Thailand Live Monday 5 Nov 2012

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Thailand Live Monday 5 November 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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Language-savvy Thai police to meet AEC challenges

Mayuree Sukyingchayoengwong

The Nation

"Hello, how are you?" echoed around the special classroom where dozens of policemen and policewomen had assembled - as students.

BANGKOK: -- It was their second class in a language course designed to boost their ability to serve when Thailand is part of the coming Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Full story:

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CENSURE MOTION

People want Yingluck to respond to critics in debate

The Nation

File photo : Yingluck

BANGKOK: -- Almost nine in 10 people nationwide want Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to grab the reins of leadership and be there to make her own rebuttals during this month's censure debate, according to Abac Poll.

Full story:

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BROADCASTING

Licensing looms for broadcasters

Watchiranont Thongtep

The Nation

Free-TV stations get ready for auction of licences by NBTC early next year

BANGKOK: -- Existing free-TV operators are preparing to bid for commercial digital terrestrial TV broadcasting licences, which the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) will issue in the first quarter of next year.

Full story:

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HEALTH

NHSO may add new drugs to national healthcare

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Health Security Office's board will today study adding seven groups of drugs used to treat complex and rare diseases to the universal healthcare scheme that covers 48 million people.

Full story:

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ABDUCTION

Hunt for man suspected of kidnapping sister -in-law

Monkhonchaowarat Tangmangmee

The Nation

Phitsanulok police are hunting down a man suspected of abducting his sister-in-law and stealing her money.

PHITSANULOK: -- Witnesses have said they saw Kittisak Kong-artharn, 40, talking to Ploenta Pradubsuk, 56, a senior official at Phitsanulok Culture Office, on Saturday when she was suddenly pushed into her own pickup truck just before it sped away.

Full story:

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EDITORIAL

BMTA needs to boost safety for bus passengers

The Nation

Better, careful drivers will encourage more people to use public buses

BANGKOK: -- Bangkokians who use public buses risk their lives every day on the road. Statistics from the Consumer Protection Foundation show there were more than 900 accidents involving public buses in 2011.

Full story:

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SOUTH CRISIS

2 suspects sought in South bombings that kill 3

The Nation

NARATHIWAT: -- Police have sought arrest warrants for two men suspected of planting a car bomb and a motorcycle bomb in Narathiwat's Rusoh district that killed three people and injured 16 others on Saturday.

The motorcycle used belonged to Narong Chantem, with a registration number that was suspended last year. It was modified into a three-wheeler carrying a 70-kilogram gas tank parked outside the house of Chakan Nuanchan in tambon Rusoh. The bomb was detonated using a mobile phone with a timer.

The car used was planted with a 50kg explosive device. It bore Narathiwat licence plate number 4145 and was registered to Salee Salaeh. It was parked outside the home of female police officer Penpimol Chantamano, who works at Rusoh police station. The bomber removed the registration number from the car's engine. The bomb was detonated by a mobile phone with a timer.

CCTV footage captured at the two bombsites shows clear images of the bombers. The man who drove the car bomb wore a blue T-shirt. He drove the car around Rusoh municipality and passed a mosque, before parking the car at the scene. Another man wearing a helmet is seen driving a red motorcycle to pick up the car bomber.

Police believe about six followers of Masukalue Yakuma, a leading insurgent, were responsible for the two bombing incidents. They are believed to be hiding in the same tambon in Rusoh district.

Arwae Suleng, 50, father of Anna Suleng, 25, a victim of the car-bombing who is being treated in an intensive care unit, said he had already lost a 3-year-old granddaughter in a separate bombing incident and that the father of the girl was seriously injured.

Maj-General Pisit Sithisarn, Narathiwat Special Task Force Commander, visited the Arwae family at the Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Hospital and provided compensation to his family.

At the hospital, Pisit also visited a 7-year-old boy, Jetsadapron On-banchong, who was earlier injured in a separate car-bombing in front of Ban Yaba School.

Bulan, Jetsadaporn's mother, said she wished insurgents would stop hurting innocent children and women and that peace would return to the South. Pisit said insurgents would be eradicated from the area through law enforcement.

Meanwhile, two brothers were shot dead, their bodies found lying next to each other near a well in a forest in Narathiwat's Yi-ngor district. Waenudeng Tayaeh, 27, and Waehama Tayaeh, 39, were both shot in the body and head. Four cartridges were found near the scene.

The two brothers were last seen leaving home on Saturday night. Police are investigating the motive for the killing.

Democrat Narathiwat MP JeharmingTohtayong called on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to adopt a new strategy in handling the violence in the South. He said the government must find a political solution to the problem.

He said the premier did not understand the problem and that had contributed to the worsening situation there. He called on her to adopt a proactive strategy and show leadership and vision in solving the problems in order to restore the confidence of local people.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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THAI unfazed by superjumbo's high costs

Achara Pongvutitham

The Nation

Hong Kong

BANGKOK: -- Despite its quieter takeoffs and landings, higher passenger capacity, lower carbon-dioxide emissions and other advantages over other aircraft, Thai Airways International accepts that its new Airbus A380-800, the largest plane in its fleet, has higher maintenance costs.

Full story:

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Students long for the joys of hands-on study

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Science experiments a dream-come-true for some

BANGKOK: -- The way pupils study science today is not so different from the way we studied science decades ago.

In those days, pupils worked mainly from textbooks and there was a shortage of laboratories and experimental tools to help enhance their self-learning, particularly in rural areas.

People from different generations share the same attitudes toward learning. For example, we have been told that the process of changing a solid directly into a gas without the solid first becoming a liquid is called sublimation, and objects fall because of gravity - but how many of us learned these facts from an experiment? We know that milk has protein, so how can we learn what other kinds of drinks have protein? How many of us have done an experiment to find protein in different kinds of drinks?

Around 60 students - clamorous, excited, and engrossed - carried out experiments on the chemistry of milk in two laboratories at Sirindhorn Science Home in Pathum Thani last week. And they showed how enjoyable this study was, and how it reflected what style of learning they preferred.

The activity was part of the official launch of the Thailand Children's University project presided over by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Tuesday.

Many students who took part in the activity told The Nation they were delighted when conducting the experiments.

One, Suwijak Mongkalakorn, 12, a Matthayom 1 (Grade 7) student from Bangkok Christian College, said: "I like doing experiments by myself because I see and learn while things are changing in the experiments. Seeing these changes is made even more interesting as I find out what I can do with my own hands."

Even leading schools in urban areas lack the necessary experimental tools and laboratories, according to many of the students who joined the activity at the Sirindhorn Science Home.

Ketsiree Supita, 11, a Prathom 6 (Grade 6) student from a gifted programme at Thidanukhro School in Songkhla, said she had not done many experiments at school as there was a lot of content for her teachers to cover. "I do the experiments once or twice a week. Also, we don't have enough laboratories, tools and chemical substances to do all these experiments."

"Coming here and joining in this activity, I'm really happy because I like chemistry and I have used several kinds of chemical substances in the experiments," she added.

Suwijak said his teachers had to rush teaching to cover the jam-packed content in the curriculum. So they demonstrated some experiments instead of letting students do them, especially the experiments that take time.

Ketsiree and Suwijak also said they were happy with small group experiments as everybody in the group could join in the study. In big group experiments, the number of tools was not adequate for all group members.

"Lacking laboratories and experimental tools as well as having too much content for teachers to teach, many of our science teachers prefer to tell or explain scientific facts and knowledge rather than have their pupils learn from doing the experiments themselves," said Pornpun Waitayangkoon, president of the Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology (IPST) in a recent interview with The Nation.

A study by Tom Corcoran, co-director of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education at the Teachers College of Columbia University, a US-based researcher with years of experience working with Thai science teachers, pointed out during a seminar in a separate event in September that too many topics were included in the Thai curriculum. He urged science teachers to focus on big ideas and organise units around concepts to help students understand.

Corcoran also urged Thailand to allocate more time to science education. Thailand in Grades 7, 8 and 9 (Matthayom 1, 2 and 3) allocates about half as much time as other countries to science. Thai students receive three classes a week or 150 minutes, while in most nations, students study science every day and for 250 minutes or more each week.

The Children's University project also has a plan to give secondary-school students with talent in science a fast track to sit in on some university classes while still at school, and they will also be able to claim credits from the courses taken at the campus.

Both students - Ketsiree and Suwijack - and Nathawat Asvasermcharoen, 13, a Matthayom 1 student from Suankularb Wittayalai School, said they welcomed this plan and would love to join it.

"I would like to join the fast track. It is very challenging. And if I can study with university students, I will be able to graduate with a bachelor's degree quicker," said Nathawat.

Ketsiree said she wanted lecturers to allow students to give up studying in university classes if they find the lessons are beyond their ability. They should also be allowed to start the classes again a year later after their ability had improved.

Suwijak said he wanted lecturers to be more patient with secondary-school students and explain more to them as they had fewer basics. Also, he was worried about adjustment of new senior classmates. He wanted university students to pair with secondary-school students to help them adjust to the new classmates and environment.

Germany originated the children's university network idea. And one of its universities, Bielefeld, has successfully run a children's university project, giving expert assistance. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has also funded two Thai experts who went for training in Germany on how to get children to engage more in science and math related subjects. Two German experts also worked with Thai staff in Thailand.

DAAD secretary-general Dorothea Ruland said: "We really want sustainability," adding that the experts from both countries would be funded to further the next stage of the project. "It should be spread to other universities so it is a kind of multiplier for the rest of the country," she said.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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EDUCATION

Chula teams take debating honours

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Two Chulalongkorn University teams took first and second places in the Eighth European Union Thailand National Inter-varsity Debate Championship 2012.

Third place went to Mahidol University International College students.

The champion team consisted of Arphaphorn Thangkritsanakhajorn, who was crowned as best speaker, Chayaphat Thongcharoen and Motogi Laksmiwattana.

The runner-up team was Thatchaphol Phetwara, Miga Aphichartsakol and Natthaya Khusuwan.

Stamford International University came out tops in the Rookie Championship, followed by Chiang Mai University.

Prince of Songkla University's Phuket campus and Nakhon Ratchasima Rajabhat University shared the third prize.

Wells International School bagged first prize in the upper secondary school category. A team from Triam Udom Suksa School snared the second prize while Assumption College and another team from Triam Udom Suksa won the third prize together.

The debate was hosted recently at Khon Kaen University with support from the European Union. Fifty teams from 17 institutions across the country participated in the English-language debate tournament.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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Thai soldiers kill 3 Cambodian illegal loggers

PHNOM PENH, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Thai soldiers have shot dead three Cambodian men for illegally cutting rosewood on the frontier of Thai territory, Cambodian official confirmed on Sunday.

Full story:

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REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE

10 reasons Asean prefers Obama as president

Kavi Chongkittavorn

BANGKOK: -- Tomorrow the international community will find out who is the choice of the American voters. For Asean, it is crystal clear the incumbent is the one. Here are 10 reasons for choosing Barack Obama.

Full story:

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High Steaks rescue in local village

By Staff Reporter

PATTAYA: -- Farmers saved a drowning calf from a storm drain on Sunday morning

Full story:

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Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,304.98, down 1.62 points /MCOT

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Yingluck left for Vientiane Monday to attend Asem summit

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Monday left Bangkok for Laos to attend Asia-Europe Meeting.

Yingluck has said she would use the opportunity to to restore confidence in Thai post-flood economy, as well as to expand trade and investment.

The two-day summit is held in Laos’ capital of Vientiane and Yingluck will return to Bangkok tomorrow.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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ASEM

Yingluck joins summit in Vientiane

The Nation

File photo : Yingluck

BANGKOK: -- Thai premier on Monday departed for Laos to attend the ninth Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) scheduled to start today.

The two-day summit is a forum of 49 Asian and European nations to discuss cooperation in various fields including economy, politics, social and culture.

Yingluck Shinawatra told Thai News Agency earlier that she would use the opportunity to restore confidence in Thai post-flood economy, as well as to expand trade and investment.

She said she will reaffirm at the meeting to take place in Laotian capital of Vientiane the continued growth of the Thai economy, readiness in post-flood era, as well as trade and investment opportunities, after the transportation linkage projects among Asean countries are complete.

Asia and Europe’s close cooperation will enhance trade and investment and this is a good opportunity for the two regions to work together to solve the crises.

She is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks with leaders of five countries on the sideline of the Asem to follow up the development of previous bilateral talks.

The Thai premier will also discuss the opening of the 4th Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge which is expected on Dec 12, after the 3rd Friendship Bridge was inaugurated on Nov 11, last year.

Yingluck said she also wanted to renew the joint cabinet retreat with the Laotian government as Thailand recently did with Vietnam late last month since the meeting allowed ministers of both countries to discuss issues more closely.

This year’s meeting convened under the theme "Friends for Peace; Partners for Prosperity." An official ceremony to welcome new members Norway, Switzerland and Bangladesh will also be held.

The objective of Asem is to provide a venue for the leaders of Asia and Europe to constructively discuss economic, political, security and socio-cultural challenges commonly faced by both sides.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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42% of 1,245 people polled by Nida Oct 31-Nov 1 doubt next rally of Pitak Siam Group could lead to a coup /The Nation

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Significant Winter Storm Heads Toward Disaster-Hit NY, NJ

Full story:

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Americans, Australians injured in Phuket-bound tour bus crash

Phuket Gazette

Seven of the 18 tourists on board the bus were transferred to local hospitals. Photo: B Kung Somsak/Facebook

The driver says the bus hit a pothole, which caused a tyre to blowout and him to lose control of the vehicle. Photo: B Kung Somsak/Facebook

PHUKET: -- A tour bus carrying Australian and American tourists heading from Krabi to Phuket flipped and slammed into a wall of a house in Phang Nga early yesterday afternoon.

Full story:

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Lucky escape for mother, baby as Phuket hillside resort wall collapses

Phuket Gazette

A worker at the resort in Patong ropes off the area where the wall collapsed, tumbling onto houses below. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

Atchara Jutisen (in wheelchair), 28, at Patong Hospital shares her joy that her baby boy Attawat 'Pig' Chottantikul (pictured) escaped serious injury in the wall collapse. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: -- A mother and her 3-month-old baby boy made a lucky escape as a wall from a Phuket hillside resort came crashing down on their home in Patong on Saturday morning.

Full story:

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Seventh Heaven: The meat you need to beat

By Dan Waites

We can only presume this little guy is the culinary brains behind these fine products. Here, he's saying "Everything is delicious kraaap!" And we have to agree. Keep up the good work, chef!

BANGKOK: -- Woah. Since Coconuts Bangkok’s last Seventh Heaven, we received so many letters from readers confessing their love for 7-Eleven convenience snacks that we hardly knew what to do with them all! So we burned them.

Full story:

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Defence Minister: no need for deputy PM to address southern violence problems as agency structure overseeing problem remains unchanged /MCOT

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Crazed and naked Kuwaiti arrested by Pattaya Tourist Police on Walking Street

PATTAYA:--The Pattaya Tourist Police were called into action early on Monday Morning after they received reports of a foreign national who had stripped off and jumped into the water close to the entrance of Walking Street.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/595872-crazed-and-naked-kuwaiti-arrested-by-pattaya-tourist-police-on-walking-street/

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Thai Defence Minister: Security for Thaksin under Myanmar authorities

BANGKOK, Nov 5 - Thai Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat said he has not been informed of a possible assassination attempt against convicted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra who is to visit Myanmar this week , but he said it is the responsibility of the Myanmar authorities to provide security for him.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/595885-thai-defence-minister-security-for-thaksin-under-myanmar-authorities/#entry5814625

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Customs Department seizes Bt45 million in drugs, pirated and smuggled goods.

BANGKOK, Nov 5 - Thailand's Customs Department on Monday announced that it confiscated smuggled goods, counterfeit products and drugs with a combined value of more than Bt45 million.

Full story:

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Laos approves Xayaboury dam construction on Mekong River

Vientiane - The Lao government has approved the construction of the 3.5-billion-dollar Xayaboury dam on the Mekong River despite environmental objections, a senior official said Monday.

"We will have a ground-breaking ceremony in Xayaboury on Wednesday," said Viraphonh Viravong, deputy minister of Energy and Mines.

The hydroelectric project will be the first run-of-river dam to be built on the lower Mekong. Four dams have already been built on the upper Mekong in China.

The project has been criticised by environmentalists and Laos’South-east Asian neighbours for its possible impact on the flow of sediments downstream and fish migration

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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RT@Veen_NT: Plot thickened? DPM Chalerm Yoobamrung confirmed there is assassination plot against fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra. #INN

RT@Veen_NT: If you understand Thai - here is his interview on the plot to kill his "boss" Thaksin + video innnews.co.th/shownews/show?…

RT@Veen_NT: On Panthongtae's FB, he claimed the war weapons seized in Tachilek were part of plot to kill his dad. said he's got info from authorities.

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Entrepreneurs ask gov't to postpone minimum wage rise

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Nov 5 – The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) petitioned the labour ministry to review and postpone the minimum wage rise, set to be applied countrywide in January.

Full story: