Thailand Live Friday 27 January 2012

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 26 Jan 2012

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Disgruntled Female Farmer Strips in Front of Government House

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....vernment-house/

DNA database planned to protect Thailand's elephants

Full story:

Bangkok's Counterfeit Gold Production Den Raided

Full story:

Man shot, dumped, left for dead - but survives in Phuket

Full story:

Unidentified Foreigner Found Hanged In Phuket

Full story:

Former Pilot Calls For Probe Into Possible Violations Of Aviation Code By Thai Airways

Full story:

CNN: Business Booming For Dog Smugglers Across Mekong River

Full story:

INDIAN AND THAI RELATIONS

Yingluck revives Thaksin's strategic 'look west' policy

THE NATION, AGENCIES

before heading to Davos

Full story:

LOWER HOUSE

House meet collapses as MPs quarrel

THE NATION

Full story:

FLOOD

No clear guidelines on flood prevention: expert

The Nation

Full story:

Deputy PM Yuthasak vows to revamp security policy

THE NATION

Full story:

FIDF

Govt issues four controversial decrees

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The government issued four emergency decrees to set in motion flood-relief efforts after they were published in the Royal Gazette yesterday.

The most controversial decree requires the Bank of Thailand to service Bt1.14 trillion in public debt incurred by the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF). The decree demands the central bank contribute at least 90 per cent of its total net profit to pay off the debt.

The central bank will also have to transfer the remaining assets in its annual yield account to pay the debt by not transferring them to the special reserve account. The central bank has to make use of the FIDF's money or assets for debt repayment according to the Cabinet's order.

Two decrees authorise the central bank to provide Bt300 billion in soft loans and the Finance Ministry to borrow Bt350 billion to finance post-flood reconstruction projects.

The other decree creates a Bt50-billion insurance pool for flood-damaged companies.

-- The Nation 2012-01-27

LESE MAJESTE LAW

Pheu Thai 'not seeking to amend Article 112'

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The ruling Pheu Thai Party insisted yesterday that it had no plans to seek the amendment of Article 112 of the Penal Code, which is related to lese majeste.

Party leader Yongyuth Wichaidit said Pheu Thai executives and members had unanimously decided that they would not get involved with the campaign to amend the article.

"I can speak in the name of the party, but I can't speak for people who are not members or executives of the party. This is not about us having a policy of seeking an amendment to Article 112 or not. This matter has never been in our heads, we have never thought about it," Yongyuth said.

"I am confident that [most] Thais also have no plans to support the proposal of amending Article 112. But some people have this idea and it's their problem."

Yongyuth holds the posts of deputy prime minister and interior minister.

A group of law experts, going under the name Nitirat (www.enlightened-jurists.com), is campaigning for amendments and changes to Article 112.

Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit said yesterday that the party had never thought of seeking an amendment to the Penal Code clause "because it would be of no public benefit", though Nitirat had the right to campaign for it. However, he said, Pheu Thai would seek to amend the post-coup Constitu-tion.

Prompong added that some people were linking the ruling party to the amendment campaign in a move to overthrow the government. He claimed that an old power clique involved in the 2006 coup and a group of politicians were funding the move, which included inciting factory workers to oppose the campaign to amend Article 112. "Arrests will be made soon," he warned.

Meanwhile, Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday declined to comment on the amendment campaign, saying that he had already spoken about the matter.

"They should know by now about what should be done and what should not," he said, referring to those in favour of the amendment.

In a separate development, Prompong said yesterday that Pheu Thai would take legal action against the opposition Democrat Party for seeking to impeach Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul over the issuance of a new passport for fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra.

The Pheu Thai spokesman said the foreign minister had the authority to grant Thaksin a new passport and that the matter had nothing to do with the prime minister. He said the impeachment motion - filed with the National Anti-Corruption Commission and backed by 145 Democrat MPs - was an attempt to interfere with government affairs and to undermine the prime minister's credibility.

-- The Nation 2012-01-27

Confusion reigns on 'peace processes' in the deep South

Full story:

GURU SPEAK

The cursed life: FIDF's decision and the loss of Thai banking's competitiveness

Full story:

Lese majeste could blow into 'big issue', warns Theerayuth

PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The debate and confrontation over the merits of the lese majeste law constitute a fundamental conflict between people with two different ideologies - one that requires each side to earnestly recognise the other's view, said noted sociologist Theerayuth Boonme.

"It is not an issue where one side can just say they are loyal while others are not," said Theerayuth, who has not offered political comment for the past two years due to ill health.

Theerayuth said the confrontation is essentially one between the red shirts - who support the amendment drive led by the Nitirat group of law lecturers, who want a more "populist" society - and the yellow shirts and others who adhere to the more traditional belief and "faith" regarding the monarchy institution.

The former Thammasat University lecturer warned that the conflict could go "beyond violence" and become "a very big" issue if not handled properly.

In the end, any solution to the conflict must begin with both sides shedding their bias, said Theerayuth, adding that he doesn't see any immediate solution that would appease both sides in the near future.

"I won't propose a reconciliation. The issue won't resolve itself by talking. We must look at the problem matter-of-factly and shed bias," said Theerayuth, adding that he has points of agreement and disagreement with the Nitirat group, but wouldn't elaborate.

"If we seriously try to study the issue it may provide a vista as to what needs to be done."

-- The Nation 2012-01-27

Court upholds Pisit as auditor-general

THE NATION

Full story:

Four injured in student brawl

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A brawl among vocational school students near the Pattanakarn intersection in Bangkok's Suan Luang district yesterday morning resulted in four people getting injured, police said.

Students from the Bangkok College of Industrial Technology (BCIT) and the Bang Kapi School of Technology allegedly attacked each other with knives and homemade pingpong bombs at around 8.25am before dispersing quickly when police showed up. Officers from the Prawet police station nabbed 22 BCIT students and six from Bang Kapi, and also confiscated 10 knives, two pingpong bombs and a fake gun.

Traffic police Pol Lieutenant Ekkasit Setthasuk said that since some 30 BCIT students were waiting at a busstop nearby, he signalled for bus No 145, which had Bang Kapi students on board, to change lanes and drive past the stop quickly. However, the BCIT students chased the bus, goading the Bang Kapi students into getting out at the next stop. BCIT students claim that they were challenged by the Bang Kapi students, which is why they chased the bus. Students from the Bang Kapi school, on the other hand, say the BCIT students chased and attacked them first.

-- The Nation 2012-01-27

BMA, govt to jointly help keep Bangkok dry

The Nation

Full story:

FIREWORKS EXPLOSION

Police summons organiser

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police have summoned an entertainment organiser for questioning about the fireworks explosion at Suphan Buri's Dragon Park that killed four people and left a wide swath of destruction on Tuesday night.

"We want to get information about the crew it hired to stage the fireworks display," Pol Colonel Sutti Puangpikun, deputy provincial police chief, said yesterday.

The event planner, Comm Art Production Co, is owned by famous director Supawat "Supaksorn" Jongsiri.

The move is part of the police investigation to pin down the cause of the accident.

Sutti said more than 500 people have lodged complaints with police.

The blast and blazes also injured more than 70 people, damaged more than 200 houses and left more than 700 people homeless.

"My whole house is gone," said Anong Uayporn, 56. Her car and motorcycle were also wrecked.

Somnuk Kamneung, 37, said she was helping with the Suphan Buri City Pillar Shrine Foundation when she heard the deafening detonations.

"When I realised what had happened and rushed to my house, I found it was already on fire," she said.

Besides all her furniture, Bt50,000 in cash was burnt to ashes.

"I really don't know what to do with my life after this," she said.

The City Pillar Shrine and Dragon Park are located in the same compound. They attract hordes of tourists each day.

The lightandsound shows for the Chinese New Year festival at Dragon Park went ahead yesterday without any fireworks show.

Only the Dragon Descendant Museum within the Giant Dragon structure was closed.

Army chief General Prayut Janocha said the Army's Chemical Department had dispatched a team to assist with efforts to determine what went wrong.

-- The Nation 2012-01-27

Bang Kwang Central Prison search follows drug ring allegations: Bangkok

Full story:

Chuwit identifies 22 gambling dens and corrupt cops in police meeting

Full story:

Bangkok Mobile Expo buoyed by flood

Full story:

Phuket 'spider men' suspect brown widow in fruit vendor’s death

Phuket Gazette

Awat Nitikul and his team of 'spider men' hold up some of the 10 spiders collected from around the home. Photo: Chutharat Plerin

The spiders collected will be sent for expert analysis. Photo: Chutharat Plerin

Full story:

Bangkok traffic info: Rain causes heavy traffic congestion on all major roads such as Lardprao, Ramkamhaeng, Sukhumvit

Small schools may be dissolved nationwide: Thailand

Full story:

Israel Counter Terrorism Bureau: Safe to visit Thailand

Full story:

BKK-Danchang passenger van hits pick-up truck in Suphanburi; 3 dead and many injured /TANN