Thailand Live Tuesday 13 Aug 2013

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More than 400 KG of marijuana seized by highway police

BANGKOK, 13 Aug 2013, (NNT) - Highway Police have arrested drugs agents, seizing a total of 435 kilograms of marijuana bars worth more than 8 million baht.

According to Highway Police Commander Police Major General Pongsit Sangpetch, police yesterday arrested Miss Thongsa Wongsui and seized 435 bars of marijuana worth approximately 8,700,000 baht in street value in her possession, a pickup used in the smuggling operation, and a Nokia mobile phone.

The arrest was made on the Mitrapab Highway at the 379th - 380th kilometer marker in Kham Muang Sub-district, Khao Suankwang District of Khonkan Province.

Reportedly, Miss Thongsa, 65 years of age, confessed that she was paid 40,000 baht to play a sick elderly being transported to Bangkok to fool authorities. She claimed that she did not know the identify of her employer as the latter goes by an alias of Ms. Sumalee.

The driver of the pickup truck managed to escape in another vehicle with three other suspects, including Sumalee.


-- NNT 2013-08-13

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Four kidnapped Thais safe in Nigeria
By English News

BANGKOK, Aug 13 – One of the four Thais kidnapped in Nigeria has contacted his employer to inform that they all were safe, but Nigerian police were awaiting the abductors’ demand, the Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman said today.

The four kidnapped Thais have been identified as Panpinij Sommohok, Bussaya Sripanya, Chaiyan Taichompu and a Mr Boontian, whose surname is not known.

Manasvee Srisodapol said the kidnappers could have detained the Thai workers in hope of exchanging them for ransom, but they have yet to get in touch with Nigerian authorities or their employer.

An official of the Thai embassy in Nigeria visited the site where the four Thais disappeared in River State and met with local authorities who said they would try their best to secure the Thai workers’ release and safety.

He quoted Nigerian police as saying that about four or five people entered their worksite and escaped with the four Thais.

The Thai embassy in Nigeria has instructed six Thai workers at an oil company in a nearby state to be more careful regarding their safety. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-08-13

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Court dismisses libel cases against Red Shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan lodged by ex-PM Abhisit and ex-deputy PM Suthep /MCOT

[Lite Beer]

A Land of Cheerfulness and Development in the Deep South of Thailand

BANGKOK, 12 August 2013 (NNT) – Locally referred to as the “widows' village,” the Rotan Batu Sufficiency Economy Village in Narathiwat Province has become a major model farm for quality food production and a learning center for farming and applying the Sufficiency Economy philosophy to life and work. This village gives hope to victims of violence in the deep South of Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660460-a-land-of-cheerfulness-and-development-in-the-deep-south-of-thailand/

[Lite Beer]

BoT: prices of goods to be raised

BANGKOK, 11 August 2013 (NNT) – A survey conducted by the Bank of Thailand (BoT) has indicated that most business operators will soon raise the prices of goods in the face of rising production costs.

According to the survey, launched by the BoT in the second quarter of this year, most entrepreneurs are keen on raising the prices of goods in the third quarter of 2013, thanks to rising production costs. The survey has also suggested that some entrepreneurs have focused on improving the quality of their products to justify the price rise, especially in the automobile and jewelry industries.

The survey was conducted on over 600 business operators nationwide.

The BoT further revealed that most of the businesses surveyed believed the economy would slow down, which reflected investors’ declining confidence in the Thai economy. As for new investments, they said it would depend on 2 factors, which included the demand of foreign countries and the government’s incentive policy.

Most entrepreneurs, however, still believe that the purchasing power of medium and high income earners remains strong, but spending will have to be stimulated constantly.

-- NNT 2013-08-14

[Lite Beer]

Packed rice market value expected to grow 5% this year

BANGKOK, 11 August 2013 (NNT) – The value of packed rice market is expected to grow by 5 percent this year, according to the Thai Rice Packers Association (TRPA), adding that it is also keen on building confidence among consumers and investors.

According to the Thai Rice Packers Association, this year's packed rice market value in the country has a tendency to grow by 5 percent even though it will see a decline in domestic consumption.

The association has also disclosed that it is cooperating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to inspect packed rice in markets around the country to ensure that it is safe for consumption. The move is also aimed at building confidence among investors and consumers. In addition, the brands of packed rice that meet safety standard will be announced on the association’s website later on.

Lastly, it said the inspection would be carried out for 1 year. As the inspection would be carried out on a random basis without prior notice, it could be done anywhere and anytime.

-- NNT 2013-08-13

[Lite Beer]

RT@Ajarncom: Thai police are going to monitor LINE conversations. I feel sorry for the poor sod who has to wade through all those cutesy stickers.

[Lite Beer]

TAT expects to see 1.17 trillion baht revenue from tourism industry this year

BANGKOK, 11 August 2013 (NNT) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand expects to see over 1 trillion baht in revenue from the tourism industry this year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660471-tat-expects-to-see-117-trillion-baht-revenue-from-tourism-industry-this-year/

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One killed, nine wounded in Thai south blast

NARATHIWAT, August 13, 2013 (AFP) - A policeman was killed and nine other people wounded Tuesday in a bomb attack in Thailand's insurgency-hit deep south, officials said, as authorities vowed talks with rebels will continue.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660470-one-killed-nine-wounded-in-thai-south-blast/

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Hunt is on for brazen upskirt peeper
By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Thai netizens are urging police to hunt for a rascal who was caught brazenly looking up a woman’s dress in a convenience store.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660473-thai-police-urged-to-hunt-for-brazen-upskirt-peeper/

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Newin Chidchob agrees deal to host Super GT series in Buriram
By Coconuts Bangkok



BURIRAM: -- Newin Chidchob, who is the president of Thai Premier League club Buriram United, plans to build a racetrack on 1,000 rai of land next to his club’s I-Mobile football stadium.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660476-newin-chidchob-agrees-deal-to-host-super-gt-series-in-buriram/

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Phuket police force to start growing in November
Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- Phuket’s police force will increase by 700 officers next year, with new officers starting to arrive in November, Royal Thai Police Commissioner Adul Saengsingkaew has announced.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660477-phuket-police-force-to-start-growing-in-november/

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UPDATE:

BBC crew spend £150, 000 of licence payers' money partying in Thailand
BBC bosses allowed a film crew to stay in Thailand partying after a show was axed, costing licence fee payers £150,000.
By Claire Carter1

LONDON: -- The 15-strong team working on Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents spent a ten day gap between filming partying on the beach and drinking, as well as relaxing in a five star hotel.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660440-bbc-coughs-up-b7m-for-film-crews-phuket-stay/?p=6712792

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Thai 'Red Shirt' wins appeal over royal seating claim

BANGKOK, August 13, 2013 (AFP) - A leading Thai "Red Shirt" leader was Tuesday cleared of slander over claims that he accused the former premier of sitting incorrectly during an audience with the king, his lawyer said.

Jatuporn Prompan, who was last year found guilty of slandering former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva in 2009, had his conviction overturned by the Court of Appeal in Bangkok.

"The verdict said Jatuporn honestly expressed his opinion and that the general public did not have to believe him," his lawyer Winyat Chatmontree told AFP.

He added that the former MP had made an innocent mistake in his criticism of Abhisit because he "has no idea of royal protocol".

The Red Shirts are a group which supports the country's deposed former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

In the original case, the Thai Criminal Court heard that the firebrand activist accused the then-Thai leader Abhisit of sitting on a chair of an equal height to one being used by King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

In Thailand, where it is customary to remain at a lower level than the monarch, such a move could be seen as discourteous.

In court Abhisit successfully argued that since the chair had been provided by the royal household, his use of it could not be seen as a mark of disrespect.

The monarchy is a highly sensitive topic in politically turbulent Thailand, where the 85-year-old king is revered as a demi-god by many Thais.

Strict lese majeste laws prohibit any insult to the monarch and carry potential prison terms of up to 15 years per count.

Jatuporn, who is facing a series of court cases including one alleging terrorism over massive 2010 Red Shirt protests that ended in bloodshed, was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for two years, in the original slander case in July 2012.

"I thank the judges, who gave me mercy," he told AFP, declining to comment further of the details of the appeal hearing.

Jatuporn was formerly an opposition MP for the now-ruling Puea Thai party but was stripped of his parliamentary seat in May 2012.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-08-13

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UPDATE:
We have not received any request from the Thai police : LINE
Asina Pornwasin

LINE Corporation declined to comment on a Thai police's attempt to seek information on the LINE messages of suspicious LINE users in Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660371-freedom-of-expression-thai-police-seek-to-check-line-posts/page-5#entry6712864

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POLITICS
Akeyuth murder to go to public prosecutor
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police will complete the case of abducted and slain businessman Akeyuth Anchanbutr for the public prosecutor this week, Metropolitan Police deputy chief Anuchai Lekbumrung said Tuesday.

Affirming that investigators had carefully checked evidence and the details of the details to prevent mistakes and doubt, Anuchai said the police were still focusing on robbery as the motive for the killing.


-- The Nation 2013-08-13

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ABDUCTION IN NIGERIA
Thai kidnap victim calls home
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- One of four Thai workers abducted by an unknown gang in Nigeria has telephoned his company, saying he and the other Thais were safe and had not been harmed, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Manasvi Srisodapol said Tuesday.

The caller told the company that he would make contact again soon, the spokesman said. He did not identify the caller.

The kidnapped Thais are husband and wife Somchok Punpinit, 55 and Bussaya Sripanya, 38, Thanawut Punpinit, 50 and Chaiyan Taichompu, 46. Thanawut is Somchok's brother.

The four Thais and two Nigerians were on their way to work at an Israeli-operated fish farm in the southern state of Rivers in Nigeria on August 9 when they were abducted.

Details of the abduction are still under investigation.

Manasvi said Thai Ambassador to Nigeria Somchai Powcharoen has already assigned his minister counsellor to go to Rivers state to take charge of the issue.

He quoted local authorities as sympathising with the Thai workers and praising them for being hard working. The authorities are more than ready to cooperate in order to guarantee the Thais' safety and secure their freedom.

"The kidnappers have not yet demanded a ransom or anything else. When the demand is made, we can move and negotiate," he said.

Rivers authorities had taken the diplomat to see the site where the abduction was made. They said there were about five to six abductors and these were not believed to be locals.

Meanwhile relatives of the abducted Thais met in Udon Thani's Nong Han district and decided to seek help from Udon Thani MP Thongdee Manissarn.

They said the four travelled to Nigeria in December last year with a six-month visa. They returned home on June 9 when their visas expired and went back to Nigeria on June 20. They said their office was by the Niger River and they had to travel by boat to the working site. They were escorted and protected by Nigerian armed soldiers.

Panu Punpinit, 23, son of Somchok and Bussaya, said his parents contacted him everyday via Facebook. Since there were no signs of danger, he and one of his cousins were scheduled to go to work in Nigeria and had already obtained a six-month visa. "We are about to leave. We're just waiting for air tickets and my father's confirmation of the travel date," Panu said.


-- The Nation 2013-08-13

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UPDATE:

Peace talks with militants postponed indefinitely

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Aug 13 - Thailand has prepared replies to the five-point demand made earlier by a militant group but the next round of peace talks, earlier scheduled for August 18 will be postponed indefinitely, the chief of Thailand's National Security Council said today.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660376-south-crisis-thai-authorities-to-discuss-brn-demands/?p=6712945

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UPDATE:

Panthongtae against Line tapping
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's nephew Panthongthae Shinawatra posted on Facebook: "I'm really against TCSD's decision to introduce measures that will regulate the Line application by citing impacts on national security.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660371-freedom-of-expression-thai-police-seek-to-check-line-posts/page-5#entry6712968

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SET index closed at 1459.08, up 26.83; Bt/USD31.08; GBP47.94; AUD28.29; EUR41.26; CAD30.00; HKD4.00; SGD24.47; JPY31.77

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INUNDATION
Flooding in Tak, rains from Typhoon Utor could affect north
The Nation


Flooding in Tak/Photo : Somjit Rungjamrasrassami

BANGKOK: -- With Thai authorities bracing for heavy downpours influenced by Typhoon Utor in the north, five border districts in Tak province, including Mae Sot and Phop Phra, were hit by flash flooding on Tuesday. Several sections of the Phop Phra-Umphang Road also became impassable to vehicles.

Several villages in Tambon Chong Khaep of Phop Phra district are also under water and state officials and volunteers have helped affected residents to move their belongings to higher ground and are directing traffic away from the torrent-hit road sections. Although the floodwaters receded fast in Mae Sot, mayor Terdkiat Chinsoranant instructed officials and residents to be ready for a flood emergency as rain continued to fall in this western province. The municipality also prepared sandbags for distribution to residents free of charge to protect their shops and homes.

In Uthai Thani, runoffs from Nakhon Sawan province's Mae Wong Forest poured into Muang district's Tambon Thung Yai waterways, prompting officials to closely monitor any overflow. The Wang Rom Klao Dam opened three sluice gates by 60 centimetres to release excess water at a rate of six million cubic metres a day to the Sakae Krang River downstream to prevent flooding in Mueang, Thap Than and Sawang Arom districts.

In related news, Lamphun's meteorological station director Wichan Tinnowet warned that Typhoon Utor was situated 500 kilometres east of Hainan Island and moving north-west at 20 kph. It was expected to make landfall in China's Guangdong province on Wednesday. The effects of the typhoon could bring rainfall and cause flash flooding and forest runoffs in the North and residents in at-risk areas have been told to closely monitor the weather forecast,

Meanwhile 30 riverside homes and 500 rai of longan orchards in four villages of Tambon Pratu Pa and Rimping in Lamphun's Muang district were under 30cm of floodwater.


-- The Nation 2013-08-13

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A Nakhon Sawan dam opens gates to release flooding water

NAKHON SAWAN: -- Runoffs from Nakhon Sawan province’s Mae Wong Forest poured Tambon Thung Yai waterways in Uthai Thani’s Muang district.

Officials are closely monitor any overflow. The Wang Rom Klao Dam opened three sluice gates by 60 centimetres to release excess water at a rate of six million cubic metres a day to the Sakae Krang River downstream to prevent flooding in Mueang, Thap Than and Sawang Arom districts.


-- The Nation 2013-08-13

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to continue:

Thailand Live Wednesday 14 Aug 2013

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/660613-thailand-live-wednesday-14-aug-2013/