Thailand Live Thursday 27 Dec 2012

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Thailand Live Thursday 27 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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TOURISM

Govt warns scammers as Thailand is named top destination

Nantida Puangthong,

Supakorn Ajjana,

Suwannee Bandhitsak

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand has long been ranked as one of the world's best tourist destinations, with so many awards under its belt. However, the Kingdom's tourism industry is not untainted.

Full story:

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COMPENSATION

California Wow faces new complaint

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Some 10 members of California Wow health club, sued for bankruptcy in April, asked the Lawyer's Council of Thailand yesterday to help them seek compensation for failure to provide services.

The company failed to provide fitness services to some 639 members who spent a total of more than Bt30 million in membership fees.

In a move led by Consumers Protection Foundation (CPF) chief Saree Ongsomwang, the 10 members submitted their complaint with council chief Sak Korsaengreung and councillor Weerasak Chotiwanich, alleging that the club collected member fees in advance but closed without informing members.

They also called on the government to push through a law under which an independent consumer protection organisation can be set up and also amend the existing law to grant individual consumers the same rights as creditors or the tax department.

-- The Nation 2012-12-27

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IMMIGRATION

Single-entry visa for Thailand, Cambodia

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

Citizens from 35 nations qualify; seen paving the way for single Asean visa

BANGKOK: -- From today, tourists from 35 countries need only apply for one visa to visit both Thailand and Cambodia. This is part of Acmecs Single Visa - the first step toward an Asean version of the European Union's Schengen Visa scheme.

Full story:

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Thailand tourism bounces back after the political turmoil of 2010: reports

Full story:

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Two Russians Report Sexual Assault And Armed Robbery In South Pattaya

Full story:

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Fatal Gunfire Erupts Outside Pattaya Soi 7 Go Go Bar

Full story:

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Thai Airways International offers "A380 Special" promotional fares

Full story:

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NATIONAL PARKS

Booze ban loosened in parks

The Nation

Alcohol still prohibited in camp grounds

BANGKOK: -- As Thais flocks to national parks to celebrate New Year's, the ban on alcohol has been partially lifted, allowing visitors to imbibe only at park lodges. However, booze is still prohibited in the campgrounds, the park chief said yesterday.

Full story:

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THAI TALK

Road ahead for charter reform is a minefield

Suthichai Yoon

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Things are getting more confusing each day with the Pheu Thai Party's plan to amend the Constitution. Trouble is just around the corner and the political landscape is littered with new time bombs.

Full story:

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Traffic safety campaigns launched

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Accident-prone spots have been made safer in a bid to have zero traffic deaths on rural roads during the New Year's holiday, Deputy Transport Minister Prasert Chantararuangthong said yesterday.

Full story:

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ELECTRICITY

Extra power to prevent blackouts

The Nation

Generators to ensure supply for New Year revellers in 10 locations

BANGKOK: -- Ten tourist destinations will be provided with power reserves to handle demand and prevent blackouts during New Year celebrations, Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) governor Namchai Lorwattanatrakul said yesterday.

Full story:

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SCB Life assurance refunds 'duped' policy-holders

Somroutai Sapsomboon

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- SCB Life Assurance is preparing refund cheques for the holders of 84 policies in Lop Buri's Phattana Nikom district who were reportedly duped by an agent into buying the policies when seeking loans from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Coopera-tives.

So far 188 victims with 190 policies have been found in three tambon - Khok Salung, Chon Noi and Chong Sarika.

Wichai Cheewasrirungruang said in a letter that on December 11 the firm dispatched 12 officials to the district to collect complaints, check facts and give explanations to the customers.

The firm will continue to look for victims in the district's remaining six tambon, the letter said.

The holders of the 84 policies had asked for refunds and the firm would give them the cheques before the end of this month. Holders of 106 policies had no receipts, but some customers who could present other evidence of payment would get their refunds right away, the letter said.

The superintendent of Phattana Nikom Police Station said he had called a meeting of all sides for January 6. If the victims were satisfied with SCB Assurance's remedial measures, the case would be closed, the officer said.

-- The Nation 2012-12-27

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ROYAL HOUSEHOLD BUREAU

Princess to leave hospital today

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will leave Bangkok's Chulalongkorn Hospital today after surgery to remove calcium deposits from her chest, the Royal Household Bureau announced yesterday in a second statement on her condition.

The bureau said doctors had decided that the results of the surgery were satisfactory, the princess' body temperature was normal, her appetite was normal and she had experienced no post-surgery complications.

Therefore, she would be able to leave the hospital today to continue her recovery at Srapathum Palace.

The doctors advised the princess to refrain from performing royal activities during this period, the statement said.

The statement said Her Royal Highness had been informed that many members of the public had expressed concern about her health and signed wishes for her speedy recovery.

She appreciated the wishes and thanked those who had sent them, it said. The public could sign good-health wishes for the princess until 6pm today.

Doctors found calcium deposits in the princess' chest during an annual medical check-up, leading to the December 17 surgery.

-- The Nation 2012-12-27

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UPDATE:

Short-circuit sets Phuket hotel ablaze

Salinee Prab

The Nation

Phuket

A five-star hotel in Phuket caught fire yesterday morning, causing Bt10 million in losses, though nobody was injured.

PHUKET: -- Police said the fire broke out at about 5am on the first floor of the three-storey wooden building, before spreading to the second and third floors of the Royal Phawadee Village Hotel on Patong Beach. Ten fire trucks were used to bring the blaze under control after about an hour and a half.

Full story:

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Floods force evacuations in Narathiwat

The Nation

Narathiwat is enduring severe flooding that has left much of the province a disaster zone.

NARATHIWAT: -- As many as 345 residents have already been sent to evacuation centres as floodwater levels rise in their hometowns. Some 20,000 others have been affected by the inundation.

The raging floodwaters have left at least 13 local roads impassable, and two dykes and two bridges have been damaged.

A main road between Lee Yae and Ba Khud villages has been severed, with floodwaters already several metres deep at press time. At least five schools in Narathiwat have suspended classes in the face of the serious floods. The flooding has also ravaged 7,474 rai of farmland and 37 fish farms.

A team from the Border Patrol Police division reached several local villages yesterday to deliver relief-item bags granted by Their Majesties.

The Royal Thai Army also dispatched a team to give food to 15 houses marooned by floodwaters.

"I am glad the rangers have come in. Otherwise, I would have been starving," 72-year-old Mamu Aela said yesterday. He has physical disabilities. Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office Area 12 director Thira Santimethee said the flooding was caused by continued cloudbursts. His office has jurisdiction over several provinces including Narathiwat.

Heavy rain has continued in all 13 districts of the province.

In the nearby province of Yala, several schools have shut down after flooding submerged many local roads.

"We will have to watch out for landslide risks too," Yala Governor Dejrat Simsiri said.

He said officials were now surveying flood damage in a bid to rapidly deliver assistance and compensation to affected people.

In Nakhon Si Thammarat, overflowing and flooding have hit 110 villages during the past few days. The province's deputy governor, Thitawat Chaowalit, said officials were now working to ensure the situation returned to normal very soon.

In a related development, flooding in the southern province of Phatthalung has eased after rain hit some areas. Livestock officials were handing out dried grass to farmers in the province to help them cope with the flooding.

"We have prepared medicine and medical supplies for the livestock too," Phatthalung livestock chief Pairoj Intarasee said.

-- The Nation 2012-12-27

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Unverified migrant workers get 3 months

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar who have failed to get their nationality verified will be granted another three months to apply for a work permit, the Labour Ministry said yesterday.

The migrant-worker management committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, agreed with the ministry's proposal to relax measures for the more than 260,000 migrant workers in Thailand and grant them extra time to apply for a work permit, Vice Labour Minister Anusorn Kraiwatnusorn said.

The measure will be put forward for Cabinet approval on January 8 before it is announced officially, he said.

Once the measure is officially announced, work-permit applications need to be submitted within a month so officials have at least a couple of months to process documents and check the migrants' legal status in their countries, he said.

"During this three-month period, migrant workers will be able to remain in Thailand legally," Anusorn said, confirming that they will not be arrested or deported for illegal entry.

He added that the Labour Ministry will also help set up one-stop service centres in a cooperation scheme with neighbouring countries to facilitate the registration process.

Migrant workers who obtain a work permit during this period will be allowed to work in Thailand for two years and be granted social welfare benefits, he said.

It is estimated that some 2 million migrant workers are based in Thailand.

As of December 14, some 1.2 million workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar had registered and completed the verification procedure.

-- The Nation 2012-12-27

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British kickboxer Lee Aldhouse formally charged with murder in stabbing death of former U.S. Marine

The fighter, known as 'The Pitbull,' is the first Briton to ever be extradited from England to Thailand, where the crime occured in 2010. The victim, Dashawn Longfellow, was found stabbed in the chest outside of his Phuket island hotel.

By Erik Ortiz / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

PHUKET: -- Thailand hit a British kickboxer with murder charges Wednesday in the 2010 stabbing death of a former U.S. Marine.

Full story:

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Uproar as US newspaper publishes gun owner details online

Nick O'Malley

US Correspondent

NEW YORK: -- A New York newspaper has sparked an acrimonious debate over gun rights and privacy by publishing the names and addresses of thousands of handgun owners in an interactive map.

Full story:

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Thunderbirds creator Anderson dies

Gerry Anderson, creator of the Thunderbirds and the Joe 90 puppet superhero TV shows, has died at the age of 83.

He had been suffering from Alzheimer's Disease since early 2010 and his condition had worsened in the past several months.

Full story:

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RT @BBCWorld: George H W Bush in intensive care http://bbc.in/Un9mmY

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Chalerm to hold talks on South in M'sia

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung will travel to Malaysia tomorrow as part of efforts to tackle the insurgency in the deep South, where the violence continues unabated with an attack in Narathiwat leaving one person injured yesterday.

Full story:

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BURNING ISSUE

PM hopes changes at Govt House will bring luck

Piyanart Srivalo

The Nation

At long last, here come the major refurbishments of Government House by the Yingluck Shinawatra administration.

BANGKOK: -- Back in March, the Spirit House where people make offerings was relocated, and the ornamental canons were reoriented to point away from the compound. Government House is the seat of the Prime Minister's office, and in accordance with feng shui (Chinese geomancy) beliefs, you shouldn't point a gun at your own backyard.

Full story:

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'1st brother's govt' roasted

Annual Ritual

THE NATION

Reporters dub PM Yingluck the 'Backstroking Crab'

BANGKOK: -- It's the time of year when reporters covering the Government House beat pool their creative talents to think up nicknames and labels for the government and their favourite Cabinet members.

Full story:

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Past year 'good for charter court transparency'

Anuphan Chanatana,

Chanikarn Phumhiran

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Constitution Court has 121 cases on its docket and has handed down decisions in 109 cases, court secretary-general Chaowana Traimas said yesterday in a performance report for 2012.

Full story:

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Shot that killed Italian came from area where troops deployed: witness

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court yesterday heard a witness testify that the gunshot that killed Italian photographer Fabio Polenghi came from where the security forces were deployed during the 2010 political mayhem.

Speaking from the witness stand in the inquest into Polenghi's death, PBS Channel news-crew member Makid Khamnan said he was on assignment to cover the May 19 crowd-control operation at Rajdamri Road.

He said he heard the sound of gunfire, prompting him to run behind Polenghi to the scene and investigate.

He said he videotaped the unfolding incident, including the fall of Polenghi after gunshots were fired from the area occupied by security forces.

The prosecution had submitted his videotape as evidence.

The next hearing is scheduled for January 25. The court is expected to conclude the inquest by the middle of next year.

The victim's sister Elisabetta Polenghi said she expected justice to prevail. She voiced her confidence in the Thai judiciary, saying the courts had ruled in the four previous inquests that victims were killed by gunshots fired from the soldiers.

-- The Nation 2012-12-27

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Government stimulus a blessing to Thailand's GDP growth

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Dec 27 – Thailand’s gross domestic product (GDP) this year is adjusted upward slightly from 5.5 per cent to 5.7 per cent mainly due to the government stimulus actions in various projects, according to the Finance Ministry.

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Thai stock index opens on Thursday at 1,385.38, gains 3.15 points /MCOT

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Thailand's Cola Conflict: Est vs. Pepsi

By Shane Danaher and Praj Kiatpongsan

Serm Suk announced plans to spend THB1.5 billion advertising Est. Photos: Praj Kiatpongsan

BANGKOK: -- Nearly two months after the launch of soft drink upstart Est, Thailand’s soda giants are racing neck-and-neck for the country’s carbonated crown

Full story: