Thailand Live Friday 31 Aug 2012

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Thailand Live Friday 31 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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Bangkok's anti-flood efforts hit by politics

Thanatpong Kongsai,

Samatcha Hunsara

The Nation

Sukhumbhand

Governor says release of water into canals risky; govt says drill necessary, safe

BANGKOK: -- Officials' comments about the upcoming water-drainage tests in Bangkok appear to confirm suspicions of a lack of coordination between the central government and the city administration.

Full story:

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KILLING

Man surrenders to police for murder of MP's son

The Nation

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: -- A man claiming to be responsible for the recent fatal shooting of a government MP's son turned himself to police on Thursday night.

The man, identified by police only as a construction contractor, surrendered to a senior investigator of the case, Pol Colonel Phanu Buranasiri. The officer, who did not identify the man by name, said he was already taken to a "safe house" in Nakhon Ratchasima.

In the night of August 20, Farut Thaiseth, son of Chat Thai Pattana Party MP Chada Thaiseth, was shot dead in his sport utility vehicle during a family vacation at a Khao Yai resort in the northeastern province.

Police had earlier theorised that a political or business conflict involving the politician, or a road rage, could be the motive behind the shooting.

The suspect told police during interrogation on Thursday that the shootout occurred after the SUV's driver turned on high beam on his vehicle and he responded by turning on his pickup truck's spotlight. Some people in the other vehicle opened fire on him when he was about to overtake it. He returned fire, using a handgun he was carrying.

"He said there was no other person in his vehicle and that the incident had nothing to do with politics," said Phanu.

Police will hold a press conference on Friday afternoon about the latest development, at the Provincial Police Region 3 in Nakhon Ratchasima, according to Pol Lt-General Phanu Kerdlappol, commander of the Region 3.

-- The Nation 2012-08-31

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British Motorcyclist Shot Dead While Riding Home In Thailand

Full story:

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WHITE LIES

Clarification sought directly from Kittiratt

Khanittha Thepphajorn

The Nation

Kittirat

BANGKOK: -- A motion filed in the House against Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong in relation to his "white lies" controversy has been postponed to next week because the minister is attending to official duties overseas.

Full story:

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FAILED PURSUIT OF PIN

Prosecutors 'did their best'

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Attorney General Praphan Naikowit yesterday rejected claims that his office had failed in its mission to locate and seek the extradition of Pin Chakkaphak, whose alleged massive siphoning-off of funds from his own business was seen as sparking the 1997 economic meltdown.

Full story:

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Thais flock to German fair

Sopaporn Kurz

Special to The Nation

Bad Homburg, Germany

Thais and Germans gather around a Thai-style pavilion for the annual Thai festival in Bad Homburg, a city about 19km north of Frankfurt.

Bad Homburg, home to two Siamese salas, marks 150 years of Thai-German friendship

BAD HOMBURG: --Jintana Krueser and her friends attend a Thai festival every summer in the German city of Bad Homburg. For more than a decade, she says, it's offered them not just cultural shows and authentic food and other items from the homeland but "a great opportunity to meet up with friends who live far away".

"It's pretty much our annual meeting!" the 38-year-old mother of two laughs.

Jintana and 30,000 fellow Thais and Germans flock to the festival every year, staking out picnic spots under the big trees in the vast Kurpark.

This year's two-day festival was particularly special, with unprecedented activities marking the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Germany.

"Thailand and Germany's relationship can be traced back to the days of Siam and Prussia," says Chirdchu Raktabutr of the Thai Embassy, who presided at the festival's opening on August 4.

"The close and friendly relationship is reflected at all levels, from the royal family and political leaders to private individuals" and includes many exchanges in technology, security and education. Germany is Thailand's largest trading partner in the European Union.

The 150th anniversary celebrations which came in various forms throughout the year are aimed to raise awareness to both Thai and German public as well as uplifting the image of Thailand to be more than merely a holiday destination among the Germans, said Chirdchu. "We would love to show them our greater potentials that they might have not yet been aware," he said, adding that those include great medical care services and strong interest in German's dual education system.

Chittipat Tongprasroeth, deputy General-Consul in Frankfurt, said there were not only Thai government offices, but also the private sector that joined hands to make this event happened. "More importantly, the event also marked a new beginning as it was the first time the Thai communities throughout Germany have fully participated in organising the event."

Chittipat said the events prior to this year's were primarily formulated by officials with minute input from people. Currently there are nearly 100,000 Thais residing in Germany, most of them women, he added. "Thai communities here are full of potential and they have shared their visions on how to represent Thailand to Germans," he said.

These included a showcase and demonstration of textile weaving, musical instruments and all kinds of handicrafts. There was also an art corner where children could enjoy painting, colouring as well as having facial paints.

On the stage, most of the activities against the backdrop of glittering sala were also performed by Thais residing in Germany, including traditional dancing, Thai boxing and a Thai silk fashion show. The Phi Ta Khon show was, however, directly flown in from Loei province.

Elsewhere the department of international trade and promotion in Frankfurt held a cooking competition as a way to promote Thai cuisine and products, both fresh and non-fresh. The three finalists were provided with all kinds of ingredients and to conjure a Thai dish. The winner was Bianca Lorenz, a Wiesbaden native, with her red curry. Lorenz said she has cooked Thai for about a year and found Thai food to be very healthy. "It is lean, full of vegetable and very delicious," she said. Her prize was a free roundtrip ticket from Frankfurt to Bangkok and Phuket from Thai Airways and Bangkok Airways.

Bad Homburg Mayor Michael Korwisi said he was very happy to have such an event in his town, which is the largest of its kinds in Germany. "We had international festival too. But for a one-nation festival, there is nothing close to this," he said.

A Bad Homburger himself, he had the Thai sala very close to his heart. "We learn about it in school and I have seen it since young when teachers took us kids to walk in the park. But the Germans called it the Thai temple, whereas it is not temple, but a sala," he beamed, knowing the difference. "The Thai sala is the symbol of strong relationship between Thailand and Bad Homburg. It is very exotic for us here, and we are proud to have it."

Jintana, however, did not know it was the 150th anniversary of relations between Thailand and Germany. Nonetheless, she said she was happy to know and learn that it has been good thus far. "I wish it well. At least I am doing it on my part," said Jintana with a laugh as she and husband packed up their picnics while their two boys ran around on the green field.

The Thai touch

The first European city to have two Thai salas, Bad Homburg is famous for its mineral-water springs since the last century.

The springs in Kurpark are renowned for effective treatment of several disorders, including heart and circulatory diseases, and prompted several royal guests to visit, including Russian Tsar Nicholas II, Prince of Wales (King Edward VII), Empress Elizabeth of Austria, Queen Sophie of Greece, and King Chulalongkorn of Siam.

King Rama V visited the city of spas in August and September 1907 to regain his health at the famous mineral-water baths. Feeling honoured and grateful for His Majesty's visit, the city found a spring and named it after the King, who presided at its opening.

In return, the king said he would present the city with a Thai pavilion. The king's intention was to have the sala situated at the spring named after him, but it was moved to a more accessible and prominent part of the park. As the centennial celebration came close in 2007, the Thai authorities and the city of Bad Homburg agreed to materialise His Majesty's dream.

The city of "Champagne Air and Tradition" now has two salas - the only place in Europe to hold the record, certainly an amazing title for a small city of 56,000 residents north of Frankfurt.

-- The Nation 2012-08-31

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MEDICAL HUB

Govt policy "a burden to business"

PONGPHON SARNSAMAK

THE NATION

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra presided over the launch of the Thailand Medical Hub Expo 2012 at the IMPACT Muang Thong Thani yesterday.

Healthcare operators call for revision of regulations, complain of lack of support

BANGKOK: -- Owners of healthcare businesses say the new "medical hub" policy is causing them problems and have urged the government to revise its regulations.

Full story:

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Passengers to get fake-goods warning

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Airline passengers flying into Thailand will soon receive on-board warnings against bringing counterfeit products into the Kingdom, otherwise they risk being fined and seeing their goods confiscated.

Full story:

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Yala man beheaded, burned on way to hospital

THE NATION

YALA: -- Insurgents continued their attacks in Yala province on Thursday, killing a man who was heading to a hospital, then beheading the corpse and burning the body.

Full story:

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BURNING ISSUE

Populism: bad for economy, good for votes

Avudh Panananda

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- For better or for worse, populist policies have become a permanent fixture in the Thai political landscape and will remain so in the foreseeable future regardless of which government is in power.

Full story:

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Sukampol defends move of senior officials

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Defence Minister ACM Sukampol Suwannathat yesterday told the House that he had acted within his authority in seconding the Defence Ministry's permanent secretary and two other senior officials to inactive posts.

Full story:

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Pak Chong residents submit guns for checking

The Nation

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: -- Residents in Nakhon Ratchasima's Pak Chong district submitted 24 guns to the police to check as part of an investigation into the fatal shooting of Chart Thai Pattana MP Chada Thaiset's son. However, none of the guns submitted match the murder weapon.

Police say that in the next two weeks they will be able to check all 100 registered guns in the area. They have also submitted a Mitsubishi Strada pick-up truck's tail-light piece, which contains traces of a 2cm bullet-hole, to the central forensic centre for detailed inspection. Officials have also conducted a gunpowder residue test inside the body of the truck and the results are expected to come out next week.

People are being urged to provide leads and anybody providing information leading to the shooter's arrest will be rewarded Bt100,000.

-- The Nation 2012-08-31

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Drug dealers nabbed in prison crackdown

THE NATION

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: -- Twenty-six drug-dealing inmates at the Nakhon Si Thammarat Prison have been relocated to a high-security facility in Ratchaburi, under a crackdown by the Corrections Department to tackle the long-standing problem of drugs in prisons.

In related news, a workshop on suppression of the illegal-drugs trade comprising justice ministers from all 10 Asean countries and high-ranking anti-narcotics agents is being held today at the Shangri La hotel, Bangkok, at 4pm.

Following the earlier transfer of 25 prison guards suspected of aiding drug dealing at Nakhon Si Thammarat Prison, 17 guards have been drafted in as replacements. Head of the prison Suraphol Kaewpharadai said that number was too few to deal with the workload.

Department standards call for 170 guards per 3,500 inmates at this facility, but there are now just 155 guards for the 5,000 inmates.

A team of department commandos entered three maximum-security areas at the Nakhon Si Thammarat Prison at dawn yesterday and snatched the 26 inmates, bundling them in confinement suits. A mobile phone was found concealed in the cell of one inmate.

Provincial police chief Pol Maj-General Ronnarong Saikaew estimated that Bt1 billion had circulated in drug rackets at the prison, on top of the Bt70 million detected by police investigators.

Earlier, police in Surat Thani seized a cache of war weapons thought to belong to a drugs gang active in the deep South and possibly Nakhon Si Thammarat.

Two suspects were arrested in possession of the items, which included four assault rifles with serial numbers registered to the military and two handguns.

Police said one of the suspects, named as Pramual Homprakob, confessed to working with inmates at Khlong Prem prison in Nonthaburi in a racket that also covered drug-dealing in Nakhon Si Thammarat prison.

-- The Nation 2012-08-31

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BMA flayed over budget allocation

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A deputy government spokesman, who is known for his affiliation to the ruling-Pheu Thai Party, attacked the Democrat-led Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) for allocating a Bt1-billion budget to contractors even though the term of the incumbent Bangkok governor wraps up by the end of January.

Full story:

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Best wishes to Their Majesties

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Female singers from 10 Asean countries, accompanied by Culture Minister Sukumol Kunplome and permanent secretary Somchai Seanglai, visited Siriraj Hospital yesterday to sign a book wishing Their Majesties the King and Queen good health.

The singers will be performing in honour of Her Majesty at CentralWorld shopping complex today.

The performers include Thailand's Piyanut "Jiew" Sueajongprue, Dk Nurqistina Pg Hassanan from Brunei, Simath Nou from Cambodia, Bandoro Chariesta Adhita Dewi from Indonesia, Noor Hasliah Abu Hasan from Malaysia, Ni Ni Khin Zaw from Myanmar, Beatriz JacQueline Dayrit Reyes from the Philippines, Tay Kewei from Singapore, Le Anh Tuyet from Vietnam and Alexandra Bounxouei from Laos. Apart from traditional numbers, they will also sing "Oh I Say", a song composed by His Majesty.

-- The Nation 2012-08-31

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PM insists flood test necessary for Bangkok

BANGKOK, Aug 31 - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday assured Bankok residents of a flood-free capital during the planned three consecutive days of drainage tests early next month.

Full story:

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Thailand aims to become medical hub within 5 years

BANGKOK, AUG 31 – Thailand is moving ahead with an ambition to become a world medical centre within the next five years, projecting a mammoth revenue of Bt800 billion from medical and health-related services.

Full story:

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Phuket to get new police chief in latest reshuffle

Phuket Gazette

Like his replacement Chonasit Wattanavrangkul (pictured), the incoming Phuket Provincial Police Commander, Chote Chawanwiwat, comes to the island after serving as top cop in the troubled province of Narathiwat. Photo: Gazette file

PHUKET: -- Phuket will get a new provincial police commander as part of a nationwide reshuffle of top provincial-level officers.

Full story:

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 1,213.17, falls 1.38 points /MCOT

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Historic Ayutthaya on alert for this year's floods

AYUTTHAYA, Aug 31 – Thailand’s leading historic site, the former Siamese capital of Ayutthaya, 76km north of Bangkok, has been busily protecting its ancient remains for inundation after last year’s massive floods that submerged the province.

Full story:

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ICT declared free tablet PC-internet access promotion as major achievements

BANGKOK, 31 August 2012 (NNT) – The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has declared the free tablet PC distribution and the promotion of internet access as its major achievements.

During the one-year performance statement, ICT Minister Anudith Nakornthap declared the ministry’s integration of all IT systems of the government and distribution of free tablet PCs as two of its major achievements in the past year.

Mr. Anudith added that the nationwide promotion of internet access from 10 percent to 37 percent through the establishment of 30,000 free wifi services has been noted as another of the ICT Ministry’s outstanding performance.

He stated that the ministry is aiming to boost the free wifi service to 250,000 spots and to promote public access to internet to 80 percent by 2015 and to 95 percent by 2020.

Mr. Anudith went on to say that the ICT Ministry has been active in the implementation of all IT- and ICT-related policies for the public, including the Cyber Security Operation Center project and the Cyber Scout project during the past 12 months.

-- NNT 2012-08-31

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Survey: 1 in 2.8 Thai married couples ended up with divorce in recent years

BANGKOK, 31 August 2012 (NNT) – The latest survey has shown that around 1 one every 3 married couples in Thailand ended their marriage with divorce in recent years.

Full story:

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Songkhla finds dummy explosives in 15 locations, real bombs in 42 Narathiwat locations; most with Malaysian flags; authorities see link to national day /Mcot

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Transport Ministry supports traffic police’s new penalty for taxis

BANGKOK, 31 August 2012 (NNT) - Deputy Transport Minister Chatchart Sithiphan disclosed that he agreed with the traffic police’s introduction of a new penalty for taxi drivers who refuse service to passengers.

Mr Chatchart said he believed the new measure will effectively solve the long-standing problem and reduce the number of complaints lodged with the ministry and other government agencies.

The newly issued penalty includes arrests and fines for the incompliant taxi drivers without a prior warning, effective from Sept 1.

Passengers who have been refused service can submit the offending taxis’ registration numbers along with their complaints to the police directly, instead of the Department of Land Transport.

The new law has added one more traffic code violation, which is refusal of service, to the previous 12 traffic penalties that requires immediate arrest.

-- NNT 2012-08-31

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Songkhla man unconscious after savage beating by Phuket youth gang

Phuket Gazette

Thalang Hospital staff prepare to rush Mr Nattaphon to Vachira Phuket Hospital. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: -- Phuket police are investigating the beating of a man from Songkhla who was set upon by a gang of youths in Cherng Talay last night.

Full story:

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RT @RichardBarrow: 1/ Thai teenager sentenced to 3 years for causing death of 9 people on the tollway. Sentence reduced to 2 years & then suspended for 3 years

Teenager won't see the inside of a prison due to suspended sentence. Has to do community service for 48 hours & forbidden to drive until 25

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Did Clint Eastwood lose the plot at Romney's convention?

Republicans may have made Mitt Romney's day with the presidential nomination he long sought, but it was Dirty Harry himself who nearly hijacked the show with a rambling diatribe against President Barack Obama - addressed to an empty chair.

Full story:

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90% of flood-hit factories expected to resume operation by end of this year

BANGKOK, 31 August 2012 (NNT) - the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) has disclosed that by the end of this year, 90 % of factories badly hit by last year’s flood crisis are expected to resume their full operations.

During a Board of Investment –sponsored seminar on post-flood recovery , IEAT’s deputy governor Atthapol Chirawatchanya said that results of their study show that so far 684 factories in the affected industrial estates, or over 80% of the total number, have restarted their operations, with 452 running at full capacity. By the fourth financial quarter, 90% of these factories are predicted to resume production.

Following the 2011 deluge, 68 companies in the Eastern part of Thailand have relocated their plants to other areas where the risk of flooding is lower.

At the seminar, the deputy governor also elaborated on the progress on building levees and flood barriers in industrial estates. 95.5 % of the construction works have been carried out in Banwah (hi-tech) Industrial Estate, 65.9% at Bang Pa-In estate. Flood prevention projects in Rojana and Nawanakorn estates have been 100% completed

-- NNT 2012-08-31