Thailand Live Wednesday 31 Oct 2012

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Thailand's Suvarnabhumi Airport Ready For High Tourist Season

BANGKOK, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- Thailand's Suvarnabhumi International Airport is ready to serve a surge of global visitors during the current high tourist season, set from Oct 28-March 30, 2013, Thai News Agency (TNA) reported.

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FORBES

I advise my sister, PM Yingluck, because she's new, Thaksin tells Forbes

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is in frequent touch with his sister, the current PM Yingluck, to advise about official matters as well as family business, he told Forbes magazine in an article published on October 29.

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[Lite Beer]

LESE MAJESTE LAW

Red shirt leader acquitted

The Criminal Court on Tuesday acquitted a red shirt leader in a lese majeste lawsuit, giving the benefit of the doubt to the defendant.

Surapak Puchaisaeng was sued for involvement in alleged statements regarding the lese majeste law and uploading them to his Facebook page.

However the court said that after Surapak was detained, somebody logged into his Facebook page on two occasions.

Therefore, it could not be sure that the defendant was the one who posted the alleged statements on his Facebook. The Court ruled to acquit Surapak.

-- The Nation 2012-10-31

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Army chief bars soldiers joining political rally

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Oct 31 - Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha warned Thailand’s rank and file soldiers Wednesday that they will face disciplinary action if they participate in any political rally.

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RT @ACSBKK: Hurricane Sandy is causing major travel disruptions worldwide. Find flight specific info by airline at http://ow.ly/eU2XQ

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Govt to promote rice export in England while FTI warns of wage hike

BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Finance has announced a plan to boost rice exports this year with a series of exhibitions, the first of which is slated to take place in the United Kingdom next month.

Minister of Finance Boonsong Teriyapirom said overall export this year is expected to grow by only 5 percent due to a low amount of rice being pledged in the latest state-sponsored session.

Mr.Boonsong stated that Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will lead a road show to the UK between November 12th and 14th, seeking to encourage the purchase of 500-thousand tons of Hom Mali rice. Another exhibition will be hosted in China at the end of this year.

Meanwhile, industrial representatives from 70 provinces have sought government assistance during the initial implementation of the new daily minimum wage, which they said has been a major cause of higher production costs. A proposal for the aid will be submitted to the cabinet for consideration during its next meeting.

-- NNT 2012-10-31

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Army chief: prolonged southern violence not linked to military budget

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Oct 31 - Thai army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha on Wednesday dismissed allegations the the southern insurgency is continuing unabated because the army wants a large military budget.

The army chief said no one benefits from the loss of the lives of others, and that the Bt3-4 billion budget allocated for security operations in the South is not worth the loss of life.

Gen Prayuth said he has already invited journalists who criticised army operations to discuss creating better understanding on the situation in the southern border provinces after their groundless articles accused the army of failing to solve the problem and want to prolong the violence there in order to get large budgets.

More than 5,000 victims--local residents, security forces, Buddhist monks and Muslim religious leaders, as well as insurgents--have been killed since violence erupted in the restive southern provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat in 2004.

Regarding policy to resolve far South problems after Gen Yuthasak Sasiprapa, who oversaw national security was removed from the deputy prime ministerial post, the army chief said it depends on how the government selects Gen Yuthasak’s successor.

He said currently the Internal Security operations Command (ISOC) and the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre (SBPAC) are the main agencies to implement government policies in the region.

As Gen Yuthasak had also chaired the newly-established Committee to Mobilise Policy and Strategy to Solve Problems in the Southern Border Provinces, Gen Prayuth said as there is no chairperson during this period, the prime minister can convene a meeting of agencies or appoint any deputy premier to chair the meeting.

'As the committee cannot operate yet, the ISOC and SBPAC must work more and cooperate with 17 ministries," the army chief stated. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-10-31

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14 year-old youth kills mother; mum wouldn’t let him play computer games

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Oct 31 - A fourteen-year-old youth killed his mother in the Thai capital last night, as she had not allowed him to play computer games.

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Administrative Court orders BMA to pay Bt3.4 million compensation to Santika victms' parents

BANGKOK: -- The Central Administrative Court Wednesday ordered the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to partially compensate the parents of 12 Santika victims.

The Bt3.4million compensation to be paid by BMA, according to the court, is equivalent to 20 per cent of what the court believed the complainants should get from the damages they had suffered from the Santika fire.

During the 2008 New Year's Eve party, a blaze broke out at the Santika pub in the heart of Bangkok killing 67 people and injuring many more victims.

The parents of some victims, many of them seriously injured, brought their grievances to the Central Administrative Court. They lodged a complaint against the BMA on grounds that the city administration failed to enforce laws at the Santika Pub. According to them, had the BMA enforced the laws strictly, the tragedy could have been avoided.

-- The Nation 2012-10-31

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Thai Health Day Run 2012 set to launch next week

BANGKOK: -- The Thai Health Promotion Foundation has organized a running race for next week, in a bid to promote health and fitness throughout the country.

The foundation, in collaboration with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, will be hosting the 2012 Thai Health Day Run on November 4th in response to reports that many Thais are physically inactive.

Director for Campaign and Public Communication for the foundation, Vilasinee Adulyanond, said the campaign is aimed at instilling the importance of regular physical activity in Thai citizens. She elaborated that only 30 percent of the population meets the recommended levels of physical activity, with the rest at risk for medical conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

Comparatively, Ms. Vilasinee noted that Singapore’s population enjoys a 40 percent rate of physically active citizens. She encouraged Thai residents to join the coming race as well as develop a habit for physical activity.

-- NNT 2012-10-31

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RT @tulsathit: Thaksin on The Nation and Bangkok Post: If you read them, you’d never know the true Thaksin.”

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SET index closed at 1298.87, up 4.44; Bt/USD30.52; GBP49.11; AUD31.60; EUR39.60; CAD30.46; HKD3.93; SGD24.89; JPY38.05

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RT @BreakingNews: Eurozone unemployment hits new record of 11.6% in September; Spain, Greece top list - @AP http://fxn.ws/TTzfXy

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Thailand Live Thursday 1 Nov 2012