Thailand Live Monday 9 Apr 2012

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Thailand Live Monday 9 April 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 8 Apr 2012

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Cremation of HRH Princess Bejaratana occurs today

The Nation

Prasert Thepsri

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is now observing a state of mourning, culminating in the cremation today of Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana, the only child of King Rama VI.

The cremation ceremony started yesterday with mourners wearing black to pay their last respects to Princess Bejeratana, who passed away at the age of 85 last July.

In the evening, HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, on behalf of His Majesty the King, performed a Buddhist meritmaking ceremony dedicated to the late princess at the Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall within the Grand Palace.

Also present at the rite were HRH Princess Chulabhorn Valayalaksana and HRH Princess Somsavali.

The Cabinet has declared today as a special holiday.

The royal cremation will be staged in public at Sanam Luang according to longpractised protocol, presenting a rare and precious sight for all visitors.

Free shuttle buses will transport mourners from key spots such as Victory Monument to areas near Sanam Laung today, as traffic will be heavily restricted.

grand ceremony

Besides the grand ceremony at Sanam Laung, mourners can bid a final farewell to the Princess at 46 temples across Bangkok.

The royal proceedings will also be televised live, Public Relations Department chief Thirapong Sodasri said.

All government agencies, state enterprises and educational institutions are flying the national flag at halfmast for the three days of mourning that started yesterday.

Their Majesties the King and Queen are scheduled to attend the royal cremation for Princess Bejaratana at Sanam Luang today.

-- The Nation 2012-04-09

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ROYAL CREMATION

Free bus and ferry services avaiable

Photo: Prasert Thepsri

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Free public buses will be provided to people traveling to Sanam Luang to attend the the royal cremation of HRH Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda Sirisobhabannavadi.

The bus service will run in six routes from 6am to midnight on Monday which is a special public holiday. Passengers may get on the buses at Victory Monument, the Royal Turf Club, the Suphachalasai National Stadium, the Hua Lumphong Railway Station, Wong Wian Yai and the Southern Bus Terminal.

Meanwhile, Chao Phraya Express Boat Company will offer a free ferry service from Wang Lang to Tha Chang and Wat Mahathat piers from 5am to 9pm.

The public is allowed to view the royal procession along the Sanam Chai Road. They are advised to prepare a candle and a joss stick to pay tribute to the remains of the late princess, said Thongthong Chandarangsu, permanent secretary for the Prime Minister's Office.

Six processions comprise 3,500 participants including soldiers, police and students from Vajiravudh College, established by King Vajiravudh, the Princess's father.

Several roads around Sanam Luang ceremonial ground will close from 6pm Sunday until the end of the royal cremation on Monday.

The ancient rites of the royal cremation ceremony is scheduled for April 9 when the royal urn containing the remains of Princess Bejaratana will be transferred from Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall at the Grand Palace to the Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang ceremonial site at 7am.

A symbolic royal cremation will be held at 4.30pm, followed by the actual royal cremation at 10pm.

Public performances including Khon traditional Thai drama, great shadow plays, and puppet shows will be held on three open-air stages at Sanam Luang from 7pm on Monday to 6am on Tuesday.

HRH Princess Bejaratana, the first cousin of HM the King passed away on on July 27, 2011.

She was born Nov 24, 1925 at the Grand Palace and was the only child of King Rama VI and Princess Suvadhana. The King died one day after her birth.

-- The Nation 2012-04-09

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Opposition Leader Ready To Disclose Information On Thaksin’s Alleged Secret Talks

Full story:

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THAKSIN VS INSURGENTS

No, I did not: fugitive ex-premier Thaksin

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has denied an allegation he held talks with southern insurgents in Malaysia.

HONG KONG: -- "I am not in the position to conduct such negotiations since I am just an unemployed man," he said in an interview in Hong Kong.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....remier-thaksin/

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OBITUARY

Death of a broadcaster

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Well-known broadcaster and TV anchor Pichai Wassanasong passed away yesterday aged 82.

Doctors at Phramongkutklao hospital said he had been ill for some time and succumbed to a brain haemorrhage.

Pichai graduated from Chulalongkorn University’s Architecture Faculty in 1929 and in later years worked at Bang Khun Prom Channel 4 where he was a director of the arts division.

In 1969 he was a narrator for the live broadcast when American astronaut Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

Pichai authored several successful books such as The Art of War, Beside Bed, Beside Kitchen, Apollo on the Moon, and Global Specimen.

His funeral ceremony will be held on April 10.

-- The Nation 2012-04-09

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BOOKS

Silicon Valley's dark hero

Steve Jobs gets another visit as Nation Books re-launches his biography in Thai

BANGKOK: -- Steve Jobs was pretty much a perfect human being as far as Suthichai Yoon and Nonglak Jaruwan are concerned. He was a design genius and a revolutionary thinker, and he was also full of contradictions and had a less endearing side. The combination was ideal.

Full story:

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Thai govt price claims ignore key goods

BANGKOK: -- Amid growing complaints from consumers over the rising cost of goods, the Commerce Ministry has insisted that prices are under control, but only part of the truth has been reported to the Cabinet and the public.

Full story:

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VALENTINE'S DAY BLASTS

Iranians to be charged over bombs

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Attorney General's Office will file a lawsuit against five Iranians allegedly involved in explosions in three areas of Bangkok.

Also, National Police deputy chief Pol.General Pansiri Prapawat said the Attorney Generals Office, National Police Office, and the Foreign Ministry had sent pictures from CCTV to the Malaysian government.

The pictures had been captured before and after the explosion incidents in Bangkok, including at Soi Preedeepanomyong 31 and 35 on February 14.

Malaysia had asked the Thai government for more evidence as it deliberated whether to send the Iranian suspect Masut back to Thailand. The Thai authorities claim he fled across the border to Malaysia.

" The Malaysian government will study the case of Masut on April 16. The evidence we have sent to them is very important and will show the judges how this man was linked to the unrest in Bangkok," Pansiri said.

-- The Nation 2012-04-09

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PAY RISE

Officials' pay to rise in line with new starting salary

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet is expected tomorrow to approve Bt20 billion to ensure fairness for existing civil servants after the starting salary for new hires was hiked to Bt15,000 in January.

The budget would be used to raise the salaries of junior and middle grade officials over two years to bring them on par with the pay for the lowest grade.

The cost for adjusting the entry-level salary was Bt18 billion.

The change automatically threw the seniority system and pay scales for the civil service out of kilter.

Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong has instructed the Civil Service Commission to restore seniority and pay grades via the salary adjustment.

Government officials employed up to 10 years before the January pay hike will have their pay adjusted in two steps over the two fiscal years of 2013 and 2014 so that they keep their differential over the new hires.

The budget is divided into Bt12 billion for pay adjustments in 2013 and Bt8 billion for the following year.

-- The Nation 2012-04-09

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Pheu Thai to prepare their charter case

BANGKOK: -- Pheu Thai MPs will hold a meeting at their party offices today to map out a strategy for tomorrow's charter debate, party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said yesterday.

Full story:

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Alert for possible unrest over Songkran holiday

BANGKOK: -- National police chief Pol General Priewphan Damapong has instructed all police to keep a close eye on possible unrest and tighten security measures to ensure safety in Bangkok over the Songkran holiday.

Full story:

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Focus on PISA test to 'repair national image':Thailand

Chainarong Indharameesup

Poor assessments are harming Thai reputation

BANGKOK: -- The Education Ministry - faced for years with steadily dropping scores by top international assessors -plans a project of educational improvement among Thai students in an attempt to upgrade their quality standards.

Full story:

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Seafood workers' angry protest

The Nation

SONGKHLA: -- About 2,000 migrant workers were involved in an angry protest at a seafood processing firm in Songkhla, sources said yesterday.

Workers at Phatana Seafood, just outside Muang district, complained that company bosses had confiscated their passports and personal documents and would not let them leave the factory - so they were unable to change employers. They also claimed to have no access to health services, according to the source.

The workers - about 1,500 from Cambodia and 500 from Myanmar - staged a stopwork early on Sunday. Phatana supplies seafood to the US, Australia and European markets. It has allegedly denied there was a protest yesterday.

-- The Nation 2012-04-09

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SECRET MEETING

Did Thaksin meet insurgents? Yes he did, many sources say

BANGKOK: -- Alleged sightings of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra meeting quietly with Muslim insurgent chieftains just before the bloody bombings in Songkhla and Yala have kicked up a major political storm. The ruling Pheu Thai Party and the man himself have vehemently denied any such rendezvous. Several sources, including some from the insurgency side, have contradicted that, however.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....ny-sources-say/

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

'If the justice system is strong, we will have peace,' chairman believes: Thailand

BANGKOK: -- Kanit na Nakorn, chairman of the Truth for Reconciliation Commission, has called for social sanctions against actions deemed to be wrongful. He has urged that reconciliation be achieved over time and according to justice, not dragged down by majority votes, and that the voice of the minority be respected. The justice system, he says, must be strong but efficient.

Full story:

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HRH the Crown Prince leads procession carrying the body of HRH Princess Bejaratana from the Grand Palace to the funeral pyre at Sanam Luang

HRH the Crown Prince leads procession carrying the body of HRH Princess Bejaratana from the Grand Palace to the funeral pyre at Sanam Luang

HRH the Crown Prince will preside over the actual cremation at 10pm

/TANN

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RT @RichardBarrow: A French tourist died in a fire in a commercial building on Khao San Road early this morning (BkkPost)

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Thais mourn as royal cremation of late Princess Bejaratana begins

BANGKOK, April 9 - The Royal Cremation Ceremony of Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda Sirisobhabannavadi, the only child of King Rama VI, began early Monday as the royal urn was moved from Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall in the Grand Palace to the specially-built Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn presided over the ceremony in the morning as thousands of black-clad Thais waited along the streets where the procession was scheduled to pass to pay their last respects to the late princess.

HRH Princess Bejaratana, first cousin of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was admitted to Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital on July 13 last year for bloodstream infection. Her condition worsened and she passed away on July 27.

She was born Nov 24, 1925 at the Grand Palace and was the only child of King Rama VI and Princess Suvadhana. Her father the King himself died one day after her birth.

Her main duties included continuing the legacy of her father in scouting matters for boys and girls, giving out scholarships and partaking in school activities following the inheritance of her grandmother Queen Prasripatcharindara of King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V), as well as being a patron of public social welfare, religion, and the armed services.

The ancient rites of the royal cremation ceremony started with the royal urn containing the remains of Princess Bejaratana was transferred from Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall at the Grand Palace to the Royal Crematorium at Sanam Luang ceremonial site at 7am before the symbolic royal cremation would be held at 4.30pm, followed by the actual royal cremation at 10pm.

Public performances including Khon traditional Thai drama, great shadow plays, and puppet shows will be held on three open-air stages at Sanam Luang from 7pm on Monday to 6am on Tuesday. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-04-09

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French tourist dies in Khao San Road fire

Full story:

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38 Fire-Prone Areas to Stay Alert During Songkran

BANGKOK, 9 April 2012 (NNT) - Deputy Bangkok Governor Malinee Sukavejworakit has instructed relevant agencies to keep a close watch on 38 fire-prone areas in Bangkok during the Songkran period.

Dr Malinee said that as the Songkran festival poses higher risks of fires, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is coordinating with Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and Civil Defence Volunteer to implement fire disaster management and prevention measures in disaster-prone sites.

The BMA is setting up special units which will offer 24-hour fire protection services to the residents in areas not serviced by fire stations.

One of the planned measures is dispatching DDPM and district officers to each household in the areas to provide fire safety facts and techniques. The guidelines offered will include turning off stoves and unplugging electrical appliances when leaving homes and performing frequent checks on household electrical circuits.

As part of the preparations, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation have been tasked with ordering more tower ladders as well as inspecting their existing supply of fire gear to ensure their fire safety equipment is in working order.

She also pointed out that according to DDPM’s reports, residents in 38 areas in Bangkok are advised to stay alert for possible fires. The 38 fire-prone areas included Khaosarn Road, Central World, Silom Road, Lad Krabang industrial estate, Bang Na intersection, Victory Monument and Chalermprakiet Sport Training Center.

-- NNT 2012-04-09

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Amazing Kebabs In Hua Hin

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[Lite Beer]

Thailand is 52nd happiest country in the world

BANGKOK, 9 April 2012 (NNT) – Thailand has been ranked 52nd on the World Happiness Report while Scandinavian nations top the list of the world’s happiest countries.

Columbia University’s Earth Institute was commissioned to compile the first-ever World Happiness Report for the United Nations Conference on Happiness. The report evaluates happiness rankings conducted by several institutes, and gives an evaluation score to life while taking into account several factors, including health, family stability, job security, political freedom, and corruption.

According to the report, the world’s happiest countries are Denmark, Finland, Norway, Netherlands and Canada. On the 6th-10th spots are Switzerland, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and Ireland, followed by the USA at number 11. Meanwhile, Thailand has been placed at number 52, which is lower than its ASEAN neighbours, such as Singapore at number 33and Malaysia at number 51.

At the bottom of the list are Benin, Central African Republic, Togo and Sierra Leone. The report authors have indicated that the report aims to evaluate happiness based on universal factors. Previously, the happiness of an individual was evaluated from income; however, it was later argued that the Gross National Product (GNP) figure is not sufficient to measure a person's happiness. Thus, the standard of living has been added into the calculation. At present, in order to determine an individual's happiness, importance is given to human relations rather than only income.

-- NNT 2012-04-09

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Suvarnabhumi Airport link security threatens to halt service following pay dispute

BANGKOK, 9 April 2012 (NNT) - A Transport Ministry official said the State Railway Of Thailand Electrical Train (SRTET) failed to pay security guards employed at Airport Link stations a new daily minimum wage of 300 baht. Their previous minimum wage was 210 baht per day.

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FIRE

French killed in Khao San hotel blaze

A 27-year-old French man died when a blaze engulfed a budget hotel in Khao San area shortly after midnight.

Full story:

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SOUTH CRISIS

Insurgents torch CCTVs in Yala

The Nation

YALA: -- Insurgents have continued their work by torching 18 closedcircuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras fitted in three subdistricts of Yala in the deep south.

Pol Lt Col Somprat Kankanon of Kotabaru police station together with the provincial bomb disposal squad and forensic experts on Monday morning collected evidence at the sites on the YalaKotabaru Road after insurgents torched the CCTV security cameras late Sunday night.

Eighteen cameras in Kotabaru, Noen Ngam and Ba Ngoy subdistricts were found damaged.

Meanwhile, Pol Maj Gen Pira Boonliang, Yala provincial police chief, asked that police experts carefully examine CCTV footage for clues regarding the identity of the assailants.

Witnesses have reported a group of teenagers riding motorcycles in the area around 23am.

The insurgents have continued their attacks in the region reportedly to upgrade the problems to the international level. Their bomb attacks in Songkhla's Hat Yai district and Yala last week killed a total of 14 people and injured hundreds of others.

The violence that took place only two weeks before this weekend's Songkran Festival has resulted in many tourists cancelling their bookings in hotels and tours in Songkhla. The damage caused by the violence is estimated in the ten millions of Baht.

-- The Nation 2012-04-09

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Former Deputy PM Paiboon Wattanasiritham dies of cancer

BANGKOK, April 9--- Paiboon Wattanasiritham, former deputy prime minister, on Monday died of pancreatic cancer, at age of 71 at a hospital in Bangkok.

Mr Paiboon passed away at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital in the afternoon after battling the pancreatic cancer. He has been admitted at the hospital for medical treatment for one week.

Regarding the funeral, his family will be asking for the royally sponsored bathing rite.

Mr Paiboon assumed posts of Human Security and Social Development Minister and deputy prime minister respectively during the General Surayud Chulanont administration in 2006 through 2008.

The former deputy prime minister was born on March 24, 1941 in the central province of Ayutthaya. He married Khunying Chada Wattanasiritham. They have two children.

Graduating from University of Hull in UK, he worked at Bank of Thailand and the Stock Exchange of Thailand before serving as Human Security and Social Development Minister and deputy prime minister during the post-coup government.

Mr Paiboon also worked in the field of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and was respected among NGO activists. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-04-09

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Ex-Thai PM Thaksin to address rally in Cambodia

Bangkok, April 9, 2012 (AFP) - Thailand's fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra will address thousands of "Red Shirt" supporters at a rally this weekend in neighbouring Cambodia, his followers said Monday.

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Pattaya Police Chief one of six officer transferred to other stations

PATTAYA: -- Six senior Pattaya Police Officers have been transferred out of Pattaya Police Station to take up positions elsewhere in Chonburi Province. The officers to be transferred includes Police Colonel Nantawoot, the Pattaya Police Superintendent and one of his deputies, Police Lieutenant Colonel Gridsanat.

Full story: