Thailand Live Friday 29 Jun 2012

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Thailand Live Friday 29 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 Thursday 28 Jun 2012

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UPDATE:

Autopsy result for Canadian sisters due next week

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok's Ramathibodhi Hospital director said the autopsy results for the two Canadian sisters who were found mysteriously dead on Phi Phi Island should be released next week.

Full story:

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POLITICS

Abhisit defends Kasit's appointment

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva stepped forward yesterday to defend his decision to appoint Kasit Piromya as foreign minister in 2008, arguing that Kasit had not been indicted in connection with the street protests led by the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy.

Full story:

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POLITICS

Speaker wants bills on reconciliation pulled

KANITTHA THEPPHAJORN

THE NATION

Somsak

BANGKOK: -- House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont said yesterday that he would ask the sponsors of the reconciliation bills to withdraw them from the House of Representatives agenda to reduce political tension.

Full story:

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UPDATE:

THAI-US RELATIONS

Nasa calls off weather research project

The Nation

US agency says delay in getting the necessary approvals from authorities forced cancellation

Bangkok: -- The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration has called off its weather-research project after a delay in the granting of permission to use the U-tapao airbase.

Full story:

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Guard against ills of industrialisation, govt told

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Civic groups say many have been suffering for the benefits of a few people

BANGKOK: -- A network of 30 civic groups yesterday called on the government to give higher priority to environmental protection after finding that many communities near industrial areas around the country have been living with pollution for two decades.

Full story:

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Young inventors show off their creations

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Young inventors from nine countries are presenting more than 200 of their creations at an exhibition in Bangkok this week.

The eighth Exhibition of Young Inventors 2012 (IEYI 2012) kicked off yesterday at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre, showcasing a total of 206 creations from more than 300 youngsters from Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam. The age of the young inventors ranges between six and 19.

The theme for IEYI 2012 is "Future Inventors, Future World" with the display divided into five categories: local sustainability, climate change (preparedness and mitigation), green products, technology from nature, and recreational or educational products. The exhibition will end tomorrow when winners for each category will be announced.

"The event supports participating countries' educational objectives and gives all our young inventors an opportunity to not only compete but also to build lasting relationships with their peers from other countries," Chinnapat Bhumirat, secretarygeneral of Office of the Basic Education Commission, said.

IEYI was created in 2004 to mark the 100th anniversary of the Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation. Member countries have been taking turns to host the event.

The inventions this year included rearview glasses from Hong Kong, a watercoated helmet from Indonesia, a flashlight that turns on when toppled over from Japan and a flood and earthquake warning system and ecoair purifier from Malaysia. Participants from the Philippines presented an oilspill remover built with waterhyacinth biomass, threeinone trousers from Taiwan, a table tennis ballpicking device and a hulahoop mobile phone charger from Thailand and multipurpose cutter from Vietnam.

Education Minister Suchart Tadathamrongvej said IEYI 2012 was hosted to celebrate His Majesty the King's awarded titles of Father of Invention in Thailand and World.

-- The Nation 2012-06-29

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Police back new crowd control bill

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police are seeking Cabinet approval of a new version of a bill governing crowd control operations to be used in the event of political rallies or protests.

Full story:

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UPDATE:

Trial over Euro 2012 dispute continues

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Civil Court trial filed by Foundation for Consumers chief Saree Aongsomwang and others against TV channels 3, 5, 9 and GMM Grammy continued unabated yesterday. The lawsuit was filed over the GMM GrammyTrueVisions dispute that has left satellite and digital subscribers unable to watch the football competition Euro 2012.

Full story:

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Siam Ocean World helps restore cat shark population

Pratch Rujivanarom

The Nation

Trang

Wibul Rakseri releases one of 20 brownbanded bamboo sharks into the sea at Hat Chao Mai National Park in Trang.

TRANG: -- The brownbanded bamboo shark, indigenous to both the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, is decreasing in numbers. But there is still hope for this fish, known as a "cat shark" because of its whiskerlike barbels, now that Siam Ocean World can breed them and release them into the sea.

Siam Ocean World and Thai AirAsia have collaborated to bring 20 cat sharks to their new home at Hat Chao Mai National Park, a marine reserve in Trang province, with the purpose of increasing the species' population in nature and restoring the ecological balance.

This species is small for a shark, averaging 60 centimetres in length. The adults have no colour patterns but the juveniles have beautiful dark transverse bands with some dark spots. So they are fit for keeping in private aquariums, and their popularity as pets is one of the factors reducing their population in nature, with a corresponding loss of habitat and an increase in pollution and illegal fishing.

Hat Chao Mai National Park is one of the places where the catshark population has dramatically decreased.

"There are very few brownbanded bamboo sharks living in the national park area. Their population was impacted by the use of otter trawling," said Narong Pongeiad, head of the marine national park. Otter trawling is a form of seabottom fishing.

Fortunately, Siam Ocean World, the famous aquarium in Bangkok, has successfully bred cat sharks and can prepare them to survive in the ocean.

"First we feed the sharks with dead prey, then we slowly change their food to live fish so they can learn how to catch their prey themselves in nature," explained Wibul Rakseri, head of the department of aquaticanimal care at the aquarium.

Wibul added that the facility was not confining such efforts to cat sharks. "Now we are working hard to breed other rare species of marine animals and plants to return them back to nature."

Transport of the sharks to the sea is important too. They are not fed for three days to reduce defecation during the journey. Then the sharks are packed into plastic bags with aerated water so they could breathe, then packed into thick Styrofoam boxes.

Thai AirAsia has taken on the responsibility of carrying the sharks back to the sea, using this as an opportunity to promote its new route from Bangkok to Trang Airport.

The airline's head of engineering, Prishaya Rathsamithanin, said Thai AirAsia had cooperated with Siam Ocean World before on a similar mission two years ago in Phuket. That was the first time the aquarium had released the brownbanded bamboo shark back into the sea.

"We look forward to helping restore the sea's ecological balance, and we will not hesitate to work with Siam Ocean World again," Prishaya said.

Twenty primary students from Wat Pratumwanaram School in Bangkok have joined in this project to learn the importance of marine ecology and the need to love and protect the sea.

-- The Nation 2012-06-29

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Bt1m reward offered in manhunt

The Nation

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: -- Police yesterday announced that they would offer a Bt1million reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to the arrest of two armed robbers and at least 80 per cent retrieval of the Bt6 millionworth of gold ornaments stolen from a shop in Prachuap Khiri Khan's Thap Sakae district.

Full story:

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35 swineflu patients recover

The Nation

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: -- The 35 swineflu patients at Nakhon Ratchasima's Rajanagarindra Psychiatric Hospital have recovered, Dr Pitakpol Boonyamalik confirmed yesterday.

After finding the patients infected with the H1N1 virus on June 19, the hospital implemented strict measures to prevent an outbreak, the hospital director said, adding that the 35 patients no longer had any symptoms, though they would remain in quarantine until Monday. Hospital officials will then spend the following day disinfecting the entire facility before opening for services as usual.

-- The Nation 2012-06-29

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Surat Thani villagers hope for eviction reprieve

Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation

Supoj Kansing from the Klong Sai Pattana community in Surat Thani produces documents showing that the land on which he and his neighbours live belongs to the Agricultural Land Reform Office, not a private firm. /Nation/Chularat Saengpassa

SURAT THANI: -- Villagers in Surat Thani were holding their breath yesterday as they awaited a crucial document from the Agricultural Land Reform Office (ALRO) they hoped would save their communities from demolitions scheduled to take place today.

Full story:

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Sukampol dismisses rumours of top general conspiring to oust govt

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat yesterday dismissed rumours about a top Army general and a coalition MP conspiring to topple the government.

Full story:

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DSI urged to investigate Thai Khemkhaeng scheme

PIYANUCH THAMNUKASETCHAI,

PONGPHON SARNSAMAK

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Suranand Vejjajiva, the prime minister's secretary-general, has called on the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to look into the alleged irregularities involving the previous government's Thai Khemkhaeng (Strong Thailand) project.

Full story:

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Ex-Revenue chief to get his job back

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The Central Administrative Court has ordered the reinstatement of Sirote Swasdipanich as director-general of the Revenue Department on grounds that his decision to exempt the Shin Corp sale from taxes did not warrant severe disciplinary punishment.

The court found that Sirote made the decision according to principle and did not deserve a penalty, as it was unclear that he bore ill intentions while determining that the sale was not liable for taxes.

Chief judge Adul Chantarasak ruled on Wednesday to revoke the Finance Ministry's order on May 12, 2008 dismissing Sirote from government service.

Sirote was a deputy director-general and the acting director-general of the department when he decided on the tax treatment of the transfer of Bt738 million Shin shares by Pojaman na Pombejra, the then wife of then premier Thaksin Shinawatra, to her brother Bhanapot Damapong.

The court said there was no evidence that Sirote had any contact with the principals or did anything that could be construed as trying to help his career or derive any benefit. The court also ordered the restoration of all benefits to the petitioner within 30 days after the court considers the case as final. The ruling can be appealed within 30 days.

-- The Nation 2012-06-29

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Thailand's endless crisis tests investor patience

William Pesek

BANGKOK: -- RED warning signs are flashing again in Bangkok. We're not talking about flashing lights of emergency vehicles - although that might yet prove to be the case - but the T-shirts of protesters loyal to Thaksin Shinawatra, the billionaire prime minister ousted in 2006 and still dominating Thailand from exile.

Full story:

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RT @RichardBarrow: In May 2012, there were 359,000 unemployed people in Thailand. 76% higher than May last year. 38.27 million are employed

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RT @RichardBarrow: Thailand International Mobile Show 2012 is taking place at BITEC from now until Sunday. Nearest skytrain is BTS Bang Na.

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Nine Indonesians arrested at rented Sukhumvit area residence for hosting online football gambing; Handled one million baht daily /MCOT

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 1,179, up 7.68 points /MCOT

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Police conduct random ‘surprise’ drug tests of foreigners on Sukhumvit Soi 3

By Coconuts Bangkok

The area around Sukhumvit Soi 3 is popular with Middle Eastern and South Asian tourists and expats.

BANGKOK: -- Immigration police popped a surprise on Sukhumvit Soi 3 on Monday night by conducting on-the-spot drug tests with 33 randomly selected foreigners, 16 of which tested positive, Nation Channel reported.

Full story:

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Thailand believes US will understand government's decision on NASA request

DUBAI, June 29 – Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said Thursday he believed that the United States would understand Thailand's decision on its request to use U-Tapao even though the US space agency cancelled its plan to conduct atmospheric studies this year.

Full story:

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Khao San Road business operator to invest THB100mil to upgrade the area

BANGKOK, 29 June 2012 (NNT) – Business operators on Bangkok’s famous Khao San Road are ready to spend big to upgrade the area.

Full story:

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Chalerm orders urgent crackdown on firearms to tackle widespread crimes

Full story:

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Army unveils juvenile boot camps for feuding students

BANGKOK, 28 June 2012 (NNT) - The Royal Thai Army revealed that over 200 polytechnic students had been signed up to participate in its juvenile correctional boot camps, which were established for behavior modification.

Army deputy spokesman, Lieutenant-Col Wanchana Sawasdee, said 220 students from 33 institutions are set to undergo training in military boot camps for 10 weeks, with an aim to teach juvenile offenders discipline and curb criminal tendencies.

The pilot project is to commence on July 10 at Kaeng Kracharn district in Phetchaburi province and at the Special Forces Center in Lopburi province.

He elaborated that in light of a recent sharp increase in national levels of youth crime, the boot camps is considered an ideal option that can instill a sense of self-discipline and moral values in feuding students.

-- NNT 2012-06-29

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Tailbacks expected at Tesco Lotus Phuket intersection

Phuket Gazette

Vehicles navigate the flooded Tesco Lotus intersection near Phuket Town. Photo: Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai

PHUKET: -- Expect longer-than-usual tailbacks around the Tesco Lotus intersection starting tomorrow, when the Phuket Highway Office will break ground on a drainage improvement project to address chronic flooding that occurs in the area.

Full story:

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Tourism Minister eyeing to turn Chiang Mai into a new ground for Formula 1 race

BANGKOK, 29 June 2012 (NNT) – The Tourism Ministry is eyeing to make one of the country’s popular touristic towns a new ground for Formula-1 race.

Full story:

[george]

BREAKING NEWS:

New draconian property laws to deport foreigners who "owns" land illegally

- Higher tax on foreigner property transactions

- New law would also deport foreigners found guilty of holding land plots in Thailand illegally

- Longer leasehold periods such as 50 or 90 years proposed

FULL STORY: http://www.thaivisa....land-illegally/