Govt to go ahead with 2.2 trillion baht infrastructure facelift

BANGKOK, 7 February 2013 (NNT) - After the economic ministers approved three strategies for the nation's mega infrastructure development, the Transport Minister said the facelift will increase connectivity between Thailand and its neighbors and stabilize the transportation system.

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Drought in the northeastern region remains worrisome

BURIRAM, 7 February 2013 (NNT) –The situation of drought in the northeastern region remains worrisome, especially in Buriram province where farmers are defying a ban on rice cultivation despite a sharp drop in water levels in the province's major reservoirs to less than half of their capacity.

Huai Charakhaemak and Huai Sawai reservoirs supply raw water for the province's tap water system. With the low reserve at both reservoirs, Irrigation officials are seeking help from the Provincial Waterworks Authority to pay for fuel and power required to divert water from a third reservoir into the 2 reservoirs. They are also trying to convince farmers defying a ban on rice cultivation to do otherwise in order to prevent shortage of water for tap water production.

Meanwhile Kalasin province is experiencing a province-wide drought situation. Provincial governor Suwit Subongkot has expressed his concern over the amount of available raw water, as rivers in the province have dried up, with no more than 10% of water remaining at the 18 medium-sized reservoirs in the province. Kalasin is also facing the problem of labor emigration, given jobs are scarce in the farm sector due to the lack of water.

-- NNT 2013-02-07

Govt allocates 6 billion baht for healthcare for local officials

BANGKOK, 7 February 2013 (NNT) – The government is allocating 6 billion baht to help local officials with healthcare. Over 500,000 people will be entitled to this privilege.

The Public Health Ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Interior Ministry to set up heath fund for local officials, entitling them to the same privilege as civil servants do. The allocated 6 billion baht budget will support up to 530,000 officials.

According to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, local officials will no longer have to make an advance payment, to be reimbursed later on, when receiving treatment from any of the government hospitals. She said the new policy will be in effect from October 1st, 2013 onward.

-- NNT 2013-02-07

Samut Prakan Predator Molests Young Child Again

A 40-year-old Samut Prakan man previously convicted of child molestation was arrested for sexually abusing a 2-year old girl. The victim had been left in an illegal day-care center run by the suspect’s wife. The suspect was held without bail.

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Thai Army helicopter makes safe emergency landing in Phuket

Phuket Gazette

The Royal Thai Army pilots managed to make a safe emergency landing in central Phuket at about midnight. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: -- A rapid loss in oil pressure forced the pilots of a Royal Thai Army helicopter to make an emergency landing in a field in central Phuket last night.

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@RichardBarrow: Explosion in Taling Chan at a shop converting cars to run on LPG. 3 vehicles destroyed, 5 people injured /via @191Thailand

Thailand to host International Symposium on ginger and galanga in 2015

BANGKOK, 7 February 2013 (NNT) - Thailand is scheduled to host the 7th International Symposium on the family Zingiberaceae in 2015, to promote over 300 native species of the ginger family.

The Botanical Garden Organization has announced that the 7th International Symposium on the family Zingiberaceae will take place in Chiang Mai province. The Zingiberaceae symposium is held once every three years and is the only international event for the ginger family worldwide. The event in 2012 was held in India.

It provides a venue for researchers to meet and discuss their works concentrating on conservation, reproduction and improvement of the crop. Researches on ginger and galangal as well as plants in related families in Thailand and neighboring countries will be exhibited and exchanged. Zingiberaceae or the ginger family is mostly found in Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America.

Piyakaset Suksatan, a chief botanist at the Botanical Garden Organization, stated that Thailand is the country most bountiful with ginger and other plants in this family, saying the kingdom houses one-fourth of the world’s ginger. So far, over 300 types have been found, but the expert believes there could be more species to be discovered. He said ginger has high nutritious value as food and can be used as medicine and in many other ways, such as essential oil for spa treatments.

Mr Piyakaset expressed his worries over the destruction of forests and spread of wildfires, which are destroying gingers to the extent that some species have been lost. He added some foreign academics have taken the plants out of the country as Thailand has not yet registered ginger as endangered plant. He said the conference will discuss ways to solve this issue.

During the symposium in 2015, academics are welcomed to showcase their research on the matter. Interested people can send in their projects and find more information from www.qsbg.org.

-- NNT 2013-02-07

Hat Yai security tightened ahead of Chinese New Year

By Digital Media

HAT YAI, Feb 7 - Security has been tightened in the southern commercial district of Hat Yai to prevent any violence during the festive Chinese New Year.

The Hat Yai commercial area in Songkhla province has been festooned with Chinese-style decorations ahead of the Hat Yai Chinese New Year 2013, scheduled to be held from Friday Feb 8 through Tuesday Feb 12.

The business district was lively as people prepared for the upcoming festivities which are known as one of the country's highlighted Chinese New Year celebrations.

Combined forces of police and volunteer defence personnel have been deployed across the city around the clock to ensure safety for local residents and tourists as part of stiff security measures to prevent any untoward incident by insurgent groups. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-07

Election Commission petitioned on 'indicative element' in pre-balloting survey.

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Feb 7 - A Bangkok gubernational candidate said he would petition Thailand's watchdog Election Commission (EC) today, asking it to ban further pre-election surveys on voter preferences for the upcoming March 3 election.

Seripisut Temiyavet, who ranked third in all surveys, said he would represent the public in petitioning the EC which claimed earlier that it could not take any action against pollsters for lack of a complainant.

Observers in some quarters of Thai society said pre-election survey results could influence eligible voters, and called for a ban on such polls.

Meanwhile, the two latest academic surveys gave Pheu Thai candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen an edge over his closest rival, former Bangkok governor, Democrat candidate Sukhumbhand Paribatra.

The ABAC Poll, the research arm of Assumption University, said 42 per cent of voters favoured Mr Pongsapat against 33.5 per cent for Mr Sukhumbhand. Suan Dusit Rajabhat University's Suan Dusit Poll, which conducted the latest survey Feb 2-6 found that 42.59 per cent of voters said they would vote for Mr Pongsapat and 34.31 per cent for Mr Sukhumbhand. Mr Seripisut placed third with 8.6 per cent in the ABAC Poll and 6.38 per cent in the Suan Dusit Poll.

According to the ABAC Poll, conducted on Jan 31-Feb 6, 63.5 per cent of eligible voters said they would actually vote while 36.5 per cent said they would not. (MCOT online news).

-- TNA 2013-02-07

Former Deputy PM Suthep denies intervening in bid process to build 396 new police stations, will file defamation charges against DSI chief /MCOT

RT@sunaibkk: Thai authorities said 5,899 #Rohingya have arrived by sea since last October. 1,752 are still in #Thailand. Others have been pushed out.

SRT introduces facilities for the disabled

BANGKOK, 6 February 2013 (NNT) – The Transport Ministry has launched facilities for disabled people using State Railway of Thailand (SRT) services, as part of the government’s policy to improve public utilities for the disabled.

Transport Minister Chatchat Sitthipan has revealed that special bogies for the disabled are launched at Hua Lumphong Station today, with services that integrate cooperation from different agencies and will be provided on the entire route. At the initial stage, four pilot bogies have been modified for the service.

They are attached to the main train running between Bangkok and Chachoengsao. The new facilities will allow greater convenience for the physically-impaired passengers on wheelchairs to move into and out of the train. The route is selected to allow the disabled to pay homage at various monasteries along it.

Mr Chatchat said that he has told officials concerned to listen to suggestions from the disabled to improve the service.

-- NNT 2013-02-07

Two women arrested at Tollway booth with 300,000 meth pills, 10 kg of 'ice' worth Bt65 million /MCOT

Art festival to be held in Ratchaburi to promote tourism to the province

BANGKOK, 7 February 2013 (NNT) -- The Tourism Authority of Thailand is organizing an art festival to attract more tourists to the city of Ratchaburi.

Ratchaburi is about to hold an art festival under the theme "In Love with Art @ Ratchaburi". The event will feature three genres of art: visual art, performing art, and music. The visual art will be presented through a street art exhibition under the theme “We are the City”. The performing art will be in the form of a "dance theater". Music will be presented in the form of concerts held under candlelight in a valley. It will feature diva singer Rose Sirintip and such bands as Soul After Six and Better Weather.

The art festival is taking place on February 23rd and 24th in three locations. The street art exhibition will be held in the central district of Ratchaburi. The stage performance will be at Suan Silp Baan Din, in Photaram District. The concerts, meanwhile, will be held in The Scenery Resort and Farm, Suan Phueng District.

-- NNT 2013-02-07

Baht weakened to Bt29.80/U$ from 16-mth high on BoT intervention concern to protect exports /The Nation

PM Yingluck assures long-term flood prevention to be implemented within 2013

BANGKOK, 7 February 2013 (NNT) – The Prime Minister has assured that the government’s long-term flood prevention program will be up and running before the end of 2013.

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Major Rohingya trafficking ring raided in Narathiwat province

NARATHIWAT, 7 February 2013 (NNT) – A combined force raided a network of transnational smugglers of Rohingya in Narathiwat province and apprehended members of a major human trafficking ring.

Officials arrested Mr. Nurusalam, the owner of a house on Mankha Road, which had been turned into a Roti shop. They also detained 6 people who were Myanmese and Rohingya, who were working inside the Roti shop. Sleeping quarters were found at the back of the Roti shop but there was no one there.

Police hope to gain more information on the hiding places for hundreds more of Rohingyas waiting to be trafficked into Malaysia after they interrogate Mr. Nurusalam and the migrants.

Meanwhile, Satun governor Nuachai Chira-aphirak visited Rohingya youths being held at a juvenile facility in the province. The governor's delegation gave essential items to the 31 Rohingya youngsters, who had earlier been transferred from Songkhla province.

Satun province is open for donations of rice, pepper, ground chilli, onions, garlic, ginger and spice for the group of Rohingya migrants until they are transferred to a third country.

-- NNT 2013-02-07

Thailand's January Consumer Confidence Index hits record high for 16 months

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Feb 7 – Thai Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) in January rose for the third consecutive month and hit its record high since October 2011, according to a survey by the Thai Chamber of Commerce University (TCCU) Economic and Business Forecasting Center.

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Eating From Foam Food Containers is Risky Business

BANGKOK: -- The widespread practice in Thailand of using foam containers or plastic bags for “take away” food orders is a hidden health hazard, doctors warn. Heated food causes chemicals like styrene to leach into the food and end up absorbed by the body. Some chemicals are known carcinogens, so eating takeout food from foam containers should be minimized.

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Nearly 6,000 Rohingya refugees enter Thai waters: army

BANGKOK, Feb 7, 2013 (AFP) - Almost 6,000 Rohingya boat people fleeing communal violence in western Myanmar have illegally entered Thai waters since October, an army spokesman said Thursday.

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Blast injures four at garage in Taling Chan

BANGKOK: -- Like a scene out of some action movie, explosions and flames ravaged a garage specialising in installing petrol tanks in Bangkok's Taling Chan district Thursday, injuring four people.

The incident took place at 11.30am at the triple-garage building of PR Supergas Co Ltd near Soi Boromrajajonani 28, said Taling Chan investigator Pol Lieutenant Ekkapoj Boonlom.

An initial explosion in a Mercedes-Benz parked in front of the shop spread flames to three other cars and the garage's ground floor. It took fire fighters and fire engines 30 minutes to put out the fire.

-- The Nation 2013-02-07

Speeding Brit Rear Ends Lady Thai Motorbiker

SATTAHIP:--A 45-year-old Thai woman was seriously injured when her motorbike was rear ended by a car on Sukhumvit Road. The British driver was accelerating to pass the car ahead of him, and was checking his rear view mirror when the motorbike abruptly cut in front of his car and was struck.

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SET index closed at 1499.81, down 0.54; Bt/USD29.63; GBP46.37; AUD30.47; EUR40.10; CAD29.57; HKD3.82; SGD23.78; JPY31.47

5 arrested in Tesco-Lotus Express robbery and knife attack case

PATTAYA:--5 members of the same family have been arrested following the recent robbery and knife attack at a Tesco-Lotus Express Store in Soi Kao Ta Lo.

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Mystery of Motorbike Taxi Driver Murder in East Pattaya

PATTAYA:--Early on Thursday Morning Banglamung Police were called to a Potato Field in Soi Nong Get Yai in East Pattaya to investigate reports of a man who had been shot in the head.

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Gridlocked: The sad history and frightening future of Bangkok traffic – Part Two

By Shane Danaher and Praj Kiatpongsan

Photo: Zanyasan Tanantpapat

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....affic-part-two/

PM assigns security agencies to consider pros & cons of limited far South curfew

By English News

BANGKOK, Feb 7 -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Thursday assigned the country’s security agencies to consider the pros and cons of imposing a curfew in the most-troubled areas of the southern border region.

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RT@RichardBarrow: An average Indian wedding in Thailand costs 10 million baht with about 200-500 guests. The average duration of each wedding is 3-5 nights.

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Thailand Live Friday 8 Feb 2013