Thailand Live Wednesday 29 Aug 2012

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Cabinet grants 700 mill for flood projects

BANGKOK, 29 August 2012 (NNT) - The cabinet yesterday approved over 700 million baht for 3 flood prevention projects.

Government spokesperson Sansanee Nakapong said the cabinet agreed to grant nearly 770 million baht for flood measures, earlier proposed by Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, who chairs the Water and Flood Management Committee.

The first project, estimated to be worth over 171 million baht, involves the planned construction of dykes, sluice gates and flood barriers at Thammasat University, Asian Institute of Technology and the National Science and Technology Development Agency.

The other two projects include a siphon project at the Bang Chom Sri sluice gate in Ayutthaya Province and a new sluice gate and a semi-permanent water pump station in Pathum Thani Province. Both of the projects are allocated over 263 million baht and 334 million baht respectively.

-- NNT 2012-08-29

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Finance Min grants 13 financial institutions outright primary dealer permits

BANGKOK, 29 August 2012 (NNT) – Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong presented the Ministry of Finance Outright Primary Dealer (MOF OUTRIGHT PD) certificates to 13 financial institutions to help increase liquidity in the bond market.

Mr Kittiratt granted the MOF OUTRIGHT PD to 13 institutions that have passed the assessment, allowing them to act as a market to help increase liquidity in the bond market. He added they will also act as the medium for communication among investors; this will help expand investors’ bases both in Thailand and abroad.

Under the agreement, the outright primary dealers have to regularly participate in the government's bond auctions.

-- NNT 2012-08-29

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Source: http://dtac.co.th

DTAC call center: 1678

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Phuket expat Frenchman stands to lose B100mn home in national park land raid

Phuket Gazette

Officers found that the large, two-storey house, complete with its own swimming pool and tennis court, offers a panoramic view of the ocean from its seven rai of land. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

Sermyos Somman, director of the Chiang Mai office of the Royal Forest Department, led the raid on the B100mn home. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- A French businessman will have to suffer his 100-million-baht luxury villa in Phuket being demolished if the land it is on is ruled to be encroaching on national park land.

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New BTS cars arrived in Bangkok for service expansion on Sukhumvit Line

CHONBURI, 29 August 2012 (NNT) – The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has received new Skytrain cars, which are planned for the service expansion of the capital’s Sukhumvit Line.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/580444-new-skytrain-cars-arrive/#entry5615813

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Phuket man dies of heroin overdose in gas station bathroom

Phuket Gazette –

THE DAMAGE DONE: The body of the late Kittipoom Rattapon, dead of an apparent heroin overdose at the age of 35. Inset: Drug paraphernalia found at the scene. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: A Phuket man died of an apparent heroin overdose in a gas station bathroom in Thalang yesterday.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/580562-phuket-man-dies-of-heroin-overdose-in-gas-station-bathroom/#entry5616024

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Uphill challenge for Thailand’s projected 7% export growth

BANGKOK, AUG 29 – Bank of Thailand (BOT) Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul said Wednesday that the government faces a major challenge and will have to work hard and persistently to achieve the 2012 export growth target of seven per cent, based on the country’s export performance in the first half of this year.

He said the country's monthly export value in the first six months of this year was less than US$20 billion with July being the best-performing month at US$19 billion.

If the government aims for a seven-per cent growth rate, monthly exports in the five remaining months this year must be at least US$22 billion, he said, expressing doubt that Thai exports can achieve that goal, and will eventually expand at only four per cent per month.

Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong last week adjusted Thailand’s export growth projection from 15 per cent to nine per cent but the National Economic and Development Board (NESDB) predicted a 7.3 per cent growth at the most.

Mr Kittiratt, concurrently deputy prime minister, admitted he made a 'white lie' when he projected an export growth of 15 per cent early this year. He claimed that the announcement was meant to strengthen confidence in the public and private sectors. The public response has resulted, however, in reduced confidence for both the finance minister and the economy.

Meanwhile, the governor of the Bank of Thailand predicted an economic growth of 5.7 per cent for this year, giving assurances that the BOT has mapped out measures to shore up the economy in case the world economic crisis more deeply affects Thailand.

The current three per cent policy interest rate which could be cut further and a flexible exchange rate policy to cope with the influx of foreign currency are two of the measures cited by the BOT chief.

In August, foreign inflows continued into Thailand while the Thai baht has become less volatile at Bt31.20-31.70 per US$1 – a rate comfortable for the business sector, he said, adding that Thailand’s foreign exchange reserves are sufficient in case of an outflow of foreign funds.

Thailand is well-prepared in its risk management, he said and, if necessary, the measures can be implemented.

Referring to Thailand’s readiness for the 2015 ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Mr Prasarn said executives of the national banks of ASEAN member countries will jointly work out proposals for an ASEAN free monetary system within this year.

The proposals will be submitted to a meeting of ASEAN national bank governors next year to set the qualifications of financial institutes wishing to do business in the region. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-08-29

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Surapong: Thailand promotes nuclear for peace only

TEHRAN, 29 August 2012 (NNT) – Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul has announced to the world community that Thailand promotes nuclear use for peace only.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/580566-surapong-thailand-promotes-nuclear-for-peace-only/#entry5616093

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Floods hit Chiang Mai in North; Ranong, Trang in South

CHIANG MAI, Aug 29 – Flood hits Thailand's northern province of Chiang Mai as waters recede in southern province of Trang.

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PM to attend 20th APEC leaders meeting Sept 8-9 in Moscow, to hold bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin /MCOT

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POLITICS

Yingluck rules out Cabinet reshuffle this month

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said Wednesday that she will not reshuffle her Cabinet this month because her ministers are in the process of reporting on their performance to the public.

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COMMUNICATIONS

DTAC offers free call to affected customers

USANEE MONGKOLPORN

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Total Access Communications (DTAC) today announces conditional free services to ease customers' outcry over yesterday's service disruption.

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Could Thailand Withstand Another Flood?

Written by Our Correspondent

Probably this time because the weather's better but if they took the same hit, look out

BANGKOK: -- A year ago, central Thailand was inundated with what may have been the worst floods in the country’s history, covering the Ayutthaya plain with up to three meters of water and drowning a major segment of the multinational car and electronics industries that had settled there.

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Thailand moves ahead with ambitious mega-infrastructure project

BANGKOK, Aug 29 – Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong stood firm Wednesday that the government will go ahead with an ambitious plan of mega-infrastructure investment without exceeding the public-debt-to-GDP ratio of 60 per cent.

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EURO CRISIS

BOT ready to slash policy rate

The Nation

BOT Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul

BANGKOK: -- Bank of Thailand Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul signalled a policy rate cut, in the event the the global economy performs worse than expected and sends negative impacts to the Thai economy.

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Tourism Dept to launch Bt50-million project to stabilze tourism data system

BANGKOK, 29 August 2012 (NNT) – The Department of Tourism is set to spend 50 million baht during the next two years on developing a “Tourism Satellite Account”, or TSA, in order to enhance the tourism data system and prepare for the integration of ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

Director-General of the Department of Tourism Supol Sripan has disclosed that in the fiscal year 2013, the government will allocate 50 million baht to the Tourism Department to set up a standardized tourism data base to be known as Tourism Satellite Account. The project is scheduled to take 2 years from 2013-2014 to complete. The data base will be created in 2013 and will be tested in 2014. The project’s objective is to get Thailand ready for the ASEAN integration in 2015. At this stage, terms of reference or TOR are being drafted in order for interested companies and organizations who are specialized in statistics and economics to bid for the project.

Mr. Supol went on to say that the vision of the Tourism Department in the next decade is to make Thailand the number 1 tourism-income-earning country in the ASEAN region. Its short-term plan towards the AEC is to speedily improve human resources in the tourism industry, especially in languages like Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Malaysian, and Indonesian. The Department will work with academic institutions and tourism-related agencies to achieve the targeted goal.

-- NNT 2012-08-29

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Yingluck promises European Parliament to create harmony in Thailand

BANGKOK, 29 August 2012 (NNT) – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has promised the Members of European Parliament (MEPs) that Thailand will create harmony among the politicians, while saying that Thailand is ready to support the European economy.

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SET index closed at 1220.16, down 13.00; Bt/USD31.19; GBP49.25; AUD32.27; EUR39.08; CAD31.39; HKD4.01; SGD24.74; JPY39.4

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Smart TV for Smart Thailand

BANGKOK, AUG 29 - Thailand's Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Anudith Nakornthap said Wednesday that a pilot project launched in Bangkok’s densely populated low-income Klong Toey district centres on an intellectual circuit TV (ICTV) to safeguard residents' lives and property and tackles crime and drug trafficking too.

Describing the project as an online security service, he said the WiFi-connected ICTV will keep a close eye on activity in the community while residents with internet access will play important roles in the safety of their neighbourhoods.

The ICTV service is the key attribute of the ministry's “Safe Community Project” under the “Smart Thailand” strategy.

Mr Anudith said the ICT ministry also plans to provide free WiFi service to more than 20,000 locations this year and increase to 200,000 sites in 2013.

Meanwhile, Kittisak Sriprasert, president of CAT, Thailand's state telecom enterprise, said the ICTV to be installed in Klong Toey under the pilot project will be equipped with high-definition digital cameras to give higher resolution than CCTV cameras.

With its connection to the internet, the service can be upgraded to become a surveillance centre linked to a geographic information system (GIS), he said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-08-29

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Armed Attack on Pattaya Prison may be solved quickly

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....d/#entry5616646

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Russian tourist falls to death from Surat Thani hotel

SURAT THANI, Aug 29 - A Russian tourist fell to his death from the 20th storey balcony of a hotel in the southern province of Surat Thani.

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Thailand Live Thursday 30 Aug 2012