Thailand Live Wednesday 18 July 2012

News, Bits and Tweets

with webfact

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 17 Jul 2012

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SURVEY

Corruption index worsens over first six months

Petchanet Pratruangkrai

The Nation

Private sector needs to spend 30-35% of project's cost to win government contract

BANGKOK: -- Corruption in Thailand worsened in the first half of the year, with the private sector saying it must spend 30-35 per cent of a project's budget as graft to win a government job, a survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC) and the Anti-Corruption Network found.

Full story:

CRIME

Grandmother confesses to killing her grandson

SUPARAT IAMTAN

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The grandmother of Bangkok schoolboy found dead in a flat in Bangkok's Prawet district last week, confessed yesterday that she had an argument with the boy and unintentionally killed him when she struck him on the head.

Full story:

AFP: Thailand's Thaksin Says Amnesty Key To Reconciliation

Full story:

POLITICS

Somsak calls for all sides to discuss changes to charter

THE NATION

Somsak

BANGKOK: -- Parliament president Somsak Kiatsuranont plans to call a meeting of the government, the opposition and Senate whips to discuss which Articles of the Constitution - bar those related to the monarchy - need to be changed.

Full story:

WORLD COURT

Police set to deploy at border temple

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Troop adjustments to be made in the vicinity of the Preah Vihear temple today are intended as a signal to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Thailand and Cambodia are complying with the court's order for demilitarisation of the disputed border area.

Full story:

DISEASE OUTBREAK

29 schools in Bangkok cancel classes

THANATPONG KONGSAI,

PUANGCHOMPOO PRASERT,

JEERAPONG PRASERTPONKRANG

THE NATION

Highest incidence of hand, foot and mouth for years; no deaths reported

BANGKOK: -- At least 29 schools in Bangkok have suspended some of their classes or shut down their whole facilities in the wake of the hand, foot, and mouth disease - or HFMD outbreak.

Full story:

Evidence in cabbie's death 'points to security forces'

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A Department of Special Investigation (DSI) official told the Criminal Court yesterday that a taxi driver killed during Bangkok unrest in May 2010 was shot dead with a powerful gun belonging to state security officers.

Full story:

Lese majeste trial begins of man caught selling 'defamatory' video

PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The lese majeste trial of Ekachai Hongkangwan, a man arrested for peddling pirated copies of a news documentary produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) about the future of the Thai monarchy and the lese majeste law began yesterday.

Ekachai, who is in his thirties, said he hoped to establish the fact that the video, along with two manuscripts of WikiLeaks cables he is being charged for under the lese majeste law were factual and did not constitute defamation of the monarchy.

He was arrested on March 10 last year for selling pirated CD copies of the ABC documentary for Bt20 each and detained for nine days before being released on bail.

"I don't think the content is defamatory," he told The Nation just before the trial began.

Ekachai hoped that the ABC, which is funded by the Australian government, would issue a statement stating that the documentary, which he illicitly copied and peddled, did not contain anything fabricated, non-factual or defamatory.

No correspondents from the ABC were present at the trial yesterday, which Ekachai said suggested made him feel that they lacked "compassion". However, Zoe Daniel, the ABC's Bangkok-based Southeast Asia correspondent, tweeted yesterday that she was in India and unable to cover the trial.

Ekachai handed The Nation a copy of an e-mail from the ABC dated August 15 last year, stating that it was not in a position to assist and that the programme was made for an Australian audience.

"We did not in any way encourage people to take the type of action that you say you took. In fact, that action breached the ABC's copyright in the programme," wrote Rob Simpson, the ABC director for Legal and Business Affairs. "In these circumstances the ABC will not be providing any statements. There should be no further need to contact the ABC. In particular, you should not contact any of our staff in Thailand as they have had nothing to do with the programme."

The only sympathy from the ABC was one polite sentence from Simpson saying: "I am sorry to hear the issues that you face."

At the beginning of the trial yesterday the presiding judges wanted to hold the trial in camera but The Nation objected, saying it was constitutional and that holding a trial in secret was contrary to standard legal procedure in democratic countries. The judges eventually allowed observers to remain but the video was not shown.

Police Lieut Major Somyot Udomraksasab, who ordered the arrest of Ekachai, stood as one of two prosecution witnesses yesterday. He said he believed the ABC report, which contains video footage involving HRH the Crown Prince, was defamatory. Somyot also testified that he believed that WikiLeaks texts claiming to refer to words by leading Thai politicians such as the late prime minister Samak Sundaravej, former premier Anand Panyarachun and Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanond also contained defamatory remarks about the monarchy.

Ekachai's defence lawyer Arnon Nampha tried to dwell on the facts of some of the information deemed as defamatory - whether it was true or not. But the judges told him they were not out to prove whether the alleged defamatory statements in the video and texts were accurate in reality or not.

"Whether it's true or not, if you prove it, what will be gained from it?" one of the presiding judges said to Arnon.

-- The Nation 2012-07-18

First lot of tablets to be distributed

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Office of the Basic Education Commission (Obec) will distribute its first batch of nearly 50,000 tablet PCs to Prathom 1 or Grade 1 students across the nation today, Obec secretary-general Chinnapat Bhumirat said yesterday.

He said the distribution would be alphabetical starting with provinces that begin with "kor", the first Thai letter - Krabi, Kalasin, Kanchanaburi, Kamphaeng Phet and Krungthep (Bangkok).

Up to 48 per cent of Prathom 1 will be given tablets initially, but all should have one this semester.

-- The Nation 2012-07-18

Fine Arts officials oppose raising retirement age

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A proposal to increase the retirement age of Fine Arts officials with unique expertise from 60 to 70 years would be difficult to comply with, as it would prevent promotion of junior officials to such positions while affecting reshuffles and personnel structure, director-general Somesuda Leeyawanich said.

The existing employment-extension conditions, which allow a first extension of four years and second and third extensions of three years each, were appropriate and had been used for several positions requiring special skills and expertise in traditional arts and crafts, she said.

The proposal, submitted to Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome, who oversees the Fine Arts Department, was made in the wake of a wave of retirements at the department - 480 positions at all 15 regional offices in the past two years. Each craftsman needs a minimum six years of service and special skill training in their area.

Somesuda, citing internal queries among department officials, said most of them did not opt for the 10-year extension but agreed with the three-step extension process already in place. If retirees were needed, they should be hired as contract workers on a case-by-case basis - however, the practice remains problematic due |to budget constraints and bureaucratic red tape, she admitted.

-- The Nation 2012-07-18

'Areas facing floods will be revealed'

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The government will be able to inform the public no later than next month about which areas are at risk of being flooded, those that will be safe, and those to be used as catchment areas, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday.

Full story:

Big show to mark Queen's birthday

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet yesterday approved Bt112 million for official celebrations for Her Majesty the Queen's 80th birthday on August 12.

PM's Office Minister Nivatthamrong Boonsong-paisal said part of the money would go on an exhibition in honour of Her Majesty. The show, divided into four zones, will be held at Central World from August 9 to 15.

The first zone will feature photographs of Her Majesty and will also include books for people to leave personal messages for the Queen. The second zone will showcase Thai-silk gowns inspired by Her Majesty's fashion sense, while the third zone will focus on Her Majesty's royal projects, including those set up to improve people's quality of life in border areas. The fourth zone will highlight the work carried out alongside His Majesty the King.

Her Majesty will inaugurate the exhibition at 5pm on August 9.

-- The Nation 2012-07-18

New rubber price to be set today

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet yesterday approved in principle a new price for rubber at possibly Bt100 per kilogram for level-3 raw rubber sheets and Bt104 per kg of smoked sheets, Deputy Agriculture Minister Natthawut Saikua said.

Cabinet was told about an Agriculture Ministry proposal to compensate the Rubber Estate Organisation for losses in a Bt15-billion project, under which it bought rubber sheets from farmers. This was due to end next March. Cabinet was told if there was a need to release rubber sheets from the REO stock, they should be sold at a price that does not cause a loss. So a sub-committee for rubber pricing was tasked to set prices at possibly Bt100 per kg for level-3 sheets and Bt104/kg for smoked ones, he said. The new prices should take effect from today.

-- The Nation 2012-07-18

Chart Thai Pattana opts out of vote

Piyanart Srivalo,

Kanittha Thepphajorn,

Atapoom Ongkulna

The Nation

Yingluck to wait for advice from the Council of State on govt options

BANGKOK: -- The Chart Thai Pattana Party will not vote in the third reading of the constitutional amendment bill, although it still supports the push to rewrite the charter, party chief adviser Banharn Silapa-archa said yesterday.

Full story:

Insurgents attack army post in Narathiwat's Rueso district; three dead /MCOT

Report: 75 percent of the world now uses mobile phones

WASHINGTON: -- The global address book for mobile phones has reached 6 billion contacts, and experts say the number of mobile subscriptions will soon pass the world population.

Full story:

Defence Minister visiting Si Sa Ket later today to preside at ceremony to deploy Border Patrol Police to replace military at disputed Thai-Cambodian border /MCOT

RT @mpoppel: BREAKING RT @BNONews: North Korea to make 'important announcement' in 50 minutes, state-run media reports.

RT @mpoppel: Rumors were of a first lady being introduced in North Korea. Perhaps related?

Phuket vendor wins Bt4m in Thai National Lottery

Phuket Gazette

Thai lottery tickets are typically sold in pairs of two, like these. Phuket vendor Kaewtaa Khan-asa held the fifth winning set with the grand prize number "904050". Photo: Love Krittaya

PHUKET: -- A kind-hearted Phuket vendor won a 4 million baht grand prize in the Thai National Lottery draw on Monday.

Full story:

Thailand seizes half-tonne of ivory from Kenya

Full story:

Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,222.74, down 1.47 points /MCOT

RT @mpoppel: REU: NORTH KOREAN STATE RADIO SAYS KIM JONG UN NAMED MARSHALL OF

NORTH ARMY

Thai Defence Minister brushes aside concerns military pullout at disputed Thai-Cambodian border would put Thailand at disadvantage /MCOT

Transport Ministry to expand Suvarnabhumi Airport capacity

BANGKOK, 18 July 2012 (NNT) – The Prime Minister has instructed the Transport Ministry to move forward with the improvement and the expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport, which are hoped to be completed before 2017.

Full story:

Pickup crashes into Phuket beer garden, 8 injured

Phuket Gazette

The crash at the River Beer Garden in Rassada subdistrict damaged over ten vehicles and had guests and staff diving for cover. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Eight people were injured and numerous vehicles damaged when an out-of-control pickup truck full of Burmese workers slammed full force into a restaurant on Monday night.

Full story:

Home Buyers' Expo to be held during 23-26 August

BANGKOK, 18 July 2012 (NNT) – Three grand-scale housing events in one, including the Home Buyers’ Expo 2012, Non Performing Asset (NPA) Grand Sale 2012, and Home Loan 2012, are all scheduled to take place on August 23-26.

Full story:

Thai Defence Minister presides over military redeployment

BANGKOK, July 18 -- Thai Defence Minister Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol Suwanatat will preside today at a ceremony marking the deployment of Border Patrol Police to replace regular military personnel at the disputed Thai-Cambodian border near Preah Vihear temple.

Full story:

Education Ministry releases caravan delivering first lot of 55,000 tablet computers for Prathom 1 students in first eight provinces /MCOT