Thailand Live Friday 5 Jul 2013

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His Majesty the King visits Bang Pu on a change of place

BANGKOK, 5 July 2013 (NNT) - At the suggestion and under supervision of the royal physician team, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej yesterday afternoon left Siriraj Hospital for sightseeing at Bang Pu seaside resort in Samut Prakan coastal province, about 40 kilometers east of Bangkok.

Upon his arrival at the coastal resort, His Majesty observed the ecological and natural development of the resort from the Suk Ta Pier. This 450-meter-long pier was formerly a wooden structure. In 2000, the pier was changed to concrete. The resort is surrounded by mangrove forests which have recently been rehabilitated by the Royal Thai Army under a project launched as a tribute to HM the King. The program, started in 2006, has led to an expansion of mangrove forest in Bang Pu to 150 rai, with 800,000 more coastal trees planted.

From the Suk Ta Pier, His Majesty moved to Sala Sukjai, a restaurant building belonging to the Defence Ministry. Here, His Majesty again observed the ecological condition of the surrounding mangrove forest and watched the tide raising to its highest level on the day at 97 centimeters above mean sea level. Joining His Majesty the King on the visit later in the afternoon was Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

Bang Pu coastal area is ideal for mangrove cultivation due to the brackish water in the area resulting from freshwater from the Chao Phraya and the Bang Pakong meeting sea water tide from the Gulf of Thailand. Apart from the 150-rai (60- acre) mangrove forest created under the Army’s project, mangroves have also rehabilitated themselves naturally in nearly 350 rai (136 acres) without human assistance.

Bang Pu has thus become a famous and fascinating recreational area since the resort was open in 1937. Covering an area of 640 rai (256 acres), Bang Pu is considered a huge classroom of nature and is famous as one of the country’s best sites for birdwatching. According to the Army’s nature study center which owns the area, there are about 240 species of resident birds in the resort. Besides, during October to March, about 8,000 migratory birds known as the brown-headed seagull from Russia visit the place every year. The center also spotted last year the return of painted stork, locally known as Kab Bua, which had disappeared from the area for more than 10 years. The Army has a project to announce Bang Pu as another ramsar site or wetland, in addition to the 12 existing such sites in the country.

His Majesty the King during 1980 to 1995 initiated a project that included Bang Pu as part of a water management project to solve floods in the east of Bangkok. Under the project, more canals have been dug and water pumping stations installed to speed up excess water into the sea.


-- NNT 2013-07-05

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German Businessman Found Dead In Udon Thani Flat

UDON THANI: -- A German citizen has been found dead inside his condominium room in Udon Thani province. The police believe it is a possible murder case.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651361-german-businessman-found-dead-in-udon-thani-flat-police-believe-it-is-a-possible-murder-case/

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POLITICS

Chalerm warns Yingluck of her 'ice-cream gang'

The Nation

Labour officials greet newly appointed Labour Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung on his first day at the ministry yesterday.

BANGKOK: -- A disaffected Labour Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday warned Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra that she was setting her government up for an early demise thanks to her new "ice-cream gang".

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651401-chalerm-warns-yingluck-of-her-ice-cream-gang/

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THAI-GERMAN RELATIONS
Germany honours former envoy
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- On Wednesday, the Charge d'Affaires of the German Embassy, Dr Ingo Winkelmann, bestowed the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany upon former Thai ambassador to Germany Charivat Santaputra.

Charivat received the decoration for his contributions to Thai-German relations, especially during his tenure as ambassador of Thailand to Germany from 2009 to 2012.

"You have been a staunch friend of Germany, an ever-helpful point of contact, and an untiring motor of Thai-German relations", Dr Winkelmann said in the bestowment ceremony.

During Charivat's distinguished diplomatic career he served as ambassador to Egypt, Kenya, Germany and other nations, as well as deputy permanent secretary of the Foreign Ministry.


-- The Nation 2013-07-05

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POLITICS
Bt2-trillion loan bill does not violate charter: Govt
The Nation


Phongthep: holding press conference.

BANGKOK: -- The government yesterday vowed to go ahead with the enactment of the Bt2-trillion loan bill, rejecting a legal-reform panel's claim that the bill is unconstitutional.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651403-bt2-trillion-loan-bill-does-not-violate-charter-thai-govt/

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ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES
Ministry aims to control sale of sticks
PONGPHON SARNSAMAK
THE NATION



Vendors 'targeting youngsters outside schools, department stores'

BANGKOK: -- The Public Health Ministry is seeking legal action to control the illegal import of liquid nicotine in the form of shisha sticks, known locally as "baraku", which seem to be very popular among celebrities.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651404-electronic-cigarettes-thai-ministry-aims-to-control-sale-of-shisha-sticks/

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Phuket receives new Honorary Consul for Italy
Phuket Gazette


From left: Italian Honorary Consul for Phuket Dr Francesco Pensato joins Phuket Governor Maitri Inthusut and Italy’s Ambassador to Thailand Michelangelo Pipan. Photo: Courtesy of Beppe Bonazzoli

PHUKET: -- Dr Francesco Pensato has been proclaimed the Honorary Consul of Italy for Phuket and the rest of South Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651405-phuket-receives-new-honorary-consul-for-italy/

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Mystery over Phuket body in duvet
Prapaporn Jitmaneeyaphan

PHUKET: -- Mystery surrounds the body of a young man found wrapped in a duvet at the side of Soi Sai Yuan 17 about 10.30 pm Wednesday (July 3).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651406-mystery-over-phuket-body-in-duvet/

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Indian Tourist Punched and Kicked outside South Pattaya Shopping Mall



PATTAYA: -- An Indian couple, who were enjoying their first ever trip to Thailand appeared at Pattaya Police Station on Thursday to report an alleged assault by market vendors situated in front of a South Pattaya Shopping Mall.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651408-indian-tourist-punched-and-kicked-outside-south-pattaya-shopping-mall/

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'Stop revealing details of victims'
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Rights activists are calling on the media to stop revealing details and publishing photographs of domestic-abuse victims as it is a clear violation of their rights.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651409-thai-activists-stop-publishing-photographs-of-domestic-abuse-victims/

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Most sceptical Cabinet reshuffle will improve govt performance: poll

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- More than half of the respondents to a new Bangkok Poll survey believe the newly appointed Yingluck Cabinet is little more than a set of new faces who will not be able to improve upon the performances of their predecessors.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651410-most-thai-people-sceptical-cabinet-reshuffle-will-improve-govt-performance-poll/

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BURNING ISSUE
New Cabinet will have to move quickly
Supon Thanukid
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The latest reshuffle of the Yingluck Cabinet, though it involves many ministerial seats, has not created much surprise or excitement. News of possible changes in the line-up came out about two weeks before the actual shake-up on Sunday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651411-new-thai-cabinet-will-have-to-move-quickly/

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WEALTH
Dhanin tops Thailand's richest list
The Nation


Dhanin Chearavanont

BANGKOK: -- Charoen Pokphand Group's Dhanin Chearavanont remains the most wealthy Thai, among the top 50 richest whose combined net worth is tuned at US$84 billion or one fourth of the nation's gross domestic product.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651412-dhanin-tops-thailands-richest-list/

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BMA seeks Bt22 bn for flood-prevention work
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is seeking Bt22 billion from the national government for new anti-flooding projects including several giant subterranean tunnels.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651413-bangkok-administration-seeks-bt22-bn-for-flood-prevention-work/

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Christchurch man critical after Bangkok balcony fall
By Anna Leask

BANGKOK: -- A Christchurch man was on life support last night in Thailand after falling from a fourth-storey balcony as he tried to get into an apartment he had locked himself out of.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651414-new-zealand-man-critical-after-bangkok-balcony-fall/

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Thai consumer confidence weakest in six months
By English News



BANGKOK, July 5 – Thailand’s Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) dropped for three consecutive months to 81.6 in June, its lowest in six months, according to a survey by the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651436-thai-consumer-confidence-weakest-in-six-months/

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North Korea agrees Kaesong talks

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651438-north-korea-agrees-kaesong-talks/

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PM satisfied with Poland visit to expand trade, investment; to hold talks with Turkish leader seeking new market for Thai products /MCOT

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Deputy PM Kittiratt asserts government aims to sustainably develop country; Bt2.2 trillion loan will be transparent /MCOT

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Thaksin To Attend Meeting Over Cabinet Shakeup 'Resentment' In HK

HONG KONG: -- Former PM Thaksin Shinawatra is due to preside over a meeting with his allied politicians in Hong Kong this weekend to clear out any "disappointment" over the recent Cabinet reshuffle, a source has revealed to Khaosod.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651449-thaksin-to-attend-meeting-over-cabinet-shakeup-resentment-in-hong-kong/

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Police arrest Lao mother, daughter with 220,000 meth pills worth Bt15 million at Nong Khai Tesco Lotus hypermarket, en route to Bangkok /MCOT

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DSI has inspected 207 luxury cars so far

Bangkok, 5 July 2013, (NNT) --In the latest round of examination, the Department of Special Investigation has revealed that the 5 luxury cars confiscated in Nontaburi Province were legally obtained.

The investigation in to the alleged tax-dodging scam has been conducted in the wake of an accident in Srisaket Province, which raised suspicions that a large number of luxury cars have been illegally imported into Thailand. The operation is a cooperation among the DSI, the Land Transport Department, Customs Department, the Excise Department, the Thai Industrial Standard Institute, Central Institute of Forensic Science Thailand, and technician representatives from various luxury car companies.

According to investigators, the 5 cars that passed the latest round of inspection were registered in Nontaburi Province. All have been officially proven as having been legally assembled from secondhand parts in the country, given the identification numbers of the bodies, engines, and gearboxes were unmatched.

Authorities have certified the vehicles before releasing them back to their owners.

DSI earlier has summoned 548 owners of high-end cars worth 4 million baht and over each to come forward for inspection. So far, 207 have been verified as legally imported.


-- NNT 2013-07-05

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Korean Cultural center opens on Sukhumvit road

BANGKOK, 5th July 2013 (NNT) - Mr. JEON, Jae Man, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Thailand, Jo Hyun Jae, Korea’s first Vice Cultural Minister and Thai Culture Minister, Sontaya Kunplome presided over the opening ceremony for the first Korean Cultural Center in Thailand.

It is South Korea's 25th cultural center worldwide and the fourth in Southeast Asia. The three-story building located in the center of Bangkok features a small-sized cultural performance hall showcasing popular Korean music, an exhibition hall and rooms for learning the Korean language and Korean food cooking. A giant bowl has been set up to teach visitors how to cook “Bibambub,” a famous Korean dish.

"We hope the Korean Cultural Center in Bangkok will serve to strengthen ties between the two countries in pop culture and various other fields of culture and arts, while playing a significant role in establishing more amicable and future-oriented ties between South Korea and countries in the region," the minister said in a statement. South Korean forged diplomatic ties with Thailand in 1958 and will mark its 55 years of diplomatic relation this October. More than 1.5 million Koreans and Thais visit each other's respective countries each year, according to a government tally.

The center is situated on Sukhumvit road between soi 15 and 17, opposite “Korean town.” It is open from 9.00-17.00 Monday-Friday. For more information please visit https://www.facebook.com/koreanculturalcenterth


-- NNT 2013-07-05

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A fire rages Ban Nong Hai School in Ubon Ratchatani

UBON RATCHATHANI, 5 July 2013 (NNT) – A fire has ravaged a whole school building at Ban Nong Hai School, in Ubon Ratchatani province. Local police suspected a short circuit on the second floor as the cause of the fire.

Students have temporarily been evacuated to a nearby school. The fire broke out at dawn on the 4th of July, and five fire trucks were sent in to handle the situation.

Police said the short circuit may have resulted from the age of the 40-year-old building in which electrical equipment and circuits had never been changed. The building that was burnt down was the only building used for teaching lessons in the school.

The school’s principal, Mr.Manee Napaeng, aged 53 stated that the school has suspended all classes until Friday. And children would resume their lessons on Monday at a nearby school until the Ubon Ratchatani Primary Educational Service Area Office finds a permanent solution for the school.


-- NNT 2013-07-05

[Lite Beer]

1st Thai-Myanmar bridge to be urgently expanded

BANGKOK, 5 July 2013 (NNT) - Interior Minister Charupong Ruengsuwan has traveled to Mae Sot district in Tak province to inspect a project to develop the Thai-Myanmar special economic area. The minister urged for the expansion of the first Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge in preparations for economic growth in the region.

Mr Charupong on Friday met with officials and leaders of local administrative organizations in Mae Sot to follow up on the progress of the AEC-related projects based on the government’s border development policy. The minister said the government would expedite the expansion of the first Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge ahead of the construction of the second bridge located in the same district of Mae Sot.

According to the minister, the first Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge is facing the problem of overcrowding. The bridge’s product distribution centers and checkpoints will also be renovated.

-- NNT 2013-07-05

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1st Thai-Myanmar bridge to be urgently expanded

BANGKOK, 5 July 2013 (NNT) - Interior Minister Charupong Ruengsuwan has traveled to Mae Sot district in Tak province to inspect a project to develop the Thai-Myanmar special economic area. The minister urged for the expansion of the first Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge in preparations for economic growth in the region.

Mr Charupong on Friday met with officials and leaders of local administrative organizations in Mae Sot to follow up on the progress of the AEC-related projects based on the government’s border development policy. The minister said the government would expedite the expansion of the first Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge ahead of the construction of the second bridge located in the same district of Mae Sot.

According to the minister, the first Thai-Myanmar friendship bridge is facing the problem of overcrowding. The bridge’s product distribution centers and checkpoints will also be renovated.


-- NNT 2013-07-05

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UPDATE:

Corpse found by the road in Rawai
Phuket Gazette


Anuwat Kathong’s body was found in this blanket by the side of the road in Rawai. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- The body of a man believed to have been murdered was found wrapped in a blanket by the roadside in Rawai just after midnight on July 4.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651406-mystery-over-phuket-body-in-duvet/#entry6579838

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Phuket Navy resumes sea-rescue search for Bangladeshi crew
Phuket Gazette


The Royal Thai Navy this morning resumed their rescue search for the missing crew from the stricken cargo ship MV Hope. Photo: Royal Thai Navy

PHUKET: -- Officers from the Royal Thai Navy Phuket base resumed their search this morning for 11 crewmen still missing from the Bangladeshi cargo ship MV Hope, which remains foundering in the Andaman Sea south of Phuket.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651290-phuket-rescue-launched-for-bangladeshi-cargo-ship-17-crew-rescued-13-missing/page-2#entry6579862

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Third farang arrested in Phuket anti-overstay campaign
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Jasso with Immigration officials after his arrest this morning.

PHUKET: -- As part of a concentrated two-week drive to find and arrest foreigners overstaying in Phuket, Immigration Police this morning arrested another Briton for being in Thailand long after his permit to stay expired.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651514-third-foreigner-arrested-in-phuket-anti-overstay-campaign/

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Vietnam police arrest cat-stealing gang after locals' tip-off

HANOI: -- Police in central Vietnam have arrested six men on suspicion of stealing as many as 4,000 cats over two years to sell for their meat, police said Friday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/651529-vietnam-police-arrest-cat-stealing-gang-after-locals-tip-off/