboon.

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court of First Instance, on February 1, convicted Veera and Ratree of illegal entry, unlawful entry into a military base and espionage and sentenced them to 8 years and 6 years in jail respectively.

Veera and Ratree were arrested on December 29, 2011, along with five others including Democrat Party Member of Parliament Panich Vikitsreth, after they illegally entered Cambodian territory to observe the border demarcation process.

The five were released in late January after a Cambodian court suspended their sentences of nine months in jail. (Xinhua)

-- TNA 2011-12-29

SET index closed at 1023.91, down 4.28; Bt/USD31.58; GBP48.68; AUD31.70; EUR40.71; CAD30.68; HKD4.06; SGD24.14; JPY40.33

Snakes in a sack seized on Koh Lanta

Officers discovered the sack of snakes during a search at a police checkpoint. Photo: Warisa Temram

Six gold-ringed cat snakes, one Malayan bridle snake and one python were found in the sacks. Photo: Warisa Temram

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THAI-KHMER TIES

Phnom Penh proposed swap deal for Veera and Ratree

The Nation

Cambodia on Thursday refused to free the two Thai activists jailed on spy charges but offered a deal to swap them with Cambodian prisoners jailed in Thailand.

Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said Phnom Penh insisted that Veera Somkwamkid and Ratree Wiwattanapaibul have to serve a portion of their jail terms as stipulated in the law before being eligible to request for royal pardon.

Surapong was in Phnom Penh Wednesday to hold talks with his Cambodian counterpart, Hor Nam Hong. Top on the agenda was the fate of Veera and Ratree who were arrested along with other Thais on December 28 last year while inspecting a border area.

The other Thais were freed after a Cambodian court suspended their jail terms. Veera and Ratree were sentenced to eight and six years in jail respectively.

Surapong said he would ask authorities concerned to consider Cambodia's latest offer as it is the first case and the country has no experience of this.

Meanwhile Veera's mother; Wilaiwan, met Surapong at the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh to ask the minister to talk to Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen and help secure freedom for her son and Ratree.

-- The Nation 2011-12-29

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Thailand Live Friday 30 Dec 2011

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