Thailand Live Friday 16 Mar 2012

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Thailand Live Friday 16 March 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 15 Mar 2012

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AIR TRAFFIC

PM Yingluck orders all budget airlines to fly from Don Mueang Airport

Govt decision prompted by mounting chaos and congestion at Suvarnabhumi

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered that all low-cost airlines move to Don Mueang Airport to improve air and runway traffic at Suvarnabhumi, but the plan is unlikely to ease the current turmoil frustrating countless travellers.

Full story:

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Bangkok cabbie urged to return Bt13m worth of gold

BANGKOK: -- The owner of a gold shop in Ubon Ratchathani alerted police yesterday saying that he had left gold ornaments worth Bt13 million in a taxi on Wednesday evening, police said yesterday.

Full story:

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DAILY MINIMUM WAGE

Firms go to court against Thai govt Bt300-wage order

BANGKOK: -- About 42 companies from various industries have lodged a complaint with the Central Administrative Court over an official order requiring employers to raise their daily minimum wages.

Full story:

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HOTEL FIRE

Building owners urged to have papers in order

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- While highrise buildings are being inspected for safety measures, managers or building owners found lacking in proper documentation could face punishment as per the 1992 Building Control Act.

District councillor Kitpon Cherdchukijkul also called on owners of buildings erected before 1992 as well as owners of billboards, theatres and malls to apply for building permits and submit their blueprints to the relevant district offices.

Kitpon, who leads the Bangkok Council's special committee in charge of checking on buildings for safety, said his panel would consider the framework for the inspection of buildings, amend buildingcontrol regulations, set up a subcommittee to study related laws for flaws and possibly increase building tax. It will also look into hosting a public forum for establishment operators and building owners. The committee's inspection results of buildings built before 1992 will be tabled along with recommendations to the Bangkok Council to pass more updated building regulations.

-- The Nation 2012-03-16

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Assets Of New Thai Ministers Announced

Full story:

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Eight Red-Shirt Leaders In Khon Kaen Jailed And Fined Bt29 Million

Full story:

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CONTROVERSIAL TRANSFER

Ex-Perm Sec Panita threatens to sue Thai social development minister

The Nation

Permanent secretary Panita accuses Santi of slander, neglecting duties

BANGKOK: -- Panita Kambhu na Ayutthaya, the permanent secretary of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry who was recently shunted to an inactive post by the minister, Santi Promphat, yesterday threatened to sue him for slander.

Full story:

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KPI research team to explain its study in detail: Thailand reconciliation

BANGKOK: -- The King Prajadhipok Institute (KPI) research team, assigned to conduct a study on reconciliation, will next Wednesday disclose the methodology it has used.

Full story:

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EDITORIAL

Students have to work hard to get quality education: Thai opinion

BANGKOK: -- New activist group highlights sexual abuse, large class sizes, misleading information on courses and poor teaching standards as major problems in colleges and universities

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....n-thai-opinion/

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Thaksin invites his Thai fans to join him in Laos for Songkran

Full story:

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Millions lost in tax revenue over imported cars: Thailand

BANGKOK: -- A Department of Special Investigation (DSI) investigation of car imports found that in January alone, 166 new cars had been wrongly registered as having been bought more than 18 months ago in order to lower their value before being smuggled into the country.

Full story:

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Use of English to teach multiple: Thai education

BANGKOK: -- The English for Integrated Studies (EIS) model has proven to be accessible to students from all income levels and to improve Thai teachers and students' English communication skills, organisers of a conference promoting the approach said.

Full story:

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Suphoth case should be concluded by May

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A National AntiCorruption Commission (NACC) subcommittee has said that by May it will have concluded its investigation into corruption allegations against suspended permanent secretary of Transport Suphoth Sublomas well as his allegedly unusual wealth and falsely reported assets.

NACC deputy chief Worawit Sukboon, who leads the investigating subpanel, said yesterday that Suphoth would be summoned to explain himself on Monday before 12 witnesses on his side are interviewed and the case concluded for the NACC's consideration in May. However, if investigators are unable to meet the deadline, it will be extended by another 30 days.

Worawit added that if Suphoth could not explain the origins of his money and assets, the NACC would push for a seizure of the assets. He said his panel would be sending a letter to Suphoth tomorrow asking him to explain his assets in the next 15 days.

-- The Nation 2012-03-16

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Pattani explosion kills one, injures three others

The Nation

PATTANI: -- A motorcycle bomb exploded in Pattani yesterday, killing one villager and wounding three others including two soldiers, though a homemade bomb found in Narathiwat on Wednesday was defused in time.

Though the Pattani bomb attack was targeted at a squad of soldiers travelling on a pickup truck, it also hit two civilians nearby and damaged two motorcycles. The wounds sustained by the three men are not serious.

The Honda Wave motorcycle, which contained the 5kilogram bomb, had recently been reported as stolen, police said, adding that the explosive had been triggered through a twoway radio.

Three previous bomb attacks had been carried out at or near the explosion site, located off Route 410 near Kahong cemetery, police added.

In Narathiwat, ordnance officials defused a homemade bomb attached to a power pole after it was detected by a squad of paramilitary rangers who were on footpatrol in Rangae district.

The bomb, consisting of 20kg of explosives mixed in with petrolsoaked fertilisers, shrapnel created from pieces of steel and housed in a cooking gas cylinder, could have hurt people in a 50metre radius, police said.

Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapha, who is currently on a visit to the deep South, said the government's threeyear plan to solve problems in the South was heading in the right direction and that it would be evaluated once the emergency law comes to an end in June.

He said that people affected by authorities' mistakes, crime and abuse, as well as those mistakenly killed or innocents who died in custody, were entitled to the same amount of compensation as victims of political turmoil. The issue is being sorted out by the military, the Interior Ministry and the Internal Security Operations Command, he added.

-- The Nation 2012-03-16

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Workers want their jobs guaranteed

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- About 1,000 workers rallied outside the Labour Ministry yesterday, demanding a guarantee that they will not lose their jobs in the wake of last year's flooding and imminent merging of businesses.

Workers from Toshiba Storage Device (Thailand), previously known as Fujitsu Group, were rallying out of concern that the upcoming merger with Western Digital might affect their jobs.

Apirom Paethaisong, who heads the Fujitsu Group (Thailand) labour union, explained that the workers were concerned because representatives of Western Digital had warned them that they might lose their jobs because they had taken up temporary employment during the more than five months when they had no work.

"Although the employees were paid their salaries for that period, this was not enough for daily expenses because the workers usually relied on overtime wages," Apirom said, explaining why some workers needed to take up temporary jobs in other companies.

"We hope to get a written promise that the workers will not lose their jobs and that their benefits will not be reduced," he said.

Arthit Ismo, directorgeneral of the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, said companies had always insisted that they would not lay off workers following a merger.

"The merger should not affect their welfare either," he said.

According to Arthit, workers should not lose their regular jobs just because they had picked up temporary employment, provided they had done this via the "Friends Help Friends" project, which was created to help floodaffected workers.

"The project still has more than 80,000 vacancies in 44 provinces," Arthit said, as he warned workers against staging a rally to pressure employers. "They should try negotiating, because rallying will only worry employers and investors, and that will not be good for workers' prospect."

-- The Nation 2012-03-16

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HRH to preside over cremation

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has graciously consented to preside over the cremation of Khun Chamong Krairiksh.

The cremation ceremonies will be held on March 25, from 5.30pm at Bangkok's Wat Makutkasattriyaram.

-- The Nation 2012-03-16

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Activist backs farmers in Ayutthaya

Prapasri Osathanon

The Nation

FROC, BMA held responsible for crisis; court rejects injunction plea

BANGKOK: -- Plaintiff Tossiri Pulnuan said the Flood Relief Operation Centre (FROC) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) should be held responsible for the failed flood management.

She said she backed the lawsuit by Ayutthaya farmers against the government plan to build floodwalls around industrial estates, despite the Supreme Administrative Court rejecting her plea yesterday for a temporary injunction.

The court yesterday afternoon heard her plea seeking an injunction, aimed at assisting flood victims in Nonthaburi's Bang Bua Thong district, ordering the FROC and BMA to open the Klong Mahasawat sluice gate in the appropriate proportion to the two agencies' floodwater management capacity. The plea rejection was on the ground that the flood disaster had ended and the BMA had currently opened the gate 1 metre wide and the canal level was lower than the floodwalls.

The court ruled that there were no grounds to grant the injunction as the flood situation had ended.

Meanwhile, at a seminar yesterday by the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DPMD), academics urged the government to implement a serious floodprevention plan and argued that the 2.2 million rai (352,000 hectares) of "monkey cheek" floodretention areas were not enough and the construction of floodways was needed.

About 100 representatives from the public and private sectors attended the seminar at Bangkok's Miracle Grand Hotel.

Tossiri said she hoped that this lawsuit would bring about equality in the treatment of people from Nonthaburi and Bangkok. It would also prevent the government from making unilateral decisions, and instead get them to involve the people in solving problems in their neighbourhoods.

Commenting that the floodprevention plan for 2012 is still based on the government attitude of acting on its own, without seeking local people's opinions, she said previous problems would reoccur and lead to endless disputes between the government and the people.

She cited as an example the government plan to build floodwalls around Ayutthaya's industrial estates, without hosting a public forum for surrounding communities to voice their opinions and participate in the decision making. This had led to the lawsuit by farmers and nongovernmental organisations.

She asked why the government chose to protect industrial estates rather than farmlands when Thailand was an agriculture country. She urged the government to clarify that and think more about issues affecting people.

Citing a World Bank estimate, she said the Thai flood inflicted damage of Bt1.4 trillion while loss of income was almost Bt800 billion and growth in gross domestic product shrank to 0.1 per cent.

Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, deputy secretarygeneral of the National Economic and Social Development Board, urged that this year the authorities should not underestimate the impacts of the disaster and focus on practices and tools to check for readiness.

Energy for Environment director Seri Supharathit called for drought and watershortage solutions besides flood prevention and urged that the agencies work on integrating and using existing but unused disaster prevention and mitigation plans. As the previous flood had seen 14 billion cubic metres of flood water, he said the 2.2 million rai of "monkey cheek" areas might not be enough. He said floodways needed to be constructed.

-- The Nation 2012-03-16

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Krysztof Hajtalowicz vs Arnaud Lepont to Headline DARE Championship 2/12 on March 17th

BANGKOK: -- DARE 2/12 is all set for this Saturday at the Insomnia Night Club in Bangkok with the first fight scheduled to get underway at 4pm. There are seven fights on a card which could well be the best in Thai history.

Full story:

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Thailand pet-owners on high alert for dog-nappers

Full story:

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PM Yingluck made surprise trip to inspect dredging of downstream river

BANGKOK, 16 March 2012 (NNT) - The prime minister has made a surprise visit to the site of the state-initiated canal dredging in Bangkok.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on Thursday, visited Khlong Sanam Chai in Bang Khun Thian District to check on the dredging work in downstream areas.

The visit was not known to army personnel working on the project and became a surprise to all who were on duty.

Colonel Chalermpol Muttarak, who was in charge of the work, has informed the Premier that the dredging and the widening of Khlong Sanam Chai, or Sanam Chai canal, has received full cooperation from locals, resulting in a significant progress of the project.

PM Yingluck, then, showed her appreciation to the hard work of all officers involved and presented new tools and equipment to those tasked with the dredging there.

After the inspection was completed, the prime minister spoke to news media and pledged that the government will immediately lend its hand to any canal dredging work, in case of any setbacks.

She has affirmed that the preparation for Khlong Sanam Chai will help Bangkok be better prepared for possible flooding later this year.

-- NNT 2012-03-16

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 1,175.38, up 4.04 points /MCOT

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Phuket MICE tourists in Patong bus crash

PHUKET: -- A bus full passengers in Phuket for a seminar crashed into a house at the bottom of Patong Hill this morning.

Full story:

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Thaksin keeping mum on Bangkok race

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has not drawn a conclusion on the Pheu Thai Party campaign for the position of Bangkok governor, MP Jirayu Huangsub said on Friday.

"There is no conclusion drawn and Thaksin wants to treat the issue as confidential," he said.

Jirayu met Thaksin in Hong Kong earlier this week to discuss the campaign strategy for the gubernatorial race, expected early next year.

He said Thaksin appeared in a better spirit than when he last saw him three years previously.

He also said he might have another meeting with Thaksin in Phnom Penh.

Thaksin is scheduled to make a private visit to Cambodia from Thursday to Saturday.

-- The Nation 2012-03-16

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Generous Beggar to Offer a Million Baht to the Temple

NAKHON PATHOM: -- A beggar has donated nearly one million baht to charity.

Sixty-two-year-old Eiam Chabhiranon, a native of Saraburi Province, has suffered from polio since birth. He is a beggar who spends his days at the Rai Khing Temple in Nakhon Pathom's Sam Phran District, asking passers-by for money.

Yesterday, he gave nearly one million baht in cash to the temple. The cash was received by the temple's abbot who will further use that money for an upcoming celebration hosted by the temple.

Eiam said he has begged at the temple for over 32 years since 1949. He stated that on the ground next to him lies a poster, saying he will allocate a part of the donations he receives to the temple.

Eiam has donated to the temple annually. At first he gave about 300 baht, and then he increased the amount gradually on a yearly basis. Recently, he handed nearly one million baht to the temple.

He also has money left to the hire famous singer “Takkatan-Chonlada” to perform at the temple anniversary celebration.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-16

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Phuket Gazette: Elephant butchered in Krabi

Officials inspect the elephant carcass, which was partially decapitated. Photo: Warisa Temram

PHUKET: -- Livestock officials in Krabi are investigating the death of a male elephant found partially decapitated on a remote hilltop rubber plantation in Khao Khraam District yesterday afternoon, the Phuket Gazette has learned.

Full story:

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26th House & Condo Fair Expected to Generate Bt3 Bln in Sales

BANGKOK: -- The 26th House & Condo Fair which resumed yesterday is anticipated to generate more than three billion baht in sales.

Finance Minister Kittirat Na-Ranong said in an interview after presiding over the opening ceremony of the 26th House & Condo Fair yesterday that the ministry has coordinated with the Housing Business Association, the Thai Condominium Association and the Thai Real Estate Association to hold the fair from yesterday to March 15 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

He said the ministry targets sales of at least three billion baht from the ten-day event and the credit loan would reach ten billion baht.

More than 100,000 people are expected to join the fair.

Kittirat added the last year's severe floods has adversely affected the real estate business.

He said all sides must work together to bring normalcy to the country which will be the key factor contributed to the growth in all aspects of economy, namely the labor market, urban and infrastructure development, tax collection and loan issuance.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-16

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Owner Offers Big Reward for Return of Bt13M Worth of Gold

BANGKOK: -- The owner of a gold shop in Ubon Ratchathani Province is offering Bt500,000 reward to anyone who found and returned the bag, which contained 540 baht weight of gold, to him. He had accidentally left the bag that contained the gold ornaments on the front seat of a pink taxi on Tuesday evening.

Full story:

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Phattalung Governor Vows Harsh Action Against Illegal Logging

PATTALUNG: -- The Phattalung provincial governor vows to enact harsh measures against rampant illegal logging.

A special anti-illegal logging task force carried out aerial surveys of forests on the Bantad mountain range in Srinakharindara, Kong Ra, Tamode and Pa Bon districts of Phattalung Province following reports of encroachment on preserved forest areas by local villagers and businesspeople for rubber tree plantations.

Encroachments were found in ten locations. The largest encroached land is about 100 rai.

The authorities also discovered illegal timber processing factories Lam Sint Sub-district of Srinakharindara District and Khlong Chalerm Subdistrict of Kong Ra District.

Processed timbers were scattered around the sites awaiting transportation. All workers ran into the woods upon spotting the forest patrol helicopter.

Phattalung Governor Winyoo Thongsakul has ordered officials to go to the sites and bring the suspects to prosecution. Acknowledging that illegal logging remains widespread in the province, he pledges to take more vigorous action to put a stop to the problem.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-16