Thailand Live Monday 3 December 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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Related topic: Thailand Live Sunday 2 Dec 2012

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British man drowns during escape from fight in Pattaya

Pattaya: -- A British man from Cambridge, drowned after a drunken fight

The man, 28 year old Patrick Molloy, a man well known in his home county of Cambridgeshire, was seen diving into the ocean along with his two pals as they ran to escape a band of local nationals whom they are said to have aggravated and started a fight with.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....ght-in-pattaya/

AGEING

Retirement age extension mulled

Achara Deboonme

Chularat Saengpassa

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Civil servants may be kept in the workforce from 60 to 62 to alleviate the problems of an 'ageing' society

BANGKOK: -- By 2050, when Thailand's population is expected to total 82.5 million, according to the UN's "World Population Ageing: 1950-2050" report, the number of elderly Thais - those aged 60 or older - is projected to reach 22.5 million, or 27.3 per cent of the population.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....ulled-thailand/

Democrats urge PM to investigate China rice deal

The Nation

Opposition keeps up the pressure on range of corruption allegations

BANGKOK: -- The Democrat Party yesterday urged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to investigate alleged irregularities in the government-to-government rice deal with China.

Full story:

EDUCATION

Germany an example for local educators

Wannapa Khaopa

The Nation

Focus on low-performing students resulted in turnaround; constant efforts to rectify weak points in system

BANGKOK: -- Thai educationists have been receiving some practical and useful lessons about teaching and school improvements from experienced counterparts in Germany.

Full story:

Seaport threatens reefs off Satun

Janjira Pongrai

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Bt25-billion Pakbara deep seaport project in Satun could play havoc with more than 9,000 rai of coral reefs in the port's vicinity, according to academics at the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR).

Full story:

TELECOM

NBTC to appeal if court orders injunction in 3G licence case

SIRIVISH TOOMGUM

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The national broadcasting and telecom regulator is prepared to deal with the ruling of the Central Administrative Court today in the case of the 2.1 gigahertz spectrum auction.

Full story:

PROPERTY SECTOR

Labour shortage worries builders, developers

SOMLUCK SRIMALEE

THE NATION

Pruksa's chief shows how real-estate manufacturing technology can help shorten construction period even with fewer workers on site

BANGKOK: -- Business operators in the construction and property-development sectors foresee a big challenge in the year ahead: It will be difficult to find workers even when the daily minimum wage rises to Bt300 nationwide.

Full story:

CHALK TALK

Test scores must serve as wake-up call

Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation

EVERY NOW AND THEN, Thailand's education sector receives some bad news. Thai children's academic achievements in international rankings are rather depressing.

Full story:

Police tentatively identify body found in Phuket rubber plantation

Phuket Gazette

Phuket Police Commander Choti Chavaviwat (center) lead the investigation of the site. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

Full story:

Temp nurses seek permanent jobs

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A network of nurses working at state hospitals as temporary employees and the Thailand Nursing and Midwifery Council will today meet Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at Government House, demanding permanent jobs.

The action follows the network's 'disappointment' with the Public Health Ministry's decision on Friday to list most of the 30,188 contract positions in 21 fields of the medical and public health profession in the civil service over a three-year period.

However, the ministry failed to list the number of civil service positions for nurses who are temporary employees.

"We are not okay with the ministry's resolution. We need to know the exact number of civil service positions the ministry will provide for nurses working as temporary employees," Krisada Sawaengdee, the second vice-president of Thailand’s Nursing and Midwifery Council, told The Nation.

The network wanted the government to hire all 17,000 temporary employee nurses as civil servants in a bid to resolve the nurse shortage at state hospitals, in particular in rural hospitals.

Tough work conditions and poor job security have caused a nursing shortage at state hospitals across the country. Some are hired on temporary contracts, which must be renewed every year. Some had resigned from the state hospitals over the temporary contracts and job insecurity to get better pay at private hospitals.

"We will meet the PM to make her fully aware of the severe shortage of nurses at state hospitals," she added.

About 150,000 professional nurses aged up to 60 are registered for licences with the council, but only 130,000 work at hospitals across the country. Some 17,000 have been hired as temporary nurses at state hospitals and about 300 to 400 resign from state hospitals every year.

The network is now threatening to organise a three-day action starting on January 1 if the government is not be able to meet the demands for permanent jobs.

"Actually, we will not strike. All 17,000 of us will just leave on vacation for a few days and this will not affect the medical services at hospitals. [However] it would cause an increased workload for the others," she said.

-- The Nation 2012-12-03

Scores of abandoned cats in Angthong die of cat flu disease: Reports

ANGTHONG: -- Livestock officials in Angthong province are assigned to visit a temple in Pho Thong district today to check on reports that scores of abandoned cats there have died of cat flu disease.

Full story:

Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck crushes opponents on the streets and in parliament

BANGKOK: -- Thailand’s deposed and exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra may have outsmarted himself when he eased his younger sister, Yingluck, into power as his surrogate.

Full story:

Foreigner threatened with gun and assaulted on Pattaya Beach

Full story:

Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,331.33, up 7.29points /MCOT

RT@RichardBarrow: Thai Travel News: Where to Watch Celebrations for the King's Birthday bit.ly/Vfl0x3

Trauma haunts Thailand's children of war

by Aidan Jones

Pattani, Thailand, Dec 3, 2012 (AFP) - Mentally scarred and afraid to set foot outside his home in Thailand's deep south, Ahmad is one of thousands of children orphaned by a war largely forgotten by the rest of the world.

Full story:

Criminal Court sentences Red Shirt co-leader Arisman to 1 y imprisonment with no suspension in defamation case filed by Abhisit /MCOT

Gang stages shootout in Bangkok hospital

BANGKOK: -- Displaying a profound misunderstanding of the intent and function of a hospital, 10 members of a bike gang snuck into Rama II Hospital this weekend and opened fire on a suspected rival as he lay recuperating from an earlier gunshot wound.

Full story:

Arisman sentenced to one year in jail on defamation suit

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court on Monday sentenced a red core leader to one year in jail on a defamation suit filed by former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The Court found Arisman Pongruengrong guilty of addressing libelous statements against Abhisit during an anti-government protest on October 17, 2009.

After the ruling, an Arisman’s lawyer said he would file a bail request.

-- The Nation 2012-12-03

Aldhouse denies Phuket murder charge

Phuket Gazette –

Lee Aldhouse (right) arrives at Phuket Airport on Saturday. He has now denied the murder charge against him, say police. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

PHUKET: British national Lee Aldhouse, charged with the murder of former US Marine Dashawn Longfellow in Phuket in 2010, has confessed to police to stabbing Mr Longfellow, but has denied any intention to kill him.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/602141-aldhouse-back-in-phuket/#entry5898995

Bangkok Prep celebrates tenth anniversary with Bt5m in scholarships

By Coconuts Bangkok

Bangkok International Preparatory and Secondary School

Full story:

Flames engulf Phuket dive shop

Phuket Gazette –

It took 20 minutes for Kamala firefighters to put out the flames. Photo: Niruj Suriya

The dive shop was built this year near the Kamala beachfront. Photo: Niruj Suriya

PHUKET: A newly constructed scuba diving shop and bar near the Kamala beachfront went up in flames early Sunday morning, causing an estimated one million baht in damage.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/602454-flames-engulf-phuket-dive-shop/

Cathay probes 'coffee threat' on Thaksin's daughter

HONG KONG, Dec 3, 2012 (AFP) - Cathay Pacific is probing reports a flight attendant threatened to throw coffee at ousted Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra's daughter, after calling the politician an "enemy", the airline said Monday.

Full story:

Administrative Court rejects Ombudsman’s petition seeking to suspend granting of 3G licences, claiming auction lacked free, fair competition; Court says Ombudsman has no duty, or right, to act /MCOT

3G

Administrative Court dismissed petition on 3G auction

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Central Administrative Court on Monday dismissed a petition for judicial review in the case of the auction of 2.1 gigahertz spectrum or 3G.

The Court said the Ombudsman that filed the petition was not the affected party.

The petition was filed on November 8 for the court to issue an injunction to suspend the National Broadcasting Telecommunications Commissions' process of granting the 2.1GHz spectrum licenses to the three bid winners.

Takorn Tantasit, NBTC secretary general earlier said if the court dismissed the case, the NBTC will proceed to grant the licences. He believed the three bid winners can finish the network rollout in major cities within six months after obtaining the licences.

The petition said the 2.1GHz spectrum auction lacked free and fair competition, as required by the Constitution and the 2010 Frequency Allocation Law. It also sought the court’s injunction to suspend the 2.1GHz spectrum licensing. The court has already heard the parties involved in the case over the past few weeks.

The NBTC held the spectrum auction on October 16 and approved the bid outcome on October 18. As per the auction terms, it will grant the licences to the bid winners - Advanced Wireless Network, DTAC Network, and Real Future - within 90 days after its endorsement of the bid outcome.

-- The Nation 2012-12-03

ANGTHONG

Cat deaths at temple indicates cat flu outbreak

The Nation

Livestock officials indicate cats at Angthong temple died of cat flu disease.

Full story:

Court grants bail for Arisman, accepting Bt200,000 cash as collateral after sentencing for 1 year imprisonment for defamation case /MCOT

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