Thailand Live Monday 1 Apr 2013

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Govt readies evacuation plan for Thais in S Korea
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap yesterday instructed the Thai ambassador in Seoul to prepare a plan for the speedy evacuation of all Thais after North Korea on Saturday declared it was at a "state of war" with South Korea.

Pyongyang's announcement came as the communist country escalated its bellicose rhetoric against both South Korea and its staunch ally the United States.

The emergency plan includes the setting up of temporary shelters in places like Busan and the arranging of flights and ships to transport Thais, mostly contract workers, to Japan if hostilities really break out, Phadermchai said.

The labour attaché at the embassy was ordered to gather information on the number of Thai workers in the northern part of South Korea.

About 44,000 Thais are in South Korea and 10 Thai employers are in North Korea, Foreign Ministry spokesman Manaswee Srisodaphol said.

The spokesman added that the ministry has not yet announced the evacuation plan to avoid panic.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has directed the Foreign Ministry to closely monitor the conflict on the Korean Peninsula and to take care of Thais living in South Korea.

"We don't want to see any violence or force used. We want to see peace talks," she said.


-- The Nation 2013-04-01

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HUGE INFRASTRUCTURE SCHEME
Bill 'part of plan to seize country'
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Govt opponents to print book on 'plot to siphon off public funds', ask Ombudsman to block off-budget financing

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629953-bill-part-of-pheu-thai-plan-to-seize-country/

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GOLD
Loei 'could yield 1 million tonnes of gold'
THE NATION



LOEI: -- Initial data from the Northeast province of Loei indicates the likely discovery of gold ore deposits in quantities large enough to free Thailand from its current and future debt burdens.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629954-loei-could-yield-1-million-tonnes-of-gold/

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Cabinet backs rice budget, other projects
The Nation
Chachoengsao


Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday meets with the abbot of Wat Phra Buddha Sothorn in Chachoengsao, before the mobile Cabinet meeting at Rajabhat Rajanagarindra University.

BANGKOK: -- The mobile Cabinet yesterday approved the rice pledging scheme for the 2012/2013 fiscal year, worth Bt105 billion in total, proposed by the Commerce Ministry.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629956-thai-cabinet-backs-rice-budget-other-projects/

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Charter showdown looms
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Pheu Thai lines up 60 MPs to justify amendment bills in Parliament, Democrat strategy will aim to convince people govt move not in public interest

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629957-thai-charter-showdown-looms/

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PAY FOR PERFORMANCE
'P4P caused disputes at hospital'
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

Mixed response at pilot centres to new health policy

BANGKOK: -- Some urban hospitals may be able to boost efficiency by following the pay-for-performance principle to optimise workloads, but for some rural hospitals this new practice has created problems.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629958-p4p-caused-disputes-at-thai-hospitals/

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Support for peace talks
THE NATION

YALA: -- The majority of residents of three southern border provinces surveyed in a recent poll showed support for an ongoing peace effort and voiced calls for an immediate halt to the violence, DeepSouthWatch said yesterday.

Some 1,800 people based in the provinces and four Yawi-speaking districts of Songkhla were surveyed a week before the first round of a peace dialogue that took place last Thursday. Of the respondents, 68 per cent showed support. Many said they believed it was the right way to long-term peace - but they still lacked trust or felt uncertainty, said DSW director, Asst Prof Srisomphob Jitphiromsri.

Asked about preconditions expected of security officials and insurgents, Srisomphob said they were similar to those cited in news reports: full withdrawal of troops from the area, development projects, and amendment to or abolition of the Emergency Decree.


-- The Nation 2013-04-01

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ICJ'S temple hearing approaches

KAVI CHONGKITTAVORN

THE HAGUE

THE NETHERLANDS

THE HAGUE: -- A newly renovated main courtroom in The Hague's Peace Palace awaits the Thai and Cambodian delegations when they begin their final four-day oral presentations in the Preah Vihear Temple dispute on April 15.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629959-i-c-js-preah-vihear-temple-hearing-approaches/

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Democrats tap Kingkarn to challenge Yaowapa
Chanikarn Phumhiran,
Olan Lertrudtanadumrongkul
The Nation


Former Chiang Mai MP Kingkarn na Chiang Mai

BANGKOK: -- The Democrat Party will field former Chiang Mai MP Kingkarn na Chiang Mai to take on Pheu Thai Party's Yaowapa Wongsawat in the Chiang Mai constituency 3 by-election on April 21.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629960-thai-democrats-tap-kingkarn-to-challenge-yaowapa/

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Thai citizen arrested in Indonesia for drugs
The Jakarta Post
Asia News Network

JAKARTA: -- A Thai female citizen, Runtipang Ammahia, was arrested by a joint operation team of Indonesia's South Sulawesi police and the country's National Narcotics Agency (BNN) South Sulawesi branch, on Friday evening, for an alleged attempt to smuggle in one kilogram of crystal methamphetamine or "shabu-shabu" worth 1.2 billion rupiah (Bt3.7 million).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629961-thai-citizen-arrested-in-indonesia-for-drugs/

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BT2TN LOAN BILL
Kingdom 'can handle huge infrastructure debt'
SUPHANNEE POOTPISUT
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Thailand is fully capable of financing the large debt that will arise from its plan to spend Bt2 trillion on infrastructure projects, thanks to the buoyant economic outlook and recent tax-restructuring efforts, the chief of the Finance Ministry's Fiscal Policy Office (FPO) has said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629962-thailand-can-handle-huge-infrastructure-debt/

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Sukhothai stakes claim for share of tourism pie
BAMRUNG AMNATCHAROENRIT
THE NATION
Sukhothai



SUKHOTHAI: -- Sukhothai is well known among Thais as a province rich in historical sites, underscoring its importance for cultural tourism. The 775-year-old city, however, has never reaped maximum benefits because tourists, especially locals, choose to make only a short visit there and go somewhere else for their overnight stay.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629964-sukhothai-stakes-claim-for-share-of-tourism-pie/

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Phuket: Sydictive boss sues TV talk show host Woody

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629869-phuket-sydictive-boss-sues-tv-talk-show-host-woody/

[Lite Beer]

Thailand to change from left to right hand driving

BANGKOK: -- The Thai government is proposing a change from driving on the left side of the road to driving on the right side of the road, the department of public roads has announced. The proposal will be send to parliament in June and the law will take affect on 1 January 2014, with the turning of the year.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630001-thailand-to-change-from-left-to-right-hand-driving/

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Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,562.71, up 1.65 points /MCOT

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Thai lawmakers debate controversial constitution amendments today
By English News



BANGKOK, April 1 – A joint parliamentary session is scheduled for today to deliberate three bills seeking to amend the current Constitution, which has been in use since 2007.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629957-thai-charter-showdown-looms/#entry6259055

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Higher security for South as Songkran festival approaches
By English News



SONGKHLA, April 1 - Provincial authorities have intensified security in this southern province after receiving a special alert for possible disturbances and violence as foreign tourists start pouring in to celebrate Thailand's annual Songkran water festival.

Immigration and other government personnel at checkpoints in this Malaysian border province, particularly at Baan Kuan Meed in Chana district and Baan To-Nont in Na Thawi district, have been reinforced by army rangers and policewomen.

The provincial intelligence unit warned of possible insurgent attacks during the week-long traditional water-splashing festival which draws large numbers of tourists every year.

This year's Songkran activity starts on April 12. The event normally attracts many tourists from neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

Meanwhile, Maj Gen Ruangsak Suwannaka, commanding general of the Thai army's 42nd Military Circle, presided over Buddhist religious bathing rites at a military camp in Songkhla on Sunday for Nithi Shinawan, a volunteer ranger, who was killed in a motorcycle bomb incident in Pattani's Mayo district on Saturday.

Attacks on government forces have continued despite ongoing peace talks between the Thai authorities and key Muslim insurgent leaders. The first dialogue was held in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur last Thursday and the second one is set for April 29.

Sunday also marked the first anniversary of multiple car bomb attacks by southern insurgents in Yala municipality in which 11 military and police personnel were killed and over a hundred others injured.

Some districts in Songkhla have been declared sensitive areas together with three southern border provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala, Thailand's areas which are predominantly ethnic Malay Muslim in population. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-04-01

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Cabinet approves Bt622 million budget for development projects in five provinces
By English News



CHACHOENGSAO, April 1 – The cabinet meeting here in this central province on Sunday approved a budget of Bt622 million for development projects in five central cluster provinces.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630016-cabinet-approves-bt622-million-budget-for-development-projects-in-five-provinces/

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UPDATE
Murder accused teen back in Sweden
BY ANDERS HOLM NIELSEN

BANGKOK: -- On March 13 a murder case with a mere 18-year-old Swede as the accused was set to start in Thailand, but the teen knifeman never appeared.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/629818-murder-suspect-escapes-to-sweden/?p=6259339#entry6259339

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Tesco goes head-to-head with Thailand's wet markets
Tesco is building an empire in Thailand.
By Graham Ruddick

BANGKOK: -- The outskirts of Bangkok are an unlikely place to find inspiration for the future of Britain’s supermarkets. But the Tesco Lotus Plus shopping mall at Srinakarin provides a glimpse into the future.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630020-tesco-lotus-is-building-an-empire-in-thailand/

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Summer storms hit Lampang, Northeast; one killed
By English News



LAMPANG, April 1 – A sharp summer storm hit the northern province of Lampang on Sunday night with a 60-year-old villager being killed when a home under construction collapsed.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630028-summer-storms-hit-lampang-northeast;-one-killed/

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Drunk Road Raging Thai Points Gun At Tourist Van
PATTAYA:--A Pattaya municipal officer used his gun to threaten a van driver transporting tourists on Sukhumvit Road, near the Pattaya Floating Market. The drunk suspect was tailgating the van, and became enraged when the van did not make room to let him pass. He was later arrested.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630032-drunk-road-rage-driver-threatens-tourist-bus-driver/

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VAT to rise to 8% within 7 years: Finance ministry official

BANGKOK, 1 April 2013 (NNT) - A finance ministry official has revealed that the value added tax (VAT) may be raised to 8 per cent within 7 years' time.

The director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office under the Ministry of Finance, Somchai Sujjapongse, said that the VAT may rise to 8 per cent from the current rate of 7 per cent, when the economy starts to realise the benefits of the government's infrastructure investment, which he believed to be within 7 years from now.

He said the government's investment in infrastructure mega-projects will boost economic growth by one percentage point a year. This, he said, could allow the government to derive more revenue from VAT.

He said that tax revenue from VAT is expected to rise even without an increase in the VAT rate, given that the government's infrastructure projects would induce economic growth and thus domestic consumption. A mere one-percent rate hike would raise an extra 50 billion baht for the government.

Currently countries in the European Union charge, on average, a VAT of 20 per cent. Rates in ASEAN countries are lower; for example, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesdia and Cambodia charge 10 per cent on VAT, while Singapore charges 7 per cent. Brunei does not charge VAT, since most major businesses in the country are owned by the government.

-- NNT 2013-04-01

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Inflation rate rises as food prices increase

BANGKOK, 1 April 2013 (NNT)-Permanent Secretary for Commerce Watcharee Wimuktayon has disclosed that the inflation rate in March rose almost 3% higher than that of the same period last year thanks to an increase in food and beverage prices.

Mrs. Watcharee said the rising prices of fresh food and beverages have prompted the inflation index to rise to 104.73 in March, increasing by 2.69 % year-on-year.

The March’s figure is also reportedly 0.07% higher than February’s. The inflation rate for the first 3 months of this year is 3.09% higher compared to the figure of the same period last year. However, the Commerce Ministry said, according to Mrs. Watcharee, the inflation is expected to remain between 2.8-3.4% through out the year of 2013.

-- NNT 2013-04-01

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2,000 houses in Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai damaged by summer storm

BANGKOK, 1 April 2013 (NNT) - Over 2,000 houses have been damaged by a summer storm, described by locals in Chiang Rai as the biggest in five decades.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630034-2000-houses-in-chiang-rai-chiang-mai-damaged-by-summer-storm/

[Lite Beer]

Tropical storms to strike 17 provinces nationwide

BANGKOK, 1 April 2013 (NNT) - The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation warned residents in 17 provinces nationwide to brace for tropical storms during the next two days.

The DDPM said that a high pressure cell from China colliding with a low pressure cell covering the upper part of Thailand is set to create tropical storms. 17 provinces in the North, Northeast and East including Tak, Sukhothai, Mae Hong Son and Phichit are expected to be hit by thunderstorms and strong winds.

Local DDPM units and provincial authorities are closely monitoring weather patterns and are preparing emergency relief for those affected.

Earlier this morning, over 2,000 households in Chiang Rai were damaged by a bout of tropical storms. Roofs were blown off, leaving residents exposed to heavy downpours. Most households have been without water or power for the past 24 hours.

In Nong Khai, tropical storms have struck nearly 200 households, as strong winds uprooted rubber plantations and large trees in the area. Officials have been working to restore power in many sub-districts.

-- NNT 2013-04-01

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Phuket Blood Center stocks up for Songkran
Phuket Gazette -

Give blood, help to save someone’s life.

PHUKET: The Phuket Regional Blood Center (PRBC) wants to boost its blood reserves to prepare for higher demand during the Songkran Festival.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630055-phuket-blood-center-stocks-up-for-songkran/

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Senior citizens ride the subway for free during Songkran

BANGKOK, 1 April 2013 (NNT) - The capital’s underground train operator is set to provide free services for senior citizens during the Songkran Festival from April 13-15.

Bangkok Metro Public Company Limited (BMCL), which operates the underground train service in Bangkok, has issued a statement saying senior citizens are eligible to receive free rides upon producing their ID cards at all 18 underground stations during their service hours.

During April 10-15, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority (MRTA) will prepare scented water for commuters to sprinkle on Buddha statues to be placed from 9 am to 7 pm at nine selected stations including Hua Lam Phong, Sukhumvit and Bang Sue, in the trail of the age-old tradition to purify one’s mind before making a fresh start for the new year.

The MRTA has already announcement that it will implement partial suspension of its escalator services during 9.30 am to 4.30 pm from April 1 and June 30 in a bid to join in the government’s call for power conservation.


-- NNT 2013-04-01

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Drought, higher food prices, drive up Thailand’s inflation
By English News

BANGKOK, April 1 – Thailand’s inflation in February was reported at 104.73, an increase of 2.69 per cent year-on-year, the permanent secretary for commerce said today.

Vatchari Vimooktayon said the escalation was due to higher prices of consumer products in food and non-alcoholic beverages (up 3.66 per cent), rice and flour products (up 0.64 per cent), meat, duck, chicken and marine food products (up 6.63 per cent), and fruit and vegetables (up 9.01 per cent).

She added that the Consumer Price Index in March was 0.07 per cent higher than in February, owing to price increases in food and non-alcoholic beverages at 0.26 per cent, and fruit and vegetables at 2.80 per cent.

Drought in various agricultural areas has affected productivity and pushed up the prices of consumer products, she said, adding that the higher supply of pork, fresh chicken meat and eggs in the domestic market has resulted in a price decline.

Average inflation in Q1 was 3.09 per cent higher year-on-year – the figure Ms Vatchari described as appropriate and in accord with consumption and economic patterns -- while the government has continued to issue measures to control goods and energy prices.

The Commerce Ministry predicts Q2 inflation at 3.1 per cent due to the steady production of agricultural produce from next month onward, while inflation for the entire year should be within the range of 2.80-3.40 based on the assumption that Dubai crude oil is US$100-120 per barrel at an exchange rate of Bt28.5-32.5 against the US dollar. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-04-01

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I am still alive, Thaksin tweets
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- After being away from Twitter for over a year, fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra chose April Fool's Day Monday to come back - to rebut rumours he had died in an accident in Dubai and say he will soon post articles on Facebook to share stories he thinks interesting.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/630065-i-am-still-alive-thaksin-tweets/