Thailand Live Tuesday 5 Nov 2013

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UPDATE:

PM to follow up on Pattaya ferry accident during Chonburi visit

CHONBURI, 5 November 2013 (NNT) – Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will visit Chonburi province today (November 5) to follow up on the case of the sunk ferry in Pattaya that has claimed the lives of 6 tourists.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679438-pattaya-ferry-tragedy-prompts-safety-call/#entry7002197

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Brits lead work permit stats in Phuket
Prapaporn Jitmaneeyaphan


Work permits old, left, and modern.

PHUKET: -- In terms of numbers, Russians may have outstripped other Europeans as tourists coming to Phuket, but they still have a long way to go before they topple the Brits from the ranks of those working legally on the island.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679503-brits-lead-work-permit-stats-in-phuket/

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THAI TG130 tyre bursts while landing at Chiang Rai's Mae Fah Luang airport, all passengers safe /MCOT

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National Security Council chief says anti-amnesty bill protests remain peaceful; no report of crowd mobilisation into Bangkok /MCOT

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PM keen on improving Thai products through architecture

BANGKOK, 5 November 2013 (NNT) – The Prime Minister is keen on enhancing OTOP products through architecture after a meeting with Canadian-American Pritzker Prize-winning architect Frank Gehry.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679515-pm-yingluck-keen-on-improving-thai-products-through-architecture/

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UPDATE:

Protesters rally ahead of World Court ruling
By English News



SI SA KET, NOV 5 - Protesters began gathering in this Thai-Cambodian border province ahead of the November 11 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on the two countries' territorial dispute.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679437-nationalist-group-takes-stand-against-icj-and-its-ruling-on-preah-vihear/#entry7002616

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UPDATE:

Protesters urged to wait for Senate’s vote on Amnesty Bill
By English News



BANGKOK, Nov 5 – Deputy House speaker Charoen Chankomol today called on the public to be patient and wait for a decision by the Senate which is due to debate the Amnesty Bill next Monday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679433-senate-may-kill-thai-amnesty-bill/page-2#entry7002664

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ABAC poll says politics affects SMEs

BANGKOK, 5th November 2013 (NNT) – ABAC poll, in cooperation with the Institute for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (ISMED), has conducted a survey on the success and happiness of Thai SMEs.

According to the poll, conducted among 274 entrepreneurs in October 2013, 74.5% of the respondents admitted that the factors towards success, especially in the current economic situation, was having good business alliances; 73.7% stated that success was a result of good strategy planning; 58.8% gave credit to sufficient sources of capital, and 39.1% believed that having a good financial consultant led to business success.

The factors that led to stress and lowered happiness levels of entrepreneurs included political uncertainty, national conflict, corruption, global economic slump, and Thai economy; at 75.5% , 69.3%, 63.5%, 52.2%,and 43.8% , respectively.

According to Suwanchai Lohawatanakul, President of the ISMED, there are currently 2.65 million SME entrepreneurs in Thailand, accounting for 99.8% of all enterprises and creating employment for 11 million people-- 83.9% of employment for the whole nation. SMEs also account for over 29.9% of the country’s exports, bringing in revenues of 3.86 trillion baht.


-- NNT 2013-11-05

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CIA made doctors torture suspected terrorists after 9/11, taskforce finds
Doctors were asked to torture detainees for intelligence gathering, and unethical practices continue, review
Sarah Boseley, health editor
The Guardian

LONDON: -- Doctors and psychologists working for the US military violated the ethical codes of their profession under instruction from the defence department and the CIA to become involved in the torture and degrading treatment of suspected terrorists, an investigation has concluded.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679522-us-doctors-participate-in-tortures-under-instructions-of-dod-and-cia/

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Feature
Student deaths stir anger in strife-hit Thai south
by Aidan JONES

KRONG PINANG, November 5, 2013 (AFP) - Shot in the back as they fled police, the killing of three unarmed students in Thailand's insurgency-hit south has inflamed controversy over a culture of impunity among security forces that activists say boosts support for rebels.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679524-student-deaths-stir-anger-in-strife-hit-thai-south/

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Govt will accept Senate decision: PM
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The government will accept the Senate's decision on the fate of the amnesty law, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said during a speech Tuesday afternoon.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679525-govt-will-accept-senate-decision-pm-yingluck/

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Sweden’s police chief in tourist safety talk
BY THANA POOPAT



PHUKET: -- A senior Swedish law enforcement official was in Phuket on 4 November 2013 to seek closer cooperation with the Royal Thai Police to better protect thousands of Swedish nationals who come here as tourists each year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679527-swedens-police-chief-in-phuket-tourist-safety-talk/

[Lite Beer]

PM urges Senate to be discreet in amnesty bill deliberation, ready to accept result; asks all parties to foster reconciliation, ease rift /MCOT

[Lite Beer]

THAI plane’s tyre bursts after landing

A Thai Airways International (THAI) plane’s rear tyre burst shortly after it landed safely on the runway at Mae Faluang airport in Chiang Rai this morning.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679532-thai-planes-tyre-bursts-after-landing/

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Anti-amnesty rally at Ratchadamnoen under control

BANGKOK: -- The anti-amnesty rally at Ratchadamnoen Avenue has remained under control, National Security Council secretary general Paradorn Pattanatabut said on Tuesday.

Although the rally site is located within the enforcement of the Internal Security Act, the prevailing situation does not warrant additional measures for crowd control, he said.

Security agencies have detected a trend that more and more protests against amnesty bill would spread upcountry, he said.

-- The Nation 2013-11-05

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PM should reveal her amnesty stand: Abhisit

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is obliged to take her stand on the amnesty bill before the street protests would spiral out of control, the Democrat Party leader said on Tuesday.

Abhisit Vejjajiva said if Yingluck continues to dodge the issue, more protesters would pour into the streets.

-- The Nation 2013-11-05

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UPDATE:

Thai PM defends amnesty bill in face of protests

BANGKOK, November 5, 2013 (AFP) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on Tuesday defended a controversial political amnesty bill that has sparked mass anti-government protests, urging the country to "forgive" after years of civil strife.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679525-govt-will-accept-senate-decision-pm-yingluck/#entry7003153

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Thaksin will not seek the return of seized asset: spokesmen
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has pledged not to reverse his Bt46 billion asset seizure and would accept if the amnesty bill is defeated in the Senate, his two spokesmen said on Tuesday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679569-thaksin-will-not-seek-the-return-of-seized-asset-spokesmen/

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Senators rally to vote against amnesty bill next week

BANGKOK, 5 November 2013 (NNT) - Up to 80 senators are set to reject the controversial amnesty bill when it is deliberated in the upper House next week.

A large number of senators have expressed opposition to the bill after it passed the third reading in the House of Representatives.

Phetchaburi Senator Sumol Sutaviriyawat said the bill will likely be thrown out by the Senate as many senators are joining forces with the Group of 40 Senators in voting against the bill in the first reading.

Residents in many provinces across the country have been collecting signatures in a bid to submit petitions calling for a review of the bill.

The support of at least 76 out of 150 senators is needed to pass or reject the blanket amnesty bill.


-- NNT 2013-11-05

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Security chief reasserts political situation controllable
By English News



BANGKOK, Nov 5 – Demonstrators against the Amnesty Bill will be allowed to continue their rally on Rajdamnoen Avenue even though it is within the jurisdiction of legal enforcement under the Internal Security Act (ISA), a senior security official said today.

Paradorn Pattanatabut, National Security Council secretary general, said the political activities were not beyond assessment by security officials who have closely monitored the situation to determine whether the diverse groups of protesters were connected.

They hold in common their objection to the Amnesty Bill, he said.

He asserted that security authorities did not miscalculate the protesters’ movements, but that they would be permitted to continue their rallies despite security being stepped up at Government House and Parliament.

Lt Gen Paradorn said the government would not issue additional enforcements or prohibitions despite the rally, led by the Democrat Party, being on high-profile Rajdamnoen Avenue.

“Their demonstration is [protected by] the Constitution, and we have received no complaints from the public on the impact of the rally. The situation is controllable,” he said.

“The rallies by various groups are not harmful to the government,” he said. “There is no unusual movement of rural people into Bangkok to join the protests.”

Gen Paradorn said the authorities would be flexible without issuing prohibitions or rules despite their political activity in the ISA-imposed areas as “we don’t want to fan the already-heated situation.”

He said the authorities have closely monitored the widespread demonstrations across the country with concern.

Admitting that it was hard to control social media activities against the Amnesty Bill, the NSC chief said that online society has rapidly spread people’s movements – a phenomenon which the government is aware of.

Regarding a report that some provincial Red Shirt groups vowed to protect Government House from attack, Gen Paradorn said there was news about it but security authorities would dissuade them from entering Bangkok to avoid confrontation. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2013-11-05

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Anti-gov senator claims 104 members of upper chamber against amnesty bill
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Group of 40 Senators claimed Tuesday that 104 senators have decided to vote against the amnesty bill.

Paibul Nititawan, a member of the group, said his group had sounded out opinions of other senators and found out that 37 elected senators and 67 appointed senators would vote against the bill.

But he admitted that the stand of these senators could still be changed as the government was lobbying senators to support the amnesty bill.


-- The Nation 2013-11-05

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NACC issues statement against amnesty bill

BANGKOK: -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission Tuesday issued a statement to denounce the blanket amnesty bill, saying its enactment would violate the good governance and would run against a UN convention against corruption.

The statement was announced by NACC spokesman Wicha Mahakhun.

Wicha said the NACC Tuesday held a meeting to discuss the bill and it found that Article 3 of the bill would affect the anti-corruption operations, the good governance principle and the campaigns to promote honesty.

It would also affect Thailand's ratification of the United Nations Convention against Corruption.


-- The Nation 2013-11-05

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SET index closed at 1,415.44, up 27.04; Bt/USD31.14; GBP49.61; AUD29.35; EUR41.91; CAD29.69; HKD4.01; SGD24.94; JPY31.48

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Rule of law, public interest key to Senate's decision: Deputy Speaker
By English News



BANGKOK, Nov 5 - Thailand's Deputy Senate Speaker affirmed today that the Senate will take into account public interest, the rule of law and national stability when the upper house deliberates the controversial amnesty bill next week.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679606-rule-of-law-public-interest-key-to-senates-decision-deputy-speaker/

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PM'S FULL SPEECH
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's speech on the amnesty bill

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679610-prime-minister-yingluck-shinawatras-speech-on-the-amnesty-bill/

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UPDATE:

Thai Airways Plane's Tyre Bursts At Chiang Rai Airport

By Khaosod Online

CHIANG RAI: -- An Airbus aircraft operated by Thai Airways has suffered a tyre explosion shortly after it landed at Mae Fah Luang International Airport in Chiang Rai province.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679532-thai-planes-tyre-bursts-after-landing/#entry7003834

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Bangkok coffee vendor backs down to Starbucks' legal might, changes logo
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- Starbung, the local coffee cart in Bangkok’s Rattanakosin district that appropriated Starbucks branding, has backed off from a legal fight with the American coffee giant, which filed a lawsuit for using its logo’s likeness in September.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679611-bangkok-coffee-vendor-backs-down-to-starbucks-legal-might-changes-logo/

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to continue:

Thailand Live Wednesday 6 Nov 2013

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/679696-thailand-live-wednesday-6-nov-2013/