Parents queue up for English classes

The Nation

BANGKOK: --Parents of students at Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Elementary School queued up overnight yesterday to enrol their children in the British Council's English Language Programme, which is hosted by the school's parents and teachers association.

newsjsThe queue started forming at 1pm on Wednesday afternoon. The parents insisted that the queue method, which meant waiting overnight, was appropriate and better than a lottery-type drawing.

Only 120 students are admitted to the English course.

A first grader's grandmother who asked not to be named said she had waited since 2.30pm and it was worth it because she was 22nd in line. She said the programme is good because it is taught by native speakers and is less expensive than outside courses, which can cost up to Bt80,000 for three years. Under the Chula school programme, the cost is Bt15,000, with the children studying until the sixth grade.

The grandmother also praised the school's method of checking the queue every 45 minutes. Those who were absent were cut from the queue. Last year, the grandmother said, some parents hired others to queue up on their behalf and some sold their queue numbers.

-- The Nation 2013-02-08

GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION

Governor candidates warned to use social media carefully

Budsarakham Sinlapalavan

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- This year's Bangkok gubernatorial election comes at a time when social media is booming, so it is only natural that candidates and their supporters will take advantage of this medium. However, academics fear that they might cross the line.

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CONSTRUCTION CONTROVERSY

Suthep sues DSI chief for defamation

PRAPHASRI OSATHANON

THE NATION

Claims police station, flat projects approved before Abhisit's time

BANGKOK: -- Democrat Party member Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday lodged a defamation lawsuit against the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) chief in response to accusations that were levelled against him.

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ACCIDENT

Blast injures four at garage in Taling Chan

KHANATHIT SRIHIRUNDAJ

THE NATION

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 yesterday, injuring four people.

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UPDATE:

Minister support 'no bribe' agreement

THE NATION

Chadchart welcomes scrutiny of Bt2.27-tn construction investment; backs anti-graft group's proposal

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EDITORIAL

A project that looked doomed from the start

The Nation

A contract to build police stations and living quarters appears suspect; can the public have any hope the investigation will root out the guilty?

BANGKOK: -- The delay in the construction of 396 police stations and 163 apartment blocks for police officers across the country reveals deep-rooted corruption at every level - national, regional and local.

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Bike Thief Caught Thanks to Food Vendor in Pattaya

PATTAYA:--Swedish Tourists who rented a bike in the Pratumnak area of Pattaya were robbed not only of the bike, but all their possessions that they had carefully stashed in the compartment under the seat.

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WHAT OTHERS SAY

Political impasse hurts Thailand's credit rating

Bruce Gale

The Straits Times

Asia News Network

Singapore

BANGKOK: -- Ask Thai government officials and they will fume that it is just unfair. How can Thailand be denied an "A" sovereign credit rating when other countries with poorer macro-economic numbers already have that coveted assessment?

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Chalerm strikes back at Sukampol

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday criticised Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat for his public statement that he disagreed with Chalerm's proposal for curfews in the Deep South, telling the former air chief marshal to ask the prime minister to give him the job if he thinks he can do it better.

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Penalties for workplace harassment not severe enough: experts

Saowanee Nimpanpayongwong

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The mental distress suffered by victims of physical abuse and sexual harassment in the workplace is long-lasting and often permanent, and even in cases were injuries are evident, the penalties paid by violators are relatively small, experts said yesterday at a seminar at the National Human Rights Commission.

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BURNING ISSUE

Government's fortunes hinge on transport scheme

Avudh Panananda

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The government will sink or swim depending on the actions of three individuals - Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong and Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt.

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AMNESTY BILLS

Meeting gets positive response

Khanittha Thepphajorn

The Nation

Red, yellow-shirt leaders give 'in principle' okay to two proposals

BANGKOK: -- Red-shirt and yellow-shirt leaders yesterday held a closed-door meeting with Deputy House Speaker Charoen Jankomol to discuss two proposed amnesty bills directed at those involved in the country's ongoing political conflict - one for protesters, and the other for protest leaders.

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Pongsapat leaps ahead

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Pheu Thai candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen has leapt further ahead of his Democrat rival in the latest approval ratings, according to two major pollsters.

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Top projects for the rich and the elite

Somluck Srimalee

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The luxury view of The River's penthouse, now Bangkok's most expensive at the price of Bt419,900 per square metre or a total of Bt267 million.

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Tom Armstrong search: family "hopeful" after possible sighting in Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- The family of a Suffolk man who has been missing in Thailand are "much more hopeful" after a possible sighting.

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US: 92% vote for stricter gun control

WASHINGTON: -- More than 90% of US voters support background checks for all gun buyers, while much smaller majorities were for stricter gun control laws such as bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, said a telephone poll released on Thursday.

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RT @mpoppel: CNN: Major U.S. airlines have canceled 2,933 flights ahead of what could be a historic blizzard in the Northeast on Friday

RT @ChadapornLin: Traffic barred from Chinatown area from 6pm tomorrow to 4am on Feb 12 for Chinese New Year

44 people duped into buying Furby dolls through Instagram lodge complaints with police

BANGKOK, 8 February 2013 (NNT) – 44 people duped into buying Furby dolls through Instagram lodged a complaint with Crime Suppression police on Thursday, after having paid in full for orders of the dolls they never received.

According to the victims, said a shop named USA_ORDER claimed that it could supply the Furby dolls through Instagram, and they placed orders for the cute dolls with the shop because the prices were lower than vendors'. The victims said they ordered the Furby dolls last week and transferred the money to a bank account that belonged to a woman named Chonnikan Trichirasunthon. On February 4th, the delivery date, the shop claimed the dolls were still in the cargo section at Suvarnabhumi Airport and postponed the delivery to February 6th. When the shop postponed the delivery date again, the victims became convinced they were being cheated.

After the victims filed their complaint with police, a 16-year-old teenager who owned the Instagram account and who posted the Furby doll ads told police interrogators that she posted it on behalf of another person and had no idea about the scam.

However, upon interrogation, the owner of the bank account the money was transferred to claimed she had no knowledge of the scam, and that she had already transferred the money to a woman named Nat.

In all, 44 people placed orders for the robotic dolls, worth 4.2 million baht altogether.

-- NNT 2013-02-08

Markets across country crowded as Lunar New Year approaches

BANGKOK, 8 February 2013 (NNT) – Markets across the country are crowded with Lunar New Year shoppers and sales of offerings are on the rise.

Thais of Chinese descent are flocking to markets in their areas to buy offerings for the New Year ceremony ritual that has been passed on from generation to generation. The main offerings include chicken, pork, and fruit. These foods will be offered to the spirits of their ancestors. Apart from the food offerings, candles and scented sticks are needed as well to complete the ritual.

Commodity prices have gone up considerably, given the Chinese New Year is just a day away. The average price rise is 10 baht. Buyers now have to pay 60-100 baht for a kilogram of tangerines, 80 baht for chicken, 140-200 baht for each cooked chicken, and 200-300 baht for duck.

According to the survey, good prices in the market this year are higher than those in the same period last year, causing people to reduce the amount of offerings they buy.

-- NNT 2013-02-08

DPM Chalerm: Deep South curfew imposition will be activated despite criticism

Full story:

Finance Minister upset with rumors of government’s plan to unload PTT-THAI shares

BANGKOK, 8 February 2013 (NNT) – The Finance Minister has rebuked about rumors of the government’s plan to heavily drop its stake in country’s energy giant and flag carrier.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong commented on Thursday that the reports, which claimed the Finance Ministry is planning to sell most of its shares in PTT Public Company Limited and Thai Airways International Public Company Limited, are groundless and mere rumors.

Mr. Kittiratt assured that such a move will never happen under the leadership of the current government while rebuking at those, who have started rumors, and asking ill-intended individuals to stop spreading any baseless information.

He stated that such news only causes damages and shakes the country’s and the government’s credibility.

The Deputy PM affirmed that the Finance Ministry will always keep both PTT and THAI as state enterprises, by maintaining its stake of more than 50%.

-- NNT 2013-02-08

Thai children prone to obesity, high cholesterol

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Feb 7 – Nearly 70 per cent of Thai children are at risk of high cholesterol and 20 per cent at risk of obesity, a health specialist warned today.

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Deputy PM Kittiratt blows top on threat to BoT governor

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Feb 8 – Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong vehemently put the brakes on rumours that political pressure has been applied on Bank of Thailand (BoT) Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul to resign.

Mr Kittiratt, concurrently finance minister, said bluntly, “Please stop talking about it. Stop spreading the [false] news.”

Unconfirmed reports have been circulated that the government was trying to unseat Mr Prasarn amid conflicts with the BoT over the country’s directives about the policy interest rate and action on the sharp appreciation of Thailand's baht currency.

Mr Prasarn insisted earlier that he did not feel pressured regarding Mr Kittirat’s letter to BoT Board Chairman Virabongsa Ramangkura asking him to supervise the operations of the central bank and the Monetary Policy Office (MPO).

The finance minister wanted the MPO to reduce the policy interest rate and take action on the inflows of foreign capital and the strengthening Thai baht.

Mr Prasarn said he has always taken the government’s policy into consideration in making any decision. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-08

'Horse lasagne' sparks new British food scare

Full story:

Just what Thailand doesn't need, another thug on holiday

By Staff Writers

BANGKOK: -- As if Thailand’s Police force didn’t have enough to deal with… Britain has kindly allowed the temporary export of a violent, convicted, thug to Thailand, so that he can take his vacation here.

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 1,499.86, up 0.05 points /MCOT

RT @RichardBarrow: Thailand Mobile Expo 2013 at QSNCC until Sunday. Sale of mobile phones, accessories & other gadgets.

Thailand to further tighten relations with China

BANGKOK, 8 February 2013 (NNT) – Thailand and China have pledged to further tighten their long-cherished relations, following a visit by the Chinese Culture Minister to the kingdom.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on Thursday, invited to the Thai-Kufa Building, Government House, Mr. Cai Wu, China’s Minister of Culture, who is on an official visit to Thailand to join the Chinese New Year celebrations.

At the meeting, Ms. Yingluck has asked Mr. Wu to send her regards to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao while making a remark on strong and good relations Thailand and China have long enjoyed and cherished since both countries established diplomatic ties officially started more than 30 years ago.

The Thai Prime Minister noted that the two nations have continued improving their relations to the level that both are now engaged in strategic partnership.

Moreover, Ms. Yingluck has thanked the Chinese Ministry of Culture for bringing a number of selected cultural performances to join in the Lunar New Year celebrations, a gesture that is believed to further promote closer friendship between the two.

In his response, Mr. Wu stressed that China will always be ready to cooperate with Thailand and ASEAN to help achieve development and further growth while reiterating that Thailand is always a top priority for China.

He added that, despite several domestic changes in Asia’s number-one economy, the Thai-Chinese relations will remain strong.

-- NNT 2013-02-08

Suvarnabhumi celebrates Chinese New Year

BANGKOK, 8 February 2013 (NNT)-Suvarnabhumi Airport is celebrating this year's Chinese New Year with beautiful decorations of floral arrangements and Chinese lanterns in the passenger terminal to mark this special occasion.

On the occasion of the Chinese New Year, the Airports of Thailand (AoT) has decorated the entrance of the passenger terminal in a traditional Chinese style. Presiding over the opening ceremony is Suvarnabhumi Airport Director Wilaiwan Nadwilai who said the number of passenger arrivals during the festival is expected to top160,000 people a day.

Many activities, including a Chinese mask dance, giveaway souvenirs, and a small painting workshop, which were held yesterday by the AoT attracted a large number of onlookers and passengers at the airport. Passengers getting off the plane from Hong Kong yesterday were also greeted by AoT staff who presented them with a bag of oranges which, according to the Chinese belief, is a sign of prosperity.

Another ceremony attended by tourist police, nurses and airport firemen was also held yesterday to mark the importance of safety around the airport during the Chinese New Year. Their responsibilities are to ensure safety and accommodate Thais and foreigners who are visiting Suvarnabhumi Airport. A check point has also been established to prevent the smuggling of illegal goods and certain species of wild plants and animals that are prohibited in the Kingdom.

-- NNT 2013-02-08