Thailand Live Monday 6 Feb 2012

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Thailand Live Monday 6 February 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 Sunday 5 Feb 2012

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DSI looking into murder, land tie up: Thailand

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....ie-up-thailand/

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LPG Truck Crash Ties Up Traffic In North Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- A tanker trailer-truck containing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) crashed and tilted early yesterday morning at a major elevated junction in Pathum Thani, causing heavy traffic congestion across northern Bangkok before being finally sorted out without damage.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....-north-bangkok/

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Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to review flood-prevention measures

Full story:

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Bank of Thailand likely to cut policy rate in March

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Thammasat University to review Nitirat ban

The Nation

Board is not seeking to restrict academic freedom, rector insists

BANGKOK: -- After receiving strong criticism, Thammasat University's executive board will next week review its resolution to ban campaigning to amend the law on lese majeste on its campuses.

Thammasat rector Somkid Lertpaitoon said the university's resolution last Monday had supporters and opponents, so the board would discuss the ban on February 13 to bring about correct understanding. He insisted that the resolution was not a bid to block freedom of academic expression.

'Full Freedom'

Somkid said the university had full freedom on every square inch. It was not trying to close people's eyes and ears, or ban university lecturers and students from discussing Article 112. It had also not banned anyone from soliciting signatures to support amendments.

"We only want the activity to be purely academic and not political because it might cause rifts in society," he said.

"We have not banned the Nitirat group, but we do not allow every group to stage political moves

that involve Article 112 at the university.

"The university can carry out activities on Article 112 but if the activities turn into a political campaign and lead to conflicts and divisions, I have to take responsibility and I must take action,'' Somkid said.

Worajet Pakeerat, a key member of Nitirat, yesterday welcomed the university's decision to review the ban.

He said he felt the university move last week was not right.

"I believe that it deprives academic freedom and rights. Soliciting signatures to amend the law is a constitutional right,'' he said.

Worajet criticised the mainstream media for failing to publicise the rationale behind his group's call to change Article 112.

He insisted that the group did

not intend to topple the monarchy, and said he had no problem if

the university wanted to launch a disciplinary investigation into his group.

"I do not feel isolated even though the government and MPs do not agree with amending Article 112. I am not an ally of the Pheu Thai Party and not the left hand or right hand of the red shirts, as claimed,'' he said.

He said the move to amend Article 112 of the Criminal Code, which involves lese majeste offences - defaming the monarchy - had been used as an instrument to sabotage political rivals.

"The proposal is being used as a political tool. There has been mudslinging without basis in fact, and the mainstream media does not present reasons and give the public well-informed information on the issues,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Yukti Mukdawichit, a Thammasat lecturer and member of the Campaign Committee for the Amendment of Article 112, said although the number of people who opposed the campaign had risen and spurred anti-public sentiment, his group would continue by setting up a mobile committee to spearhead the move in different places and gather signatures from supporters.

'Violence against the law'

He insisted that Article 112 was unconstitutional and violated democratic principles.

"We are willing to listen to reasons from opponents but if anyone threatens to use force and violence against us, we will ask if they do it to protect the institution or for their own interest. Any violent action is against the law. Soliciting signatures to amend the law is a right guaranteed by the Constitution,'' he said.

Yukti was speaking at the 14 October monument. Previous meetings were held at Thammasat University.

-- The Nation 2012-02-06

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Teachers service providers: Thai Education Minister Suchart

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....nister-suchart/

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Indian schools can be a cheaper alternative for english students

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....glish-students/

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EDITORIAL

Anti-corruption campaign is both timely, necessary: Thai opinion

Full story:

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REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Thailand falters as its neighbors rise rapidly

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CHALK TALK

Is money's sweet lure undermining the ethics of new student doctors?

Full story:

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Charter bill to go to Parliament this week

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Pheu Thai Party will submit its version of a charter amendment bill to Parliament by Thursday, seeking to set up a 99-member charter drafting assembly, the party spokesman said yesterday.

Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit told a press conference the party's legal team had finished drafting the amendment bill.

He said the draft would be sent to coalition whips to consider today and check if further changes are needed.

If the whips agree with the draft, it would be sent back to Pheu Thai to endorse during a party meeting tomorrow, Prompong said.

He said the draft would be tabled in Parliament on Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. Prompong said other coalition partners agreed with Pheu Thai in principle on amending the 2007 Constitution - but the draft would be sent to them to review first.

Prompong said the draft would amend Article 291 of the charter to set up a 99-member constitution drafting assembly (CDA). He said 77 CDA members would be elected from 77 provinces while the 22 other members would be picked through a selection process.

He said Pheu Thai made a public promise during the election campaign to amend the charter so the amendment draft needed to be submitted to Parliament within the current session.

Prompong affirmed that all articles related to the monarchy would be left intact as the draft states that any change that affects the Constitutional Monarchy cannot be adopted.

He said Pheu Thai was confident the charter to be drawn up by the CDA would be endorsed via a public referendum - although the amendment draft has a clause about what action should be taken if the CDA draft is shot down.

The amendment draft states that if the CDA draft is rejected, the Cabinet or MPs or senators could ask Parliament to draft a new charter. Prompong said the clause was added to make the draft "comprehensive".

-- The Nation 2012-02-06

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10,000 cellular users flee DTAC

USANEE MONGKOLPORN

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- About 10,000 customers of Total Access Communication switched to another cellular network in January, when DTAC's network faced problems.

A source at the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), citing a report from the mobile phone number portability service provider Clearinghouse Co, said DTAC suffered a net loss in customers last month when about 10,000 left its network and about 5,000 joined it.

The source said the exodus from DTAC in January was high compared to other months.

DTAC's network broke down three times in the past two months - on December 21, January 5 and January 8.

DTAC has paid Bt400 million in compensation to the customers affected by these three incidents.

Some 30,000 TrueMove customers jumped to another network last month, while the company gained about 400, the source said.

Most of these customers probably left to sign up with the 3G service of CAT Telecom and Real Move, since TrueMove's concession runs out late next year.

Advanced Info Service acquired about 15,000 customers, while giving up just a few to other networks.

The NBTC will hold a meeting this week to seek ways to boost the capacity of Clearinghouse Co, which can port 400 mobile numbers per operator per day and complete the move within three days.

The requests from all cellular operators for number transfers from December 2010-January 16 had reached 401,053, of which 304,779 were completed.

The service allows subscribers to switch networks and continue using the same mobile phone number.

-- The Nation 2012-02-06

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Thailand faces its biggest-ever rice stockpile

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....rice-stockpile/

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Foreigners seek update from regulator: Thailand telecom

Full story:

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More Phuket school kids caught with meth, krathom

Phuket Gazette

Evidence seized in Phuket yesterday included a large batch of the "4 x 100" drug cocktail popular with youths in the Deep South provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat. Photo: Warisa Temram.

Full story:

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Phuket fire guts Kathu home, eight flats

Phuket Gazette

By the time Phuket firefighters arrived, the flames had already consumed most of the Kathu home and a row of rental flats nearby.

Full story:

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Former Narathiwat defence volunteer on motorcycle shot dead as attackers block road with fallen trees to stop traffic /MCOT

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Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,105.08, up 6.13 points /MCOT

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Thailand Tsunami Survivor New Finnish President

Full story:

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22-yr-old plunges to his death off State Tower on Silom Rd; police to determine cause /TANN

Rak Thailand leader Chuvit ready to disclose details about prostitution rings next after doing so about gambling dens /TANN

700 inmates of Trang prison stage riot to call for removal of warden; governor on scene right now /TANN

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45 districts in five provinces hit by drought

The Nation

Residents of 45 districts in five provinces have been affected by a long period of no rain, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department announced Monday.

Wibul Sanguanpong, the director-general of the department, said his department has announced drought disaster zones covering 45 districts in five provinces.

He said the drought affected 1,413 villages in 296 tambons.

Three of the provinces are northern ones, which are Kamphaeng Phet with 10 affected districts, Lamphun with four affected districts and Sukhothai with nine affected districts.

The two other provinces are northeastern Loei with 14 affected districts and eastern Chanthaburi with eight affected districts.

-- The Nation 2012-02-06

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Trang Prison Inmates Stage Riot

TRANG: -- Around 700 prisoners at the Trang Prison staged a riot to demand the removal of the warden. The Trang governor is at the prison to control the situation while security has already been stepped up.

-- Tan Network 2012-02-06

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Blind lottery vendors call on PM to rein in middlemen

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Ten blind lottery vendors rallied in front of Government House Monday to demand the prime minister to handle the problem of overpriced lottery tickets.

The blind vendors blamed middlemen or major concessionaires of the Government Lottery Office (GlO) for overcharging them and thus causing them to retail tickets at a pair of Bt110 to Bt120 instead of the face value of Bt80.

The vendors were led by Thanom Srinaka, the chairman of the Blind Beggars Association of Thailand.

They rallied in front of a Government House gate on Phitsanulok Road.

Thanom said he wondered whether the middlemen overcharged the retailers, causing the cost to be high and thus prompting retailers to sell the tickets at Bt110 or Bt120.

Thanom said although the blind lottery vendors got some quota directly from the GLO, the prices were still high, and they got only Bt1 profit from each ticket.

Thanom said the prime minister should order the GLO to restructure its ticket distribution system so that the lottery tickets could be distributed to low-income vendors instead of being monopolized by a few concessionaires.

Thanom said his association has been seeking help from the government since the term of the Chuan Leekpai government but none of previous prime ministers could help them.

"But now, I am confident that PM Yingluck will be able solve our problems," Thanom said.

-- The Nation 2012-02-06

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RT @chuvit_online: When I start to do something, I never afraid, no matter how u threaten me, so whatever u tried, keep in mind that I don't feel anything

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Love Thailand Party Inner Rifts Emerge

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RT @ReutersIndia: Magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes off Philippines - USGS http://reut.rs/zj7eND

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URGENT: Constitution Court accepts review of 2 financial executive decrees; PM, Democrat MP Korn, Senator Kamnoon summoned on Feb 15 /TANN

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Russian tourists stranded including 340 in Phuket

Full story: