Thailand Live Wednesday 21 Mar 2012

[webfact]

Thailand Live Wednesday 21 March 2012

News, Bits and Tweets

with webfact

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.

FOLLOW US:

You can also follow us on

- Twitter: http://twitter.com/georgebkk

- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ThaiVisaNews

- Google+: http://plus.google.com/116866638430460700577/

- Breaking News via SMS text messages to your mobile phone or handheld device

To subscribe dial *424010011 on AIS, One-2-Call, DTAC or True Move networks

14 days complementary subscription for Thaivisa members.

If you have questions about the Breaking News SMS service,

email: sms [at] thaivisa.com

________________________________________________________________________________

Thailand's current weather and forecasts: http://weather.thaivisa.com/

________________________________________________________________________________

Related topic: Thailand Live Tuesday 20 Mar 2012

[webfact]

THAIVISA CONNECT

Thaivisa Forum Apps for your mobile or tablet

"Thaivisa Connect" for iPhone, iPad and iPod:

iTunes App Store:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thaivisa-connect-thailand/id492600537

"Thaivisa Connect" for Android:

Android Market

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.quoord.tapatalkthaivisa.activity

OR

For QR code just go here with your desktop or mobile:

http://apps.thaivisa.com

[webfact]

Phuket to receive lion's share of Cabinet's Andaman budget

Deputy government spokesman Pakdeeharn Himathongkham (left) and Deputy government spokesman Chalitrat Chantarubeksa announce the projects that were provisionally approved by the Cabinet. Photo: Warisa Temram

Full story:

[webfact]

Thai Cabinet approves 15-day paternity leave

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet has approved paid leave of up to 15 days for state officials or employees whose wives have given birth to take care of the new mothers and babies, acting government spokesman Anusorn Eiumsa-ard said yesterday.

Full story:

[webfact]

POLITICS

Govt must block plans for red-shirt 'welcome' for Thaksin

BANGKOK: -- The ruling Pheu Thai Party should try to block a red-shirt leader from mobilising the crowds in the Northeast to act as a shield for the homecoming of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a Democrat MP said yesterday.

Full story:

[webfact]

First computer tablets likely to arrive in April: Thailand

Chinese firm may be asked for an initial 50,000; Anudith rejects bribery claim

BANGKOK: -- The Chinese supplier in the government's "One Tablet Per Child" project is expected to deliver the first batch of the 900,000 devices by the middle of next month.

Full story:

[webfact]

HEALTH CARE

Transfers of patients to Thai state hospital refused

BANGKOK: -- State-run hospitals are starting to refuse transfers of acute patients from private hospitals due to the Social Security Office (SSO)'s new financial management system.

Full story:

[webfact]

VALENTINE'S DAY BLASTS

Iranian admits to Bangkok blasts but won't reveal motives

BANGKOK: -- The Iranian who lost both his legs in the February 14 explosions has been charged with four offences, including the attempted murder of policemen on duty, but remains silent on his motives and the source of explosives he was possessing, deputy national police chief Pansiri Praphawat said yesterday.

Full story:

[webfact]

HAZE

Air in Mae Sai thick with dust

MAE SAI: -- Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district was blanketed by 441.6 micrograms/|cubic metres (ug/m3) of fine particle dust for a second day in a row yesterday, while six other provinces suffered from PM10 dust above the safety level of 120 ug/m3, the Pollution Control Department said yesterday.

Full story:

[webfact]

Euro zone leaders will save monetary union: German ambassador to Thailand

Schulze

BANGKOK: -- In spite of the current gloomy economic prospects in the European Union, the German ambassador to Thailand has said the euro zone is unlikely to break up because its leaders are committed to saving the monetary union.

Full story:

[webfact]

STOPPAGE TIME

A leopard can change its spots: Thai opinion

Thirayuth Boonmee has been there and done that.

Full story:

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Listen to the issues and take the right action: Thai opinion

BANGKOK: -- Cabinet meetings held in the provinces will remain nothing but a publicity stunt unless the govt acts upon the grievances of local people

Full story:

[webfact]

Canada's PM to visit Thailand, Japan and South Korea

OTTAWA, March 21, 2012 (AFP) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will travel to Thailand and Japan for trade talks this week before attending a nuclear summit in Seoul, his office announced Tuesday.

Full story:

[webfact]

Polluters will pay under new Thai law

BANGKOK: -- Cabinet yesterday gave the go-ahead to a five-year pollution management plan, which will implement the polluters-pay concept.

Full story:

[webfact]

BMA may start policing traffic

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has discussed with the Royal Thai Police the possibility of the city administration assuming oversight of traffic police in the capital.

City Council president Suthichai Virakulsunthorn yesterday met with National Police deputy chief General Ek Angsawanont at City Hall to discuss the possibility of transferring the supervision of traffic policing.

Suthichai said after the meeting that the BMA and the police had worked together to police traffic in Bangkok, such as by overseeing traffic lights and security cameras on the streets, as well as imposing fines on offending motorists.

He said the City Council would set up an ad hoc committee to study the feasibility of transferring traffic police to be under the BMA.

Ek said a main obstacle to the transfer was the Land Traffic Act of 1979, which would need to be amended to empower local officials to act as traffic police. He said the Council of State, the government's legal advisory agency, was drafting an amendment to the law.

The deputy chief said the amendment would allow the city administration to oversee traffic affairs in Bangkok.

"Police are pleased to transfer our existing power relating to traffic to the BMA, but we still have a problem about the workforce. Traffic police do not work on traffic alone; they also are involved with crime suppression, crowd control and road safety," he said.

Meanwhile, traffic policemen at different Bangkok police stations interviewed yesterday said they would move to work under the BMA if the benefits were better, although they loved being police - their occupation of choice for many years.

-- The Nation 2012-03-21

[webfact]

SINKHOLE

Sewage pipes checked at site

THANATPONG KHONGSAI

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) yesterday dispatched a robot equipped with lights and a CCTV camera to inspect the sewage pipeline under the Thai-Belgian Friendship Overpass on Bangkok's Rama IV Road, after a five-metre-wide sinkhole occurred on the road on Sunday.

It is believed that the sinkhole was caused by prolonged seepage through a drainage pipe.

Since initial inspection found no leaks in the sewage pipeline, officials will be scanning the Rama IV tunnel today using the same method.

Adisak Kantee, deputy director of the BMA drainage department, led 50 officials yesterday morning to inspect the sewage pipes for damages, hence blocking traffic from the overpass to the inbound Wireless intersection. Adisak explained that Chong Nonsi district's 80-centimetre-wide sewage pipeline was located six metres under the sinkhole. Officials pumped out the water and mud until the pipe only had 15cm of water and lifted the manhole cover under the overpass and another at Wireless intersection before dropping a remote-controlled robot to take photos from inside. It took the robot an hour to survey the 105-metre stretch.

Adisak said the robot had found no leaks in the pipe and that the Rama IV tunnel would be inspected today. He said he was sure that the tunnel was fine despite its age, because it is underground and hence could not be affected. He added that the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority pipe would also be inspected soon.

-- The Nation 2012-03-21

[webfact]

Trial of new traffic system jams city

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Heavy traffic jams were the result as the Metropolitan Police kicked off a trial run early yesterday of a new traffic-light system - which automatically adjusts according to the volume of vehicles - in 14 locations along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes. The trial will run until April 28.

Deputy chief of traffic police, Pol Maj-General Worasak Noppasitthiporn said the city's traffic engineering office had asked city police not to control traffic lights manually during certain periods as the new system was being tested.

Testing sites for the new traffic lights include Tha Phra, Taksin, Chan-Narathiwat, Ratchada-Narathiwat, Nang Linchee and Rama III intersections.

The trial kicked off at midnight, resulting in severe bottlenecks on many roads such as Sathorn's Narin intersection as well as Sathupradit, Chan, Ratcha-preuk, Kalapapreuk and Rama III roads, which forced the discontinuation of the test at 9am. Traffic police were then allowed to resume their manual control of the traffic flow, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-21

[webfact]

School scheme ready to go

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- After three years of preparation, the World-Class Standard School scheme is ready to be launched with the first 500 schools and a Bt1.5-billion budget.

The 381 high schools and 119 primary schools will be given Bt3 million each to improve their students' academic skills using modern techniques and equipment, Shinnaphat Phoomirat, secretary-general of the Basic Education Commission, said yesterday.

A key yardstick is that mathematics and science must be taught in English by 2015 to ensure competency at an international level.

By year-end, the second batch of 500 schools for the scheme will be selected from 2,626 "Dream Schools" based on campus environment, teacher quality, student grades and the teaching of English and a second foreign language.

Besides the World-Class Standard School and the second Dream School projects, the Basic Education Commission is implementing two more initiatives - Good Schools at the tambon and community levels.

-- The Nation 2012-03-21

[webfact]

Thai court gives green light to wage hike

BANGKOK: -- The government has been given the green light to raise the minimum wage on April 1, after the Central Adminis-trative Court yesterday refused to impose an injunction on the move.

Full story:

[webfact]

Thailand Aims To Be A Hub For Health And Beauty Products

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....eauty-products/

[webfact]

Chalerm In Phuket: Police To Focus On Drugs, Not Closing Times

Full story:

[webfact]

Cabinet approves Bt200mn for Phuket mangrove flyover

Phuket City Mayor Somjai Suwansupapana explains details of the Klong Koh Pee project to Prime Minsiter Yingluck Shinawatra during the site inspection yesterday. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan said the Klong Koh Pee project would cost 200 million baht and take 480 days to complete. Cabinet approved the project today. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

Full story:

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE

First, learn how the other side thinks: Thai society

BANGKOK: -- National reconciliation is an admirable goal but it would be a misplaced goal if Thai society has yet to learn how to co-exist and compete with those who think differently about politics in a peaceful, constructive and democratic manner.

Full story:

[webfact]

Reconciliation panel agrees with KPI proposals: Sonthi

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Leader of the 2006 coup, Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who is now chairing the House panel on national reconciliation, said yesterday the committee found proposals from the King Prajadhipok Institute (KPI) acceptable and did not think they would lead to further conflict.

General Sonthi, an MP from the opposition Matubhum Party, said the panel had endorsed the KPI report, which outlined proposals on achieving national reconciliation. As Army chief, Sonth led a coup in September 2006 to overthrow the government of Thaksin Shinawatra, citing rampant corruption, abuse of power, and severe social division.

"The House committee has almost completed its work, and the remaining job is to gather comments from committee members," Sonthi said after attending a four-hour-long meeting with the panel yesterday.

"I believe the research report from King Prajadhipok Institute will not cause more conflict. The proposals come in a multiple-choice format," he said.

Sonthi said his panel's report, which will be presented to Parliament, will also include the viewpoints of panel members who agree as well as those who disagree, adding that the panel would convene its last meeting next Tuesday.

He also said that the panel and the KPI would be holding a press conference today to provide information on its proposals. Political party leaders, MPs and senators have been invited to join the event, which will be held at Bangkok's Miracle Grand Hotel from 10am.

Opposition and Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday he had been invited to the event, and added that he hoped the KPI researchers would be able to answer questions about their report.

However, he said, he disagreed that the House panel should be allowed to vote to decide on what proposals should be adopted. He said the decision should be based on the majority of the respondents or cases in KPI's research study in order to avoid possible distortion of the findings.

For instance, he said, most foreign countries did not offer amnesty to offenders facing criminal charges.

Meanwhile, KPI's deputy secretary-general Wuthisan Tanchai said yesterday that he did not think the institute's report would please everybody.

"The institute believes that in order to reconcile, one has to forgive first," he said, adding that the KPI had proposed amnesty for offenders facing criminal cases as well as those who violated the law due to political motives.

The KPI interviewed 47 people, including Abhisit and Thaksin, Wuthisan said, adding that a representative had been sent overseas to interview the former PM in person.

At the panel's meeting yesterday, members from the opposition said the KPI report was still incomplete and had to be finished before any decision could be made by the panel, a source said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-21

[webfact]

Supreme Court clears Boonjong in poll case

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Bhum Jai Thai MP Boonjong Vongtrirat yesterday won an acquittal verdict for electoral fraud, escaping punishment by disqualification and saving his party from disbandment.

The Supreme Court's Elections Division handed down the favourable verdict on grounds of insufficient evidence to link Boonjong to the campaigning offence.

"I am pleased with my acquittal and look forward to resuming my parliamentary duty," he said in reference to his job suspension during the trial.

In forming its decision, the high court recognised the Election Commission had ruled to disqualify Boonjong for campaign offences committed on November 19 and 20, 2010 in the lead-up to a Nakhon Ratchasima by-election.

At the time Boonjong resigned his position as deputy interior minister under the Abhisit Vejjajiva government to contest the by-election.

The prosecution argued Boonjong was involved in a seminar held at a seaside resort in Rayong. Some 300 local officials, seen as Boonjong's vote canvassers, attended the event, which could have been construed as vote-buying.

An organiser, Saipirun Noisiri, was the star prosecution witness to testify against Boonjong.

The high court found Saipirun's statement contained several discrepancies. It said although the prosecution had shown a video clip depicting participants and panellists supporting a vote for Boonjoing, there was no evidence to directly link him to orchestrating the event to buy or sway votes.

Bhum Jai Thai spokesman Suphachai Jaisamut said the high court had allowed the defence and prosecution to fully present factual evidence and arguments on points of law before deciding not to endorse the EC ruling.

"This is proof the judiciary is a reliable last resort to ensure justice," he said, expressing relief his party was still intact and safe.

Under electoral law, the disqualification of Boonjong, who is concurrently a party executive, could have led to a mandatory judicial review for party disbanding.

-- The Nation 2012-03-21

[webfact]

Thai credit card spending dropped considerably in January

BANGKOK, 21 March 2012 (NNT) – The central bank has reported a considerable drop in the country's credit-card spending in the month of January.

According to the Bank of Thailand (BoT), January-2012 credit card spending totaled 101 billion baht, down from the previous month of December 2011 by 27.8 billion baht or a 21.54 percent drop.

In terms of the types of spending, the central bank said that domestic expenses stood at 87 billion baht in January or 16.62 percent lower than December 2011, while overseas transactions were worth 4.69 billion baht, or a 1.95 percent decrease from the preceding month. At the same time, advance cash withdrawals totaled 9.74 billion baht, which is 51.65 percent less than December.

In addition, total active credit cards in Thailand were 15.27 million in January, slightly less than in the preceding month but 7.47 percent more than in January 2011.

Mrs. Tongurai Limpiti, the BoT's Assistant Governor for Financial Institutions Policy Group, said that the problem with the credit card business in the first month of this year is not worrying as the decrease in the spending might be caused by the flood-induced shortage of goods and the inevitable delay in the post-flood restoration of damaged properties.

-- NNT 2012-03-21

[webfact]

Cabinet closes with Southern protest

Phuket Gazette

The group travelled from Satun, Songkhla and Chumphon provinces, to protest the lack of public input into major development projects being approved. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

Protest leader Wichoksak Ronarongpairee alleged that some projects were being approved without properly completing the environmental impact assessment requirements. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

Full story:

[webfact]

Railway Protection Unit caught in bomb ambush in Narathiwat's Cho-Airong district; one volunteer paramilitary ranger killed, three wounded /MCOT

Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,197.24, up 0.64 points /MCOT

[webfact]

14 Year Old Malaysian Girl Kidnapped For Prostitution Is Rescued In Bangkok

Full story:

[webfact]

300,000 Meth Pills Seized in Double Drug Busts

BANGKOK: -- The anti-drug police on Monday seized nearly 300,000 amphetamine pills along with some crystal meth in two drug busts at Bangkok's outskirts.

Police arrested three people and seized around 250,000 amphetamine pills along with some crystal meth. Forty-one other items including three cars, two motorcycles, 700,000-baht in cash, and 14 gold ornaments were also confiscated. The items combined are worth millions of baht total.

The suspects were Samphan Kleekesorn , Preecha Datumma and Nantana Sileung.

They were found to have ties with a detained drug dealer.

After receiving a tip-off by an undercover officer that a house in Nonthaburi's Bang Kruai District was used as a hideout by drug dealers, police officers have erected a checkpoint and searched a cab suspected of being used for drug deliveries.

In another drug bust, Anuwat Sapkanjana and Worawat Nuchsiengpror were arrested with 30,000 meth pills, as well as guns and ammunition, seven cellphones, and a BMW car.

The two suspects rented an apartment room on Phaholyothin 35 Road as their hideout and used the vehicle to transport drugs.

A sting operation was then carried out following a tip-off about a drug delivery at the apartment's parking lot. Both suspects were charged with possession of Class 1 illicit drugs.

-- Tan Network 2012-03-21