Thailand Live Saturday 15 Dec 2012

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Thailand Live Saturday 15 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 Friday 14 Dec 2012

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Democrat riled over posting of Abhisit photo

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Democrat Party yesterday demanded that legal action be taken against a Department of Special Investigation official for taking a photograph of former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva getting his fingerprints taken and posting it on the Internet.

Full story:

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First-car policy 'putting people's health at risk'

Janjira Pongrai

The Natiom

BANGKOK: -- More than 381,184 Bangkok commuters are suffering from respiratory diseases caused by air pollution that has been associated with traffic jams, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration revealed yesterday.

Full story:

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UPDATE:

Army blames weather for airship's 'emergency landing'

The Nation

The military says bad weather forced an "emergency landing" of its airship in the South on Thursday, disputing media reports that it had crashed.

"It was an emergency landing, not a crash as widely reported by mass media," the Army's deputy spokesman Colonel Winai Suwaree said yesterday.

PATTANI: The airship was assigned to provide surveillance during a visit by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. But the weather was bad as it took off from a military camp in Pattani's Nong Chik district, so officials called for an emergency landing from an altitude of around 20 metres.

Full story:

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Somtam, pla ra listed as national treasures

The Nation

Papaya salad

BANGKOK: -- Diners can now serve themselves a double helping of pride in Thai cuisine by eating papaya salad seasoned with fermented fish, as both traditional delicacies have been registered as national treasures by the Culture Ministry in one of seven categories established to preserve the Kingdom's traditional heritage.

Full story:

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NBTC delays move on Thaksin broadcast

WATCHIRANONT THONGTEP

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The broadcasting committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has postponed its decision on what action should be taken over the appearance of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Channel 11 until its next meeting early next year.

Full story:

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Coalition backs referendum on charter before Parliament vote

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The five-member coalition resolved yesterday to support the holding of a national referendum before the Parliament goes ahead with the third reading of the charter-amendment bill.

This decision was made after coalition parties met to discuss the Cabinet's proposal to hold a referendum before the final reading in order to avoid possible legal repercussions.

Pheu Thai Party leader Jarupong Ruangsuwan told the press yesterday that the coalition had unanimously agreed that the Cabinet should be formally asked to hold a referendum on the issue because the Parliament did not have the authority to do so.

He said the voting public would be asked if they supported the setting up of a new drafting assembly to write a charter draft provided the current ruling system and the monarchy is left intact.

Jarupong added that the coalition also believed that the government should cooperate with all political parties, educational institutions and the civil sector to launch a public-awareness campaign about the referendum.

Awaiting proposals

Justice Minister Pracha Promnok said he had been assigned by the Cabinet to receive proposals from coalition partners, adding that he would inform the Cabinet about the coalition's resolution by next week.

Bhokin Bhalakula, chairman of the coalition committee on charter amendments, said the government would not amend the National Referendum Act to cut down on the number of votes in the referendum.

Meanwhile, PM's Office Minister Varathep Ratanakorn said that after Pracha informs the Cabinet of the coalition's resolution, the Cabinet would consult the Council of State on how the referendum should be held.

He said the referendum would be held 90 to 120 days after the referendum plan is announced in the Royal Gazette.

Varathep said the government was obliged to encourage as many voters as possible to vote in the referendum. He said the process will be based on Article 165 and the Referendum Act, and will be valid if more than half of the voters exercised their voting rights. He added that the amendment would get the go ahead if more than half of the votes were "yes".

Varathep said Thailand had 46 million eligible voters so the turnout would have to be 23 million and at least 11.5 million "yes" votes were needed for the amendment to go through.

-- The Nation 2012-12-15

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EDITORIAL

The need to get the right people in the right jobs

The Nation

As economic circumstances change, the question is being asked whether Thailand is producing enough qualified people to meet demands

Full story:

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At Least 27 Dead In Connecticut School Shooting

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....oting-cbs-news/

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Schools in South set to reopen on Monday

The Nation

Bomb squad members inspect the site of a roadside bomb attack by suspected separatist militants on an Army vehicle in Narathiwat yesterday. The attack left six Army rangers injured.

NARATHIWAT: -- Schools in the insurgency-hit southern border area will be reopened on Monday as teachers are satisfied with the increased security measures for them.

The decision was reached at a meeting of teacher representatives in the Muslim-majority provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.

Schools in the three provinces have been closed intermittently following a spate of deadly insurgent attacks on schoolteachers in the area, who were brutally gunned down.

Boonsom Thongsriprai, chief of the Federation of Teachers in Three Southern Border Provinces, who discussed the matter with the authorities yesterday, said the teachers wanted to be provided with strict security measures.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung will meet Chularatchamontri Aziz Pitakkhumpol, the spiritual leader of Muslims in Thailand, next month to discuss the violence in the southern region.

Chalerm said he would ask Aziz during their meeting scheduled for January 7 to record a speech in an attempt to help restore understanding and confidence among the Thai-Muslim communities in the South.

His request to meet the spiritual leader follows in an increase in violence in the three southernmost provinces over the past weeks, in which fatal attacks have claimed the lives of many people, including teachers and civilians.

Chalerm said he assigned the governors of Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani to organise a meeting of kamnans and village chiefs and asked for their cooperation in solving the problems.

The governors would be asked to collect data on what they needed and did not need and convey this information to him so that he could forward it to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

He would also ask the Foreign Ministry to inform Muslim countries throughout the world about the brutal attacks by insurgents in Thailand, Chalerm said, adding he would travel to Malaysia and if possible, Indonesia, to discuss the southern problems. He declined to reveal details.

Meanwhile, six rangers were wounded when their armoured personnel carrier ran over an explosive device hidden by insurgents under a road in Joh I Rong district of Narathiwat.

An initial police investigation showed that the vehicle carrying the rangers was travelling on a road in the district when insurgents triggered a bomb. The front of the vehicle plunged into a hole caused by the explosion.

After the explosion, insurgents hiding on the roadside opened fire on the rangers. The exchange of gunfire lasted about 15 minutes before the insurgents managed to flee the scene.

Meanwhile, Lertkiat Wongpotiphan, deputy secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, met some 500 local Thai-Muslim leaders who gathered to pray for peace at Tanyongmas Mosque in Narathiwat's Rangae district.

The leaders jointly declared their commitment to reject all unrest and violence, especially recent acts that claimed the lives of people, including an 11-month-old child.

At the meeting, Colonel Chalermchai Sutthinuan, commander of the 45th Ranger unit, announced that anyone who could provide information about the recent attack on a teashop would receive Bt100,000.

-- The Nation 2012-12-15

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Migrant workers race to beat document deadline

The Nation, Agencies

BANGKOK: -- Migrant workers yesterday flocked to the Labour Ministry office in Samut Sakhon to apply for nationality verification, as the government decided not to extend the deadline.

Foreign labourers had until yesterday to prove their nationality, and those who fail to do so will be repatriated, according to Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap.

Yanin Bunmee, chief of Samut Sakhon's nationality verification centre for Myanmar workers, said the daily verification of around 200 to 400 migrant workers has sharply increased to nearly 1,000 per day in the last two days, compelling labour officials to work until 2am daily.

Most workers in Samut Sakhon, home to the fisheries industry and seafood-packing plants, are from Myanmar.

The government's deadline for an estimated 900,000 registered alien workers to prove their nationality to the Labour Ministry expired yesterday.

About 350,000 registered workers failed to meet the deadline and another 1.5 million foreigners work as labourers illegally, according to estimates by the government and labour rights groups.

A mass deportation would threaten labour-intensive industries, such as fisheries and construction, labour activists warned.

"If these 1.5 million people get sent back, the economy would be crushed. It's impossible," said Andy Hall, international adviser to the State Enterprise Work Relations Confederation of Thailand.

Given Thailand's dependence on its illegal labour force, the seriousness of the government's threat of mass deportation is being questioned.

"What we are going to see after [yesterday] is a massive extortion exercise by Thai authorities because they will be able to take advantage of the undocumented workers," Hall said.

Labour rights and business groups had urged the government to extend the deadline.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce on Thursday called on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to defer the deadline for nationality verification, saying the mass repatriation of migrant workers would result in a severe labour shortage.

Padermchai said the deadline had been extended twice and employers wishing to rehire repatriated workers can apply to the Labour Ministry.

Nationality verification is significant in solving the problem of illegal foreign labour employment, which has negatively branded Thailand as a country where child labour and human trafficking are rampant.

-- The Nation 2012-12-15

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Thai Airways expects to earn Bt700m in profits this year

Bamrung Amnatcharoenrit

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thai Airways International expects to report net profit of Bt700 million this year, which is below its previous projections.

However, the national carrier is satisfied with its result at a time of uncertain outlook for the aviation industry.

Full story:

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Suspected cocaine dealer extradited to Wales after Thailand arrest

A suspected cocaine dealer was extradited back to the UK today after he was arrested in Thailand.

Terrence Johnson was flown back to London's Heathrow Airport this morning following his arrest in the Far East.

Full story:

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The Abhisit Indictment: Political ploy?

Written by Richard S. Ehrlich

Many political observers think the former PM was indicted to spark an amnesty deal

BANGKOK: -- Thailand’s former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy officially denied murder charges on Dec. 13 in Bangkok, saying they weren’t responsible for troops who allegedly shot dead a taxi driver during a May 2010 protest against Abhisit's widely despised administration.

Full story:

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Patong Carnival underway today

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- The island's premier party town of Patong is set to kick off the tourism high season with its annual carnival, starting today and running to December 20.

Full story:

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Free wifi spots to be expanded almost nationwide

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Dec 15 – The government’s free wifi service will cover 80 per cent of the country by May next year, according to the Information and Communications Technology Ministry (ICT).

Full story:

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Phuket labor chief confirms illegal Burmese workers will be deported

Phuket Gazette

Provincial officers request that Burmese workers show legally issued work permits to avoid being deported. Photo: Gazette file

PHUKET: -- Any migrant workers found in Phuket without having completed the nationality verification process will be deported, the chief of the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) has warned.

Full story:

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Family positive in identification of missing American Brett Bean

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- Based on CCTV footage the family of missing American Brett Bean have identified the man using Brett’s ATM card on November 23 as Brett.

Full story:

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Thaksin's cousin seeks royal pardon over boxing match

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Former Supreme commander General Chaiyasit Shinawatra has sought a royal pardon for using "King's Cup" title in a boxing match without having received a royal authorisation.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/605164-thailands-n-b-t-c-delays-move-on-thaksin-broadcast/#entry5933158

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Pattaya Police Officer critically injured in road crash

PATTAYA:--A Pattaya Police Officer is currently fighting for his life following a road accident involving a coach and the officer’s motorbike.

Just before 6.30pm on Friday, Police and rescue services were called to the scene of the crash in Soi Huay Yai in the Eastern outskirts of Pattaya. Lying underneath the front of a coach was Police Senior Sergeant Major Pichaert who was reportedly travelling to Pattaya Police Station where he was about to start his Evening shift.

Full story:

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PM vows to provide better security protection for teachers in southernmost provinces

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Dec 15 -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Saturday said security agencies would adjust their plans to provide better protection for educators in the southernmost provinces, as she was confident that all schools would reopen normally on Monday.

Full story:

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RT @RichardBarrow: The famous tattoo festival at Wat Bang Phra is expected to take place on 23 March 2013 #Thailand

[Lite Beer]

to continue:

Thailand Live Sunday 16 Dec 2012

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/605340-thailand-live-sunday-16-dec-2012/