Thailand Live Saturday 28 Jul 2012

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Thailand Live Saturday 28 July 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 Friday 27 Jul 2012

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Charter court verdict lacked transparency: Chalerm

PIYANART SRIVALO,

PRAPAN JINDALERT-UDOMDEE

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday criticised the Constitution Court and disputed its recent verdict in the case against proponents of constitutional amendment.

Full story:

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Abhisit sues Sukampol for defamation

PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK,

PRAPASRI OSATHANONT

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat's allegation that Opposition Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva evaded his mandatory military conscription has given rise to new legal procedures.

Full story:

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Myanmar court to rule on Thai drug, arms suspects Monday

Nantida Puangthong

Boonleun Promprathankul

The Nation

RANONG: -- A Myanmar court is expected to rule on the cases of 10 Thais charged with carrying war weapons and engaging in drug trafficking in Myanmar on Monday July 30, an informed source said yesterday.

Full story:

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'No doubt' Cambodian boy died of HFMD

The Nation

Rayong could be made disaster zone

RAYONG: -- An investigation by the Epidemiology Bureau has concluded that a Cambodian boy who died in Rayong this week succumbed to hand, foot and mouth disease, Dr Prasert Thongcharoen said yesterday. The victim, aged two and a half years, became the second HFMD fatality in Thailand this year.

Full story:

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Dhanin calls for caution in populism

Achara Deboonme

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Dhanin Chearavanont, chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group, called for a cautious government approach towards populism, to avoid a Greece-like crisis.

Full story:

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Holdout Buddhist family attacked for second time in Narathiwat

The Nation

NARATHIWAT: -- Security officials yesterday foiled an attack in Narathiwat's Rusoh district, repelling an insurgent commando team's second attempt to destroy the last remaining Buddhist home in a village there.

A hunt is underway for the welltrained, 10member Runda Kumpalan Kecil (RKK) team, with officials tracking blood trails thought to be left by three of the insurgents who were injured during the attack, according to a local Army unit commander. The outpost targeted by the attackers has been assigned to protect the home of a Buddhist family in Village 2 in tambon Rue Soh Ok. They are the only Buddhist family left in the village after the rest relocated.

A previous attempt by insurgents to raid the outpost of 15124th Infantry Company left two attackers dead and five others wounded, said LtColonel Sathiraphong Artharn. The RKK team converged outside the outpost but hesitated to launch the raid, after discovering there was an extra paramilitary ranger company newly stationed there. They withdrew and were faced by an Army patrol team, who engaged them with the support of a relief force.

In Pattani meanwhile, a young woman was killed and her husband wounded by insurgents using assault rifles. The ambush took place in Khok Pho district, when the victims, who were on a motorcycle, were chased and shot by a number of assailants travelling in a pickup truck.

Earlier in Muang district, a retired village head was shot dead. Police said it was too early to decide if it was an insurgent attack, following news that a son of victim Arong Jehmasae is preparing to run in an election to seek a new village head.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said many confidential security plans were underway during the current Islamic holy month of Ramadan to cope with a spike in insurgent activities. She refused to give details or comment on the recent surge in violence in the South, however. She said narcotics suppression activities - which have become a key element in the security measures following the discovery of links between drug deals and insurgent operations - were underway.

Speaking after a meeting with students from the South at a ceremony at Government House, Yingluck said she had not been informed of the death of a young drug addict at a rehabilitation centre in Pattani, when asked by reporters about it. She said she would release a statement on the issue later.

-- The Nation 2012-07-28

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Chuwit leads netizens' fury over return of Chalerm's son to police service

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A son of Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung has been reenlisted as a police officer, switching from an Army unit, while netizens on the social network criticised the move due to his trial in a murder case in the past though he was eventually acquitted.

Full story:

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Shoppers hurt in Tesco ceiling collapse

The Nation

AYUTTHAYA: -- A section of the ceiling at a Tesco Lotus outlet in Ayutthaya collapsed yesterday, injuring many shoppers, one of them seriously.

Full story:

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Illegal park resorts flattened

The Nation

PRACHIN BURI: -- Demolitions of illegally built resorts in Thap Lan National Park were scheduled to begin last night(July 27 night) in a large area covering nine locations between Prachin Buri and Nakhon Ratchasima.

This is the third in a series of crackdowns on illegal encroachment and resort operations. The nine locations cover 1,857 rai (297 hectares) and comprise 55 resorts - one large resort on a 45rai plot and 54 others elsewhere in the area.

Demolitions were to be carried out simultaneously at all nine locations by nine forestranger teams, with machinery required at two of them.

A total of 418 resort owners, who had encroached on more than 8,000 rai of land in Thap Lan National Park, face legal action. Fortynine of them will have to stand trial, said deputy park chief Anuwat Leelaphata.

-- The Nation 2012-07-28

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Big businesses must comply with waste-management law

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Pollution Control Department has informed about 900,000 potential polluters, such as shopping complexes, large hotels, hospitals and other businesses, that they need to start compiling their wastewater treatment records and report the results to relevant authorities every month.

Full story:

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New ThaiPBS board members named

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Five new members have been appointed to the board of Thai Public Broadcasting Service after the appointment of new director Somchai Suwannaban. Somchai took over from Thepchai Yong, who decided not to seek reappointment after the expiration of his term.

Selection committee chairman Sak Korsaengrueng announced the names in a statement yesterday after interviewing 14 candidates. The board advises ThaiPBS's director on policy and programme content at the independently run television station.

Theeraphat Sanguankotchakorn and Pranee Thinnakorn will advise on policy and organisational management; Somsri Harnananthaskuk on promotion of democracy; Somphan Techaathik on community and rural development; and Wiriya Namsirikhongphan on learning and education.

-- The Nation 2012-07-28

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Anonymous donor gives stranded Kiwi ticket home

Phuket Gazette

Sean, 27, shows the tube still connected to his chest after his lung collapsed for the second time. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

Sean Kenzie was given a wheelchair after arriving at Phuket International Airport for his flight home. Photo: Chaiyot Yongcharoenchai

PHUKET: -- Sean Kenzie, the 27-year-old New Zealander stranded and unable to pay his mounting medical bills after a hit-and run-accident, boarded a plane for home today thanks to an anonymous donor who supplied the funds for his flight.

Full story:

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RT @RichardBarrow: TrueVisions has 9 dedicated channels for Olympics: Platinum customers 9 channels, Gold 8 channels & Silver 4 channels

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PM, on her weekly TV programme, assures hand, foot & mouth disease situation in Thailand will be eased within six weeks /MCOT

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Militants shoot dead 4 soldiers in restive Thai south

Bangkok, July 28, 2012 (AFP) - Militants shot dead four soldiers and wounded two others early Saturday in Thailand's volatile south, an army spokesman said, as a surge in violence since the start of Ramadan continued.

The group of six soldiers were attacked as they patrolled a road in the Mayo district of Pattani province.

"About 20 armed militants on three pick up trucks opened fire at a team of soldiers once they get close to them," Colonel Pramote Prom-in, southern army spokesman, told AFP.

Pramote said four soldiers were killed in the attack and two more were wounded as they returned fire.

The incident came after a roadside bomb killed five policemen in nearby Yala province on Wednesday.

A shadowy insurgency, without clearly stated aims, has raged in Thailand's three southernmost provinces -- Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala -- since 2004.

Daily bomb or gun attacks have targeted soldiers and civilians, Buddhists and Muslims, claiming more than 5,000 lives in eight years.

A state of emergency is in force in the worst-affected parts of the region which rights campaigners say gives tens of thousands of military troops based there legal immunity, fuelling rights abuses.

Authorities had warned that militants were likely to step-up attacks during the Islamic holy month.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-07-28

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update

Drug rehab youths escape facility after friend beaten to death

Phuket Gazette

More than 200 students from the Por Noh Klong Gom drug rehabilitation school escaped on Thursday to protest against teaching assistants who allegedly beat a student to death. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- More than 200 youths escaped from the drug rehabilitation center at Por Noh Klong Gom School and sought the protection of a local mosque in Krabi on Thursday after one of their classmates was allegedly beaten to death by teaching assistants.

Full story:

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Pattaya Police Use “X-Ray” Car To Search Autos

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....o-search-autos/

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PM assures hand, foot & mouth disease situation will be eased within six weeks

BANGKOK, July 28 -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday assured that hand, foot & mouth disease situation in Thailand will be eased within six weeks.

The premier made her statements during "Yingluck's Government Meets People" TV and radio programme that she has instructed the Public Health, Education and Interior Ministries to coordinate their work to tackle the problem and educate the public how to protect themselves and their children from the disease.

Ms Yingluck vowed that her government would do its best to handle the problem.

As for the tablet computers handed out to first graders in government schools under the One Tablet Per Child (OTPC) project, the premier said that the next step of the government was to expand public WiFi internet hotspots to 200,000 locations by early next year.

She said that at the moment, there were some 40,000 WiFi hotspots serving over 300,000 users. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-07-28

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Thai Students Ranked Lower in English Skills

BANGKOK: -- A recent study measuring the English skills of students in 10 Asian countries ranked Thailand in the middle of the pack. Researchers said the Thai educational system need overhauling. They also suggested that Thai students should learn a second foreign language besides English.

Full story:

[Lite Beer]

National Rice Policy Committee to review rice pledging programs to ensure fairness

BANGKOK, 28 July 2012 (NNT) – The National Rice Policy Committee is set to review the process of rice pledging in order to ensure fairness for participating farmers.

Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom told reporters that the National Rice Policy Committee had held a meeting to discuss the state-initiated rice pledging program for the 2012/2013 crops and it initially agreed to kick off the campaign on October 1st, 2012.

Mr. Boonsong said that the meeting also noted that the severe flood crisis in late 2011 has vastly damaged rice fields and delayed the off-season rice faming.

He added that the National Rice Policy Committee resolved to extend the pledging period for August-September harvest, which is expected to produce around 1-2 million tons of rice paddy and requires about 20 billion baht of the state budget to execute.

The Commerce Minister said that there is not a deadline set for the upcoming rice pledging period, which will begin on October 1st as the meeting agreed that there should be a revision of the rice-pledging process in order to make this state-sponsored program a fair deal for all farmers.

He went on to say that the upcoming pledging scheme is expected to cost the government no less than 260 billion baht to pay farmers at a rate of 15,000-20,000 baht per ton of rice.

-- NNT 2012-07-28

[Lite Beer]

Four soldiers killed, two injured by at least 10 presumed southern insurgents in Pattani

PATTANI, July 28 - Four soldiers on patrol were killed and another two injured on Saturday morning by at least ten presumed southern insurgents in Mayo district, spraying bullets at the victims and making off with four guns.

The six special forces soldiers were riding on three motorcycles heading back to base after their daily patrol duty at a local market, when gunmen on three pickup trucks followed them.

At the scene, bloodstains and many spent bullet casings belonging to M-16 assault rifles and shotguns were found scattered on the road.

Numerous spikes were thrown on the road to obstruct the authorities' ability to follow the assailants.

The six victims were initially sent to Mayo Hospital Pattani. The surviving injured were later sent to Pattani Hospital for treatment.

In a separate incident in nearby southernmost province of Narathiwat, a 29-year-old village head deputy was shot and wounded in Rueso district before dawn on Saturday while riding a motorcycle home after Muslim prayer services.

He was sent to Rueso Hospital and later transferred to Naradhiwasrajanagarindra Hospital in the provincial seat.

The victim was shot by gunmen on his left arm and right hand. Hiding themselves in a forest along the road, the gunmen shot at the victim three times, using an M-16, before later fleeing into the darkness. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-07-28

[Lite Beer]

RT@tulsathit: Thaksin to friends, relatives on his BD: Don't worry ab me. It won't kill me if I can't return. I've lots of friends here and a private jet.

RT@tulsathit: Thaksin: I'm willing to die to make country and its people happy.

RT@tulsathit: Thaksin: I told Yingluck "Sister, if you lie to the ppl, they will know it by taking one look into your eyes."

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Lampang ranks 7th in number of hand- foot-mouth patients

LAMPANG, 28 July 2012 (NNT) – The Provincial Health Office of Lampang has made public the most recent situation of the hand, foot and mouth syndrome in the province.

The data, collected during January-July 25, 2012, showed that a total of 246 people were afflicted with the hand, foot and mouth syndrome, a rate of 32.47 patients per 100,000 citizens. Most of the cases were found in Jae Hom district, Mae Mo district, and Wang Nuea district. At present, there have been no fatalities reported. The age group that saw the highest number of people afflicted with the disease were children aged up to 4 years. The second highest number of patients was found in the group aged 5 to 9, and the third highest were those aged 10 to 14.

As for the situation in eight northern provinces, it was found that Lampang ranks seventh in terms of number of patients. Nationwide, there have been 16,860 people afflicted with the hand-foot-mouth disease.

-- NNT 2012-07-28

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Trat prepares flood evacuation plans

TRAT, 28 July 2012 (NNT) – The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM)’s provincial office in Trat organized an evacuation drill in the event of flash floods or forest run-off. The drill was held in cooperation with the Sato Subdistrict Administrative Organization, people in the Ban Thung Krabok community, and relevant government agencies.

Mr. Thana Phromduang, head of the Trat DDPM office, stated that the evacuation drill was held in Ban Thung Krabok because the area is prone to annual flooding problems, with its low-lying landscape which absorbs water from the Chantaburi River as well as watershed areas in neighboring mountainous districts. The evacuation drill was initiated to ready citizens as well as improving the efficiency of the One Tambon, One Search and Rescue Team’s (OTOS) operations.

It helps train relevant agencies, such as the administrative and medical personnel to work together in a quick and efficient manner in the event of flash floods, to help evacuate citizens, search for missing persons, facilitate communications, and provide first aid. This exercise was initiated to help prepare all parties to deal with actual emergencies.

-- NNT 2012-07-28

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Measures reinforced to protect overseas visitors from fraudulent businesses

BANGKOK, 28 July 2012 (NNT) – The Foreign Ministry has joined the Interior Ministry in mulling measures to help protect overseas visitors from being taken advantage by crooked business operators.

Full story:

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Mekong River patrol unit arrests illegal transnational dog trader in Nakhon Phanom, rescues some 700 dogs enroute to Vietnam /MCOT

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RT @veen_NT: Thaksin on his BD said it won't kill him if he can't return. "I've lots of friends here and a private jet." via @tulsathit

RT @veen_NT: RT @tulsathit: Thaksin: I'm willing to die to make country and its people happy.

RT @veen_NT: RT @tulsathit: Thaksin: I told Yingluck "Sister, if you lie to the ppl, they will know it by taking one look into your eyes."

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Krabi drug rehab student drowned in escape, says friend

Phuket Gazette

Students gather outside the Baan Koh Klang Mosque in Krabi, about two kilometers from Por Noh Klong Gom School. About 200 students fled the school on Thursday, followed by another 200 later. The school has now closed temporarily. Photo: Kritsada Meuanhawong

PHUKET: -- Eyewitness reports are now indicating that the student who died after escaping a youth drug rehab facility in Krabi last week was not beaten to death by teaching assistants, as initially reported, but rather drowned during his escape.

Full story: