Thailand Live Wednesday 25 Apr 2012

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Red-shirt leader admits supporters unhappy with PM's scheduled meeting with Privy Council chief but won't gather to protest the move /TANN

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Geological office to probe underground fire in Phitsanulok and urges locals not to enter the area /TANN

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Fire Razes Bangkok's Bon Kai Community

BANGKOK: -- A fire broke out at Bon Kai Community in Bangkok, damaging about 20 buildings. According to witnesses, the fire may be linked with a dispute from local teenagers.

At around 1:30 AM today, a fire broke out at the Bon Kai Community in Pathumwan District of Bangkok.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officials had to deploy ten fire engines on both sides of the street to help extinguish the blaze.

Since the buildings in the area are tightly clustered and situated close to a gas service station, the fire spread out quickly into residential units. It took the emergency workers about 30 minutes to contain the fire.

From the initial inspection, about 20 residential buildings have been damaged. The fire is believed to have started from a wooden house which was completely destroyed.

Two injured people have also been taken to a nearby hospital.

The witnesses told the police that prior to the fire, they heard four to five teenagers arguing near the wooden house.

Momentarily, someone yelled “fire” and the blaze spread out beyond control.

The forensic team is investigating the scene to determine the actual cause of the fire.

-- Tan Network 2012-04-25

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MCOT kicks off anniversary celebration; aims to become ASEAN media leader

BANGKOK, April 25 - Marking the 60th anniversary of Thai Television and 35th anniversary of MCOT, Thailand's leading broadcasting company MCOT Plc (formerly the Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand) on Wednesday kicked off its anniversary celebration, aiming to become a media leader in the region and in the world arena.

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MPs Voting for Absent Colleagues Becomes New Parliamentary Scandal

BANGKOK: -- A new parliamentary scandal broke as a Bangkok senator claimed that MPs have used their colleagues' electronic ID cards to vote for their absent colleagues during the charter amendment debate, a matter far worse than the porn picture scandal or sleeping during the House meeting.

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SET index midday up 3.74 pts, 0.31 pct

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thai composite stocks index (SET) at midday Wednesday stood at 1,203.60, up 3.74 points, or 0.31 per cent in line with most regional shares amid Bt15.18 billion turnover.

Blue chip SET-50 index was at 844.29, up 2.03 points, or 0.24 per cent.

Top five active (value) stocks: CPALL, CPF, JAS, PTTEP, BBL.

-- The Nation 2012-04-25

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Two men killed in Narathiwat shooting

NARATHIWAT, April 25 -- Two men were shot dead early Wednesday by presumed insurgents while driving in Bacho district of this southern border province, according to local police.

Prapai Kongtong, 57, and Suk Daengkwan, 63, were gunned down by an unknown number of assailants armed with M16 assault rifles, Pol Capt Mhad-useng Maosani of Paluka Samo police station said.

Investigators found that Mr Prapai drove a Pattani-registered pickup truck with Mr Suk as a passenger from Pattani’s Mai Kaen district to buy food at a market.

While the vehicle was on a road in Narathiwat’s Bacho district, gunmen in a following pickup shot at the two men.

Mr Prapai lost control of his vehicle which went off the road and hit a roadside tree.

They apparently tried to leave their vehicle but failed to escape the attackers, who continued shooting from back of the pickup truck.

Police said the shooting attack was aimed at continuing daily unrest in the region.

The violence has continued in the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat since 2004, leaving thousands wounded and over 5,000 people dead, including residents, government workers and suspected insurgents. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-04-25

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PM believes Thai-Iranian relation will continue to grow

BANGKOK, 25 April 2012 (NNT) – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has expressed confidence that the long-standing bond between Thailand and Iran will see a positive growth in the future.

The PM met with Mr. Majid Bismark, the Ambassador of Iran to Thailand, upon the conclusion of his diplomatic term in the kingdom. Ms. Yingluck stated that Thailand and Iran have long-standing ties, which dates back over four centuries ago. Despite the UN sanctions on the Middle Eastern country at present, the current economic value between Thailand and Iran still stands at over 1.2 billion dollars, which portrays a strong mutual economic cooperation. She also expressed confidence that the cooperation between the two countries will continue to expand in the future, especially in the area of trade and tourism.

Meanwhile, Mr. Majid has shown admiration for the kindness of the Thai people as well as the Thai society where people of different beliefs and religions are able to live together in harmony.

-- NNT 2012-04-25

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Foreign Minister discusses cooperation with Swedish counterpart

BANGKOK, 25 April 2012 (NNT) – The Thai and Swedish Foreign Ministers, on Tuesday, met to discuss mutual cooperation between both countries on the occasion of the latter's official visit to Thailand.

Upon welcoming his Swedish counterpart, Mr. Carl Bildt, to the kingdom, Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul took the opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen the bonds between the two countries. Their talks centered on mutual cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, trade and investment as well as criminal cases.

The discussion also covered the topic of Swedish business operations in Thailand, of which the present investment value stands at over 2 billion US dollars, or around 60 billion baht. With IKEA being the latest Swedish business to have opened its branch in Thailand, Mr. Surapong has encouraged more Swedish entrepreneurs to invest in the country, saying Thailand has been ranked by the World Bank as the second best investment destination in Southeast Asia and number 17 in the world.

In terms of tourism, Thailand is the most preferred travel destination among Swedish tourists, with more than 400,000 of them traveling to Thailand each year.

Furthermore, the two ministers have congratulated Myanmar on its positive development given the European Union's decision to suspend sanctions on Thailand's neighbour for a period of one year in order to contribute to the growth of democracy in that country.

Mr. Surapong has also taken the opportunity to assure the Swedish minister of the country's stability. He termed Mr. Carl Bildt’s visit as a manifestation of the EU’s confidence in the country's situation. It is expected that the Swedish Trade Minister will pay a visit to Thailand in May to proceed and finalize plans of cooperation between Thailand and Sweden.

-- NNT 2012-04-25

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Chiang Mai dredges canals to prevent flooding

CHIANG MAI, 25 April 2012 (NNT) – Like Bangkok and other provinces in the central region, Chiang Mai Province in the North has prepared to dredge canals as well.

Local military personnel have been assigned to get rid of water hyacinths, which are densely populated in Mae Kha Canal, to clear the waterway. The move is expected to help prevent overflow of water from the canal during the rainy season.

Chiang Mai authorities will find measures to remove some of the buildings and houses, which were illegaly constructed over the canal.

-- NNT 2012-04-25

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Transport Ministry to proceed with the construction of high-speed train

BANGKOK, 25 April 2012 (NNT) – The Transport Ministry is pushing ahead with the planned construction of a high-speed train system after China and Japan have expressed interest in the project.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/550412-transport-ministry-to-proceed-with-the-construction-of-high-speed-train/#entry5248571

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Special Report: UNWTO joint meeting on “Green Tourism” to be held in Chiang Mai

CHIANG MAI:-- With the environment as a major concern in the global community, international organizations, such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), have turned their focus on “green tourism”, which has been designated as the main concept of an upcoming UNWTO joint meeting to be held in the province of Chiang Mai in May.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has announced that Thailand will play host to the "24th Joint Meeting of the UNWTO Commission for South Asia and the UNWTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific" and the "UNWTO High-Level Regional Conference on Green Tourism" during 3-5 May. At the previous meeting in Sri Lanka, Thailand was voted over Indonesia by member countries as host of the UNWTO Joint Meeting 2012.

Held under the concept of “green tourism”, Chiang Mai province is deemed the most appropriate venue for the event, not only for its safety and readiness, but also because it is home to the Lanna culture and a great variety of travel destinations. The event will allow Chiang Mai to demonstrate its potential as host to such a large-scale international event. Meanwhile, it will provide Thailand with an opportunity to promote green tourism products and services as well as its culture to the world. Besides displaying a positive image for Thailand, the country also aims to draw in more tourists and income.

The ministry is targeting around 30 member countries, or around 200 people, to attend the meeting. Among the attendees are ministers, high-level executives from tourism-related agencies and members of the press. So far, 21 countries have already given their confirmation. The participation of such high-ranking delegates will be of great benefit to Thailand as they possess direct access to the promotion of tourism in their respective countries.

Apart from an academic symposium on world tourism that will allow experts from the UNWTO and around the world to share their visions, a field trip to major tourist destinations and the Huai Hong Khrai Royal Development Study Center will also be organized for the participants with the objective of promoting a positive image for the country.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is the United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism. With its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, the UNWTO’s membership includes 155 countries, 7 territories and over 400 Affiliate Members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

-- NNT 2012-04-25

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RT@tulsathit: A new book, due end of this month, on CIA "tortures" of prisoners is expected to rekindle controversy of US "secret prison" in Thailand. The book touches upon videos "filmed in Thailand" and which were ordered destroyed by a now retired CIA official.

RT@tulsathit: The videos, according to AP, were filmed in Thailand and showed waterboarding of terrorist suspects Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Nashiri.

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RT @tulsathit: After today, charter amendment debate will take 3-day break. The question why is being subjected to wild speculation. (1)

RT @tulsathit: Leaked vid of govt MPs casting electronic vote for colleagues during charter debate could blow up into a big thing. (2)

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Probe Underway for Phitsanulok Underground Fire

PHITSANULOK: -- The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department and local environment officials in Phitsanulok Province have been inspecting an underground fire phenomenon which has been affecting locals and animals in Nakhonthai District.

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Lampang records highest temperature at 41 degrees Celsius today; summer storm warning for Upper Thailand from tomorrow-Sunday /TANN

DSI finds pseudoephedrine pills hidden at rented house in Sankampaeng, Chiang Mai /TANN

FT rate for electricity charge to increase 30 satang/unit from May-Aug to reflect higher energy cost /TANN

Central bank not worried about fluctuating exchange rate to hit Bt31 to the dollar; says 4% fluctuation is not worrisome /TANN

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No megaflood in Thailand this year: Water committee chair

BANGKOK, April 25 - Dr Virabongsa Ramangkura, chairperson of the Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development (SCRF), said on Wednesday he was confident Thailand will not face a repetition of last year's flood crisis, as the government has been on the right track on water management and flood prevention.

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Poll: Election Defeat Not Affecting Pheu Thai's Popularity

BANGKOK: -- According to the latest opinion poll conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, most people see that the resultsof the recent elections in Pathum Thani Province have no significant effect on the ruling Pheu Thai Party's popularity.

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PM'S OFFICIAL VISIT

PM to visit Bahrain, Qatar next month

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will visit Bahrain and Qatar next month to boost cooperation in the trade and energy sectors, Foreign Minister Surapong Tohvichakchaikul said Wednesday.

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SET index closed at 1201.36, up 1.50; Bt/USD30.83; GBP49.65; AUD31.68; EUR40.59; CAD31.03; HKD3.97; SGD24.60; JPY37.69

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PORNOGRAPHIC PIC IN PARLIAMENT

Probe is over : Investigation chief

The Nation

Sakol Sandhiratne

BANGKOK: -- Investigation into who was behind pornographic image displayed in the assembly hall last week is over after LG Electronics has ruled out checking the owner of a mobile phone that wirelessly sent the pic to the LG LED TV monitor.

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PM Keeps Hands Off Vote Scandal

BANGKOK: -- The prime minister leaves the matter regarding MPs voting for each other during the charter amendment debate, for the House to investigate, while insisting that the Pheu Thai Party will punish MPs who are found guilty.

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Thailand Live Thursday 26 Apr 2012