Thailand Live Monday 5 Nov 2012

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PHUKET

Two Bulgarians arrested for allegedly stealing ATM cards' data

The Nation

PHUKET: -- Police have arrested two Bulgarians for having allegedly attempted to steal electronic data for cloning ATM cards.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....t-m-cards-data/

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14-year-old girl arrested for running underage prostitution ring in Samut Prakan

By Coconuts Bangkok

Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district

SAMUT PRAKAN: -- A 14-year-old Samut Prakan girl has been arrested for reportedly running a prostitution scheme out of a motel.

Full story:

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CONTRABAND

Customs dept to crackdown on smuggled goods in run up to NY

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- With the new year approaching, the Customs Department has intensified its crackdown on smuggled goods, as it believes that activities are likely to increasing in advance of the festivities, director general Benja Louischaroen said on Monday.

Full story:

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Deputy PM Chalerm confirms assassination plot against Thaksin ahead of Myanmar trip this week, citing arms smuggling suspect's confession; Thaksin learns about plot /MCOT

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One Burmese dead, four seriously poisoned by 'generator fumes'

Phuket Gazette

Police believe that fumes from this generator running all night in the enclosed office killed one Burmese worker and seriously poisoned four others. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- One Burmese laborer is dead and four others are still in hospital after they spent the night guarding a construction site property, including a running generator in a closed room, police say.

Full story:

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SET index closed at 1306.7, up 0.10; Bt/USD30.67; GBP49.01; AUD31.67; EUR39.15; CAD30.65; HKD3.95; SGD24.88; JPY37.96

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PM prepares for Thein Sein, meets Barroso, poll urges she attend censure

BANGKOK, 5 November 2012 (NNT) - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has been slated to tomorrow meet ministers and officials working on the Dawei deep-sea port project in preparation for a Thai-Myanmar meeting on the joint development this week.

Myanmar President Thein Sein is scheduled to visit Thailand on Wednesday, when the Thai government will kick off a two-day bilateral meeting on the joint development, worth 1.54 trillion baht.

Deputy government spokesman Chalitrat Chandrubeksa said the PM will tomorrow prepare ministers and officials from the transport, industry, energy and foreign ministries for the meeting, which is expected to cover three major issues.

Those issues are the development of the deep-sea port in southern Myanmar, the construction of a 132km road linking the sea port to the Thai-Myanmar border, and the development of a 33-megawatt power plant and transmission cables in the Dawei special economic area.

Yingluck and Thein Sein will finalise the meeting outcome at the Asean Summit in Cambodia scheduled for November 17-20, when the two are expected to officially announce a joint partnership to support the Dawei deep-sea port project.

In a related development, Myanmar president Thein Sein this past Saturday met European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, who offered development aid to Myanmar. Barroso then visited Thailand and met Yingluck yesterday.

They discussed various issues ranging from the decades-long diplomatic ties between Thailand and the European Union, to the new economic prospects in Southeast Asia when the Asean Economic Community is formed in 2015.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, the premier said she told Barroso that Thailand is ready to be a gateway to the Asean single market so that investors from the EU can base their production here. Yingluck and the EU commissioner also agreed to seek closer cooperation on measures to tackle human trafficking, transnational crimes and money laundering.

The two are scheduled to meet again at the 9th Summit of the Asia-Europe Meeting, starting in Vientiane, Laos today.

-- NNT 2012-11-05

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Deputy PM Chalerm confirms assassination plot against ex-premier Thaksin

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Nov 5 - Thai Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubumrung confirmed on Monday that there was an assassination plot against ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra before his Myanmar trip this week, citing an arms smuggling suspect's confession.

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PM'S FUGITIVE BROTHER

Thaksin's visit to Tachilek called off amid security concerns

The Nation

File photo : Thaksin

BANGKOK: -- Fugitive ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra has decided to cancel his visit to Myanmar's border town of Tachilek on Friday but his schedule to visit Myanmar remains unchanged, an informed source said Monday.

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Chiang Mai Zoo invites public to name its albino tiger cubs

CHIANG MAI, 5 November 2012 (NNT) - Chiang Mai Night Safari has invited the public to participate in a contest to name its new pair of white tiger cubs.

Full story:

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395 Bangkok intersections to have Wi-Fi

Bangkok's 395 intersections will be equipped with wireless and modern technology for better traffic controlling, as Metropolitan Police Monday joined force with National Electronics and Computer Technology Center (NECTEC), 3BB WiFi and Thai Intelligent Transport Systems Association to launch the "Smart Police" project.

Three modern technologies to be at each intersection were; the Webcams to provide realtime feeds of traffic condition via wireless network to the Traffic Control and Command Center; the Video Conference via web to solve unexpected traffic problems; the Licence Plate Detection System to check for stolen vehicles

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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Ex-senator asks court to block anti-gov’t group’s mass rally

BANGKOK, Nov 5 - Ex-senator Ruangkrai Leekitwattana on Monday petitioned Thailand’s Constitution Court to order the Pitak Siam group to call off its planned protest against the government later this month.

Mr Ruangkrai's petition said the planned anti-government rally might be deemed a rebellion to overthrow the Constitution, legislative, judicial and administrative power, as well as cause divisiveness in the country.

The petition urged the Pitak Siam leader Gen Boonlert Kaewprasit and former National Legislative Assembly Squadron Leader Prasong Soonsiri to cancel the protest scheduled at the end of this month.

Mr Ruangkrai said if the court rules that the two protest leaders' behaviour is deemed intended to topple the country' constitutional monarchy, he will forward the court ruling to the Department of Special Investigation for further legal action.

The former senator said he has collected evidence on the speeches of both protest leaders for the court consideration.

Led by retired Gen Boonlert, Pitak Siam--'Protecting Siam'--rallied last week at the Royal Turf Club in the capital's Nang Loeng area, with its leader claiming as many as 20,000 protesters joined the event.

Gen Boonlert later announced that the next rally could be held within three weeks or a month. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-11-05

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Drought threatens Hom Mali rice paddies in Northeast

MAHA SARAKHAM, Nov 5 - Drought has affected rice paddies in this northeastern province, but a survey is being conducted to identify how to help affected farmers.

Bunharn Suwannaphan, district agriculture head said the drought has an impact in wider areas, particularly farmland in Phayakkhaphum Phisai district, the province’s best rice growing area.

This year, drought has hit 10 subdistricts, and is likely to affect at least 20,000 acres.

Deputy Nakhon Ratchasima provincial governor Chayawut Chanthorn said concerned agencies will meet Thursday to discuss this year’s drought, in part because the rice yield is expected to drop by 200,000 tonnes and only 1.3 million tonnes will be released to the market.

Agriculture offices in all districts have surveyed damage to seek compensation for affected people. In addition, due to the drought, farmers were advised not to grow off-season rice to avoid losses. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-11-05

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Competition panel drops cases against three big companies

The Commerce Ministry's Trade Competition Committee Monday terminated complaints against three giant companies that had been accused of breaching the Trade Competition Act to the detriment of small traders.

In one of the cases that were dropped, Microsoft had been accused of colluding with its agents to sell cheap software so that its agents won many contract bids. However, the committee decided this was a normal trade practice, and Microsoft had not dumped its price.

Thai Beverage was accused of forcing its agents to buy three dozen bottles of Crystal drinking water for any purchase of one case of Pepsi-Cola.

In the third case, a photographic business group was accused of unfairly importing and selling cheap paper for photo printing.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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Dozens of widows of police and officers killed on duty fight state agency order

More than 70 widows sought help from the Lawyers Council of Thailand Monday over a move by the government to take back a military-compensation pension associated with their late husbands, all of who were killed while serving in the police or armed forces.

The pensions have paid to the widows' bank accounts for a long time - in some cases for a few decades. But earlier this year, the Comptroller-General's Department suddenly informed them they were not eligible for this compensation and must return the amount plus 7.5-percent interest.

"Is the government fair? Our husbands died on duty," Pol Senior Sgt Major Natthakul Nattapicha said Monday. She asked if the government gave higher payouts to victims in other cases.

-- The Nation 2012-11-05

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Thailand Live Tuesday 6 Nov 2012