Gov't-backed Pongsapat still leading candidate for Bangkok governorship

By English News

BANGKOK, Feb 14 – Pheu Thai Party candidate Pongsapat Pongcharoen remained favourite among prospective Bangkok voters in a third academic survey by one of Thailand’s leading universities.

The ABAC Poll at Assumption University survey, asked 3,631 eligible voters in its latest survey Feb 8-12 finding that 43.9 per cent of respondents said they would vote for the ex-deputy national police chief while former Bangkok governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, running on the Democrat Party ticket, received a 37.6 per cent endorsement.

Independent candidate Pol Gen Seripisut Temiyaves received 10.4 per cent while 8.1 per cent of respondents named other non-partisan candidates such as Suharit Siamwalla and Kosit Suvinitchit.

More than 90 per cent of respondents agreed with having special steps on public buses and passages on pavements for disabled and elderly people while 2 per cent showed their disagreement.

Pol Gen Pongsapat has been the favoured candidate in all three surveys conducted by the ABAC Poll while Mr Sukhumbhand received a higher percentage in the third survey compared to the second.

The ABAC Poll said the average accuracy of the survey is within the range of plus-or-minus seven per cent. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-14

Prime minister announces policy of turning Chiang Rai into a special economic zone

BANGKOK, 14 February 2013 (NNT) – The prime minister and her delegation yesterday traveled to Mae Sai district in Chiang Rai and announced the policy of turning the province into a special economic zone.

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Issuance of fake IDs to Thais on the rise

BANGKOK, Feb 14 – Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has reported increasing numbers of Thais are acquiring counterfeit ID cards, mainly persons who are involved in criminal activities.

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Russian motorcyclist hit by runaway wheel dies in ICU

Phuket Gazette

One of the two wheels that came off the 10-wheeled truck struck Alexey Balabko at high speed. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: -- The Russian motorcyclist who was hit by a runaway wheel on Thepkrasattri Road on February 6 has died.

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Thailand unveiled ASEAN's largest wind farm in Korat

BANGKOK, 14 February 2013 (NNT) – Thailand has unveiled the largest wind farm in ASEAN. The project is intended to help the country become the regional leader in alternative energy.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on Tuesday, chaired the official opening of the West Huay Bong 2 – West Huay Bong 3 project in Nakhon Ratchasima Province.

The project, which features Thailand’s and ASEAN’s largest wind farm, has been initiated to help strengthen the stability of the country’s power generation system and to be a source of learning about energy conservation awareness for the new generation of Thais.

With strong determination to promote alternative energy development, the government has aimed to use the newly-opened wind farm to generate as many as 1,200 megawatts of power within eight years.

Energy Minister Pongsak Ruktapongpisal said that the new wind power generation project is the first of its kind in Thailand and offers the largest combined capacity of 207 megawatts. In addition, the West Huay Bong 2 and the West Huay Bong 3 can, individually, generate around 350 million units of electricity for sale to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, each year.

Mr. Pongsak stated that the wind farm not only responds well to consumer demand but also does good to the society and the environment as it effectively reduces the country’s carbon-dioxide emission by 270,000 tons and cuts fuel oil imports by 90 million liters, worth around 1.9 billion baht, per year.

PM Yingluck added that the Ministry of Energy, on the government’s behalf, has been working hard to help Thailand secure the energy stability while cutting down the reliance of fossil fuel, particularly in the power generation sector.

-- NNT 2013-02-14

PM visits royally-initiated projects in Chiang Mai; will support agricultural areas to create sustainable income /MCOT

6 soldiers of teachers' escort unit slightly injured by roadside bomb in Srisakorn district, Narathiwat /The Nation

UNESCO designates Bangkok as World Book Capital 2013 /The Nation

Marriage behind bars

By Digital Media

RATCHABURI, Feb 14 - For 72 couples choosing to take their relationships to another level, the Ratchaburi Central Prison has taken the occasion of this year’s Valentine’s Day as an opportunity for inmates to legally marry and gain legal marriage certificates.

As a means to strengthen marriage ties and foster healthy relationships, according to prison authorities, the ceremony serves as a valid opportunity for inmates to live behind bars with discipline.

In hopes of encouraging good behaviour after release, Ratchaburi Central Prison director Surachai Poomkaew said that the behind-bars marriage ceremony began this morning, with official procedures.

A traditional Thai style ‘ka buan kan maak’ procession took place from the Prison’s Administrative office, whereby grooms made their way to their brides to participate in their marriages.

District registrars carried out all documentation procedures, followed by a celebratory luncheon held at noon. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-14

Phuket: Dokset offers to pay compensation – reports

PHUKET: -- The brother of Rungnapa “June” Suktong, whose body was found decomposing in the home of Norwegian man Stein Havard Dokset, testified during the first day of Dokset’s murder trial on Tuesday (February 12), a Norwegian newspaper has reported.

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THAI to launch more routes to target specified countries to attract 25 million travellers as part of TAT collaboration /MCOT

DSI officials arrive to check 'Russian' firms in Phuket

A team from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) in Bangkok arrived in Phuket to gather information about Russian-operated businesses suspected of operating illegally in Bang Tao.

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2,000 workers laid off due to 300 baht wage; 4,000 more could be on chopping block

BANGKOK, 14 February 2013 (NNT)-The Ministry of Labor reveals that nearly 2,000 workers have been laid off so far this year, thanks to the minimum wage hike, and the future also looks bleak for another 4,000.

Labor Minister Padermchai Sasomsap said 1,874 workers have been laid off by 41 companies since January 1st; 500 of whom as a direct result of the minimum wage rise, according to Department of Labor Protection and Welfare. Moreover, 24 more companies with a combined workforce of 3,901 are likely to terminate their employment in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Social Security Office (SSO) has reported that 52,000 people have registered for unemployment benefit. However, only 4,000 of the number were laid off, with the majority of them citing personal reasons for quitting their jobs.

Those whose jobs have been terminated as a result of the new wage will be qualified for unemployment benefit, but only if they apply for it through the SSO. They will be paid half of what they were earning for a period of 6 months, while those who quit on their own will be paid 30% of their last month's income for the next 3 months.

-- NNT 2013-02-14

Agriculture Min to continue egg price stabilization

BANGKOK, 14 February 2013 (NNT) – The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is keen to extend the egg price stabilizing project until the end of this year, claiming the project has been very effective in solving an oversupply of eggs in the market.

Agriculture Minister Yukol Limlamthong revealed that egg situation in the market is now stabilizing. The price of mixed sized eggs sold at the farm is at 2.8 baht, while the production cost is around 2.71 baht per egg. Last year, the government allocated 126 million baht for the project.

Since the egg price stabilizing project is coming to an end in March, the government is now considering whether it should extend the time frame until year end.

The minister said he had assigned the Department of Livestock Development to take control of the number of laying hens, after finding that there was an oversupply of eggs in the market, which could result in a decline of egg prices in the future.

-- NNT 2013-02-14

RT@SkyNewsBreak: South African Police say a woman has been found dead at home of athlete Oscar Pistorius

RT@SkyNewsBreak: UPDATE: South African media reports that dead woman is girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius

RT@ChannelNewsAsia: Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius said to have shot his girlfriend "after mistaking her for an intruder": South African media

RT@BBCBreaking: Woman shot in head and arm found dead at home of Paralympic champion @OscarPistorius, police confirm bbc.in/Yfn4YM #OscarPistorius

Rose prices at Pakkhlong Talat soar; chocolates popular as Valentine's gift

BANGKOK, 14 February 2013 (NNT) – Roses selling at Pakkhlong Talat have increased in price, as Valentine's Day is now upon us. Meanwhile, chocolate bouquets have proven popular as Valentine's gifts this year.

Roses from Chiang Mai and Tak provinces, which normally fetch 100-150 baht per bundle, are selling at 250-300 baht per bundle in the Pakkhlong Talat wholesale market. Bigger “Size A” roses are priced at 300-400 baht per bundle, depending on color. White and red roses are more expensive than other colors, because they were in high demand during Valentine's. If the roses get arranged into bouquets, the prices increase, selling for at least at 500 baht all the way up to 3,000 baht per bouquet.

Chocolate in all forms is the also highly popular among buyers of Valentine's gifts. Once arranged into bouquets, the price of each piece of chocolate soared to 100 baht. The price of a bouquet increases according to the number of chocolate bars contained; a bouquet with 10 pieces of chocolate would cost 1,000 baht.

Shops selling gifts and dolls have also prepared items for shoppers during the special season. Prices of these items range from 100 baht to 2,000 baht.

-- NNT 2013-02-14

Aussie Abruptly Leaps To Death After Thai GF Splits

A 45-year-old Australian man abandoned by his Thai girlfriend leaped from the 6th floor of a Surin hotel. He had been looking for her at the hotel but did not find her. The maid later saw the man arguing loudly on his cellphone. Then he flung it away and leaped off the balcony. He died later in the hospital.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/619237-aussie-abruptly-leaps-to-death-after-thai-gf-splits/

S'porean can leave Thailand after 3-year legal tangle ends

Joyce Lim

Straits Times

Ex-landlord had accused him of stealing furniture and damaging house

BANGKOK: -- A SINGAPOREAN businessman yesterday told of how "happy and relieved" he is to be returning home after being barred from leaving Thailand for more than three years because of a court dispute with his former landlord.

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Southern schools allowed to close for safety reasons

By English News

BANGKOK, Feb 14 – School operators in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces are now authorised to suspend teaching and request additional security from the authorities for their own safety, a senior cabinet member said today.

The statement by Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanchana came on the heels of an attack on government forces at a marine base in Narathiwat’s Bacho district early Wednesday morning in which 16 militants were killed.

Government authorities in the far South, especially in Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and some districts of Songkhla, have since been on special alert for possible retaliation by militants.

Mr Pongthep said all related agencies have beefed up their security measures while teachers are empowered to temporarily close their schools for safety reasons and those in high-risk areas can seek additional protection from government forces.

Regarding a widely-criticised, proposed assistance to families of the dead insurgents, the deputy prime minister said, would be extended on humanitarian grounds and not limited to financial aid.

If a militant is the head of a family and the family members have never been involved in any insurgency activity or offences, they may be entitled to state assistance, he said.

Lertkiat Wongphopan, deputy director general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, said there has been no discussion so far on assistance to the late militants’ families.

He ruled out reports that the militants’ families will be granted financial aid of Bt7.5 million – the same amount as given to families of those who died in Bangkok’s political upheaval in 2010.

He said he was assigned to meet with families of the 16 slain insurgents to boost their morale and found that some might need assistance on occupational training but a final decision has yet to be made. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-02-14

CHIANG MAI ZOO

Lin Ping's a winner!

CHIANG MAI: -- Lin Ping, the most popular panda in Thailand, has won a gold prize in the Giant Panda Zoo Awards 2012, beating out other pandas living outside China.

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His Majesty the King's Wise Advice Emphasized as the Major Strategy to Cope with Southern Unrest

BANGKOK: -- The Government has stressed the adoption of His Majesty the King’s royal advice to “understand, reach out, and develop” as the central strategy to tackle unrest in the southern border provinces.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra gave a briefing on the Government’s policy of handling the southern situation during a recent meeting of various government agencies involved with national security. The meeting also heard a report on the performance of the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) in dealing with the unrest.

The royal advice to understand, reach out, and develop was spelled out by His Majesty in February 2004, after the southern unrest had erupted the month before, in January. It is meant to encourage responsible officials to seek a better understanding about the problems, then to win the hearts of local people, and carry out development for them by taking account of the local environment in terms of physical, sociological, and cultural conditions.

The royal advice reflects His Majesty’s loving-kindness and concern for his subjects wherever they live and regardless of their beliefs. A great number of both Buddhists and Muslims in the three southern border provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat have been killed, injured, and affected by violent incidents for nine years now. The situation has also undermined national security and damaged the local economy.

In handling the southern situation, the Government assigned the Internal Security Operations Command to be in charge of security matters and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center to be responsible for development work. It formed the Committee on the Mobilization of Southern Border Provinces Policy and Strategies, which also set up an operation center, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Police Captain Chalerm Ubumrung, to facilitate the tackling of southern problems in accord with the conditions in local environments.

Apart from emphasizing His Majesty’s advice in handling the southern situation, Prime Minister Yingluck, in her capacity as Director of ISOC, told security officials to work in an integrated manner at all levels. She stated that southern problems were complicated and sensitive and that there were many risks. If everyone adheres to His Majesty the King’s wise advice, she said, obstacles will ease and success in restoring peace in the deep South will finally be achieved. Moreover, the Prime Minister said that civil society should be urged to participate more in the peace-building efforts.

Concerning budget allocations for various agencies dealing with the southern situation, she would like to place greater emphasis on the strategy to tackle the problem in the long run rather than in the short term. The Government is ready to provide full support in terms of equipment and technology, but it also wants to see clear-cut plans and greater efficiency in handling the situation, she added.

-- NNT 2013-02-14

Oscar Pistorius 'shoots girlfriend' - local media

South African Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has been arrested over the fatal shooting of his girlfriend at his home in Pretoria, local media say.

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Malay-Language Television and Radio Programming in the Deep South

BANGKOK: -- New Malay-language television and radio programming in the deep South, initiated by the Thai government, has received a positive response from local residents. It serves as a “voice” to promote better understanding and communication in the southern border provinces that make up a multi-cultural society.

The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center has joined hands with other relevant agencies and civil society groups in carrying out this project, which was officially launched on 3 January 2013 at Yala Rajabhat University in Yala province.

Referred to as "Hari Suara Kita," or “Voice of the People,” the daily television and radio programming is intended to offer broadcasting services around the clock. Previously, radio programs in Malay had been produced and broadcast by the National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT), operated by the Government Public Relations Department. But listeners are now able to have them on a full scale, following the launching of the project in January 2013.

As for television programming in Malay, it is broadcast via C-band satellite. At the initial stage, the station will broadcast 30 minutes a day and will run 24-hour programming within one year.

The Secretary-General of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center, Police Colonel Tawee Sodsong, explained that although the Malay-language broadcasts were introduced by the state, they are considered the people’s strategy. He said that the Malay language is now spoken by 300 million people out of a combined population of 600 million in the 10 ASEAN countries. It is a language which is widely used in the Muslim-majority areas of southern Thailand, where more than two million speak Malay.

He said that this new television station would be a channel for local people to communicate in Malay, a major language in ASEAN, as Thailand and its ASEAN partners move toward the ASEAN Community in 2015. It would open up space for local people and those who have different views from those of the state.

The Southern Border Provinces Administrative Center had constantly sounded out public opinion on the Malay-language television before the project was launched. It held the first meeting on the design of programming on 14 October 2012 in Pattani, with the participation of various groups of people, as the Government intends to develop both television and radio stations into the people's stations. It has been suggested that local residents be allowed to participate in producing programs that reflect the real voices of the people.

The program content includes news and information about the southern border provinces and beyond, as well as other interesting programs, such as those on education, Islamic affairs, culture, and tourism. It focuses on creating better understanding, easing the people’s suffering, and bringing about lasting peace and harmonization.

Former Secretary-General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan said that the introduction of the Malay-language broadcasts shows the respect of a multi-cultural society and would allow people of various groups to discuss significant topics among themselves and seek ways to tackle various problems in the deep South.

-- NNT 2013-02-14

2,000 workers laid off due to 300 baht wage; 4,000 more could be on chopping block

BANGKOK, 14 February 2013 (NNT)-The Ministry of Labor reveals that nearly 2,000 workers have been laid off so far this year, thanks to the minimum wage hike, and the future also looks bleak for another 4,000.

Labor Minister Padermchai Sasomsap said 1,874 workers have been laid off by 41 companies since January 1st; 500 of whom as a direct result of the minimum wage rise, according to Department of Labor Protection and Welfare. Moreover, 24 more companies with a combined workforce of 3,901 are likely to terminate their employment in the near future.

Meanwhile, the Social Security Office (SSO) has reported that 52,000 people have registered for unemployment benefit. However, only 4,000 of the number were laid off, with the majority of them citing personal reasons for quitting their jobs.

Those whose jobs have been terminated as a result of the new wage will be qualified for unemployment benefit, but only if they apply for it through the SSO. They will be paid half of what they were earning for a period of 6 months, while those who quit on their own will be paid 30% of their last month's income for the next 3 months.

-- NNT 2013-02-14

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THAI to launch more routes to attract 25 million travellers

By English News

BANGKOK, Feb 14 - Thai Airways International (THAI), Thailand's national flag carrier, will launch more routes to attract 25 million more travellers as part of its collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....ion-travellers/

Heartbroken Japanese man jumps to his death at Crowne Plaza Hotel

By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- A Japanese businessman was found dead at 4am this morning on the 24th floor of Crowne Plaza Hotel in Bang Rak district following a leap off the 29th floor.

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Pheu Thai candidate Pongsapat No 9 stresses slogan "working with the govt, seamlessly" to solve traffic, crime problems /MCOT

Valentine's Day Disappointment: Lesbian couple vows to lobby Yingluck after failing to get married in Bang Rak

By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- A lesbian couple was left bereft in Bang Rak district after officers refused to issue a marriage certificate to them this morning.

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RICE SCANDAL

Public Warehouse challenged to conduct random inspections of rice

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Democrat MP for Pitsanulok, Dr Warong Dejwikrom, on Thursday challenged the Public Warehouse Organisation to inspect rice warehouses without prior notice to prove that the organisation has no degraded rice stored in the rice pledging scheme.

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