Thailand Live Monday 15 Oct 2012

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VET FEST

Thais nationwide join vegetarian festival

The Nation

People enjoy buying vegetarian food in Songkhla province Monday.//Santiparb Ramasutra

BANGKOK: -- Thais nationwide started celebrating the nine-day Vegetarian Festival on Monday though there were many complaints at the increase in the price of vegetables.

In Bangkok, police suggested people avoid roads surrounding Yaowarat or China Town, where the opening ceremony of the festival is taking place between 2 and 9pm.

Police said one-kilometre of road stretching from near the stage to Chalermburi Intersection would be closed during that time. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra will preside over the opening ceremony at 2pm.

People are advised to public transport, as parking spaces will be limited. Traffic in the area would be busy round the clock during the festival, which ends next Tuesday.

In Sri Racha, Chon Buri, the celebration is active with most of the shops and restaurants in Sri Racha municipality joining the festival. Shops are decorated with small yellow flags with the word, "Je" (vegetarian) on them.

Many vendors interviewed by the Nation said the prices of ingredients, particularly vegetables, have doubled. However, they said they would not increase the prices of their dishes.

Vendor Nittaya Krasaechon said that she had sold vegetarian food for almost 30 years and this year the prices of the raw materials were up.

"No matter how much the prices rise, I will still sell the dishes the same prices, Bt25-35. This will help me keep my customers during the bad economic situation."

In Uthai Thani province, many vegetarian food shops and vegetable stalls saw an increase in customers. Some shops that usually sell food switched to serving vegetarian dishes. Non-vegetarians also joined the festival.

In Pichit province, Pichit Vegetarian Charity house organised vegan food made by cooks from famous restaurants in the province at the price of Bt20 per dish. Low income individuals wanting to eat were invited to donate what they could afford.

-- The Nation 2012-10-15

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Thailand tourist arrivals to hit 20 million this year

BANGKOK, Oct 15 – Thailand will achieve its target 20 million tourist arrival by year end, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

Full story:

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SOUTH CRISIS

Narathiwat home-made device defused

The Nation

A rubber merchant, Nase Uma, 32, was gunned down in Narathiwat's Rangae district on Monday. The victim's wife and another woman were also injured in the attack.

NARATHIWAT: -- Police and the military in Narathiwat's Rangae district saved lives on Sunday by their quick response to a call from the owner of a rubber plantation in Tanyong Limo subdistrict.

Finding a home-made bomb buried under the footpath, the responding authorities used bomb detectors to scan the surrounding area.

The one kilogramme of explosives in a fruit juice can would have been triggered if anyone stepped on it, they said. The bomb squad defused the device in five minutes.

-- The Nation 2012-10-15

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Administrative Court rejects petition by telecoms academic Anuparb Tiralarb seeking injunction to suspend NBTC 3G wireless license auction, auction to proceed on Tuesday /MCOT

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Campaign for children's safety-zone in far South

YALA, Oct 15 - A group of peace advocates have launched a campaign in Yala municipality urging the Thai authorities to designate a safety and constructive zone for children suffering from the long-running insurgency in the region.

The peace activists, led by Gothom Arya, a lecturer at Mahidol University's Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, marched along the street in Yala municipality handing out pamphlets calling for the safety zone for children. They reasoned that the continuing violence which began eight years ago has traumatised both people and youngsters physically and mentally.

School arsons in particular took a heavy toll on the education of young people and their normal life, the group said. Some families lost their breadwinners with many children becoming orphans. Children are forced to go home early for fear of their safety.

With safety zones designated, children would be able to join constructive activities and share ideas that would boost their inner strength and their learning, according to the campaigners.

The peace activists said they believed the campaign will lead to a society filled with trust and care and that will eventually help restore peace in the region. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-15

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RT@veen_NT: Surabot "Pluem", son of former PM Chuan Leekpai, will marry Tubtim. Chuan will design wedding card and souvenirs. via @nittayaporn_nna

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SET index closed at 1290.56, down 6.42; Bt/USD30.60; GBP48.96; AUD31.12; EUR39.38; CAD31.05; HKD3.94; SGD24.86; JPY38.81

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RT @tulsathit: TR @tistoo: Privacy of e-books has re-boosted erotic literature.

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Thaivisa member image

Sukumvit Road in Pattaya today

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MEETING

FutureGov Summit starts Wednesday

Thanya Kunakornpaiboonsiri

Special to The Nation

James Smith

BANGKOK: -- The 10th FutureGov Summit starts on Wednesday with more than 150 senior government officials from Asia, Europe, North America and Africa gathering to discuss the future of governments and improving public services.

"Thailand is the perfect host country for this year's event," James Smith, managing director of FutureGov magazine, said Monday.

"In the last couple of years we have seen some extremely ambitious initiatives from the authorities here, and many neighbouring countries are keen to learn more about Thailand's experiences in the field of egovernment and education.

"Likewise Thailand's public sector has always been very open to new ideas and to understanding the approaches taken by other countries. So we are looking forward to a very productive three days where significant outcomes on the future shape of government will be developed."

The summit was last held in Thailand in 2007 in Phuket. This year's meeting is the largest ever, with Asean and international officials learning more about Thailand's technology plans, and sharing their own experiences in egovernment and service transformation.

Discussions will range from mobile government service delivery, cloud computingbased education and protecting citizen's privacy from negative impact from of a new generation of eservices.

This year features a welcome address by Chiang Mai Governor Tanin Supasen. Attendees include senior officials from Asean, Deepak Bhatia, the global leader for egovernment at the World Bank, and the chief information officers for many countries such as Singapore and South Africa.

FutureGov magazine, the organiser of the annual event, is the region's longestrunning government, education and healthcare modernisation title. From Singapore, it controls the largest network of public sector conferences in the region on behalf of its 10,000 readers.

-- The Nation 2012-10-15

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to continue:

Thailand Live Tuesday 16 Oct 2012