Thailand Live Saturday 5 May 2012

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Thailand Live Saturday 5 May 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 Friday 4 May 2012

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Coronation Day

His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej was crowned as Rama IX, the 9th king of the Chakri dynasty, on 5th May 1950. The anniversary of this day has been observed as a public holiday ever since.

Full story:

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MONEY LAUNDERING

Thai govt pushed for laws on money laundering

Business groups demand action before February 2013 to get Kingdom off 'Dark Grey List'

BANGKOK: -- Key business organisations are pressuring the government to promulgate new anti-money-laundering laws by next February so Thailand can be quickly removed from an international "Dark Grey List", which has had negative repercussions for the economy.

Full story:

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No war room set up, says Thaksin's legal adviser Noppadon

BANGKOK: -- Thaksin Shinawatra's legal adviser Noppadon Pattama denied yesterday that the former prime minister's ex-wife Khunying Pojaman Damapong wants a war room be set up to handle the censure debate targeting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Full story:

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Chart Thai's Somsak gets second 5-year political ban: Corruption case

Somsak

Court finds politician filed 21 false asset statements; penalty to be served concurrently with existing ban

BANGKOK: -- Chart Thai Party executive Somsak Prissananthakul has been found guilty of asset concealment and handed a second political ban, but his punishment will be served concurrently with a prior ban for electoral fraud.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....orruption-case/

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Myanmar asked to send Karen general to face Thai court over drug charges

BANGKOK: -- Myanmar authorities have been asked to hand over the leader of an armed Karen group to face prosecution in Thailand for alleged drug production and dealing, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said yesterday.

Full story:

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Dam more useful as paddy field than water source

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The water level in Pasak Jolasid Dam is so low that more than 10,000 rai of its land is now perfectly suited to growing rice. Many rice farmers elsewhere, however, are growing desperate because of a water shortage.

In some parts of Pasak Jolasid Dam, the water has plunged to ground level, leaving moist land for farmers to enjoy. Indeed, a number of people have occupied the emerging land plots and are growing rice. Rice plants are already springing up on many plots there.

"We will ask those farmers to move out," the dam's water-allocation and maintenance chief Sornmit Sing-kanong said yesterday,

The dam's water volume now stands at about 25 per cent of capacity. The portions of the dam in Lop Buri's Chai Ba Dan and Tha Luang districts are dry.

Dozens of provinces are struggling with drought.

In Chai Nat, more than 200 farmers gathered in front of the provincial hall to demand that irrigation systems be used to direct water to their off-season paddy fields.

"Our rice plants are dying. We will lose everything if our paddy fields don't get water," protest leader Boonyarit Homjan said.

More than 150,000 rai of paddy fields in the province are at risk, he said.

The protesting farmers dispersed only after Chai Nat Governor Jamlong Phosuk assured them water would reach their fields within five days.

"On May 2, I asked the Sirikit and Bhumibol dams to release more water," he said. "Water is now heading our way."

The drought has hurt not just farmers, but also people in other occupations.

In Nakhon Sawan, more than 1,000 farmers in Tambon Wang Nam Lad have been without tap water for six days.

"The main well that produces our tap water is drying up," tambon Wang Nam Lad councillor Thong-med Prompitak said. "There's some water near the middle part of the well. So we will need backhoes to dig ditches to channel water to our pipes."

Uthai Thani is witnessing similar problems. Muang Uthai Thani municipality has stopped providing tap water from midnight to 4am due to the water shortage.

The problem persisted even after backhoes were used to dredge the mouth of Khum Sap Canal in the hope of channelling more water from the Chao Phraya River into the area.

-- The Nation 2012-05-05

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Thailand Burns 34 Tonnes Of Contraband Drugs, Worth Bt221 Million

The Food and Drug Administration destroys substandard medication, especially those with pseudoephedrine, as well as food products, cosmetics and medical equipment at the Bang PaIn Industrial Park in Ayutthaya.

Full story:

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Cost of Hat Yai hotel attack put at Bt1.5 bn to Bt2.6 bn

HAT YAI: - The economic impact of the Songkran attack on a hotel in Songkhla's Hat Yai district has been estimated at Bt1.5 billion, provided business recovers in the next three months, but could amount to Bt2.6 billion if the recovery period turns out to be six months.

Full story:

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VENUS' VISION

Waiting for the Hollywood moment: Thai opinion

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is at it again.

BANGKOK: -- She has just said that the floods and hot weather are the reasons people have the perception that food prices are on the rise. As a lot of Thais are now seeing increasing prices for goods and services, it is no surprise that her latest notion has sparked a new round of gossip on the social media.

Full story:

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WATCHDOG

Former Thai Rak Thai heavyweights to take up Cabinet posts

Pongsak

BANGKOK: -- Pongsak Rattanapong-paisan, a former transport minister and close confidant of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, is expected to join the new Yingluck Cabinet next month.

Full story:

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Thai Public Health Ministry to expand booze-free zones

BANGKOK: -- The Public Health Ministry will expand the zones where drinking is banned, including factories, state agencies as well as three-wheeled vehicles.

Full story:

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No apocalyptic events from this weekend's supermoon: Thai scientists

BANGKOK: -- The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand yesterday dismissed widespread rumours that the upcoming lunar perigee - the so-called supermoon - will bring about apocalyptic events.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....hai-scientists/

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Gunman's death 'may help others'

The Nation

SAMUT SAKHON: -- After the murder of a gunman who was arrested for killing an activist fighting against coal mining in Samut Sakhon, fellow campaigners yesterday called on the police and prosecutors to take action because such "silencing acts" could result in the six defendants escaping justice.

Activist Charnchai Rungrojsakhon said his colleagues were planning to call for police measures and would launch an inquiry into the public prosecutors handling the case. The activists are worried that the murder of suspected gunman Sutchadej Thabkrai would result in testimonies becoming weaker and the prosecution not being able to implicate Thanayos Wongphim, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the murder of Thongmak Sawekjinda.

Case prosecutor Jatuphorn Jantharaplin said he had told the activists not to worry because Sutchadej's testimony during an earlier session did not carry much weight, and police had enough evidence against the defendants.

Sutchadej had agreed to testify against others in exchange for immunity, but was shot dead in a hail of bullets in broad daylight while being escorted to court on Thursday. The court session has been rescheduled for next Thursday.

-- The Nation 2012-05-05

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Bangkok Police arrest Phuket gold heist bandit

The Thong Thanet gold shop wasn’t the first gold shop the suspect had robbed. Photo: Kritsada Meuanhawong

PHUKET: -- The brazen thief who made off with an estimated 6 million baht in cash and gold jewelry from a Phuket shop in June last year was arrested in Bangkok on Thursday.

Full story:

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Phuket police officer held for off-duty killing

PHUKET: -- A Phuket police officer and his brother are being detained at Phuket Provincial Court tonight after both were charged with accessory to murder over a fatal shooting in Phuket Town’s red-light district early yesterday morning.

Full story:

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Phuket teenage drug addicts blamed for community center fire

The damage could have been much worse if volunteer police and Phuket Kusoldharm workers did not arrive quickly to put out the fire. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Phuket City Police believe that a fire at the Austria-Phuket Community Center in Rassada in the early hours of this morning was started by a group of teenage drug addicts known to frequent the area.

Full story:

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May 5, 2012 is 5/5/55 in Thailand, this year being 2555 in the buddhist calendar

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Drought affecting 700,000 rai of farmland in 51 provinces; Tak recorded highest temperature yesterday at 39.4 degrees Celsius /TANN

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RT @RichardBarrow: 10:25am HM The King is leaving Siriraj Hospital for the Grand Palace. People wearing pink shouting "Long Live the King".

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Their Majesties the King and Queen presided over the Coronation Day anniversary commemoration ceremony at the Amarin Vinijchai Throne Hall /TANN

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On weekly TV show, PM vows to tackle high consumer prices, increase household income; energy prices adjusted in accordance with world market mechanism /MCOT

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RT @AJEnglish: Abt 10 m Australians suffer from other people's drinking, a culture that costs the govt $25bn a year, as @AJ101East reveals

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Fine Arts Department confirms Ayutthaya under great care

BANGKOK, 5 May 2012 (NNT) – The Fine Arts Department is preparing to protest the Global Heritage Fund of UNESCO for listing the Ayutthaya Historical Park as one of the 10 architectural sites that are the most in danger of "irreparable loss and destruction”.

The Fine Arts Department has planned to request UNESCO to clarify the listing as it could lead people to think that the country is war-torn.

Soamsuda Leeyawanich, Director-General of the Fine Arts Department confirmed that the government had allocated a budget of more than THB 500 million for the restoration of historical sites since the flood crisis last year. She added that it would be inappropriate for UNESCO to draw such a conclusion as the repair work was still ongoing.

Other Asian architectures which the Global Heritage Fund deems to be in danger of vanishing under a tide of economic expansion, war and tourism include Preah Vihear, Fort Santiago in the Philippines and Taxila, an ancient economic crossroads in Pakistan.

-- NNT 2012-05-05

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Taxi, tuk-tuk co-ops blame 'unfair rules' for problems

REAR ENTRY ONLY: Tuk-tuk driver Pratin Duangkham with his side-entry vehicle. Existing regulations mean he can only use it for personal business, forcing him to rent a rear-entry model at a high monthly rate.

PHUKET: -- Groups of tuk-tuk and taxi operators in Phuket blame “unfair regulations” as the underlying cause of most problems faced by tourists who use Phuket’s public transport services.

Full story:

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PHUKET ALERT: Monsoon comes, Patong Hill road goes

HERE WE GO AGAIN: The section of Patong Hill Road in Phuket that slid away this morning, exposing even more soil to erosion. Photo: Chutharat Plerin.

A workers camp below the slide area off Soi Kuanyaan in Phuket, which has been the site extensive real estate development in recent years. Photo: Chutharat Plerin

PHUKET: -- The monsoon season has officially arrived in Phuket and is already taking its toll, causing a landslide along a stretch of Patong Hill road that the Highways Department was hoping to shore up by year’s end.

Full story:

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King celebrates 62th anniversary of coronation

BANGKOK, May 5 -- His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej presided over a royal ceremony marking the 62th anniversary of his coronation at the Grand Palace on Saturday.

Full story:

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Yingluck: Product prices on downward trend

BANGKOK, 5 May 2012 (NNT) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has asked the public to remain confident in the government’s effort to bring prices of consumer goods down thanks to signs that prices at upstream areas are on a downward trend.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/552489-idea-of-prices-rising-a-misconception-pm-yingluck/page__st__150#entry5275402

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PM Yingluck invited to Delhi Sustainable Development Summit in early 2013

BANGKOK, 5 May 2012 (NNT) – The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has invited the Thai prime minister to attend an international summit, scheduled for early next year.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has extended an invitation to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS), which will take place in India in early 2013.

The invitation was extended during the PM’s meeting with the IPCC chairman and the chairman of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) in Bangkok.

The IPCC chairman stated that the invitation was made as the Panel has seen the Thai government’s efficient handling of last year’s flood crisis.

At the meeting, the IPCC chairman has presented PM Yingluck a copy of "The Special Report on Managing Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation (SREX)", which he hopes the Thai government will find useful for its policies on the prevention of natural disasters and the impact of climate change.

-- NNT 2012-05-05