Thailand Live Wednesday 15 Feb 2012

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SET index closed at 1126.48, up 20.07; Bt/USD30.67; GBP48.04; AUD32.85; EUR40.27; CAD30.65; HKD3.95; SGD24.23; JPY38.87

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RT @tulsathit: Education minister Suchart has denied he's allowing bribes for school seats, saying he's just allowing clean donations.

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Explosions on Sukhumvit 71 believed to have minimum impact on tourism industry

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Facebook Scam: Whitney Houstons autopsy reveals a shocking secret that explains her death

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RT@terryfrd:Nat'l police chief on CH3 Sorayuth's evening show says Iranians were most likely planning to target Israeli diplomats as in India & Georgia

RT@terryfrd:Sorayuth gave equal time to academic suggesting bombers were part of a set-up to paint Iran as rogue country as a pretext to military action

RT@terryfrd: According to Pol Chief Priewpan, the bomb targets would have been vehicles, not buildings, not indiscrimate killing of innocents.

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Malaysia arrests Iranian over Thai blasts: Police

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BOMBER SUSPECT

Third Iranian suspect arrested and detained in Malaysia

Marisa Chimprabha

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RECONCILIATION SUPPORT

EX-UN Chief Annan to arrive Thursday

BANGKOK:-- Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General and Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland, will arrive Thailand Thursday at the invitation of the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT).

Kofi Annan and Martti Ahtisaari to visit Thailand ThursdayTheir visit aims to support and encourage the ongoing reconciliation efforts in Thailand by sharing experiences of reconciliation initiatives with the TRCT as well as a wide range of actors involved in the reconciliation process.

Speaking before his departure, Annan stated that "We are visiting as friends of the people of Thailand. We shall listen, learn and share our experiences of reconciliation, which we hope will be of value to the TRCT as it moves forward with its work."

Ahtisaari added that "Although no two reconciliation processes are the same, there are issues and challenges that are common to all countries. We hope that our discussions will help Thais to determine their own path towards reconciliation.

-- The Nation 2012-02-15

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Foreign Minister gave press briefing on explosions incident in Bangkok on 14 February 2012

On 15 January 2012, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave a press briefing regarding the explosions incident in Soi Sukhumvit 71, Bangkok on 14 February 2012 at approximately 15.00 hrs. Summary of the briefing is as follows:

1. This morning (15 January 2012), the National Security Council (NSC) convened an urgent meeting of the Thai security authorities concerned regarding the incident which was attended by several high-ranking officials, including the Secretary-General of the National Security Council, Director of the National Intelligence Agency, Director of the Office of Policy and Planning of the Ministry of Defence, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police and the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs. Based on the preliminary investigation and existing evidence, the meeting concluded the following:

1.1 The explosive devices found are Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) with C4 component and magnetic strips. No linkage between this incident and the arrest of Mr. Atris Hussein earlier last month has been found. It is likely that these explosive devices were intended for assassination of individual or individuals rather than a large scale attack.

1.2 The suspects comprise 3 men and 1 woman. The Thai authorities reacted promptly to the incident and 2 out of 4 suspects have already been arrested. The first suspect was the man injured from the explosion at the scene of the incident while another suspect was the man arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport while trying to flee Thailand. Although both suspects were found with Iranian passports, further investigations will be conducted before determining the authenticity of the passports and their nationalities.

1.3 At present, the Thai authorities have not yet identified the two arrested men as terrorists. The Thai police will press criminal charges on these two men on the ground of possessing explosive devices that caused danger and injuries to others as well as attempting murder. Further investigations will have to be conducted before any conclusion can be made.

2. At 15.30 hrs today (15 February 2012), the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs will give a briefing on this incident to members the diplomatic corps and international organizations at the Foreign Ministry. Police General Pansiri Prapawat, Deputy Police Commissioner, will also join the briefing.

3. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been monitoring the travel alerts and advisories issued by countries regarding this incident and found that, as of 15 February 2012 at 11.50 hrs, 10 countries namely Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, Brazil and New Zealand have issued travel advisories, providing the information about the incident and stating that the Thai authorities are investigating the incident. While most of them merely advised their citizens to exercise caution in public areas, none of them has linked the incident with terrorism.

4. The Foreign Minister also sought cooperation from the Thai public to remain vigilant and encouraged them to quickly report to the police should they come across any unusual activities.

Thai Ministry Of Foreign Affairs.

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Thailand Live Thursday 16 Feb 2012

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