Thailand Live Thursday 14 Jun 2012

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Phuket Prison declared all 'White'

Phuket Gazette

Phuket Prison chief Rapin Nichanon (center) and fellow prison wardens stand at the ready before the inmates begin their regular exercise program. Photo: Orawin Narabal

Inmates at Phuket Prison take part in a drug-counselling session as part of the ‘White Prison’ anti-drug campaign. Photo: Orawin Narabal

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Election alcohol ban in Phuket Town this weekend

Phuket Gazette

The parade of more than 1,000 people coursed through the main streets of Phuket Town to raise awareness of the Phuket City Municipality elections this weekend. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

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Gov't to speed up building dam to protect economic zones

AYUTTHAYA, June 14 - The government is speeding up building dams, using a Bt350-billion budget, in this central province and also in Pathum Thani to protect the country's economic zones, according to Deputy Prime Minister/Commerce Minister Kittiratt Na Ranong.

He spoke at a seminar on 'New Post-Flood Investment steps' after entrepreneurs in the two provinces were badly impacted by last year's flood.

He noted the Cabinet agreed on a budget to build dams surrounding six industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani. The money will be distributed for dam construction within one to two weeks.

Mr Kittirate said that prevention measures and more infrastructure construction in the northern and upper central regions will help cope with the higher amount of rainfall and future floods.

Meanwhile, Board of Investment (BoI) Secretary-General Atchaka Sibunruang said the number of projects applying for investment promotions in the past five months reached 817 in the two provinces with a total investment value of Bt370 billion.

Flood-affected companies put forward 426 projects which were approved for importing industrial machinery to replace damaged equipment valued at Bt97.1 billion.

There have also been new 78 investment projects in the flooded areas in the two provinces with an investment value at Bt41.4 billion, reflecting an obvious recovery of the industrial sector Ms Atchaka said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-06-14

[Lite Beer]

More to be collected from local fuel sales to boost State Oil Fund

BANGKOK, 14 June 2012 (NNT) – The country’s energy policy regulator has announced an increase in local fuel sales contribution to the State Oil Fund.

Permanent Secretary to Energy Norkun Sitthiphong said on Wednesday that the latest National Energy Policy Council meeting has resolved to raise the contribution of benzene and gasohol sales by 0.50 baht a liter.

As a result, the contribution of both benzene 91 and 95 sales goes up to 6.40 baht per liter. For gasohol 91, the collection will be raised from 2.50 baht to 3 baht per liter, while that of gasohol 95 will go up from 1.40 baht to 1.90 baht a liter.

Mr. Norkun said that the increase was approved due to easing global oil prices, which led local oil business operators’ marketing margin to rise above the 2-baht-a-liter mark.

He added that the higher collection will lead to the daily contribution of 153 million baht to the State Oil fund each day, which is 10 million baht more than the amount collected before the increase.

Currently, the State Oil Fund is still 21.06 billion baht in the red, according to the Energy Ministry’s Permanent Secretary.

Regarding the diesel sales contribution, the meeting has decided to leave the number unchanged.

-- NNT 2012-06-14

[Lite Beer]

4TH THAI-US STRATEGIC DIALOGUE

Thai FM discusses Myanmar, border with US Secretary of State

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

File photo : EPA

Washington DC - Thailand, the United States and Myanmar will set up a tri-partite cooperation scheme to provide assistance to Myanmar in various areas, notably to the people along the border, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/562551-thai-fm-discusses-myanmar-border-with-us-secretary-of-state/#entry5389239

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House approves bills to increase quality of life of disabled

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The House of Representatives Thursday passed the first reading of three bills aimed at increasing the quality of life of the disabled.

The bills were sponsored by the Cabinet and MPs.

All of them were passed together with 363 votes.

The House set up a panel of 36 members to vet them into one draft.

-- The Nation 2012-06-14

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Special Report: Mekong Tourism Forum 2012

BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Thailand, in cooperation with Chiang Rai Province and the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office (MTCO), is hosting the Mekong Tourism Forum 2012 (MTF 2012) which is an annual tourism event of the six Mekong countries, namely Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The Mekong Tourism Forum 2012 is taking place at the Dusit Island Resort Chiang Rai in Chiang Rai province from June 13-14, 2012. It provides a cooperative platform for stakeholders in the tourism industry to discuss development, marketing and promotion of travel within the Greater Mekong Subregion.

The forum addresses the theme: “20/20 Vision: Building on the Two Decades of GMS Cooperation”. The main focus is to assess the challenges of human resources, pro-poor sustainable tourism, sub-regional product development and marketing for the next 20 years, in light of achievement in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) over the last 20 years.

Speakers have delivered a candid assessment of what progress has, and has not, been accomplished by the member countries and donors such as the Asian Development Bank.

Chiang Rai province is chosen as the host city of the Mekong Tourism Forum 2012 due to its magnificent tourism resources, tourism services and infrastructure. Moreover, Chiang Rai is a gateway to Myanmar and Laos as well as other Mekong countries.

Since 2012 is an important year for Chiang Rai, marking the 750th anniversary of the City; therefore, hosting MTF 2012 is considered a great opportunity for Chiang Rai to celebrate this auspicious event with friends from GMS countries and other international partners.

-- NNT 2012-06-14

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HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Myanmar 'slave' crews rescued from Chon Buri boats

The Nation

Tharit

BANGKOK: -- A team of Department of Special Investigation (DSI) officials rescued 11 Myanmar workers who were forced to work on a fishing boat 20 hours per day for a mere Bt30 a day, DSI chief Tarit Pengdith said recently.

Following complaints from the Labour Rights Promotion Network Foundation, the DSI team, along with Area 2 Provincial Police and the coastguard, raided two boats in Tambon Saem San in Chon Buri's Sattahip district.

They also arrested three Myanmarese suspects, aged 15, 21 and 35, on a charge of forcing the victims to work with threats and assault.

Each worker was reportedly made to work 20 hours a day for 10 days in return for Bt300, with the rest of their payment confiscated to repay their "debt". The trafficked workers were given seven months to repay the Bt23,000 per head that the suspects had paid a Myanmar trafficking agent.

Tharit said Wednesday the DSI was also on the trail of human-trafficking gangs that lured foreign youths to sell their labour or serve as sex workers in Thailand.

Pol Lt Col Paisit Sangkhahapong, head of the DSI anti-human trafficking centre, said gangs were smuggling foreign workers into a northern province before moving them south to Sattahip and other locations for hard labour, usually in the fishing industry.

-- The Nation 2012-06-14

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FLOODS

Dams in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani to protect economic zones: Kittirat

The Nation

Kittirat

BANGKOK: -- The government is using a Bt350-billion budget to speed up the building of dams in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani provinces to protect the country's economic zones, Deputy Prime Minister Minister Kittiratt Na Ranong said Thursday.

He was speaking at a seminar titled "New Post-Flood Investment Steps" after entrepreneurs in the two provinces were badly impacted by last year’s flood.

He noted that the Cabinet agreed on a budget to build dams surrounding six industrial estates in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani. The money will be distributed for dam construction within one to two weeks.

Kittiratt said that prevention measures and more infrastructure construction in the northern and upper central regions will help cope with the higher amount of rainfall and future floods.

Meanwhile, Board of Investment (BoI) Secretary General Atchaka Sibunruang said the number of projects applying for investment promotions in the past five months reached 817 in the two provinces with a total investment value of Bt370 billion.

Flood-affected companies put forward 426 projects, which were approved, for importing industrial machinery to replace damaged equipment valued at Bt97.1 billion.

There have also been new 78 investment projects in the flooded areas in the two provinces with an investment value at Bt41.4 billion, reflecting an obvious recovery of the industrial sector, Atchaka said.

-- The Nation 2012-06-14

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THAI

Ampon reiterates "communications" problem

Kanittha Theppajorn

Nation News Network

BANGKOK: -- Thai Airways International chairman Ampon Kittiampon reiterated lack of unity in communications as the reason for the dismissal of the airline's president Piyasvasti Amranand.

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EURO 2012

PM's Office Minister mulls legal actions

Praphan Jindalert-udomdee

Nation News Network

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister's Office Minister Worawat Ua-apinyakul threatened criminal and civil actions against parties which deprived consumers of their rights, concerning the broadcasting of Euro 2012.

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SET index closed at 1153.01, down 5.21; Bt/USD31.43; GBP48.67; AUD31.12; EUR39.38; CAD30.41; HKD4.04; SGD24.38; JPY39.34

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Families of student brawl call for tougher measures

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The families of those killed in Wednesday's shooting incident on a Bangkok bus are urging the authority to pass tougher laws on student brawls, enabling the police to quickly catch the shooter and closing permanently any school that it unable to control its students.

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JOBS

Nokia to cut 10,000 jobs by end of 2013

HELSINKI: Finnish-based mobile phone maker Nokia Thursdaysaid it planned to cut 10,000 jobs by the end of 2013.

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Algerian Arrested In Connection With Hotel Safe-Box Theft

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/562592-algerian-arrested-in-connection-with-hotel-safe-box-theft/

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'Bomb' suitcase at Phuket bus terminal a false alarm

Phuket Gazette

Having declared the scene safe, the bomb-disposal officer displays the contents of the suitcase. Photo: Kritsada Mueanghawong

PHUKET: -- Phuket City Police responding to a report of an unattended suitcase at the new Phuket bus terminal last night considered the threat serious enough to call in the bomb squad.

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Thailand Live Friday 15 Jun 2012