Thailand Live Friday 12 Oct 2012

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Thailand Live Friday 12 October 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 Thursday 11 Oct 2012

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UPDATE

KRUNG THAI BANK

Court issues warrant for Thaksin

Anupan Chantana,

Praphan Jindalertudomdee

The Nation

Ex-PM's arrest ordered for failure to appear in suspect-loans case

BANGKOK: -- The Supreme Court yesterday issued an arrest warrant against former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra for not being present to hear the court's decision to proceed with the Krung Thai Bank loan scandal case.

Full story:

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THAI-US RELATIONS

Govt prepares for possible Obama visit

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

Obama

BANGKOK: -- Preparations have started for US President Barack Obama to make his delayed visit to Thailand pending next month's presidential election, a US Embassy source said yesterday.

Full story:

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BURNING ISSUE

Will Chalerm survive next reshuffle?

Avudh Panananda

The Nation

Chalerm

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung has definitely been enjoying a political windfall, although this begs the question of how long his good fortune will last.

Full story:

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TELECOM

Court defers order on 3G auction

Usanee Mongkolporn,

Sirivish Toomgum

The Nation

An official of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission takes a group of visiting journalists yesterday on a tour of a room at the NBTC head office to be used for controlling next Tuesday

No decision on plea by telecom scholar seeking an injunction; NBTC says any further delay would lead to huge losses

BANGKOK: -- The Central Administrative Court yesterday deferred a decision on whether to accept a petition filed by telecom scholar Anupap Tiralap, seeking a court order to suspend the national telecom regulator's auction of the 2.1 gigahertz (GHz) spectrum slots scheduled for next Tuesday.

Full story:

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CORRUPTION

Sorrayuth scandal takes toll on BEC World's share price

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- BEC World's stock has crashed by almost 7 per cent in four days amid reports that major companies plan to withdraw their commercials from the TV programmes of Sorrayuth Sutassanachinda on Channel 3.

Full story:

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MPs are told of troubles with tablets

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The are many problems with the government's "One Tablet Per Student" initiative for Prathom 1 students, a Democrat member of the House's ICT committee said yesterday.

Full story:

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Officials work hard to prove working on Fridays not against Islam

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Authorities in three provinces in the deep South worked really hard yesterday to explain to local people that working on Fridays did not go against Islamic teachings and that they should not be afraid of insurgents' threats.

A few weeks ago, insurgents distributed leaflets claiming that working on Friday went against Islamic teachings, and even though Islamic spiritual leader Chula Ratchamontri said this was untrue, local businesses chose to keep their shutters closed.

In Yala, rangers visited six villages in Raman district and distributed statements from Chula Ratchamontri saying that working on Friday did not go against the Muslim faith.

However, ranger commander Colonel Komkrit Rattanachaya said people were still concerned about their safety and preferred to stay home on Fridays.

He added that his team had been tasked to explain the issue to people and that they had visited residents several times already.

"We hope villagers will understand that on Fridays they can go to the mosque for prayers in the morning and work after that. I think they will understand this and the situation will return to normal soon," he said. Security officials, both in uniform and undercover, had been deployed to ensure safety.

Pattani's Deputy Governor Seree Srihatrai led a team of officials to a market in Muang district to speak to people and help them understand the situation. They also distributed leaflets promising safety for people who did business on Fridays.

However, fruit vendor Rattanawadi Denudom said she preferred it if the day was declared a weekly holiday, adding that even though the authorities keep promising to protect people, she wanted to see their safety measures first.

Pattani Governor Pramuk Lamoon added that more shops have started opening on Fridays, compared to the week after the leaflets were distributed.

"On the first Friday after the leaflets were distributed last month, only a few shops opened. However, last Friday some 50 shops had resumed business," he said.

It is expected that today more shops will open because they have a better understanding about the matter, he said. He was speaking after he and his team of officials talked to shoppers at markets in Muang district and explained safety measures to them.

In Narathiwat, Governor Apinun Suetanuwong chaired a meeting with representatives of restaurants and shops in the province, who have agreed to open their shops after the authorities agreed to deploy more police officers and soldiers in markets and other business areas.

-- The Nation 2012-10-12

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EDITORIAL

Will consumers be the winners once the 3G dust settles?

The Nation

The telecom regulator must ensure that winning bidders provide wide-ranging service at a fair price

BANGKOK: -- A complete absence of suspense surrounds the auction of 2.1-gigahertz spectrum slots next Tuesday, despite eager anticipation of the 3G service it will bring.

Full story:

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Thais 'must realise' dangers of hate speech

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

Thailand Development Research Institute president Somkiat Tangkitvanich delivers a lecture

BANGKOK: -- Thais need a better understanding of political hate speech as it diminishes the space for reasonable debate, said Vilasinee Adulyanond, director for campaign and public communication for Thai Health Fund and a former lecturer of communications.

Full story:

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Prayuth washes hands off Abhisit Army rank issue

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha yesterday declined to comment on the defence minister's order to appoint a committee to consider stripping Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva of his Army rank.

Full story:

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Bangkok's new city motto unveiled

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- "Bangkok, glorious as if created by angels, the administration centre, beautiful temples, glittering palaces, the capital of Thailand," is the new motto for the city, unveiled yesterday by Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra.

Full story:

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Japan gives Bt400,000 to fix Wat Arun

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Japan's Tokugawa Museum has granted Bt400,000 for the repair of 23 Buddha images at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, which were damaged by last year's flood, abbot assistant Phra Kru Arun Thammanuwat said yesterday.

The museum also sent a certificate in Japanese language saying Wat Arun was nominated as cultural heritage worthy of conservation this year.

-- The Nation 2012-10-12

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Hospitals clamp down on glucosamine use

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- In a bid to reduce costs, Siriraj Hospital, Ramathibodi Hospital and Chulalongkorn Hospital will no longer provide glucosamine sulphate to arthritis patients registered with the civil service insurance plan.

The move comes after the Finance Ministry instructed all health-care providers treating civil servants to stop administering glucosamine from November 1.

Prof Dr Udom Kachintorn, dean of the Mahidol University Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj, said the hospital had prescribed more than one million sacks of glucosamine sulphate per month. Each sack of fluid costs Bt30, with each patient using two to four sacks per day. Now, patients who want glucosamine - the effectiveness of which is inconclusive - must pay for it out of their own pockets.

-- The Nation 2012-10-12

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Gaemi leaves Ratchaburi soggy

Jeerapong Prasertponkrang

The Nation

Ratchaburi is still reeling from the impacts from the weekend's low-pressure cell that was tropical storm Gaemi.

RATCHABURI: -- Hundreds of families along the Mae Klong River had to move to higher ground after the storm caused heavy downpours in Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi and other provinces.

Ratchaburi bore the brunt of the storm because the Tha Muang Dam in Kanchanaburi released a huge volume of water, which went downstream to Ratchaburi, where the Mae Klong was already swollen by locally heavy rains.

Tents were erected yesterday to provide temporary shelters to Ratchaburi's flood victims.

Muang Ratchaburi Mayor Samanan Laowanichwisit inspected the flood damage and expressed concerns about the victims.

She instructed officials to monitor the situation around the clock, and ordered the building of sandbag walls and the use of pumps to quickly drain the floodwater.

Ratchaburi Irrigation Project director Kanit Chinnawong expected the situation to return to normal within one or two days.

Chatchai Promlert, director general of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department, reckoned that Gaemi brought heavy downpours and flooding to many provinces.

However, Chatchai said, the rainfall had eased the risk of drought in the Northeast.

Although the flood-hit residents of Ratchaburi and Kanchaburi were not happy with the situation, they accepted it to an extent, Chatchai said.

"At least they have been evacuated to safe places," he said.

Royol Jitdon, an expert on the Water and Flood Management Commission, said preparations for Gaemi allowed relevant authorities to provide timely evacuations.

Gaemi's impacts were also being felt in Bangkok and Samut Prakan, Royol said, adding that he was confident flood risks would be curtailed even during the high tide, which starts on Monday.

In addition to the flooding, there's now cold weather to deal with.

Chatchai said the government had already instructed provincial authorities to prepare necessary measures to protect those at risk of the cold.

"We have conducted surveys to identify where the risky-group members live. In event of emergency, rescue missions will give priority to the elderly, the disabled and pregnant women," he said.

-- The Nation 2012-10-12

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Pheu Thai MP claims he has more evidence on BMA-BTS case

Anapat Deechuay,

Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Pheu Thai Bangkok MP Jirayu Huangsap yesterday submitted additional documents for the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to take action against Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra in relation to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) extension of the BTS concession.

Jirayu claimed that the BMA had twisted facts to glorify itself and only partially revealed the State Council's ruling for its own benefit. He claimed the ruling was comprised of 10 sentences but only three of these were revealed.

He said the party had found new information revealing that the BTS had been invested in by Thai people and that only the BMA was meant to manage it, but it hired its subsidiary Krungthep Thanakom (KT), to do the job. KT then allowed BTSC, a subsidiary of BTS Group Holdings, to buy train bogies, which were then run on the inner city rail track that had been built using taxpayers' money. Hence, he said, the private firm had only invested in the bogies.

He added that the BMA needed to notify Interior Ministry and, since the investment was more than Bt1 billion, the Joint Venture Act should be applied. Also, the fact that the BMA hired the current operator without hosting a bid might fall under the Act on Offences Relating to Price Compromising in a Public Body, he said.

After the Committee on Special Cases took up the BTS case on Wednesday, Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief Tarit Pengdith said yesterday that DSI investigators, led by Pol Lt-Colonel Thawal Mangkhang, would next week discuss guidelines with the public prosecutors. Tarit said the committee was concerned about the agencies' different views.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry's belief is that though the city's recent move was to have the current operator of the BTS system continue managing and operating the system for another 13 years, it could be regarded as a concession amendment. Hence, the move affected the main contract and in order to do that, the BMA should have obtained the ministry's permission first. However, the BMA insists that it has not amended the contract.

Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung, meanwhile, said the committee had only agreed to take this case up for initial investigation and that no fingers were being pointed at anyone. He said if a politician was found involved in the case it would be sent to the NACC, but if no wrongdoing was discovered the case would be dropped. Insisting that he personally did not vote in this case for fear it might be seen as him politicking, Chalerm added that the DSI was not used to going after only Democrat Party-related cases.

Sukhumbhand said he was not worried about the DSI investigation, adding that he had already had his legal team check if the committee's resolution was legitimate, because some of the committee members had reportedly disagreed with the move.

-- The Nation 2012-10-12

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Short film 'True Skin' envisions Bangkok's future as cyborg sex dystopia

By Coconuts Bangkok

Stephan Zlotescu must be on some pretty strong shit.

BANGKOK: -- You’d probably never heardof him until today, but the rising American filmmaker is building a whole lotta buzz for a short film he just released called “True Skin” that envisions Bangkok’s future as a robot-filled cyborg dystopia.

Full story:

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Phuket Police cease investigations into two swimming pool drownings

Phuket Gazette

Phuket Police will not continue their investigations into two separate tourist drownings in different resort swimming pools last week. Photo: Gazette file

PHUKET: -- Police are not continuing their investigations into the drownings of two tourists in swimming pools at two separate luxury resorts in Phuket last week.

Full story:

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Phuket Governor calls for India direct flights

Phuket Gazette

Phuket Governor Maitree Insutut (left) proposed to India Ambassador to Thailand Anil Wadhwa that direct flights be launched linking major Indian cities to Phuket. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

PHUKET: -- Phuket Governor Maitree Insutut who today met with Indian Ambassador to Thailand Anil Wadhwa called for direct flights from major Indian cities including Mumbai and Kolkata to serve the burgeoning number of tourists flying to Phuket.

Full story:

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Phuket Vegetarian Festival starts with elbow grease

Phuket Gazette

Devotees clean a deity statue in preparation for the Vegetarian Festival. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

All the pots and pans also got a good scrub before being considered pure enough to be used. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Devotees at three shrines in Phuket began their preparation for the Vegetarian Festival with smiles and elbow grease as they gave the shrines a thorough cleaning yesterday.

Full story:

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Phuket Police doubt shooting suicide claim, launch investigation

Phuket Gazette

Phuket City Police Superintendent Sermphan Sirikong and Kusoldharm Foundation rescue workers inspect the scene of the shooting, in the living room of the family home. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Police are investigating the death of a man shot point blank in the head with a homemade gun while watching television in his home on the outskirts of Phuket Town last night.

Full story:

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Toyota recalls 7.4 million vehicles worldwide over faulty switch

Full story:

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RT @mpoppel: Strong quake Indonesia

RT @mpoppel: Preliminary 6.7 to 7.4

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RT @mpoppel: Pacific Tsunami Warning Center puts magnitude of quake in the Aru Islands region of Indonesia at 6.7.

RT @mpoppel: No word yet from Indonesian seismologists whether they are issuing a tsunami alert. No alert from PTWC.

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RT @mpoppel: US Geological Survey also puts magnitude of Indonesia quake at 6.7; struck just 15 miles deep.

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RT @mpoppel: Nothing at all from Indonesian seismologists, which is very unusual. So I guess no local tsunami alerts either.

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Samsung ban lifted by US court

SAN FRANCISCO: -- A US court has lifted a sales ban on Samsung's Nexus smartphone in a blow to Apple's bid to use alleged patent violations to stymie its main smartphone competitor.

Full story:

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Thai authorities move to stop human trafficking, illegal employment

SAMUT SAKHON, Oct 12 – Thai authorities in this seaboard province, 35km southwest of Bangkok, are seeking cooperation from the private sector in tackling the problems of human trafficking, child labour and illegal employment, according to a senior provincial official.

Full story:

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Court decision awaited on 3G telecoms bid

BANGKOK, Oct 12 – Supporters and opponents of Tuesday’s auction of third-generation (3G) telecoms wireless licences are anxiously waiting for the Administrative Court’s ruling on whether the bid will go ahead as scheduled.

Full story: