Thailand Live Wednesday 18 Dec 2013

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Nakhon Si Thammarat recovers from flooding

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, 18 December 2013 (NNT) - Flooding in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat has ended while the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office has estimated the damage from the floods at 300 million baht.

Chief of the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office Chetsada Watthananurak said the flooding had taken place in the province since 20 November 2013 but now most of the flooded areas had returned to their normal conditions. All of the special centers set up to tackle the flooding have been closed.

The flooding wreaked havoc on 23 districts in Nakhon Si Thammarat and claimed six lives. More than 100,000 people suffered from the disaster and 120,000 rai of farmland was damaged.

The Nakhon Si Thammarat governor has assigned relevant units to urgently assist the affected people and restore the damaged areas.


-- NNT 2013-12-18

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Phuket Police to target foreigners at night
Phuket Gazette -

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/689928-phuket-police-to-target-foreigners-at-night/

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UPDATE:

Election delay possible
The Nation


Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, on a tour through several northeastern provinces, is greeted by admirers after her plane lands in Buri Ram yesterday.

PDRC meets EC to plead for postponement, as Democrats put off decision on whether to run

BANGKOK: -- The Election Commission's new team says it could delay the general election from the scheduled date of February 2 while political parties prepare for the judgement day. Meanwhile, the opposition Democrat Party remains undecided on whether to field candidates.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/689878-election-postponement-possible-if-parties-agree-thai-ec/page-2#entry7173685

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POLITICS
Ex-MPs leave parties to join Pheu Thai ahead of Feb 2 poll
The Nation


Former premier Somchai Wongsawat, second left, greets Matchima

BANGKOK: -- Former Matchima faction MPs, led by Somsak Thepsutin, and some former Chart Thai Pattana Party MPs have applied for membership in Pheu Thai Party in the hope of running under the ruling party's banner in the next election.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/689987-ex-mps-leave-parties-to-join-pheu-thai-ahead-of-feb-2-poll/

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CRIME
Prodigal's return brings tragedy
Jitima Janphrom,
The Nation



KHON KAEN: -- NO ONE in Ban Peui village in Khon Kaen, where a confessed serial rapist and murderer grew up, welcomed him home after his release from jail last year.

Locals said they feared the man, known only as Nui, would commit more crimes. So, Nui left. But on Sunday, their fears came true when Nui allegedly told police he had raped three girls earlier this month in other provinces. Two of the victims were killed.

"Nui was not born here. A couple brought him back from Bangkok after finding him homeless and wandering on the street," Ban Peui village head Somsak Thongjanhad said yesterday. He said the boy had fitted in well in the village and was ordained briefly as a novice monk. When he grew up, locals remembered he seemed to work hard and spent his money on snacks for young kids.

"Believing he's a good guy, locals encouraged a widow to marry him, even though he had no dowry," Somsak said. The relationship came to an abrupt halt when Nui was caught sexually and physically attacking a six-year-old girl in 2008. "Due to that hideous crime, we became aware he was a dangerous man," Somsak said. Nui was sent to jail for his offence and completed his term.


-- The Nation 2013-12-18

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WEATHER
Temperatures in North, Northeast expected to fall further
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- WITH DOI INTHANON in Chiang Mai blanketed with frost and temperatures at -2 degrees Celsius early yesterday, the weather bureau issued a warning of thunderstorms with gusty winds and hail as well as an 8 to 10-degree Celsius drop in temperature until Sunday in upper Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/689990-temperatures-in-thailands-north-northeast-expected-to-fall-further/

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Bright prospects seen for domestic tourism over 5-day New Year holiday
Bamrung Amnatcharoenrit
The Nation

Robust flow of local travellers expected despite turmoil

BANGKOK: -- Even though the political tension in Bangkok remains, domestic tourism over the New Year period looks promising with a strong flow of local people expected to travel around the nation - thanks largely to the five-day holiday announced by the caretaker government.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690001-bright-prospects-seen-for-domestic-tourism-over-5-day-new-year-holiday/

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EDITORIAL
Police must get to bottom of Ramkhamheang violence
The Nation

The mystery that surrounds the deadly clashes between students and red-shirt protesters must be solved

BANGKOK: -- Almost three weeks have passed since clashes between students and red-shirt demonstrators at Ramkhamheang University left four dead and some 60 injured. Yet the incident remains a mysterious chapter in the ongoing political crisis.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690002-police-must-get-to-bottom-of-ramkhamheang-violence-thai-editorial/

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GUEST COLUMN
Ten years on, another cover-up in Somchai's disappearance
Phil Robertson

BANGKOK: -- The Thai government needs to account for missing documents in the case of the enforced disappearance and presumed murder of a prominent Muslim human rights lawyer nearly a decade ago, Human Rights Watch said today. On March 12, 2004, Somchai Neelapaijit was pulled from his car in Bangkok, allegedly by five police officers, and never seen again. No body was ever recovered.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690003-ten-years-on-another-cover-up-in-somchais-disappearance/

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STOPPAGE TIME
Before you start shopping, here are the key things to watch
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- Let's avoid discussing Suthep Thaugsuban as much as we can today. His is a bandwagon screaming recklessly and fearlessly ahead in complete disregard of the possibility of its wheels coming off. We will have plenty of time to analyse it when it reaches the destination or ends in a wreck.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690004-before-you-start-shopping-here-are-the-key-things-to-watch-thai-opinion/

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Mass anti-government protest on Sunday



BANGKOK: -- Another mass demonstration will be staged this coming Sunday in Bangkok by the People’s Democratic Reform Committee to put pressure on caretaker prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to step aside.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690006-bangkok-mass-anti-government-protest-on-sunday/

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Thrown pipe bomb hurts 2 rangers
The Nation



PATTANI: -- A bomb attack slightly injured two rangers from the 42nd Rangers Regiment in Pattani's Mai Kaen district yesterday afternoon.

Kampol Pimol and Kraisorn Sommat were resting along with two other rangers at a roadside pavilion in front of Ban Krajude School after patrolling, when unknown assailants on a motorbike threw a PVC pipe bomb at them at about 2pm.

Army Chief of Staff, General Aksra Kerdphol, visited and presented flower baskets as well as some assistance money on behalf of the Army to 10 soldiers wounded in a December 11 bomb attack in Kapor district. That incident also saw five soldiers killed.

Before going to Pattani Hospital, Aksra also was briefed at Inkhayuth Army Camp in Nong Chik district about the southern unrest and urged the Army to provide security for the public during the New Year holidays.


-- The Nation 2013-12-18

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Wrongly arrested garbage men demand compensation
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Three suspects who were wrongly arrested in a Nakhon Phanom prison drug bust called yesterday for the prison to take responsibility for their wrongful 84-day detention and charges.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690007-nakhon-phanom-wrongly-arrested-garbage-men-demand-compensation/

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Police seek to find other young victims
Phathinya Iamtan,
Khanathit Srihirundaj
The Nation



Child killer admits to three murders but authorities fear many more

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690009-child-killer-nui-admits-to-three-murders-but-thai-authorities-fear-many-more/

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Kittiratt to meet EC on what measures may break election laws
Piyanart Sivalo
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Some economic stimulus measures may have to be scrapped, including the waiver of the diesel excise tax, if the Election Commission considers that they violate the election law by promoting the government.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690010-kittiratt-to-meet-ec-on-what-measures-may-break-election-laws/

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BURNING ISSUE
What exactly does Suthep mean by political reform?
Supalak Ganjanaknundee
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The elite and mainstream middle class in Bangkok badly need a real soul-searching model before proposing anything about political reform in Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690011-what-exactly-does-suthep-mean-by-political-reform/

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Despite Thailand's Political Strife, Tourism Hits Record High Growth In First Nine Months of 2013
By Sophie Song

BANGKOK: -- Thailand came out on top in tourism receipt growth for the first nine months of the year at 28 percent, but if recent political strife continues in the Southeast Asian country, that growth may see a big reversal in the near future.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690013-despite-thailands-political-strife-tourism-hits-record-high-growth/

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Court upholds verdict against Chiang Mai extortion gang
The Nation



CHIANG MAI: -- The Appeals Court yesterday upheld a lower court's verdict to imprison five men, including high-profile murder convict Chalermchai Matchaklam, for their role in extorting "protection money" from vendors at two Chiang Mai markets 17 years ago.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690014-court-upholds-verdict-against-chiang-mai-extortion-gang/

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Protests in Kalasin over exploration project
The Nation



KALASIN: -- Some 300 residents in Kalasin's Tha Khantho district rallied outside city hall yesterday to object to Apico (Korat) Co Ltd's petroleum exploration project in Na Tan sub-district over fears of adverse effects on health and the agriculture industry.

The group told Deputy Governor Sirirat Chum-upakan that other communities had been affected by gas-drilling such as Ban Kud Namsai in Khon Kaen's Nam Phong district, Ban Sai Thong in Kalasin's Huay Mek district and Ban Na Lhao in Udon Thani's Non Sa-at district. Sirirat promised to pass the complaint onto the Energy Ministry's Department of Mineral Fuels and to Apico.

Claiming the company didn't explain the impacts the project would have on them, the group also claimed that Apico had agreed on September 3 to suspend the exploration project pending an environment and health-impact assessment report and public forum, but has failed to do either.


-- The Nation 2013-12-18

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UK police say no conspiracy in Princess Diana's death

by James Valles

LONDON, ENGLAND (BNO NEWS) -- There is "absolutely no credible evidence" to suggest the UK's Special Air Services (SAS) played a role in the deaths of Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed, according to the results of a three-month police investigation released on Tuesday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/689977-uk-police-say-no-conspiracy-in-princess-dianas-death/

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Auto firms jostling for Thai workers

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690026-auto-firms-jostling-for-workers/

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Showroom Shootings frustrate Pattaya Condominium Project Owners

PATTAYA :-- The owners of a new condominium project which is located in Bang Saray with their showroom located in South Pattaya have asked for the local press to highlight multiple shooting incidents which have occurred at their showroom and at their construction site which local Police have yet to investigate despite many complaints by the Project Owners.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690027-showroom-shootings-frustrate-pattaya-condominium-project-owners/

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Serial Burglars caught by Police in East Pattaya

PATTAYA: -- A Husband and Wife team, thought to be responsible for multiple break-ins in the East Pattaya area have now been caught by Nongprue Police.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690029-serial-burglars-caught-by-police-in-east-pattaya/

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UPDATE:

Cold snap in Thailand’s north
Jody Houton

CHIANG RAI: -- The Thai government has declared 65 provinces ‘disaster zones’ after temperatures plummeted to an unprecedented low of 15C (59F).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/689990-temperatures-in-thailands-north-northeast-expected-to-fall-further/page-2#entry7174325

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PM to step down only her party loses in election



BANGKOK: -- Caretaker Prime Ministers Yingluck Shinawatra reiterated she will step down only if her party loses in the February 2 general election.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690035-pm-yingluck-to-step-down-only-her-party-loses-in-election/

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PM posts on Facebook page, reiterates she will not resign, adheres to legal principles, intends to cooperate with EC to hold fair, free general election /MCOT

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,341.31, up 4.13 points /MCOT

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PDRC to protest at National Police Office



BANGKOK: -- The People’s Democratic Reform Council (PDRC) will protest at the National Police Office today over the delay of the investigation into the shootings at Ramkhamhaeng university that left four dead and more than 50 injured.

A PDRC leader Sathit Wongnongtoei said protesters will ask the police commissioner on the progress of the investigation into the clashes on November 30 and December 1 between red-shirt supporters of the government and the students as they thought the case has been ignored.

He said the protesters will also give morale boost to the Ramkhamhaeng university students who protested at the Hua Mark police station yesterday demanding for the revelation of the investigation and the hunting of the gunmen who they said are red-shirt government officials.

The rally at the National Police Office will be peaceful, Sathit assured.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pdrc-protest-national-police-office/


-- Thai PBS 2013-12-18

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Dems remain split over election boycott; bigwigs to decide Saturday
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Dec 18 - Thailand's main opposition Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Tuesday that the party remain undecided whether to field candidates in the Feb 2 general election or not but the party's newly-elected executive board will conclude the matter this Saturday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690039-dems-remain-split-over-thai-election-boycott;-bigwigs-to-decide-saturday/

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UPDATE:

Suthep announces mass rally on Sunday to pressure PM to resign
By Digital Content

BANGKOK, Dec 18 - Protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban on Tuesday night announced that the anti-government protesters would rally on Thursday and Friday before another mass demonstration on Sunday to pressure caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to resign.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/690006-bangkok-mass-anti-government-protest-on-sunday/page-2#entry7174507