Thailand Live Tuesday 19 Jun 2012

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Thailand Live Tuesday 19 June 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 Monday 18 Jun 2012

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Baring breasts on TV under guise of art not acceptable: culture minister

Jeerapong Prasertpolkrang

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome said yesterday that Thai society found the Sunday episode of Thailand Got Talent, featuring a female contestant painting on canvas with her bare breasts, unacceptable.

Full story:

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BURNING ISSUE

Amnesty for Thaksin is root of the political crisis

Avudh Panananda

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The struggle between the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the opposition Democrat Party is teetering on the brink of mutual assured destruction, and only two political veterans, Thaksin Shinawatra and Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, can be game-changers.

Full story:

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PM'S BROTHER

Democrats stand by claim Thaksin sought unity govt

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Leading figures of the opposition Democrat Party yesterday stood by their story that fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra had tried to persuade the Democrats to join the government - if they stopped fighting the controversial constitutional amendment and reconciliation bills.

Full story:

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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Programmer is first Thai to join software team in US

Asina Pornwasin

The Nation

Tanin, 28, applied for a job at Twitter in December last year.

BANGKOK: -- Software developer Tanin Na Nakorn, 28, is the first Thai to be offered a job with Twitter as a software engineer. He will take up the job with the online social networking service on October 1 as part of an international team based in San Francisco.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....are-team-in-us/

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EURO CRISIS: IMPACT ON KINGDOM

Further fallout seen despite Greek vote: BOT

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Local authorities foresee further fallout from the crisis in the euro area on Thailand's financial market and export sector, even though Greece's election results promise no break-up of the single currency zone for now.

Full story:

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WATER MANAGEMENT

Drive runoff out to sea quickly: water adviser

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A key strategist for the government's water management team called on state agencies yesterday to drive runoff water into the sea promptly.

Full story:

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EDITORIAL

Minimum wage hike was too hastily promised

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The rise in wages has not boosted the economy as the govt hoped; now it will have to face wider repercussions as the policy is applied nationwide

Full story:

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GUEST COLUMN

How will Thai banks be affected by the euro crisis?

Chodechai Suwanaporn

BANGKOK: -- Growth of bank credit in Thailand has been robust in recent years, and generally healthy balance sheets have helped buffer Thai banks against the gradual deleveraging by European banks that has occurred so far.

Full story:

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THAI-US TIES

Cabinet to discuss US proposals on U-Tapao

The Nation

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra meets with Deputy Prime Minister Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapha and armed forces chiefs at a hotel in Pattaya yesterday to discuss a request by Nasa

Opposition claims push for relief base, Nasa project tied to visa for Thaksin

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet will today consider US proposals to use U-tapao airbase for weather research, plus disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said yesterday.

Full story:

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Bail for red-shirt leaders should be revoked, Democrats say

Full story:

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Democrats will never join Pheu Thai government: Former premier Abhisit

Full story:

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Thais urged to cooperate not compete with nations

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Mindset about Asean Economic Community is wrong, Nidhi says

BANGKOK: -- Thais should seek cooperation with other societies, rather than allowing themselves to become preoccupied with international competition, prominent historian Professor Nidhi Eowseewong said.

Full story:

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Pheu Thai has 3 strategies against opposition party

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Pheu Thai party will launch three strategies to defend itself against the Democrats, its party spokesman said yesterday.

"We agreed to have three activities to counter moves by the opposition. The Democrat rallies against the reconciliation bill plus its accusation that we are helping former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra have created confusion among the public," said Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit after the party meeting yesterday.

The three activities comprise seminars aimed to boost the public's political awareness, political rallies and the training of MPs before the next parliamentary session starts on August 1.

Pheu Thai's idea to organise nationwide rallies comes in response to ongoing Democrat-led protests around the country to oppose reconciliation bills.

-- The Nation 2012-06-19

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Cabinet, Chart Thai Pattana explain reasons behind proposed amendments

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet, coalition partner Chart Thai Pattana Party and its MP Somsak Prisananathakul have provided documents clarifying how their Constitution amendment proposals would not go against the current charter, Constitution Court deputy spokesperson Somrit Chaiyawong said yesterday.

However, the Parliament, Pheu Thai Party and its MP Sunai Chulpongsatorn have yet to provide the documentation, he said. The 15-day deadline runs out today for Chart Thai Pattana Party, and the one for Pheu Thai runs out tomorrow.

Though there is no penalty for not sending clarifications in time, the party would need to provide good reason for its tardiness and it would depend on the court as to whether it accepts these documents, Somrit said.

The clarification is meant for lawsuits filed by several groups, including the Democrats asking the Constitution Court to consider if any of the proposals could be deemed as wanting to overthrow the country's democratic system with a constitutional monarchy according to Article 68 of the 2007 Constitution.

In response to Sunai's query as to why political parties are included as defendants even though it is the MPs who proposed the drafts, Somrit said the court had to notify defendants as per plaintiffs, who accused the political parties as being behind the law draft. The court provided this information to the Parliament president to disseminate among members.

-- The Nation 2012-06-19

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Contaminated food may have killed Canadian sisters

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Public Health officials were dispatched to Phi Phi Island yesterday to help local officials work out why two Canadian sisters died in their hotel last week.

Full story:

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Sex clip 'blackmail' arrest

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- An assistant manager of a supermarket in Bangkok was arrested yesterday for publishing a video clip of sex with a 17-year-old Thai student in Norway, whom he befriended via Camfrog and had intimate relationship with when she visited Thailand.

Full story:

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Officials hands 'tied' by limits on punishments

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The problem of interschool violence is made difficult to solve by limits on punishments prescribed in the Child Protection Act, the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (Ovec) said yesterday.

Full story:

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Call for more checks into cheating

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- An anticorruption network yesterday called on the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to investigate tutorial schools in front of Ramkhamhaeng University.

Full story:

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Haze in far South

The Nation

HAT YAI: -- Haze from forest fires in Indonesia hovered over Satun and Hat Yai in the South yesterday but provincial authorities said the impact had been limited to date. Flights at Hat Yai Airport operated as usual.

Satun Natural Resource and Environment office executive Ali Suksuwan said the Pollution Control Department had images from satellites on Sunday showing 163 forest fires on Sumatra Island, and wind was blowing the smoke towards southern Thailand.

White smoke covering Satun reportedly caused some people eye and nose irritation, but the level of fine particle dust in Satun and Hat Yai was under the air quality limit at 38.8 and 49 micrograms per cubic metre.

In Hat Yai, where some people complained about poorer visibility due to smoke, Public Health official Dr Sirichai Leewannanapasai said no people had reported sick from the haze yet, but hospitals were on alert for that.

-- The Nation 2012-06-19

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Govt urged to have pharmaceutical giants reduce price of cancer drugs

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Health experts are calling the government get pharmaceutical giants to slash the price of six cancer drugs after it was discovered that 200,000 patients could not afford their treatment.

Full story:

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Thaksin denies talking to Suthep

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has denied engaging in a talk on inviting the Democrats to join the Pheu Thai-led coalition, his legal adviser Noppadon Pattama said on Tuesday.

"Thaksin has confirmed through me that he did not talk with Democrat MP Suthep Thuagsuban," he said.

Noppadon said Thaksin was clear he did not dispatch any emissaries as alleged by Suthep.

He said the Democrat and Pheu Thai parties were incompatible to team up in an alliance due their political differences.

Earlier Suthep said Thaksin had approached him via a well-respected man and two women who are high society figures.

-- The Nation 2012-06-19

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RT @mpoppel: FIRST VIDEO: 'Canadian Psycho' Luka Magnotta arrives back in Canada -

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Thai stock index opens on Tuesday at 1,167.59, up 4.18 points /MCOT

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Auto sales in May hit record high

BANGKOK, June 19 – Auto sales in May hit a record high of more than 115,000 units, a 107.6 per cent increase, Toyota Motor Thailand Senior Vice President Wuttikorn Suriyachantananon said.

Total auto sales in May were recorded at 115,943 units, including 55,983 sedans, an increase of 137.5 per cent, 59,960 vehicles for commercial purposes, an increase of 85.8 per cent.

Automotive sales in May hit a record high monthly sales volume, resulting from the popularity of new auto models and the government’s supportive measures. Moreover, production capacity of all automakers has returned to normal, so they can now deliver more cars to customers, Mr Wuttikorn said.

Pick-up trucks in particular rose 89.4 per cent to 52,155 units.

Cumulative sales in the first five months totaled 483,052 units, an increase 33.5 per cent year-on-year. The market for sedans and vehicles for commercial purposes grew 22.6 per cent and 42.2 per cent respectively due to favourable domestic economic conditions with a high auto demand registered since the beginning of this year.

The market trend in June is likely to grow constantly and the economic crisis in the euro zone countries may not have a direct impact on the Thai economy, but the situation must be closely monitored. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-06-19

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Ex-premier Abhisit asks Cabinet to reveal details on US request to use U-Tapao Airport

BANGKOK, June 19 -- Opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday called on the Cabinet to publicise the details of the Foreign Ministry plan proposed to the Cabinet to approve the United States space agency's request to use U-Tapao military airport as a base from which to conduct atmospheric studies.

Full story:

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Deputy PM Yongyuth leads Cabinet to bless PM in advance on her 45th birthday on Thursday /MCOT

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EGAT confirms Euro 2012 won’t affect power system

BANGKOK, 19 June 2012 (NNT) – Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has unveiled that there’s an increase in electricity usage during Football Euro 2012, but the increased consumption will not affect the electrical system stability.

Piboon Buacham, EGAT Assistant Governor for System Control, has said that the 14th Euro 2012 competition held in Poland and Ukraine from June 8 to July 1, 2012, broadcasting 31 matches live on television has resulted in an increase in electricity usage by 0.4 to 0.6 million units per match. But the increase will not have any impact on production and transmission systems, given the matches are broadcast from 11 pm to 3:30am, during which period there is only a slight demand for electricity.

However, EGAT has a backup plan in case of emergency and will be able to provide more power according to the needs in electrical power.

-- NNT 2012-06-19

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President of Guinea Alpha Conde will officially visit Thailand during June 24 -26 to strengthen bilateral ties between two countries /MCOT