Thailand Live Saturday 13 Oct 2012

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Thailand Live Saturday 13 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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SANDBAGS IN DRAINS

Sukhumbhand ends quarrel by meeting minister

Pimnara Pradubwit

The Nation

Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, left, and Science Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee are all smiles after emerging from their meeting yesterday.

Governor says reasons for blocking pipes explained to Plodprasob

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra met Water and Flood Management Commission (WFMC) chairman and Science Minister Plodprasob Surassawadee yesterday to put an end to the row between the city administration and the government over sandbags placed in the capital's drainage system.

Full story:

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U-turn seen on Thaksin passport

Nanthida Phuangthong

The Nation

Foreign Ministry request for 30 days to reply to Ombudsman is step towards revocation, source says

BANGKOK: -- The Foreign Ministry appears set to revoke former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai passport after requesting another 30 days to respond to a recommendation by the Office of the Ombudsman that it review the issuance of the document, a high-ranking ministry source said yesterday.

Full story:

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Govt set to release 500,000 tonnes of jasmine rice

PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The Commerce Ministry plans to release 500,000 tonnes of jasmine rice upon the urging of exporters amid high demand in the world market.

Full story:

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Democrat convoy tours 2010 'men in black' sites

The Nation

The Democrat Party stages a mobile rally yesterday

BANGKOK:-- The Democrat Party yesterday held a mobile rally in Bangkok to raise awareness of the role of the so-called men in black during the political strife in 2010.

Full story:

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Bidders air concerns on 3G-auction system's reliability

Usanee Mongkolporn,

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Given that it will be the first 2.1-gigahertz (GHz) spectrum auction in Thailand, most of the questions asked by the three bidders yesterday in a meeting with the industry watchdog about bidding details focused on the auction system's reliability and the back-up plan should anything go wrong. The auction is to be held Tuesday.

Full story:

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Singer Phatchara succumbs to accident injuries

The Nation

Phatchara was known for her unique husky voice.

BANGKOK: -- Former singer Phatchara Waengwan died yesterday of injuries sustained in a road accident several days ago in the United States, where she had lived for 20 years. She was 48.

News of the accident and her death started spreading in online media yesterday morning, before news reports and television coverage confirmed it later in the evening. Her relatives reportedly coordinated with Thai consular officials in Los Angeles for the return of her body to Thailand for a funeral, possibly at Wat Sai Mai in northern Bangkok.

Quoted in news reports, Phadungsak, a brother of Phatchara, said the accident occurred a few days ago and that she was pronounced dead at a local hospital in California yesterday. After retiring from her musical career in 1986, Phatchara, who became a US citizen, worked as a Thai-language teacher and a helper in senior citizens' homes. She was studying for a nursing diploma.

Phatchara, known as Ae, started attending singing classes at the age of nine, and began her singing career with a band at the Shangri La Hotel after graduating from high school. Known for her unique husky voice, she entered show business professionally in 1982 when she joined now-defunct The Ovation as a vocalist.

She later released two solo albums and many singles after Nithithas Promotion, her record company, deemed her unique style and cool husky voice more appropriate for ballads than for the The Ovation's style. She retired in 1986.

-- The Nation 2012-10-13

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South merchants no longer afraid to trade on Fridays: officials

The Nation

NARATHIWAT: -- Attempts by authorities to reduce the climate of fear among businesses in the deep South appeared to have produced tangible results yesterday, as 80 per cent of shops opened despite insurgents' warnings not to do business on Fridays, the Internal Security Operation Command (Isoc) said.

"With the strong campaign and security measures, people in the deep South understand and are confident in the situation. Some 60-80 per cent of shops in the region resumed normal business," said Pramot Promin, spokesman for Isoc's forward command.

Insurgents in the predominantly Muslim region have distributed leaflets and spread rumours that working or doing business on Friday, Islam's holy day, is against the religion's principles. Those who opened their businesses on the day would be in danger, according to the warnings.

People's rights violated

The threats violated residents' human rights and abused religious principles to advance the political interests of the extremists, Pramot said.

Pitak Kokiatpitak, mayor of Pattani municipality, said he was satisfied to see commerce in downtown Pattani getting back to normal and expected that the situation would be business as usual in the coming weeks.

But Sankanee Puraskarn, a vegetable vendor at a Pattani fresh market, saw less to cheer about, saying the atmosphere in the market was still relatively quiet although some traders had returned to their businesses yesterday.

"Many traders have come back to the market, but the customers haven't," she said. "They're afraid."

In southernmost Narathiwat, Thawee Sodsong, secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, presided over the opening of one the government's "Blue Flag" markets, which aim to sell consumer goods to local people at low prices and to build confidence.

A Narathiwat market yesterday appeared lively, with many traders who had closed their stores on recent Fridays open for business.

-- The Nation 2012-10-13

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German Seeks Runaway Thai Wife For Son's Sake

A 42-year-old German man is looking for his missing Thai wife, who deserted him and their 1-year-old son five months ago. She needs to sign a document stating he is the biological father, so he can bring his son to Germany. He has spent a 10 million THB inheritance and is almost broke.

BANGKOK-October 10, 2012[PDN]; in the evening, a Channel 3 television reporter was approached by a German man, Mr. Stephan Wagner, age 42, who was carrying his 1-year-old son.

Full story:

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Majority of Thais still back death penalty

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Thai chapter of Amnesty International (AI) wrapped up its three-day campaign by marking the International Day for the Abolition of the Death Penalty yesterday with a sober reminder that up to 80 per cent of Thais still support capital punishment according to surveys.

Full story:

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Red shirts win appeal against ex-attorney general

Anupan Chantana

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Appeals Court yesterday ordered the Criminal Court to consider a malfeasance case against former attorney-general Chai-kasem Nitisiri and his deputy.

The case was filed by eight red shirts led by Veerakarn Musigapong, but was dropped by the Criminal Court on grounds that state prosecutors had done their duty according to law.

The Appeals Court yesterday overruled that decision and ordered the Criminal Court to re-hear the case.

Veerakarn and his group said Chaikasem and his deputy, Thaworn Panichphan, abused their power by submitting a case against the red shirts, which the Criminal Court later dropped. Veerakarn then filed the malfeasance case against the red-shirt attorneys.

Thaworn, working on Chaikasem's behalf as acting attorney-general, decided to proceed with the case against Veerakarn and the red shirts for causing chaos in front of the residence of

Privy Council president General Prem Tinsulanonda on July 22, 2007.

After police at Sam Sen Police Station decided to charge the red shirts, prosecutors initially dropped the case, saying the group had gathered openly and without weapons.

The then-national police chief passed the case to the chief attorney and asked him to decide. Thaworn, acting on Chaikasem's behalf, decided to take the case to court.

-- The Nation 2012-10-13

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EC member disapproves election court proposal

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A member of the Election Commission yesterday voiced his disagreement with the proposal to set up a new election court, saying lengthy court procedures would only encourage politicians to buy votes and cheat in polls.

Prapun Naigowit, the EC commissioner in charge of elections, said he disagreed with this suggestion made at yesterday's meeting on "election system reform".

He explained that the EC had won public trust as a non-partisan agency where elections were concerned, adding that the most successful general election overseen by the agency was the one held on July 3, 2011, because the voter turnout was 75.03 per cent - the largest in Thai history.

Prapun told the seminar that the system of having the EC organise elections was being used by several countries, because it is accepted that the EC would do a much better job than the government or the Interior Ministry.

He explained that the EC had initially been formed to organise elections in 1997, and after that voter turnout started getting higher and higher after it became the agency in charge of organising elections and issuing cheats yellow and red cards.

Initially, the EC was given the sole authority to disqualify election candidates, but later it was only allowed to issue red or yellow cards before the election results were announced. Now, cases have to be sent to the Supreme Court.

"Politicians are no longer afraid of punishment because it takes a while before cases get to the Supreme Court," Prapun said, adding that setting up an election court would make the process even longer.

He said the current election system was good enough and the Supreme Court already had an election division.

Besides, he added, people would be confused if the election system was changed yet again.

EC Chairman Apichart Sukhagganond said the formation of the commission was a milestone in Thailand's long history of democracy, which turns 80 in December.

Apichart said his panel was Thailand's third Election Commis-sion and has been in operation for six years. He added that every time an election was held, the EC was often dragged into political conflicts. As for reforms to the system, Apichart said any system would be fine if it prevents vote buying and encourages public participation.

-- The Nation 2012-10-13

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UK man jailed for wearing "kill a cop 4 fun" T-shirt

Full story:

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Thailand readies airport warehouse to store record stocks of rice

By Apornrath Phoonphongphiphat

BANGKOK (Reuters) - The Thai government plans to use an old airport warehouse and is desperately hunting for more storage space for a mountain of rice that has resulted from a subsidy scheme that won it votes but which is now sapping the treasury.

Full story:

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Arrest warrant for ex-PM Thaksin 'normal court procedure': PM

BANGKOK, Oct 13 - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Friday said the arrest warrant for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, her elder brother, was a normal court procedure.

Full story:

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Phuket noise: Villagers' complaints spark raid

Phuket Gazette

The Harbour Pub & Restaurant, located about 400 meters north of Phuket's famed Heroines Monument, was found to be trading without licenses. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

Vice Governor Somkiet reviews documents at the Relax Live Music nightclub, located about 200 meters south of Phuket’s famed Heroines Monument . Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: -- Complaints from residents about noise from two entertainment venues in the Heroines Monument area prompted Phuket Vice Governor Somkiet Sangkaosuttirak to lead more than 30 officers to raid the venues last night.

Full story:

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Commerce Minister stands in for PM's weekly TV programme to clarify rice pledging scheme, speed up clearing rice stock, lift farmer's income /MCOT

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RT @RichardBarrow: Illuminated Boat Festival in Nakhon Phanom is 23-31 Oct. Some of the boats will be 90m long & 30m high - TR @Thanchy_Rw

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Rubber plantation owner in Narathiwat shot dead by presumed insurgent while riding his motorcycle returning from his plantation /MCOT

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Transport Minister eyes Phuket traffic black spots

Phuket Gazette

Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan admitted that despite billion-baht efforts to resolve traffic jams in Phuket with underpasses, other congestion 'black spots' also need addressing. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

PHUKET: -- Transport Minister Jarupong Ruangsuwan in Phuket last week admitted that despite efforts to resolve traffic jams in Phuket through billion-baht underpass projects, other traffic congestion “black spots” also needed addressing.

Full story:

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Phuket Town redecorated for Vegetarian Festival

Phuket Gazette

A large image of the Chinese goddess Kuan Im in her 1,000-hand pose now stands at Suriyadet Circle in the heart of Phuket Town. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

A Chinese dragon now adorns the Phuket Town's Clocktower Circle. All street processions on the last day of the Vegetarian Festival will pass through the roundabout. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Ahead of tens of thousands of tourists arriving for the Phuket Vegetarian Festival, which begins tomorrow, shrine committees and local municipal workers have taken to the streets to post flags along major roads across the island and install huge decorations as part of the festivities.

Full story:

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BANGKOK

RT @RichardBarrow: Opening ceremony for the Vegetarian Festival will be on Monday. Yaowarat Rd from Chinatown Gate to Chalermburi junction closed from 2pm-9pm

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Rubber plantation owner killed in Narathiwat

NARATHIWAT, Oct 13 - A man was shot dead in his own rubber plantation Saturday morning in the latest insurgent attack in the restive southern province of Narathiwat.

The victim was identified as Sama-ae Royee, 58, the owner of a rubber plantation in Rangae district.

He was gunned down by presumed insurgents after he finished tapping his rubber trees and was returning to his home.

Mr Sama-ae died at the scene near his motorcycle as he was shot twice in the neck and back.

The victim was the latest of more than 5,000 deaths, including local residents, security officials, monks and insurgents, who have been killed since violence erupted in the restive southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat in 2004. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-13

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RT @RichardBarrow: The Vegetarian Festival in Bangkok's Chinatown is 14-23 October (Pic @Rangsima_s) http://thai.vi/TJlKii

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RT @ChadapornLin: Democrat Party to hold talk on existence of 'men in black' during red-shirt rally crackdown at Lumpinee Park at 4pm

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Sek Loso to play in Phuket

Phuket Gazette

SEK'S APPEAL: Loso has had eight platinum albums, which sold a million copies each. Photo: Daniel N Reid

PHUKET: -- Scandal-battered rock star Seksan “Sek Loso” Sukpimai will be among the acts performing at the second annual Life Music Festival in Phuket Town tonight.

Full story:

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Elephant Crushed Handler to Death

PATTAYA: -- Elephant handler crushed to death

Full story:

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RT @RichardBarrow: Expected price of iPhone 5 In Thailand: 16GB - ฿22,450, 32GB – ฿26,350 & 64GB – ฿30,250 - Released on 19 or 26 October.

[Lite Beer]

RT@tulsathit: E-posters are being circulated encouraging parents to "turn on TV3, teach kids about corruption and ethics and change channels".