Thailand Live Monday 6 Aug 2012

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Thailand Live Monday 6 August 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 Sunday 5 Aug 2012

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Grenades, AK-47 found on Bangkok bus

Bangkok, Aug 6, 2012 (AFP) - Thai police said Sunday they were looking for the owner of a bag left on a public bus in Bangkok with an AK-47 assault rifle, more than 200 bullets, 10 hand grenades and five mines inside.

Full story:

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Politics aside, no one doubts Yingluck's style

Kupluthai Pungkanon

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- During the past year, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has charmed people with her beautiful smile in Thailand and abroad. Admittedly, she is photogenic.

Full story:

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A PM who avoids controversial issues

Somroutai Sapsomboon,

Kornchanok Raksaseri,

Budsarakham Sinlapalavan

The Nation

But few in politics see Yingluck as the country's real leader

BANGKOK: -- Being a younger sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is seen as both a blessing and a curse. One benefit was that Yingluck became prime minister easily. But a negative is that nobody in politics believes she is the real PM.

Full story:

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SPECIAL

PM fails to impress private sector

BUSINESS REPORTERS

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A year in office, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra barely gets passing scores according to the private sector for her leadership and overall economic management.

Full story:

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How impressive is 1st female PM to society's leading women?

Budsarakham Sinlapalavan

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Red shirt chairwoman Thida Thavornseth: "It was amazing she could pass one year in her term so well, considering that she had no experience in the political field. Some people dislike her administration, but even a man as good as Thaksin Shinawatra has people who dislike him.

Full story:

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SPECIAL REPORT

Now you see her, now you don't

Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- An analysis of Yingluck Shinawatra's first year in office comes to an intriguing conclusion. Either she is elusive and lacks leadership, or she can do magic, writes The Nation's Tulsathit Taptim

Full story:

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SPECIAL

Mixed rating for PM's battle to prevent a repeat of last year's flood crisis

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Water experts have expressed mixed views about Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's leadership in managing water and flood prevention efforts over the past year. But they said she always monitored and paid attention to details of alleviation work.

Full story:

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Tablets bring world of learning alive for both students and teachers

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Parents trained in use of devices before kids let loose

BANGKOK: -- Posters featuring photos of animals and their names have always been an important means to educate young students in Bangkok and rural areas about living things. All that is changing with the arrival of computer tablets.

Full story:

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Vast majority of Thais have never read Constitution: poll

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Most Thais have not read the Constitution, believing it is hard to understand, out of reach and boring, according to the results of an Abac poll released Sunday.

Full story:

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PM matures in the school of hard knocks

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- After one year in office, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has managed to gradually display leadership despite criticism she is nothing short of a nominee PM for her brother, ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....of-hard-knocks/

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Robotmakers score gold in HK contest

The Nation

HONG KONG: -- Thai students have won eight gold metals in an international robotic competition in Hong Kong, while winning another 19 prizes. A total of 61 teams competed in the InterCity Robotic Olympiad 2012.

The Thai gold medals went to students at the primary and lower secondary levels at Ban In Plaeng school in Sakon Nakhon, for fastingrunning two and fourlegged horselike robots, handwound robots and fighting and triathlon robots; and to Hin Ngom Phitthayakhom in Sakon Nakhon for a plant exploratory robot.

Other gold medalists were students from Kanchanaphisek Witthayalai school in Surat Thani, for a multimotored robot, and from Benjama Ratcha Rangsarit 2 school in Chachoengsao for an amphibious harmdodging robot, and a freestyle swimming robot. There were no details about 19 other prizes available as of press time last night.

Thirtythree teams of Thai students took part in the event, which also saw 28 teams from China and Malaysia involved.

Chinaphat Phoomirat, secretarygeneral of the Office of Basic Education Commission, which sponsored the Thai student teams in the competition, said Thailand had won many categories regularly mastered by students from Malaysia and China, which had a superior technological scene.

-- The Nation 2012-08-06

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ANALYSIS

High-speed rail carries high price tag

WICHIT CHAITRONG

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Inspired by bullet train technology and the geographical advantages of the country, many share the ambition that Thailand can proceed to the next stage of development.

Full story:

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New Zealand help on language training

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully recently joined his Thai counterpart Surapong Towichukchaikul to congratulate Thai officials who have completed specialist Englishlanguage training in New Zealand.

Mr McCully met with some of the 40 officials who undertook the specialist "Advanced Oral Communication Course" in New Zealand since the programme was established last year. The Advanced Oral Communication Course is a collaboration between the Thai Devawongse Institute, part of the Thai Foreign Ministry, and New Zealand institutions Victoria University of Wellington and the Auckland University of Technology.

Participants include senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Education, as well as the Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary. They spoke of their positive experiences in New Zealand - while Mr McCully cited the programme as an excellent example of collaboration between Thailand and New Zealand.

He noted that English language training is a priority for the Thai government, and an area of strength for New Zealand education providers.

The Asean scholars programme is another example of how NZ supports Thailand on English language training. The programme involves four scholarships offered by New Zealand for Thai teachers to complete postgraduate study in New Zealand in 2013.

These initiatives are designed to contribute to Thailand's priority of improving Englishlanguage proficiency in the leadup to the 2015 Asean Economic Community - a vision to transform Asean countries into a single market and production base.

-- The Nation 2012-08-06

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RT @mpoppel: Kyodo: South Korea has no plan to offer flood relief aid to North Korea

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Baht Touches 11-Week High As U.S. Jobs Data Boosts Risk-Taking

By Yumi Teso

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's baht touched an 11-week high as better-than-expected U.S. payroll data encouraged risk- taking. Government bonds advanced.

Full story:

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Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,206.90, up 9.37 points /MCOT

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Transport Company steps up security after grenades, AK47 found on bus

BANGKOK, Aug 6 – Thailand’s state-owned Transport Company Limited has stepped up security at Mo Chit bus terminal in northern Bangkok after a bag containing hand grenades and an AK47 assault rifle was found on an interprovincial bus which arrived at the terminal crowded with passengers returning to the capital after a long holiday weekend.

Full story:

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RT @191Thailand: A bus with factory workers crashed in Ayutthaya province this morning. 15 people injured, one seriously

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Democrat Party leader Abhisit visits Pattani to observe situation, to propose solution to govt; Narathiwat's Sukhirin bombing injures one person /MOCT

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RT @191Thailand: A house in Ban Songkhla, Samut Prakan has collapsed into the river. 1 person missing http://bit.ly/RKiCgw TR @faajung_Galz

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RT @ASEAN_NEWSROOM: Air Asia will also increase Bangkok- Yangon flight to 3 times/day, starting Oct 4 2012

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Transport Ministry inspects Bangkok roads to prevent sinkhole

BANGKOK, 6 August 2012 (NNT) – The Transport Ministry has begun inspection of roads that were flooded in Bangkok last year to make sure they are perfect for use and to avoid any more sinkholes.

Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan revealed that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has ordered the Transport Ministry to urgently inspect all the roads throughout Bangkok which were flooded in 2011.

A sinkhole has recently been found on Chaengwattana Road. An official from the Department of Highways said the sinkhole was caused by the big flood in 2011.

The Ministry has assigned the Department of Highways to inspect other roads considered at risk of subsidence, including Ngamwongwan, Vibhavadi-Rangsit, Phaholyothin, Suwintawong, Petchkasem, and Rama 2 to ensure safety for commuters.

The authority is using ground-penetrating radar to see under the road surface and analyze information from the scans to find if there is any gap so that they can fix it before sinkholes develop.

-- NNT 2012-08-06

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RT @AsifAAhmad: Lao Deputy PM and Foreign Minister will expedite return of British Embassy to Vientiane. UK project officer due soon.

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RT @Reuters: FLASH: Mars science rover Curiosity lands on planet’s surface - NASA

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Mars rover Curiosity lands on surface of Red Planet

PASADENA, California (Reuters) - The Mars science rover Curiosity landed on the Martian surface shortly after 10:30 p.m. Pacific time on Sunday (1:30 a.m. EDT Monday/0530 GMT) to begin a two-year mission seeking evidence the Red Planet once hosted ingredients for life, NASA said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....-of-red-planet/

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PM asks Thai ambassadors to help promote OTOP

BANGKOK, 6 August 2012 (NNT) – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has asked Thai ambassadors to help promote the One Tambon One Product (OTOP) goods to other countries.

Ms Yingluck yesterday presided over the OTOP promotion through ambassadors and the OTOP Fair on the occasion of the annual ambassadors and consuls general meeting. She said in admiration that the Foreign Affairs and Interior Ministries have been integrating their works with creativity, coming up with a project that encourages ambassadors to help promote the OTOP.

According to the PM, Ambassadors and consuls general of Thailand in various countries are the nation's representatives with great knowledge on international market. As such, they have been assigned as intermediaries for international traders and Thai producers, promoting the Thai OTOP products.

She said the OTOP goods are of Thai wisdom, and considered highly valuable; adding that the products help strengthen the nation’s economy in line with her administration's policy.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said the idea for ambassadors to help sell Thai products is a new marketing dimension. Ambassadors and consuls general will join hands with provincial governors in seeking new markets for the OTOP goods.

-- NNT 2012-08-06

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Govt's approval rating drops below 50 per cent: Poll

BANGKOK, Aug 6 - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's approval rating outstripped that of her government, which was rated at only 4.8 out of 10 points, but 70 per cent of the public still want the premier to continue her work, according to an opinion poll released on Monday.

Full story:

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[VIDEO] CHIANG MAI: One month demolition of the "Death Hotel" Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai, Thailand, reduced by time lapse to 4 minutes