Thailand Live Monday 22 Oct 2012

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Green Politics petitions anti-corruption agency to probe 3G auction

BANGKOK, Oct 22 -- Political activist Suriyasai Katasila on Monday asked the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to investigate the 11 members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), accusing them of mishandling the third generation (3G) spectrum licence auction.

Mr Suriyasai, a coordinator of Green Politics, submitted the petition to NACC to probe whether NACC members, in their handling of the auction for 3G mobile phone service licences, might have violated Price Collusion Act of 1999 and can be indicted for dereliction of duty under the Criminal Code Section 157.

He said the auction regulations drafted by NBTC for 3G auction may lead to unfair bidding or avoidance of fair bidding. He said that although the NACC has no authority to stop the auction, it could give recommendations to NBTC for transparency operation as the damage from 3G auction could prolong for 15 years of licence period.

The broadcasting and telecom regulator has come under pressure after three operators- Advanced Info Service (AIS), DTAC and TrueMove- were awarded licences to provide 3G services at prices many academics and activists deemed as too low.

The NBTC, on October 16, auctioned off nine of the 15-year licences for Bt41.6 billion, which was only Bt1.125 billion or 2.78% above the reserve price.

The NBTC set the reserve price at 2.1-gigahertz spectrum at Bt4.5 billion.

Mr Suriyasai said that the Administrative Court rejected his petition seeking the auction's suspension, reasoning that he was not a person who was directly affected by the auction, nor involved as a stakeholder in the auction.

He said he would later submit a petition to the Office of the Ombudsman as recommended by the Court. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-22

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Declining exports dampen business confidence

BANGKOK, Oct 22 - Krungthai Bank's business index for the third quarter of this year was down to 54.88, from 55.58 in the second quarter, as a result of investors' concerns on the eurozone debt crisis, which resulted in a deeper slowdown in the export sector than earlier expected.

The bank's senior executive vice president for risk management Sompit Charoenkiatkul said the Krungthai Business Index (KTBI) was a survey of businesspeople who are the bank's customers in all sizes and types of businesses nationwide.

Higher domestic competition in the business sector was also attributed to the decline.

When considering the confidence index in each type of business, construction gained the highest confidence owing to investors' view of a positive and longer term result relating to the government's investment in infrastructure projects.

Meanwhile, the agricultural sector recorded the lowest confidence, as agricultural goods prices overall were still low compared to the same period last year while production costs were higher, and produce in some areas were still affected by last year's flood.

According to Ms Sompit, businesspeople in Thailand's South had the highest confidence out of other parts of the country, reflecting that business in the south can still grow, particularly in the upper south, despite insurgency in the restive areas.

Businesses with a tendency to grow in the south include canned seafood, processed and frozen food, automobiles, motorcycles, and electricity production from biogas.

Ms Sompit added that the Northeast is another region where businesspeople had higher confidence than the overall index, as there have been investments for basic infrastructure to support trade and investments in the Greater Mekong Subregion and to welcome the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-22

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Key red shirt leader testifies to DSI

BANGKOK, Oct 22 - Jatuporn Prompan, one of the key red shirt leaders, urge investigators at the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) to seek cooperation from the army in an attempt to locate the black-clad men alleged to have involved in the 2010 political violence.

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NAKHON PANOM

Tourists flock to see illuminated boat procession

The Nation

File photo: isanchula.com

NAKHON PATHOM: -- Bustling crowds are expected at the nine-day illuminated boat procession at the end of the Buddhist Lent in northeastern province of Nakhon Panom.

Hotels along the Mekong River have already been fully booked, Thai News Agency reported. The event is scheduled to be held from October 23 to 30. Fifty hotels, providing 1,700 rooms are now fully booked. The room prices are up from around Bt700 per room/night to about Bt2,000-3,000 baht and reaching Bt5,000 for rooms with riverside view.

Tharin Panthumai, chairman of the Nakhon Phanom Tourism Association, said that he is confident the event will be packed with crowds this year after the opening of the third Thai-Lao friendship bridge last year.

The bridge spanning the Mekong River connects Nakhon Phanom and Laos's Thakhek in Khammouane, so tourists can travel further into the neighbouring country. It is expected that at least Bt50 million will be circulated during the event, Tharin added.

-- The Nation 2012-10-22

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Cabinet approves Bt50 million for Koh Tao hospital

The Nation

The Cabinet mobile meeting in Surat Thani has approved the Bt50 million to fund Koh Tao health promotion hospital to support the locals and tourists, Public Health Minier Wittaya Buranasiri said Monday.

PM Yingluck Shinawatra also visited the site on Saturday and the construction should be completed in one year, he said. In the fiscal year 2013 there were projects to improve medical facilities, worth Bt2 billion in the South alone and worth Bt9 billion nationwide, he said. Emphasising that the premiere gave important to the nurses' demand for permanent job positions, he said he would consult with yingluck and related agencies on October 25 about the public health manpowers.

-- The Nation 2012-10-22

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RT @RichardBarrow: Ms. @ParisHilton will be at ZEN Level 17, CentralWorld in Bangkok tonight for a launch party: http://bit.ly/VhL0IE

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NBTC issues 6 pts of regulation to control 3G quality, operators must cut service charges 15-20%; working group set up to probe auction /MCOT

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SET index closed at 1310.42, up 2.71; Bt/USD30.62; GBP48.92; AUD31.46; EUR39.82; CAD30.67; HKD3.94; SGD24.91; JPY38.37

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Police to seek arrest warrant for hit-and-run suspect, Red Bull heir, Vorayuth Yoovidhya if he still does not show up for questioning /Nation

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Railway Hall of Fame to reopen to mark King Chulalongkorn Day

BANGKOK, Oct 22 – The State Railway’s Hall of Fame is scheduled to reopen for the last time on Tuesday to commemorate the death of King Chulalongkorn the Great (King Rama V), the Father of Thai Railway.

Junsiri Wirayasiri, director of the state railway hall of fame on Monday visited the hall of fame in the compound of the Chatuchak Park in Bangkok in preparation for the one-day public opening on Wednesday Oct 23, the public holiday to mark the death of King Chulalongkorn, who passed away on October 23, 1910.

As the father of Thai railway, the first railway was constructed and the Royal State Railways of Siam was founded during his reign.

After the five-month closure for the state railway to build a permanent railway museum, the railway hall of fame's one-day reopening will allow the public to see steam and diesel-powered locomotives, as well as the world’s last two hospital carriages made of golden teak.

The railway hall of fame opened for the first time 23 years ago on October 23, 1989. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-22

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AIT to convene meeting following charter crisis

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) is going to convene a big meeting on October 30 in a bid to solve its on-going crisis.

The embattled institute had enjoyed good reputation for decades until its students earlier this month staged protest over concerns that its degrees may not be valid for jobs in civil services as the Thai Parliament has not yet ratified the AIT new charter.

The protest has spilled into a full-blown crisis for the AIT because emerging information has showed a number of its students and alumni questioned the AIT executives' decision to press ahead with the new charter.

-- The Nation 2012-10-22

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Immunity for Thai senator who shot ex-wife

BANGKOK, Oct 22, 2012 (AFP) - Thailand's Senate on Monday voted to deny a request by the police to question one of its members who shot his ex-wife at the dinner table with an Uzi 9mm pistol.

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Red-shirt leader offers to double bounty on seven unresolved cases

The Nation October

A red-shirt leader has offered to raise the reward to Bt2 million on each of seven unsolved cases in order to hasten the capture of hit-men suspected of killing people during the April-May riots in 2010.

Somwang Assarasi, deputy chairman of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, Monday met with Department of Special Investigation (DSI) director-general Tharit Pengdit and offered his own money to double the Bt1-million bounty on each of the seven cases, in order to increase the incentive and bring about the speedy arrest of the culprits.

He said other red-shirt leaders may also follow in his footsteps and donate their assets, such as plots of land, to increase the rewards.

Tharit welcomed the move, saying he had checked with legal experts and found that it was possible for outsiders to contribute to the bounties

-- The Nation 2012-10-22

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Thailand Live Tuesday 23 Oct 2012