Thailand Live Saturday 12 Jan 2013

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Thailand Live Saturday 12 January 2013

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 11 Jan 2013

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Thai kids not interested in growing up to become prime minister, survey finds

The Nation

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra among schoolchildren who won an essay contest held to mark Children's Day

BANGKOK: -- Being prime minister - or holding any other political position - is the least desired occupation among Thai children, according to the latest survey ahead of Children's Day.

Full story:

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Hospital chief admits mistake over Nation photographer

The Nation

Nation Multimedia Group chairman Suthichai Yoon visits Nation photographer Sakol Sandhiratne at his bedside at Klang Hospital yesterday.

BANGKOK: -- The director of a Bangkok hospital yesterday admitted that "a mistake" had been made after its medical staff stationed at Parliament refused to rush a news photographer to hospital after he collapsed on Thursday.

Full story:

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ASTV loses signal after soldiers' protest

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The ASTV satellite television station lost its broadcast signal for more than an hour yesterday evening, reportedly due to technical problems.

Full story:

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Economy to top agenda during Japan PM's visit

Nuntida Puangthong,

Thammarat Kitchalong

The Nation

High-speed train and flood-prevention projects to figure in discussions with Yingluck

BANGKOK: -- Newly elected Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will focus on economic cooperation with Thailand as part of his regional strategic move when he visits the Kingdom next week during a tour of three Asean countries, his first official visit since assuming power.

Full story:

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EDITORIAL

An ambulance siren should have been blaring

The Nation

The case of a news photographer being denied medical help at Parliament is a deeply disturbing indictment of an uncaring society

BANGKOK: -- There's a difference between being heartless and unethical. But while you can be one or the other, you can also be both. What happened at Parliament on Thursday, when an ailing news photographer was refused use of an official ambulance - because it was on standby for any MPs that might need it - beggars belief.

Full story:

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Phuket Police have balls, promise to be gentle with ticket sales

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- The Karon Police do have balls, but heavy-handed tactics in selling the tickets will stop, the Karon acting police chief confirmed to the Phuket Gazette today.

Full story:

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Polish woman killed by speed boat propellers at Jomtien Beach

PATTAYA: -- A Polish tourist who was in Pattaya with her Husband, a prominent Doctor in his home country, died from her injuries after she was struck by propellers of a speed boat engine at Jomtien Beach on Friday morning.

Full story:

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Chalerm denies being inebriated during Malaysia trip

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday denied he was in an inebriated condition during his three-day visit to Malaysia, after pictures of him were posted on Facebook.

Full story:

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Chalerm vows to look into Nov 24 crackdown

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said yesterday that he would demand an explanation from the police about the violent clashes with protesters in November.

Full story:

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IN A NUTSHELL

Weekend passport service launched

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Foreign Ministry's passport division will launch a weekend service in response to an increase in demand for travel documents, Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said yesterday.

From today onwards, Thai nationals can apply for a passport on the weekends from 9am to 3pm at the Consular Affairs Division on Chaeng Wattana Road, as well as the two temporary passport offices in Bang Na and Pinklao.

This additional service is being provided as a result of the improved economic situation in Thailand and the fact that more people are travelling overseas, Surapong said.

-- The Nation 2013-01-12

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Cambodian king pardons Ratree, cuts Veera's term by 6 months

Nuntida Puangthong,

Piyanut Tumnukasetchai

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni has pardoned Thai convict Ratree Pipatana-paiboon, effective February 1, exactly two years since she was sentenced on charges of illegal entry and espionage. A fellow Thai prisoner, activist Veera Somkwamkid, will have his sentence cut by six months, Cambodian officials said.

Foreign Minister Surapong Towichuk-chaikul said yesterday that the Thai Embassy was preparing to bring Ratree home from Phnom Penh and that his ministry was contacting her relatives.

Regarding Veera's sentence reduction, Surapong said Thai and Cambodian authorities had not discussed the possibility of allowing Veera to serve his remaining prison term in Thailand.

The Rights and Liberties Protection Department approved Bt60,000 for Veera and Ratree's legal costs, director-general Narat Savetanan said. The funds would cover lawyers' fees but not medical and transportation expenses, he said.

Veera, a leader of the Thailand Patriot Network, and his secretary Ratree were arrested by Cambodian authorities for illegal entry in December 2010.

Meanwhile, Thai protesters were again focused on the border dispute near Preah Vihear Temple. Rally organiser Saman Sringam said the Dharma Yatra group would demonstrate in Si Sa Ket's Kantharalak district. Protesters will submit a petition to Si Sa Ket governor voicing their objection for the listing of the temple as a World Heritage Site.

Border resident Thongkham Phantha-wong said villagers from both countries were well aware of the border lines set by the ICJ's 1962 verdict on the temple dispute. He voiced hope that the government would ensure peace but said villagers are prepared for evacuation if a military skirmish breaks out.

Kantharalak district chief Permsak Chaweerak said he had dispatched officials to inform villagers about the border issues ahead of today's rally. He reminded rally organisers that they should be mindful not to stir up sentiment that is harmful to Thai-Cambodian relations.

-- The Nation 2013-01-12

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Khampee quits new job out of 'frustration'

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A former deputy House secretary-general handed in his resignation on Tuesday reportedly because he is frustrated with his new job.

Khampee Disthakorn, who was moved from the post of deputy House secretary-general to that of an adviser to the legislative system, said his resignation would be in effect from March 1. Asked about the reason for his resignation, all he said was he is uneasy with his job.

Deputy House Speaker Charoen Chankomol said Khampee had not been demoted but was actually promoted to a C-11 post, which is higher than the post of a deputy House secretary-general.

Charoen said Khampee's transfer had nothing to do with him organising a controversial foreign trip for media representatives to accompany House Speaker Somsak Kiartsuranon last year.

Separately, Pheu Thai leader Charupong Ruangsuwan said the party had not decided on the replacement for coalition whip Udomdej Rattanasatien, who quit in November. The issue will be discussed tomorrow, he said.

-- The Nation 2013-01-12

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Take patients to hospital immediately: expert

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- People with high-blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease should be taken to hospital immediately if they collapse, otherwise they could have a stroke, a health expert said yesterday.

Full story:

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IT gadgets 'don't make good presents'

Wannapa Khaopa,

Chuleeporn Aramnet

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Children nowadays appear to be more occupied with computer games or social media, which has become a serious concern because they don't seem to have time to develop other crucial, necessary skills.

Full story:

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MISSING ACTIVIST

Anand urges Vientiane to find Sombath

The Nation

Says fellow Magsaysay recipient's disappearance 'bad for region'

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Anand Panyarachun has appealed to the Laotian government to do more to locate missing activist Sombath Somphone, who disappeared in Vientiane nearly a month ago.

Anand, who attended the launch of a film at the Bangkok Arts Centre on Thursday evening, said he did not want to speculate on the circumstances of the disappearance of Sombath, who exiles claim was abducted by government officials after being stopped at a police checkpoint in the Laotian capital.

But he urged Vientiane to do more to investigate, saying the 60-year-old social activist was a "very good man".

Speaking during a debate on reconciliation televised by Thai PBS after the film screening, Anand said the disappearance of Sombath was bad for the region. "I hope the Laotian government will assume a more active role in finding out the truth of this particularly unwelcome event," he said.

"It does touch on the value of human rights. There are disappearances [when people go missing] and enforced disappearances [when people may have been seized by the state].

"You can't have enforced disappearances - it's not something we like in this part of the world."

The remarks by Anand are among the strongest yet by supporters in Thailand and throughout the region, and add to growing pressure on Laos' communist regime to come up with a more credible response on this matter.

The circumstances of Sombath's disappearance were revealed on a closed-circuit video widely circulated on social media. It shows his jeep stopping at a police checkpoint on December 15, before the activist is led away by two figures in plain clothes.

Vientiane has denied any knowledge of the affair, but Lao exiles say the incident fits a pattern of harassment of activists by the regime, which has a poor human-rights record and is notoriously secretive.

Fears have also been voiced privately by supporters that Sombath has a health condition that could be aggravated if he is being detained secretly somewhere.

This week, former Thai senator Jon Ungpakorn called for an end to Asean's policy of non-interference at a seminar that highlighted Sombath's abduction.

"I feel that answers are needed," Jon said. "The government has the responsibility to answer questions as to what has happened to him. The government of the Lao PDR [People's Democratic Republic] is not really taking up this responsibility."

Both Jon and Anand are former Magsaysay Award winners, as is Sombath, who won the award in 2005 for community leadership.

Sombath headed the Participatory Development Training Centre and was well known for building up civil society independent of government and opposing the Laotian government's views on how development should occur, especially large infrastructure projects like the Xayaburi Dam.

Jon, who was a senator from 2000 to 2006, said the abduction of Sombath was a vital test for Asean's new human-rights mechanism.

Rights activists warned yesterday that they would continue to lobby Laos' leaders because they believe the regime knows more about the incident but has refused to disclose details publicly.

Anand, who was prime minister twice for short periods in the early 1990s, is one of the region's most distinguished statesman. His remarks followed a discussion about reconciliation after the screening of the film "Cambodia Dreams" by veteran filmmaker Stanley Harper at the Arts Centre yesterday.

-- The Nation 2013-01-12

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Court told to suspend demolitions pending review

Pakamard Jaichalard

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Representatives of people's networks rallied outside the Supreme Court compound on Rajdamnoen Avenue yesterday demanding an immediate suspension of the demolition of old buildings.

The buildings, which some say have historical value, are being torn down to make way for the court's new offices.

"The court should listen to people's opinions," said Paranee Sawasdirak, an independent academic who rallied under the banner of "Town Planning for Society Network".

Some 20 representatives from various other people's networks joined her yesterday.

Paranee said it remained unclear whether the court buildings could be considered "historical buildings", so the demolition should be suspended pending review.

"These buildings are state property. It's not just an issue between the Fine Arts Department and the court," she said.

Representatives of the Supreme Court recently dismissed moves to halt the demolition, saying the Fine Arts Department had signed a paper endorsing the plan to tear down the buildings a few years ago.

Paranee believes the court could be held responsible if it is proved that one of the buildings, which has already been torn down, was indeed a historical structure.

-- The Nation 2013-01-12

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307 Rohingya arrested, face deportation

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Immigration police arrested 307 Rohingya migrants yesterday and plan to send them back to Myanmar, a senior police officer said.

Pol Major Thanusilp Duangkaewngarm, an inspector at the Songkhla Immigration Office, said the 307 Rohingya were found hiding in a warehouse in Ban Dannok village in Sadao district on the Thai-Malaysian border.

The arrests came a day after police rescued 397 Rohingya people, who were lured by a human-trafficking gang and detained at rubber plantation Ban Chaikhuan village also in Sadao district.

Meanwhile, Thanusilp said the 307 Rohingya arrested yesterday had travelled to Thailand voluntarily and hoped to use the Kingdom as a transit point to a third country.

The 307 Rohingya - 230 men, 30 women, 22 boys and 25 girls - will be deported because they entered Thailand illegally, he said.

The 397 Rohingya, who were rescued, will be temporarily detained at four immigration offices.

Police have also arrested four Myanmar citizens, two Rohingya and two Thais for allegedly trafficking and illegally detaining the 397.

-- The Nation 2013-01-12

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Film sparks Chinese tourist boom in Chiang Mai

Janjira Jarusupawat

The Nation

CHIANG MAI: -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)'s Chiang Mai office expects the number of tourists from China to increase by at least 20 per cent this year from 2012, driven by the huge success of the Chinese film "Lost in Thailand". More than 80 per cent of the film was shot in the northern province.

Full story:

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Improved access to credit urged

THE NATION

Kittipong Kittayarak

BANGKOK: -- Reducing people's dependence on loan sharks should be pushed on to the national agenda, experts agree, while urging relevant agencies to promote easier credit access in the formal banking sector.

Full story:

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RT @ChadapornLin: Children ride the MRT and BTS free on Children's Day today

RT @ChadapornLin: Parking lot full at most Children's Day venues such as Dusit Zoo; families encouraged to use public transportation

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Pattaya Beauty Salon owner assaulted and then murdered

Full story:

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Mobile Phone Snatch suspect caught by Police in East Pattaya

PATTAYA :-- A Bangkok Nurse who is currently on holiday in Pattaya had her phone snatched from her as she used the device while travelling as passenger on a motorbike in the early hours of Friday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....n-east-pattaya/

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24 arrests made as 30 day Pattaya crime crackdown continues

PATTAYA: -- Police Major General Katcha, the Chonburi Provincial Police Commander, continues to lead officers from Pattaya Police on nightly tours of the city looking for anyone concerned in the use or sale of illegal drugs, which has been identified as the root cause of crime in Pattaya.

Full story:

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PM opens annual activities for National Children s Day at Government House; takes children to take turns sitting in PM s chair /MCOT

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RT @KristieKenney: RT @USConsChiangMai Happy Children's Day, Thailand! Here's to a bright future for the next generation!

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Australian tourist found dead from possible drug overdose in Phuket resort

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- Patong police believe an Australian tourist who was found dead in his Phuket hotel room yesterday died from a drug overdose.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....-phuket-resort/

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Seven Oman Nationals Caught With Drugs In South Pattaya Hotel Room

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/611360-seven-oman-nationals-caught-with-drugs-in-south-pattaya-hotel-room/

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Thaivisa Connect Android App, 2013 Version Rc Released

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