Thailand Live Wednesday 23 May 2012

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Thailand Live Wednesday 23 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 Tuesday 22 May 2012

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ROYAL VISIT

Excitement builds in Ayutthaya

The Nation

AYUTTHAYA: -- Excitement is mounting across the country in anticipation of His Majesty's first trip outside of Greater Bangkok in recent years. The much-beloved monarch is set to visit Ayutthaya on Friday.

Full story:

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MAYORAL ELECTION

Pheu Thai MP for Udon Thani in bunfight with key red shirt

The Nation

Kwanchai

UDON THANI: -- A Pheu Thai MP for Udon Thani has blamed Kwanchai Praipana, a local red-shirt leader, for the party being defeated in Udon Thani's mayoral election.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....-key-red-shirt/

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BODINDECHA SCHOOL

Minister backtracks on ex-pupils issue

SAOWANEE NIMPANPAYUNGWONG

THE NATION

Suchart says a panel must be set up to see if students were treated unfairly

BANGKOK: -- Education Minister Suchart Tadathamrongvej backtracked yesterday from his move to get all students linked to a public protest back at Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School.

Full story:

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59 percent of Thais use pirated software: Poll

Full story:

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Schapelle Corby May Be Out Of Jail As Early As August

Full story:

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Pheu Thai MP seeks answers on land case

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A Pheu Thai Party MP yesterday vowed to pursue a land-encroachment case involving The Mall Bang Khae in Bangkok, and accused Bangkok Metropolitan Administration officials and the city governor of possible negligence of duty for allowing the shopping centre to expand to a restricted area.

Full story:

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Thaksin A Loyal Friend Of Reds: Natthawut

Full story:

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THE NATIONAL HEALTH SECURITY BOARD

NHSB mulls bringing back Bt30 co-payment

PONGPHON SARNSAMAK

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The National Health Security Board (NHSB) will next month consider reinstating the government's 30 baht co-payments scheme that was abolished by the military- installed government in 2004 to make universal health coverage free.

Full story:

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STOPPAGE TIME

Thanks for the ride, but now I'll go my own way

Tulsathit Taptim

Thaksin Shinawatra wants peace, seemingly at least.

BANGKOK: -- Well, there's nothing new there. He also has proclaimed his undying love for the monarchy. That's not news, either. What about his burning desire to return home? It's probably the oldest piece of information.

Full story:

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EDITORIAL

Board must explain dismissal of Thai Airways president

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The national carrier has fired its chief executive, but now it has to explain in proper detail to staff, shareholders and the public why he had to go

Full story:

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Lifeguards back on Phuket beaches on Monday

Phuket Gazette

The contract is signed and Phuket's lifeguards will officially be back on duty - and paid for it - by Monday, say local officials. Photo: Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- Phuket’s lifeguards will be back on the beaches on Monday, an officer at the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (OrBorJor) confirmed to the Phuket Gazette this afternoon.

Full story:

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Phuket strike action sees 400 workers laid off

Phuket Gazette

Former employees at the resort wonder where their working future lies. Photo: Orawin Narabal

PHUKET: -- More than 400 employees of the formerly named Evason Phuket & Bon Island resort today staged a protest in front of the hotel in Rawai after learning that they had all been sacked – with immediate effect.

Full story:

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Phuket rescue team calls for donations to save slashed dog

Phuket Gazette

Phuket rescue workers in Patong are appealing for help to save Nong Nin the dog, which suffered an eight-inch gash to its stomach in an attack. Photo: Sampawat Wannasangkam

Inquires into how Nin was wounded only led to a claim that ‘a drunk foreigner’ attacked him. Photo: Sampawat Wannasangkam

PHUKET: -- A team of Phuket emergency response officers are calling for donations to help a stray dog that has been inflicted with an eight-inch wound to its stomach.

Full story:

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Anti-booze, smoking campaign wins praise

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- In its 10th anniversary this year, the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (THPF)'s crusade against tobacco and alcohol use has been widely regarded as successful and worthwhile, a Bangkok seminar marking the occasion was told yesterday.

Full story:

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Security tight for Lady Gaga show

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau has revealed plans for tight security and safety management for Lady Gaga's much-anticipated Bangkok concert. "The Born This Way Ball" takes place on Friday at Rajamangala Stadium in the Hua Mak Sports Complex on Ramkhamhaeng Road.

Pol Maj-General Anant Srihiran said there were plans to cover everything from audience safety and traffic management to prevention of accidents, terror?ism and crime. He said the area of operations had been divided into three zones.

The inner zone of Rajamangala Stadium would see close dealings between police and the concert organisers to enforce tight security. Traffic barri?ers would secure routes for VIPs, while concert-goers would be subjected to thor?ough body searches for explosives or weapons.

Police would man a middle zone within the sports complex to inspect vehicles and incoming crowds, with officers positioned high up to check for long-range attacks.

Outside the complex, offi?cers will man several check?points and be on the lookout for trajectory weapons, Anant said.

Closed-circuit cameras are also being positioned in the area.

Anant said first-aid equip?ment plus emergency vehicles and staff would be on standby at the concert.

-- The Nation 2012-05-23

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Alleged cop killer blames rage

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A 21-year-old Thai man arrested for allegedly killing a Bangkok police officer has allegedly said he got enraged after being scolded by the officer, so he pulled out a gun and shot him dead.

Full story:

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Police probe rail deaths

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police have summoned a train driver for information regarding the death of a Chulalongkorn freshman run over by the Bangkok-Phu Ta Luang train near Bangkok's Kamphaeng Phetch 7 Road on Monday night.

Witnesses told police that Budriyah Usin-ngam, 18, was walking along the tracks from the Airport Link station when the train behind her sounded its horn. She was wearing earphones and failed to hear the warning. The train caught her purse strap and dragged her for five metres and ran over her, they said.

Meanwhile, Sombat Pongnam, 43, was fatally injured yesterday after falling from a train at Uthumporn Pisai station in Si Sa Ket. Sombat was selling energy drinks to passengers. She was taken to hospital, and pronounced dead.

-- The Nation 2012-05-23

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PM's hotel meeting 'appropriate'

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Ombudsman Siracha Charoenpanij said yesterday he did not think Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra had been involved in anything indecent when meeting with businessmen at a Bangkok hotel in February.

Full story:

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Populist policies imprudent and payouts to reds unwise: Wissanu

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Former deputy prime minister Wissanu Kruengam lambasted the government yesterday on two issues - imprudent implementation of populist policies and paying Bt7 million compensation per red-shirt victim without a legal mandate.

"I question the legality of the Bt7-million compensation package," said Wissanu, drawing a parallel with a previous case.

"If the government had had a legal mandate, then there would have been no [two or three-] digit lottery case," he said, referring to the sale of a lottery that was later found to be unlawful.

Wissanu, who served in the Thaksin Shinawatra administration, said he did not entirely oppose populist projects but wanted to question the manner in which such policies were being implemented.

Successive governments had used them merely to sway voters in the short term, and failed to factor in long-term adverse impacts of wasteful spending, he said.

"Populist policies are a form of patronage system to remind voters to show gratitude when casting their ballots," he said.

He cautioned government leaders seeking to churn out populist projects about their duty towards basic state policies of fiscal discipline, rule of law, good governance and accurate assessment of domestic politics.

He populist policies were merely a first-aid kit for deep economic woes.

At present, the government had to bear the cost of the Bt300 minimum daily wage via subsidies because business operators could not bear the burden, he said, reminding authorities that they had delivered no clear plans on how to finance such subsidies.

The government also had no tangible plan, he said to pay for losses incurred through the rice-pledging scheme.

He was speaking at a hearing convened by the Senate committee on finance and banking.

-- The Nation 2012-05-23

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Thaksin 'hasn't abandoned reds'

The Nation

Members of the Democracy for Peace and Prosperity Federation gather at Government House with a picture of lese majeste convict Amphon

Pheu Thai MP Vorachai doubts authenticity of online criticism of ex-premier

BANGKOK: -- Thaksin Shinawatra's video link address last Saturday, in which he asked red shirts to forget about the past for the sake of reconciliation, is still a big issue people are debating.

Full story:

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Inventor of TV remote control dies at age 96

CHICAGO: -- TV watchers may want to hit the mute button for a momen tof silence. The man who invented the remote control has died at the age of 96, the Chicago Sun Times reported Tuesday.

Full story:

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Buddha relics to be placed at Sanam Luang for Buddha Jayanti celebrations

BANGKOK, 23 May 2012 (NNT) - Buddha relics will be moved from the Royal Palace to Sanam Luang on 29 May 2012 in a ceremony to celebrate 2,600 years of Buddha’s enlightenment or “Buddha Jayanti.”

Full story:

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Phuket's 'rescued dolphin' dead

Phuket Gazette

Marine biologists trying to nurse the dolphin back to health at the Phuket Marine Biology Center. The dolphin died yesterday from a serious blood infection. Photo: PMBC

Full story:

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,124.59, down 6.93 points /MCOT

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RT @veen_NT: RT @Domwinter: Red Cross runs a blood donation clinic on level 52 of CRC Tower today. Awesome view while doing good #Bangkok

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Finance Min Approves 1.64 Trillion Baht Fund for Transport/Logistics Projects from 2012 to 2018

BANGKOK: -- The Finance Ministry has agreed to provide funds worth 1.64 trillion baht for the Transport Ministry to invest in transportation and logistics infrastructure development projects from this year to 2018.

Following a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittirat Na Ranong, Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan disclosed that the Finance Ministry has agreed to provide funds worth 1.64 trillion baht for transportation and logistics infrastructure development projects between 2012 and 2018.

A joint working committee will be formed to draft a budget plan and consider details of each project as well as sources of funding.

Jarupong said that the meeting has also resolved to appoint a committee to look into the delay in the Red Line electric rail project.

-- Tan Network 2012-05-23

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Nigerian Man Arrested for Drug Trafficking

BANGKOK: -- A Nigerian man was arrested by city police for alleged drug trafficking, with 1,500 grams of heroine worth more than five million baht found and seized.

Full story:

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Drinking water system heads to northern Phuket

Phuket Gazette

The old PVC pipes are being replaced with new polyester pipes, which are less susceptible to leakages and contamination. Photo: Phuket Waterworks Authority

PHUKET: -- The Phuket Waterworks Authority has revealed a plan to provide public water fountains throughout Mai Khao as a pilot project in rolling out potable water supply to the northern parts of the island.

Full story: