Thailand Live Tuesday 20 Mar 2012

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Thailand Live Tuesday 20 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 Monday 19 Mar 2012

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POST-ELECTION PROMISE

Thai Govt may ponder more free computer tablets

Critics say plan to give devices to students faces many potential glitches

BANGKOK: -- The Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec) has proposed the Education Ministry set a Bt4 billion budget for tablet distribution to Matthayom 1 students (Grade 7), an Obec top official said recently.

Full story:

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Germany is committed to helping flood problem: Thai-German ties

BANGKOK: -- German flood experts and their Thai counterparts are in the process of identifying areas of cooperation for long term projects aimed at addressing the problem that Germany Ambassador to Thailand, Rolf Schulze, described as an enormous challenge for any government on the planet.

Full story:

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Serious water policies urged: Inundation

MARSEILLE: -- Governments that have not taken water management seriously should address the issue as a critical concern and set concrete policies to tackle the problems and relieve the impact from climate change and deforestation, experts say.

Full story:

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MISS UNIVERSE

Ex-Channel 7 boss takes Miss Universe Thailand to Channel 5

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Surang Prempree, centre, at a Channel 5 media conference yesterday.

Television tycoon Surang Prempree, who recently left Channel 7, announced yesterday that Channel 5 will co-host this year's Miss Universe Thailand pageant. The finals will take place at the Muang Thai Rachadalai Theatre on June 2 and will be broadcast live.

Surang is the director of the Thai licence for Miss Universe. She signed the contract while she was at Channel 7, run by Bangkok Broadcasting and TV Company Limited, under the title "Miss Thailand Universe".

The name of the show this year has been changed to "Miss Universe Thailand" and it will have a new logo.

"We will find the best representative from Miss Universe Thailand 2012 to compete for Miss Universe. We won't have any problems with Channel 5 broadcasting this year's contest as the channel director cooperates well," Surang said at yesterday's press conference at the Siam Kempinski Hotel.

All the usual features of the pageant will remain, including the national dress and swimming-suit competitions, she said.

Surang said she had considered offering the show to Channel 7, but when her time ran out at BBTV, she decided to offer it to Channel 5. Both channels are owned by the Army.

She refused to confirm if next year's pageant would be broadcast on Channel 5, only saying it would be considered on an annual basis. She also said she was not moving to manage Channel 5 and that she would only answer questions related to Miss Universe Thailand.

Surang, 70, ran Channel 7, Thailand's largest free-TV network, for 26 years. She was let go at the end of last year when her annual contract was not renewed in a major management reshuffle at channel operator BBTV.

-- The Nation 2012-03-20

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Over 2,000 register for compensation: Political violence in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- A total of 2,129 people have registered for compensation relating to events stemming from the political conflict since 2005, according to the chairman of a government subcommittee dealing with the matter.

Full story:

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HAZE

Smog forces Nok Air to drop Mae Hong Son flights

The Nation

CHIANG MAI: -- The smog problem in the North yesterday forced Nok Air to cancel its flights from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son, where visibility had dropped to just 500 metres.

Kan Air's flight to Mae Hong Son, meanwhile, was delayed by several hours for the same reason.

"Nok Air's DD8202 and DD8203 flights from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son have been cancelled," Mae Hong Son Airport's acting director Thanissara Singhakul confirmed.

She said the airport had tried to improve visibility by turning on water sprinklers around its facilities.

The level of small dust particles in the category referred to as PM10 soared to 367.6 micrograms per cubic metre of air yesterday, she said. For the sake of people's health, the level should not exceed 120 micrograms.

In Chiang Rai, the smog problem was also very serious, with the amount of small dust particles touching 431.6 micrograms per cubic metre of air.

Chiang Rai Governor Thanin Supasan said the provincial government was now securing the help of the Royal Thai Air Force in combating the smog.

"Two RTAF planes will be deployed to sprinkle water in the sky over Chiang Rai so as to ease the problem," he said.

Water-sprinkling efforts are expected to help at least a little, as rainfall last week led to a significant fall in smog intensity in the North.

RTAF deputy chief-of-staff Air Marshal Thongchai Chalamket said the aircraft could each carry about 3,700 litres of water per flight, which was sufficient to cover an area of more than one rai.

"We can arrange about 12 flights per day," he said, adding that such planes were normally used for extinguishing forest fires.

The smog has now hit most areas of the North. The Pollution Control Department said the level of small dust particles now ranged between 111 and 432.6 micrograms per cubic metre in the region.

In Lamphun, the level was hovering around 195.4 micrograms, while it had risen to 134.13 micrograms in the neighbouring province of Lampang.

-- The Nation 2012-03-20

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ENVIRONMENT

A third of Thailand's coastal reefs destroyed by sediment

Massive sediments caused by near by land development cover coral reefs at Phuket Province's Au Tang Khen. Pictures by Phuket Marine Biological Center.

BANGKOK: -- More than a third of all coral reefs near coastal areas around the country have been destroyed by sediment from land developments to build hotels, resorts and private homes.

Full story:

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EDITORIAL

Energy pricing policy in urgent need of cohesion: Thai opinion

BANGKOK: -- Varying subsidy levels, uncertainty on fuel supply, and possible logistics inefficiency are all contributing to the problem of the rising cost of living

Full story:

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BURNING ISSUE

PM Yingluck finds firmer footing since flood crisis

BANGKOK: -- Yingluck Shinawatra has come of age in the position of prime minister. Government critics need to rethink if they still believe Yingluck is a stopgap leader keeping the seat warm for the man in Dubai.

Full story:

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Thirayuth biased against Thaksin, Noppadon claims

BANGKOK: -- A lawyer for former premier Thaksin Shinawatra claims that Thammasat University sociologist Thirayuth Boonmi's criticism of the fugitive ex-PM is biased.

Full story:

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Couple arrested at Cambodian border with ancient relics

The Nation

ARANYAPRATHET: -- A French couple was arrested at Aranyaprathet border checkpoint in Sa Kaeo province yesterday for possessing relics that appear to be ancient statues of two Hindu gods.

Officials have detained the two French nationals, aged 69 and 60 years old, for questioning because they did not have a permit to import historic items.

The couple was crossing the border from Poi Pet in Cambodia to Thai soil at the time of their arrest.

They told Thai officials that after they visited Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, they bought the statues from a market, believing the items were newly-made products.

The officials, however, were not convinced because the relics looked very old. So, the couple have been detained and the statues sent to the Fine Arts Department for examination.

-- The Nation 2012-03-20

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Chalerm warns doctors on cold pills

Unusual pseudoephedrine orders being probed, he says

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday implicated unnamed doctors and hospital directors in the sale of pseudoephedrine-based tablets to illicit drug makers, and warned that those who prescribed or distributed large quantities of such medication without naming the recipients would be subject to immediate probes by the Department of Special Investigation.

Full story:

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Drug dealers used tourist bus, police say

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police arrested three men and one woman and allegedly confiscated 200,000 ya ba tablets, which a drug-dealing network sent from Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district to Chon Buri's Pattaya City on a tour bus, National Police Deputy, Pol Lt General Chalermkiat Sriworakhan said yesterday.

Following a tip-off, police claim they nabbed Suthat Phanjee, 41, on Sunday morning while he was collecting the boxes of drugs from a tour bus company office in Pattaya. The arrest of Seksan Sornsuparp, 42, followed at a Bangkok gas station and the arrest of Palida Rattanawirun, 21, in Wang Thong Lang district Sunday on evening. Allegedly the pair were supposed to pick up the drugs from Suthat.

In another case, following a tip off about a drug transport from Lampang to Central, two men aged 21 and 24, were arrested on Sunday afternoon along with six kilograms of crystal meth. Police say they were waiting in a pickup truck to deliver the drugs to a customer in Nonthaburi's Bang Kluay district.

-- The Nation 2012-03-20

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'Service fees should not be part of Bt300 wage'

Thanongsak Muennoo

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Service charges on bills paid by customers for food or hotel staff will not be counted as part of their Bt300 daily minimum wage, a recent meeting of tourism and hospitality operators agreed.

These employees can be given service charges independent of the Bt300 wage they earn from hotels, said Somkiat Chayasriwong, permanent secretary of the Labour Ministry, who headed the meeting.

The labour law does not require employers to pay employees only the Bt300 wage, and not to pay them service charges.

"Employers should be considerate about employees' morale if they choose to pay them only the daily Bt300," he said.

"In case of employee complaints, the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare [under the Labour Ministry] can only ask such employers to 'cooperate' by paying them service charges paid by guests for service staff, because there is no law against employers paying only the Bt300 wage to employees."

Arphorn Chunworn of Apsara Beach Resort and Spa in Phang Nga said a row over service fees would be discussed in an internal meeting on March 28.

On April 1, the Bt300 wage will go into effect in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram, Phuket, Nakhon Pathom and Pathum Thani.

-- The Nation 2012-03-20

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SKY TRAINS

Bt15 fare for extra BTS stops

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will start collecting a Bt15 flat rate fare for the Skytrain service from On Nut station to Bearing station, Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said yesterday.

Following a meeting of city executives yesterday, the governor said the meeting agreed in principle to the flat rate fare of Bt15 for the five stations from On Nut to Bearing. It will be collected from commuters from May 1.

He said the fare - based on an assessment by Krungthep Thanakhom on the number of passengers during a trial period from September 2011 to February 2012 - was appropriate and should not affect service users much. It was expected the extension would serve 119,600 commuters per day this year.

-- The Nation 2012-03-20

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Rama IV sinkhole is not threat to Bangkok's subway: Thai official

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....-thai-official/

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Volunteer shot dead in Pattani; bomb defused in Narathiwat

The Nation

PATTANI: -- A village protection volunteer was shot dead in Pattani's Yaring district yesterday morning. The shooter got away with the victim's .38 pistol.

The victim, 43-year-old Mahama Yamae, was stationed near a roadside engine-oil stand on rural highway number 2016 (Yaring-Nong Raed) when two men on a motorcycle approached him, reportedly asking about an oil seller. When Mahama said the seller was not there, they pulled out the gun and shot him four times. Mahama was pronounced dead at Yaring Hospital from a gunshot under his right ear and three shots in the chest.

Meanwhile, Narathiwat officials disarmed a 50kg bomb inside a pick-up truck, after a suspected insurgent reportedly staged a road accident by ramming the truck into a parked pick-up to lure officials to the scene. However, police suspect the bomb's remote detonator couldn't get within range to trigger the bomb.

At 3.15pm, police went to inspect the accident scene, only 800 meters from the Waeng police station. After spotting the home-made bomb in the rear passenger seat, they quickly retreated and sealed off the scene.

A bomb squad spent 30 minutes disarming the bomb, whose destruction radius was estimated at 100 meters.

Narathiwat deputy police chief Pol Colonel Nanthadej Yoynuan said the insurgents staged the accident to lure police and planned to detonate the bomb but couldn't come close enough.

Police found that the truck, whose licence plate was doctored with a black sticker, was stolen from Narathiwat's Ba Cho district on February 3 when driver Wachira Chanthit was shot dead and his employer's truck was taken.

-- The Nation 2012-03-20

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Woman dies in water-well plunge

PHUKET: -- Phuket City Police are trying to identify the body of a woman found at the bottom of a water well in Phuket Town yesterday afternoon.

Full story:

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PM Yingluck in Phuket: Senators pitch 'special economic zone' plan

Phuket Senator Thanyarat Achiriyachai and appointed senator Wichai Praisa-gnop after their visit with PM Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday. Photo: Warisa Temram.

PHUKET: -- On the eve of the mobile Cabinet meeting that starts today, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra held closed door talks with local tourism industry leaders who urged her to establish Phuket as a special economic zone.

Full story:

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Comodo Cloud Offers 5GB Of Online Storage Space To Android Users

Full story:

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Drunk Go-Go Dancer & Russian Caught In Sex Act On Pattaya Beach

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....-pattaya-beach/

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Thai stock index opens on Tuesday at 1,189.95, up 0.45 points /MCOT

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First Car Buyer Scheme Extension Considered

BANGKOK: -- The Automotive Industry Club of the Federation of Thai Industries is seeking the cabinet's approval to extend the first car buyer program for an additional six months to a year.

President of the Automotive Industry Club, Suparat Sirisuwannangkul, revealed that many automotive manufacturers are restoring their manufacturing facilities in the wake of last year's floods.

Subsequently, there would be a delay in car deliveries for around two to four months, depending on the car models and brands.

The number of first-time car buyers who can receive a 100,000 baht tax rebate from the government has turned out low due to the flood crisis. At the same time, the public has also postponed their plans to buy a new car owing to surging fuel prices.

Suparat pointed out that an increasing number of car drivers have decided to run on gas instead. He stated that the Federation of Thai Industries or FTI will review the first car buyers program during the second quarter of this year. The scheme is scheduled to expire at the end of this year.

In the event that there are a high number of prospect buyers, the FTI will propose the government to extend the scheme for an additional six months to a year.

The president of the Federation of Thai Auto Industry Clubs forecast that the all manufacturing facilities would be completely recovered in the second quarter. Subsequently, vehicle production capacity would increase from current figure at 140,000 to 160,000-180,000 units a month.

Therefore, the production of cars throughout this year would be recorded at two million units.

Ford Motor Company Marketing Director Adisai Sirisingha said the first car buyer scheme has created intense market competition for cars equipped with 1.5 liter engines.

The Ford Company will begin offering a new Ford Fiesta equipped with a 1.5 liter engine. It will start taking the orders in the 33th Bangkok International Motor Show from March 28 to April 8.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-20

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Trang requests THB150 million to improve provincial airport and tourist sites

PHUKET, 20 March 2012 (NNT) – Trang will give its tourism a big boost if the Cabinet which is holding a mobile meeting in nearby Phuket, approves its proposal for an expansion of the provincial airport and improvement of three emerging tourist spots.

The proposal says about 300,000 tourists are coming to Trang each year and the number tends to rise while its airport is still limited in space to accommodate a lot of visitors. The three tourist spots to benefit from the budget request are Pak Neung Beach which is used to connect tourists to other islands but lacks basic infrastructures, Khao Chang Hai Cave which is only 10 kms away from the central district and Sukon Island inhabited by a large number of people and still having no roads and bridges. The improvement of the afore-mentioned infrastructures requires a total budget of more than THB150 million.

It is expected that the development of Trang Airport will boost provincial tourism which brings in about THB5 billion baht annually, the province's second largest income earner after rubber.

-- NNT 2012-03-20

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Democrat Party Aims to Tackle Rising Cost of Living

BANGKOK: -- The Democrat party is preparing to open a center to tackle high goods prices and solve the problem of decreasing crop prices for farmers. There has also been price manipulation to increase the prices of all kinds of fertilizers, which will impact agricultural product prices.

Democrat spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut disclosed that the shadow commerce ministry under the Democratic Party will open a center to tackle high goods prices for consumers and a Facebook page for users to comment or complain about the rising product prices, and the declining crop prices for farmers.

He stated that the government does not have effective solutions even though a board has been established to tackle this issue and that the government is not providing the facts to the people.

Regarding the palm oil price, which the current government claimed that the price is cheaper than they were under the previous government, Chavanond said that the Democrat party has set palm oil prices at 42 baht per bottle since July 1 before the election.

Chavanond further stated that egg prices were also cheaper due to the free breeders program under the previous government. Furthermore, the latest report indicates that there has been price manipulation to increase the prices of all kinds of fertilizers, which will impact agricultural product prices.

Meanwhile, Petchaburi Senator Sumon Sutawiriyawat has discussed in the senate meeting about a debt deferment measure in favor of well-behaved debtors who have made late payments.

Last year, the government bank has spent a large amount of money on flood rehabilitation, which has impaired debtor credibility for well-behaved debtors and caused many loans borrowed by the debtors to become default.

The government bank will also increase their deposit fees by 0.47 percent. For this reason, the government has been urged to establish measures to help debtors such as lowering their personal income taxes.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-20

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Danish Couple Flee From Kitchen Fire

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/542092-danish-couple-flee-from-kitchen-fire/

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Govt monitors progress of Andaman University project

KRABI, 20 March 2012 (NNT) – During the first southern mobile cabinet meeting of the Yingluck Administration, Minister attached to the Prime Minister’s Office Nivatthamrong Boonsongpaisal visited the construction site of the Andaman University.

Along with Public Relations Department (PRD) Director-General Teerapong Sodasri, Mr. Nivatthamrong traveled to Baan Thung Kanoon Pan in Krabi province’s Nue Klong District to follow up on the progress of the projected Andaman University. Initially, a budget of approximately 20 million baht has been proposed to fund the project.

Once established, the university will become a regional center of education and research, of which the target is to reduce the problem of local people relocating to the country's capital in order to further their university studies. Local authorities will also have an opportunity to participate in educational management of the region. Meanwhile, educational personnel will be able to develop and enhance their professional teaching capacity as well as establish a teaching curriculum which responds directly to local needs. By constructing this university, the government aims to create more educational opportunities for youths and people living in provinces along the Andaman coast as well as nearby provinces in order to bring about a worthy use of local natural resources.

-- NNT 2012-03-20

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RT @BangkokDan: From son's school newsletter: "The rising hemlines of girl's skirts is of growing concern"... no other concerns mentioned.