Thailand Live Monday 3 Jun 2013

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Thai royal project provides fish culture training for Swaziland officials

BANGKOK, 3 June 2013 (NNT) - Eight farmers and officials from the Kingdom of Swaziland were given certificates of success over the weekend at the completion of their 2-week training course in Bangkok provided under the initiative of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The successful participants were from the Swaziland Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (SWADE), farmers as well as academics from the University of Swaziland. The training course on ‘Culture of Nile Tilapia in Pangasius Cage’ was organized from 20 May to 2 June, by Phra Dabot Foundation in cooperation with the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency (TICA), Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was organized in response to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s initiative to promote production of low-cost protein food through culture of freshwater fish, among people in Swaziland.

The training course also formed an effort to strengthen the good bilateral relations and promote an exchange of agricultural experiences between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Kingdom of Swaziland. As part of the training course, Phra Dabot Foundation also donated necessary equipment for the culture of nile tilapia in pangasius cage to the participants for use in their country. The closing ceremony of the course was presided over by Deputy Secretary General of Phra Dabot Foundation Medical Dr. Kannika Tanprasert.

On the same day, the eight participants from Swaziland also went to Siriraj Hospital to pay homage to Their Majesties the King and Queen and signed get-well books offering their wishes for Their Majesties’ good health and longevity.


-- NNT 2013-2013-06-03

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Public Health Min: Dengue fever situation worrisome

file photo

BANGKOK, 3 June 2013 (NNT) – The Public Health Ministry has expressed its concerns over the dengue fever situation in Thailand as 40 patients have died of the disease this year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643839-thai-public-health-min-dengue-fever-situation-worrisome/

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Isolated schools may not have to merge
Tanpisit Lerdbamrungchai
The Nation
Chiang Rai


Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana looks at students while they use tablets at a school branch of Pha Khwang Witthaya School in Chiang Rai.

CHIANG RAI: -- The Education Ministry will provide further assistance to small schools that are unable to merge with larger ones, due to their isolated locations, said Education Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana, following recent discussions with locals in Chiang Rai's Muang district.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643841-isolated-schools-may-not-have-to-merge-chiang-rai/

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Rattanakosin residents want to see F1 race plan
Lerpong Amsa-ngiam
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Communities around the Rattanakosin Island area have demanded to see the proposal regarding a Formula One car race, as they prepared to launch a huge campaign this Saturday to prevent such an event being staged in their locality in 2015.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643842-bangkoks-rattanakosin-residents-want-to-see-f1-race-plan/

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NACC 'to probe rice scheme testimony'
Anuphan Chantana,
Chanikan Phumhirun
The Nation



Cambodian rice exports to Thailand rising; Democrat revives allegations

BANGKOK: -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) will consider claims of corruption in the government's rice-pledging scheme made during a recent parliamentary session, a senior official from the agency said. However, it remains unclear when the NACC will conclude its ongoing probe.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643843-cambodian-rice-exports-to-thailand-rising;-n-a-c-c-to-probe-rice-scheme-testimony/

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SPECIAL REPORT

Verdict shows transfers carry risks

Opas Boonlom

The Nation

Thawil

Govt may be forced to think twice before moving officials

BANGKOK: -- The Central Administrative Court's historic verdict on Friday, revoking Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's order to second National Security Council secretary-general Thawil Pliansri as an adviser to the PM's Office, will serve as a lesson to governments that unjust transfer of officials could boomerang with damaging consequences.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643844-thai-govt-may-be-forced-to-think-twice-before-moving-officials/

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Newpaper chiefs confer on challenges facing industry
Pravit Rojanaphruk,
Asina Pornwasin
The Nation



Global newspaper chiefs are here in Bangkok to confer on the big challenges that face the industry, which include poor press freedom and financial struggles.

BANGKOK: -- At the International roundtable entitled 'The New Media Landscape and its Press Freedom Challenges" yesterday, the audience was told that Southeast Asia is still filled with a lot of "sad story" when it comes to press freedom while a number of African countries pose serious challenges for working journalists.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643845-bangkok-global-newspaper-chiefs-confer-on-challenges-facing-industry/

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CHALK TALK
Tablets proving to be a big headache
Chularat Saengpassa
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The new academic year began a few weeks ago and yet, not a single Prathom 1 or Mathayom 1 student has received a tablet from the government's "One Tablet Per Child" project. Why? The government has not yet completed the bidding process for the procurement of these learning devices.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643846-tablets-proving-to-be-a-big-headache-thai-chalk-talk/

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REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Thailand gets real with India

BANGKOK: -- Despite thousands of years of common history and culture, Thailand and India have not bonded in the modern world. Thailand has repeatedly glossed over the civilisation that inspired Southeast Asian countries and helped form their identities. The Thai adores the Western civilisation.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643847-thailand-gets-real-with-india-opinion/

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EDITORIAL
Free access to information must be depoliticised
The Nation

Free flow of data and knowledge must benefit society, not the privileged few

BANGKOK: -- One decade or so ago, the term "freedom of information" involved a one-month wait for a request for a "public interest" data to be processed. Today, such a waiting period would be a travesty. But the point here is not about that changing speed, but a speed of something else that remains largely unchanged. "Freedom of information" should transcend politics, and the politicians in power have not done enough to make sure that the current free flow of information socially benefits the people.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643848-free-access-to-information-must-depoliticised-thai-editorial/

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11 bodies found floating off Rayong
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Eleven bodies believed to be from Myanmar's Koh Song province were found floating off Ranong province yesterday.

Police were investigating the gruesome findings. They at first found 10 bodies and then another body off Koh Chang in the province's Muang district.

Police suspect they were among dozens of people from Myanmar whose boat capsized and sank on May 31 as they were travelling from Koh Song. Thirty-eight of them survived and were detained by Thai authorities for illegal entry, as they had no travel documents.


-- The Nation 2013-06-03

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Teacher trainers key to schools' success
Wannapa Khaopa
The Nation


Prof Hannele Niemi, Professor of Education at the Faculty of Behavioural Sciences at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Finnish expert shares insights in talk at Chulalongkorn

BANGKOK: -- Everybody has access to good local schools in Finland - so, parents don't have to be concerned about the selection of schools for their children, a Finnish professor who has been a key contributor to the international and Finnish education landscape told Thai educators last week.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643849-teacher-trainers-key-to-schools-success-finish-expert-talks-at-chulalongkorn/

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CAMPUS UPDATE
Protecting student privacy in the online world
Dr Sukumal Kitisin

BANGKOK: -- As schools in Thailand become more connected to the Internet, they also become a source of more detailed information about their students. Though such information helps as feedback on learning performance for teachers and parents alike, there is also a degree of risk that the information will be accessed by third parties.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643851-protecting-student-privacy-in-the-online-world-dr-sukumal-kitisin/

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Motorcycle-mounted gunmen spray bullets into group of youths at sport venue in Narathiwat's Su-ngai Kolok; three wounded /MCOT

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Women rangers: A brave force in Thailand's violence-prone South

By Digital Media

BANGKOK: -- As violence continues in Thailand's southern border region, security personnel are the most vulnerable targets of insurgent attacks. Like their male counterparts, female paramilitary rangers are no exception. Despite life-threats around the clock, they have strong determination to stay in the insurgency-torn areas to protect people's lives.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643861-women-rangers-a-brave-force-in-thailands-violence-prone-south/

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"Saucy" Shooter caught by Pattaya Police

PATTAYA:--Pattaya Police have now arrested the suspected shooter involved in the incident at a Chicken & Rice Shop in Soi 8 off the Tepprasit Road in Jomtien on Tuesday afternoon.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643863-saucy-shooter-caught-by-pattaya-police/

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World newspapers mull paywalls for survival

by Aidan Jones

BANGKOK, June 03, 2013 (AFP) - Global newspaper chiefs have some rare good news to share after years of slumping print sales and advertising revenues -- readers appear increasingly willing to pay for online news.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643845-bangkok-global-newspaper-chiefs-confer-on-challenges-facing-industry/#entry6467832

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Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,555.67, down 6.40 points /MCOT

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RT @RichardBarrow: There are 292 Thai women locked up in 35 countries around the world for drug smuggling (Bangkok Post)

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UPDATE:

Russian nabbed in connection with loan shark racket
By English News



PATTAYA, June 3 – A Russian national was arrested in this eastern resort town Saturday night on charges of predatory lending and illegally working in Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643765-russian-arrested-after-loaning-money-at-high-interest-rates/page-2#entry6467949

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46 national parks nationwide closed till end of September

BANGKOK, 3 June 2013 (NNT) – Forty-six national parks nationwide will be closed until the end of September, the rainy and monsoon season.

Mr Teerapat Prayurasiddhi, Deputy Director General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, has announced that 46 national parks across the country will be closed from June to the end of September, which is the monsoon season, to prevent accidents which are more likely to take place than in any other season. However, some those national parks will remain closed until October 31st.

The Deputy Director General also disclosed that several arrests were made at shopping malls and JJ Market from April 23-May 31, where officials seized a number of protected animals smuggled into the country; rescued animals included red-whiskered bulbuls, Asian tri-colored squirrels, owls, lorises, hawks, and turtles.

-- NNT 2013-2013-06-03

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Stars Of Discovery Channel’s "Storm Chasers" Killed In Oklahoma Tornado /BuzzFeed

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Mountain collapses over limestone crushing plant in Phetchburi, killing 3, damaging 8 vehicles; rescue operations underway /MCOT

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Public Health Ministry warns Thais of 17 monsoon diseases

BANGKOK, 3 June 2013 (NNT) – The Public Health Ministry has expressed its concerns on people catching diseases during the wet season, while disclosing that nearly 900,000 people were found sick during the rainy season of 2012, with 764 fatalities.

As Thailand has now entered the monsoon season, Dr. Pradit Sintavanarong, Minister of Public Health, has warned people to be on alert for 17 common diseases normally found during the season and to keep themselves as healthy as possible. He has also urged all hospitals to be vigilant and pay close attention to patients with pneumonia, corona virus, bird flu H7N9, and H5N1 virus. He has also ordered all doctors to watch out for bird flu even though no cases of H7N9 have been found in the country yet.

Among the 17 diseases people need to be cautious about are fever, influenza, pneumonia, dengue fever, and hand-foot and-mouth disease.

According to the statistics compiled last year, more than 880,000 people caught a disease during the monsoon season, 108,000 of whom came down with pneumonia, 47,000 had influenza, 44,000 caught dengue fever, and 33,000 people suffered from hand-foot and mouth- disease; 764 people out of the total infections died. The minister has therefore urged people to consult a doctor immediately if they feel unwell.


-- NNT 2013-2013-06-03

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Phuket News: Chatuchak market under threat of closure


Chatuchak: Immensely popular with locals and tourists alike. Photo: J J Harrison

BANGKOK: -- The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has threatened to close the capital’s iconic Chatuchak weekend market if it loses its final battle over rental fees.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643901-bangkoks-iconic-chatuchak-market-under-threat-of-closure/

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Phuket danger season surf claims one life, endangers fishing vessel
Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- The heavy waves striking Phuket’s west coast over the weekend claimed the life of one man fishing at Patong last night and demanded the Marine Police assist a fishing boat in distress.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643909-phuket-danger-season-surf-claims-one-life-endangers-fishing-vessel/

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Poll says Thais most interested in current egg situation

BANGKOK, 3 June 2013 (NNT) – According to the latest survey, the majority of Thais are most interested in the current egg situation, as egg prices have gone up drastically.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643911-news-poll-says-thais-most-interested-in-current-egg-situation/

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Thailand, Maldives to expand trade, investment
By English



MALDIVES, June 3 – Thailand and the Maldives have agreed to elevate bilateral trade and investment and urgently solve human trafficking problems which have affected the two countries’ tourism.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said yesterday after a two-day visit to the island nation that the trade agreement signed by Thai and Maldives commerce ministers will possibly boost Thailand’s exports of agricultural produce and halal and other processed foods to the country.

She said Thai investors are keen on investing in infrastructure development, construction, and the service industry, especially spas, hotels, restaurants and cooking schools.

Last year’s trade between Thailand and the Maldives was US$109 million while more than 100,000 Maldivians visited Thailand, a 30 per cent increase year-on-year, said the prime minister.

Ms Yingluck said Thailand proposed a three-year country programme (2014-2016) for cooperation on agriculture, public health and human resource development.

More than 700 Thais, mostly skilled labour, worked in the service and property industries and infrastructure development in the Maldives.

The Thai leader expressed concern about human trafficking given reports that a group of Thai women had been forced into human slavery in the island country.

Maldivian president Mohamed Waheed called on Thailand to join together in cracking down on pirates in the Indian Ocean. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2013-2013-06-03

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Death toll rises to 6 in rock collapse at quarry in Phetchaburi; area declared danger zone /MCOT

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Death toll rises to 6 in rock collapse at quarry in Phetchaburi
By Digital Media



PHETCHABURI, June 3 - A rock collapse killed six workers at a quarry in this southern province following heavy rain, trapping three or four other workers beneath the rubble. Rescue operations are underway to save the trapped workers.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643918-mountain-collapses-over-limestone-crushing-plant-in-phetchburi-killing-6/?p=6468502