Thailand Live Wednesday 16 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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STOPPAGE TIME

Yellow shirts divorce another man in green

Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- Many say it was bound to happen, as the honeymoons between Thailand's Army chiefs and the yellow shirts were usually short and ended in tears. If some jaws dropped when, like his predecessors, Army chief Prayuth Chan-o-cha burned the bridges with the People's Alliance for Democracy, it's probably because of how the break-up materialised rather than the break-up itself. Of course, we had seen the brooding and yelling, but few of us expected them to slam the door, throw away the key and change the lock in this ultra-swift manner, with household missiles flying all over the place.

Full story:

BURNING ISSUE

A loss at the ICJ would not be a national disaster

Supalak Ganjanakhundee

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Bruised nationalism, championed by right-wing groups in Thailand, will never help Thailand and Cambodia to settle their dispute over the Hindu temple at Preah Vihear.

Full story:

REFUGEES

Rohingya refugees to get care: PM

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Humanitarian care would be provided for Rohingya minority people from Myanmar - for the time being - and Thailand would seek help from the United Nations and other international groups to try to resolve their plight, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Full story:

SOUTH CRISIS

Business conflict behind arson: Chalerm

Jeerapong Prasertpolkrung,

Anapat Deechuay,

Atapoom Ongkulna

The Nation

File photo by Nakarin Shinworakomol

YALA: -- The recent torching of 76 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Yala was the work of losers in the bidding for the CCTV camera-installation contract, not an insurgent attack, claimed Deputy PM Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday.

Full story:

THAI-JAPANESE RELATIONS

Abe seeks to cement ties amid China spat

Thanong Khanthong

The Nation

File photo : Abe//EPA

Japanese PM arrives tomorrow seeking wide-ranging partnership and trade boost

BANGKOK: -- Fresh from his election victory, Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, will be travelling to Bangkok tomorrow to propose a broad strategic partnership with Thailand as part of Japan's aggressive drive to rekindle its relationship with Southeast Asia.

Full story:

Four wounded in 'Light of Hope' Sek-Carabao concert brawl

Full story:

Bring peace to deep South, govt told

The Nation

156 deaths is enough, staff reps

NARATHIWAT: -- Confederation of Narathiwat Teachers president Sanguan Intarak has urged the government to exert an all-out effort to bring peace to the far South to reduce the loss of teachers, boost teachers' morale, and improve the education of students there.

Full story:

Military plans for reaction to ruling on temple

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The armed forces yesterday discussed security measures in preparation for an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling later this year on Cambodia's request for an interpretation of the court's 1962 verdict on the Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border.

Full story:

Bidders asked to supply 400,000 tablets each

Supinda na Mahachai

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The successful bidders in the next round of the One Tablet Per Child scheme will supply more than 400,000 devices each, up from 140,000-180,000 called for under the original resolution.

Full story:

New deadline for foreign workers

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet yesterday gave the green light to a Labour Ministry proposal that the process of verifying the nationality of foreign migrant workers be extended until April 15, according to Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap.

He said that with the relaxation of the deadline, the 266,677 workers from Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia who failed to complete the verification before the December 15 deadline could now live and work in Thailand until the new deadline.

During this extended period, the workers and their employers are required to submit the necessary documents to complete the verification process, said the labour minister.

The relaxation was retroactive from December 15.

To ensure the move is successful, the Interior Ministry will issue a directive within 30 days to allow those workers whose nationalities have not been verified to stay in Thailand until the new deadline, according to the labour minister.

"The workers will not be arrested during this period, from now until April 15. The employers who fail to have their employees undergo the verification process will face legal action, and their migrant workers will be sent back to their home countries," he said.

The Department of Employment will issue necessary documents to those migrant workers to allow their temporary stay during this extended period, director-general Prawit Kiengphol said. He added that five one-stop service centres would be set up at the department's offices in Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Chiang Mai and Songkhla.

-- The Nation 2013-01-16

BMA officials hear charges over BTS deal

Tanatpong Kongsai

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Three officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority, led by city clerk Ninnart Chalitanont, reported to the Department of Special Investigation yesterday in order to acknowledge charges related to a deal signed for the BTS Skytrain services.

Full story:

Sukhumbhand woos commuters

The Nation

Former governor offers lower BTS fares, more parking

BANGKOK: -- Former Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra continued his re-election bid for a second day yesterday with promises to set a flat Bt10 fare on the extended Skytrain routes and to build more parking facilities.

Full story:

Red shirts rally at prison

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Around 300 members of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship held a rally yesterday at the Lak Si Special Detention Centre, and donated four sets of exercise equipment to the inmates.

UDD leader Thida Thawornset led the group of 300 to make the donation of treadmills, stationary cycles and other exercise equipment.

They also read a statement on their proposal to draft an amnesty decree comprising four articles to release those who have been convicted and those who are accused of crimes in connection with the political conflicts and rallies that took place from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2001.

The draft has stated that those who have been convicted and sentenced by the highest court or under trial are regarded as innocent and bear no responsibility, excluding authorities who made the decisions or issued orders related to political activities during the period.

Vendors selling red-shirt CDs, clothing and souvenirs set up shop around the prison, and loudspeakers broadcast rally activities. Free food was provided those joining the rally and visiting the prisoners.

-- The Nation 2013-01-16

Yingluck appoints coalition whip panel

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday appointed a new 64-member coalition coordination committee on parliamentary affairs with Pheu Thai MP Amnuay Klungpha serving as the chief whip.

The new panel was appointed after Udomdej Ratanasathien resigned as chief coalition whip on November 26 before the end of the previous House session.

The 63 other whips come from Pheu Thai and its coalition partners. The panel will be in charge of coodinating parliamentary affairs among MPs, senators, the government and political parties.

Yingluck also assigned nine Cabinet members and MPs to serve as advisers to the coalition coordination committee. They are PM's Office Minister Varathep Ratanakorn, Science Minister Woravat Auapinyakul, Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, Deputy Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew, Ayutthaya MPs Prasert Chanruangthong and Witthaya Buranasiri, Chaiyaphum MP Surawit Khonsomboon and Bangkok MP Wicharn Minchainon as well as the former chief whip, Udomdej.

-- The Nation 2013-01-16

Monk defrocked after robbing Phuket 'money tree'

Full story:

WWF tells Thailand to ban ivory trade to save African elephants

Full story:

ASEAN's largest observatory to be unveiled in Chiang Mai

Full story:

Thai authorities clash with drug smugglers in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district; one dealer killed, 200,000 meth pills seized /MCOT

Charges still not laid against Tiger Discotheque owners following fatal fire

Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- Charges are yet to be laid against the owners of the Tiger Bar and Discotheque following a fatal blaze which ripped through the Patong nightclub five months ago.

Full story:

Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,424.12, up 1.26 points /MCOT

Phuket: Family desperate to hear from missing Brit

Tom Armstrong

KOH TAO: The family of a 22-year-old British tourist spoke of their alarm on Sunday (January 13) when he failed to return home on a flight from Thailand. He has now been missing for almost a week and the alarm has turned to anguish.

Full story:

Krabi earned Bt42 billion from tourism last year

By English News

KRABI, Jan 16 – Thailand’s famous resort province of Krabi generated at least Bt42 billion in revenue from almost three million Thai and foreign tourists last year, a senior tourism official reported.

Full story:

Thailand grants access to presumed Rohingya: UN

BANGKOK, Jan 16, 2013 (AFP) - The UN's refugee arm said Wednesday it had permission from Thailand to access some 850 people, many thought to be from Myanmar's Rohingya minority, held after raids on hidden camps in the Thai south.

Full story:

Embattled Brit forced to stay in Thailand

By Coconuts Bangkok

Lee Chestnutt

BANGKOK: -- The BBC is reporting that Lee Chestnutt, a British expat, has been denied a return visa to the UK following a three-year legal dispute that he thought had already been concluded.

Full story:

Japan PM heads to SE Asia on first overseas tour

TOKYO, Jan 16, 2013 (AFP) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Wednesday left for Southeast Asia on his first overseas trip since winning power, seeking to shore up relationships as a counterweight to an increasingly confident China.

Full story:

Japanese engineers to boost awareness on earthquake impacts among Thai schools

BANGKOK, 16 January 2013 (NNT) - A Japanese engineering firm is to embark on its campaign to convey knowledge on how to reduce earthquake impacts among Thai schools and will inspect their buildings, especially schools in Bangkok, to give suggestions on how to improve their structures against earthquakes.

Full story:

RT @RichardBarrow: Ayutthaya will deploy 100 police at a Carabao concert this evening after what happened in Bangkok (Bangkok Post)

Lopburi residents wearing traditional costumes to preserve Thai culture

BANGKOK, 16 January 2013 (NNT) - Lopburi residents will be wearing traditional Thai costumes from now until February 22nd, to help preserve the Thai cultures and traditions that have been passed down since King Narai’s reign.

Lopburi Province is holding a campaign to ask locals to dress up in traditional Thai costumes. Lopburi Governor Pichet Piboonsiri said during the opening ceremony that the campaign is to help Thai people carry on their historic national heritage as well as promote the province's tourism industry. The campaign will also help strengthen ties between the government and the private sector as both parties are taking part in the campaign.

The campaign features various activities in relation to Thai tradition and culture, including Khee-ma-kan-kuay or Banana Rib Hobby Horse Riding, coconut-shell walking, and a long-drum dance parade.

-- NNT 2013-01-16