Thailand Live Wednesday 26 Sep 2012

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Thailand Live Wednesday 26 September 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 Tuesday 25 Sep 2012

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Media 'study trip' little more than a govt bribe

By Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Somsak

BANGKOK: -- If you were a journalist and were "somehow" invited on a week-long "study-trip" sponsored by the Parliament and funded by taxpayers' money - to England, France and Belgium - and which includes dining at a posh restaurant in Bloomsbury in London, a visit to the dreaming spires of Oxford, staying at the posh four-star Park Plaza Westminster Hotel overlooking Big Ben, dining on a cruise on the Seine, visiting the Louvre and more, even though you are not even a Parliament-beat reporter, would you take it?

Full story:

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AVIATION

All systems go for Don Mueang's take-off

NONGNAPAS MAIPANIT

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Airports of Thailand (AOT), together with King Power and The Mall Group, yesterday announced full readiness in terms of both duty-free and other commercial outlets at Don Mueang Airport, which will resume normal operations this coming Monday.

Full story:

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POLITICS

Yongyuth not eligible for exoneration: NACC's Wicha

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- An anti-graft commissioner insisted yesterday that Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit is not retroactively eligible for the 2007 Exoneration Act for an expulsion order he has just received.

Full story:

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CRIME

DSI considers more charges for doctor

THE NATION

Thanim

BANGKOK: -- The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is gathering evidence to press human-trafficking charges against Pol Colonel Supat Laohawattana, who has been linked to the murder of three people after skeletons were found at his ranch in Phetchaburi province.

Full story:

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SOUTH CRISIS

Princess visits south to offer support

THE NATION

Their Majesties worry about daily attacks; 7 men arrested over bombs

BANGKOK: -- Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is in the deep South to offer moral support to people of all faiths and religions, 4th Army Region Commander Lt-General Udomchai Thammasarote said yesterday.

The Princess is visiting the region on behalf of the King and Queen, who are worried about the effect of daily violence on their subjects in the region.

The three-day visit began on Monday in Songkhla, and includes stopovers at royal projects in Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala.

Although the government claims things in the South are getting better, attacks have continued unabated, claiming many lives and injuring hundreds. However, some positive signs emerged recently when many alleged insurgents showed up to discuss the situation with the authorities.

Meanwhile, seven men have been arrested for their alleged role in two separate attacks on government forces, which killed more than 10 people and injured scores of others in Pattani province, Pol Major Dittaporn Sasasmit, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command, said.

In one of the attacks, four soldiers were ambushed and killed in Ma-Yor district on July 28. In the second incident, last Friday, six officials were killed and 50 other people injured by a bomb at a busy market in Sai Buri district.

Dittaporn said some of these suspects were also wanted for previous attacks on government personnel.

He said the emergency decree was necessary in the deep South and that the plan to lift it in some areas should be reviewed by the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre, ISOC and provincial administrators.

The southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala are still under the emergency decree, which some observers say has loopholes that heighten the risk of arbitrary detention and abuse of detainees. Some liken it to martial law with little accountability. The decree, officially known as the Executive Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations, is renewed every three months.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister General Yuthasak Sasiprapha has ordered a boost in security in the South this month, because statistics since 2007 show that the number of attacks rise between September 26 and 29, particularly on September 28, when there is a reshuffle of governors nationwide.

Strict inspections have been ordered at all checkpoints and officials told to ensure that licence plates at the front and rear of vehicles match. It is believed that cars used for bomb attacks often have mismatched licence plates.

Yuthasak cited a recent bomb in Narathiwat's Bacho district, saying nobody thought insurgents would attack a school because incidents like this had not happened for a long time. He noted that the situation may get better if another 5,000 police patrol officers were posted to help the Army.

Referring to the attack in Sai Buri last Friday, he said the blast took place about 100 metres from a police station, which suggested carelessness by security officials in screening vehicles.

He said insurgents were believed to have stolen up to 10 vehicles with the intent of using them in bomb attacks, but he added that he did not blame officials for not finding them as the insurgents were very good at hiding things.

In a related report, Colonel Noppadon Watcharajitbovorn, an Army ranger commander, said soldiers in his unit had been tasked with setting up checkpoints, to check on flats and dormitories, as well as registering people from other parts of the country.

The police chief for Betong in Yala, Pol Col Suwat Wongpaiboon, said officers were distributing leaflets asking people to alert them when they see suspicious vehicles. He said that while security personnel were doing their best to remain on guard, the public should also help.

-- The Nation 2012-09-26

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Red Bull heir pays Bt3m to victim's family

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The family of Pol Snr Sgt-Major Wichien Klanprasert, who was run over by Red Bull heir Worrayuth Yoovidhya's Ferrari last month, have agreed to an out-of-court settlement of Bt3 million, police said.

Full story:

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Red Shirts, Yellow Shirts clash on Darunee case

Full story:

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Taxi driver dies during fight with Sukhumvit McDonald's delivery driver

Full story:

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Crackdown on visiting foreign charter yachts in Thai waters: Phuket

Full story:

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BMA urges patience; storms to soak city until Monday

ANUPAN CHANTANA,

ANAPAT DEECHUAY

THE NATION

HIGHEST RAINFALL IN 50 YEARS; MORE ON WAY

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok residents can expect more downpours and likely flooding over the next few days.

Full story:

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Jeng Dokjik confesses anew; court will decide bail bid Friday

Full story:

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Thaksin visits Singapore, Brunei and Cambodia - all in a day

Full story:

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Ministry hopes for shorter jail terms

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The Foreign Ministry is planning to negotiate a reduced jail term and an eventual pardon for the Thai pair facing long prison sentences over drug charges in Myanmar, ministry deputy spokesman Sek Wannamethee said yesterday.

Chumphon native Thanom Jansamut, 52, faces an 18-year jail term, while his accomplice, Surat Thani resident Kalaya Thawo, 49, faces 15 years. The two are among the 92 Thai citizens arrested in July for illegal entry, encroaching on Myanmar territory and clearing land on the other side of the border.

While the three-and-a-half-year sentence handed 83 of the detainees was lifted, the remaining nine are still in prison and seven of them face an addition seven years for possession of military weapons.

Sek said that if negotiations fall through, Thanom would end up serving 28 and a half years in prison because he faces both charges of illegal entry and possession of weapons, while Kalaya would serve 18 and a half years if the term for illegal entry is included.

He said Thai officials were seeking permission to visit the detainees at Koh Song prison again.

-- The Nation 2012-09-26

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Haul of fake goods

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Police yesterday put on display about Bt2.5 million worth of fake products, mostly bags and clothes, that they seized as part of a joint operation in four provinces last week.

A total of 10,419 items were seized at sites in Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Nakhon Pathom and Saraburi last Friday.

Police also arrested Anan Phopibarn for allegedly possessing and trading in fake products.

-- The Nation 2012-09-26

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Thaksin says PM will avert political crisis

Cautious Pheu Thai likely to seek charter change article-by-article

BANGKOK: -- : -- Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said his sister's government will avoid conflicts like those that led to his ouster in a 2006 coup, even as it presses ahead with efforts to curb the power of the courts.

Full story:

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Thailand wants to be the kitchen for a hungry world, Yingluck says in US

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

NEW YORK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra launched Thai Restaurant Week in New York yesterday to promote Thai food in the US and the policy of being the world's kitchen.

Full story:

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EDITORIAL

Journalists walk a fine line when it comes to freebies

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Junkets and overseas trips are a minefield for those in the media, especially when justification for acceptance and tangible results cannot be made clear to the public

Full story:

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UN to help on disaster aid

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A new initiative to boost the country’s disaster management capacity was launched yesterday by the government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Full story:

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Bodindecha parents complain to govt again

SUPINDA NA MAHACHAI

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Parents who protested so their children could continue studying at the prestigious Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School complained of discriminatory treatment yesterday and demanded the Education Ministry step in again to help.

Full story:

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Go-Eco Phuket dives for biggest reef cleanup in world

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET UNITED: The assembly of Phuket dive operators, marine officials, Royal Thai Navy officers and top-ranking officials highlighted the unity in cleaning up Phuket's coral reefs. Photo: Isaac Stone Simonelli

PHUKET: -- Qualifiers keep dropping with Go-Eco Phuket as the environmental group prepares for its official launch on September 30 with the biggest reef cleanup of any kind in the world.

Full story:

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No Relief in sight for Airport Immigration Staff

By Staff Reporter

BANGKOK: -- After the floods last year forced airlines to move services to Suvarnabhumi … this month sees Bangkok’s second airport, Don Mueang return to service after massive renovations.

Full story:

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Fifth dolphin this year found dead off Trang coast

TRANG, Sept 25 – A humpback dolphin was found dead in the sea off Thailand’s Sukorn Island in the Andaman Sea, the fifth death, in this southern coastal province, an ecological official said Tuesday.

Prachuab Mokarat, director of the Trang marine and coastal resources centre, said the male dolphin, about 15-20 years old, was badly bruised on the head.

He said the dolphin might have died one day earlier. Weighing 170 kg, the dolphin was 2.20 metres long.

Tawan Tui-on, chairman of the Trang Dolphin Conservation Club, said the most recent survey in the Trang sea found at least 100 dolphins.

They mainly die during the monsoon season, while some are caught in fishing nets and are killed rather than released, he said, urging the authorities to find better measures to protect the animals. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-09-26

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,282.56, down 4.85 points /MCOT

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Water Management Office Chief warns of heavy flood in Bangkok until 30 Sept

BANGKOK, 26 September 2012 (NNT) – The water management office has warned residents of Bangkok to brace for more heavy rain, at least until this Sunday.

Full story:

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RT @ACSBKK: There is demonstration planned Thurs 10am outside USEmbassy. ACSBKK to remain open for appts. More info: http://1.usa.gov/UG9AXG

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Phitsanulok's Bang Rakam district still in critical floodstage; Yom River is 2 metres above river bank /MCOT

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Bangkok Governor: Giant tunnel able to drain water in full capacity

BANGKOK, 26 September 2012 (NNT) - Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra has reaffirmed that the city’s giant tunnel is able to effective drain water at its full capacity as intended.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....-full-capacity/

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New license plates to be issued in Oct

BANGKOK, 26 September 2012 (NNT) – The Department of Land Transport is preparing to issue new license plates with a new pattern of plate numbers in Octorber. The new type can accomodate up to 56 million cars.

Director-General of Department of Land Transport Somchai Siriwatanachoke has stated that the department is preparing to issue new license plates for cars and motorcycles. The new pattern of the plate numbers will be different from the old ones. Instead of starting with an alphabet, the new plates will start with a number, followed by two Thai alphabets, and end with up to 4-digit number. The Director-General said the new pattern can be used for as long as 157 years, given it can support in excess of 56 million plates.

Additionally, Mr. Somchai said a unique design will be added to both car and motorcycle license plates in order to prevent counterfeits.

If car owners want to trade in old plates for new ones, they will be required to pay a fee of 775 baht. The insurance for new plates will be good for up to 5 years.

-- NNT 2012-09-26