Thailand Live Wednesday 8 Jan 2014

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Heckler Tells Abhisit To 'Respect My Vote'

By Khaosod English



BANGKOK: -- Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has been heckled by a man who told the former leader to respect his rights to vote.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694970-heckler-tells-abhisit-to-respect-my-vote/

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Pongsak: Bkk Shutdown Won't Cause Fuel Shortage
By Khaosod English


Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban greeting supporters during a 'warm-up' march before the planned "shutdown" of Bangkok, 7 January 2014

BANGKOK: -- Minister of Energy has assured the public that "shutdown" of Bangkok planned by anti-government protesters won′t cause fuel shortage in the capital city.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694976-pongsak-bangkok-shutdown-wont-cause-fuel-shortage/

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BANGKOK SHUTDOWN
Retailers gear for shutdown
Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation


A shopper buys up commodities at Big C Supercenter Rajdamri. Retailers are increasing their stocks to accommodate higher demand as consumers make sure their households are well supplied to survive the shut down

BANGKOK: -- Wholesalers and retailers have scrambled to adjust their inventory and logistics strategies to ensure that they have adequate supplies of consumer goods and foods and don't need to raise prices during the "Bangkok shutdown" planned by anti-government forces next Monday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694977-retailers-gear-for-bangkok-shutdown/

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PM dismisses coup plot with army
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Jan 8 - Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday dismissed a report that she has asked the army to carry out a coup d'etat to end the political crisis.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694978-pm-yingluck-dismisses-coup-plot-with-army/

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RICE SCHEME
EC left with rice woes
Nakharin Srilert,
Sayan Chucham
The Nation

Protesters from the anti-government People

Govt needs EC-approved loan to pay for latest crop; farmers rallying over delay in payments

BANGKOK: -- Problems related to the government's huge rice stockpile are now being left at the Election Commission (EC)'s doorstep.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694979-ec-left-with-thai-rice-woes/

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MASS RALLY
Schools urged to prepare for Bangkok shutdown
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Since 159 schools and colleges will reportedly be affected by the anti-government group's "shutdown" of the capital on Monday, Apichat Jeerawut, chief of the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec), yesterday called on primary and secondary educational zone 1 and 2 offices to implement impact-minimising measures.

The school directors, authorised to order school closures, should first explain to teachers, students and parents if a temporary closure is necessary, he said.

They should also ensure that students get enough assignments to keep up with their lessons and get compensating classes later to minimise the impact on their education, Apichat said. He has also called on offices and schools to work closely together and immediately report problems to Obec.


-- The Nation 2014-01-08

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CRIME
DNA confirms remains of another alleged Nui victim
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The DNA from a skeleton found at an uninhabited spot in Loei matched that of a missing 4-year-old girl, reportedly the victim of an alleged rapist and serial killer of children identified only as Nui, officials said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694980-murder-dna-confirms-remains-of-another-alleged-nui-victim/

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EDITORIAL
We need to rethink sex education
The Nation

Thailand has the second-highest teenage pregnancy rate in Asean; obsolete and hypocritical attitudes are to blame

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694981-we-need-to-rethink-sex-education-thai-editorial/

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STOPPAGE TIME
No winner as Bangkok heads for shutdown
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- Here's my belated Happy New Year to you all, but 2014 is picking up where 2013 left off. Which means, if you were able to celebrate the countdown at all, welcome straight back to the eternal political nightmare. And forget the usual "Fasten your seat-belts" cliche. Assume crash position, people.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694982-no-winner-as-bangkok-heads-for-shutdown/

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One killed and over 20 injured in a school bus accident

RAYONG: -- One student was killed and over 20 others were injured when a school bus crashed a road barrier and ploughed downhill into a roadside pineapple plantation in Rayong province Tuesday afternoon.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694984-one-killed-and-over-20-injured-in-thai-school-bus-accident/

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Drug suspect nabbed in Bangkok mall
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- A woman, believed to be a member of a drug ring, was caught with 29 kilograms of crystal meth worth Bt70 million at the Mall Bang Kapi department store, Metropolitan Police announced yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694986-drug-suspect-nabbed-with-29-kgs-of-ice-in-bangkok-mall/

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US Grants Bt34 Million Fund for Wat Chai's Restoration
Pakamas Jaichalard
The Nation


File Photo

BANGKOK: -- The United States provides Bt34 million totally to Ayutthaya's Wat Chai Watthanaram restoration project, said Fine Arts Department director-general Anek Sihamat yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694987-us-grants-bt34-million-fund-for-ayutthayas-wat-chai-restoration/

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NEW PANDA CUB?
Zoo doctors unsure about panda birth
Prapaporn Kreungew
The Nation


File Photo

CHIANG MAI: -- VETERINARIANS started to have doubts yesterday about whether Chiang Mai Zoo will welcome a second panda baby after Lin Hui began to appear anxious, had a rise in appetite and others signs that led them to question if she will really give birth.

Head veterinarian Boripat Siriaroonrat told a press conference that his team would perform another ultrasound and progesterone test to confirm her pregnancy later yesterday, while also checking her stress hormone level.

'Acting differently'

Since Lin Hui was acting differently than the team had expected, they could not be positive that she would give birth to a cub.

In cases abroad, sometimes a giant panda whose ultrasound test showed an embryo might not give birth and sometimes a giant panda with twin embryos might only have one cub.

There were many variations in Lin Hui's case, so her behaviour pattern didn't indicate a pregnancy failure. She was still lactating. "There is a 50:50 chance Lin Hui will give birth," he said.

The zoo last month reported that Lin Hui was expecting after undergoing a series of artificial inseminations in September and that a new media 'darling' was due this week, so the zoo put the mother on a close watch and prepared a delivery room and cub-care room.

-- The Nation 2014-01-08

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UPDATE:

Chinese hires rile Phuket tour guides
Salinee Prab
The Nation, Phuket

Scuffle erupts as chinesespeaking thais protest hiring of unlicensed foreigners

PHUKET: -- SOME 100 CHINESE-SPEAKING Thai tour guides rallied in downtown Phuket yesterday demanding a crackdown on unlicensed Chinese guides who are reportedly stealing their jobs.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694687-furious-tour-guides-rally-at-phuket-cop-shop-after-fight-over-jobs/page-2#entry7260711

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Debt Collector kidnap Vietnamese Flower Seller on Pattaya Beach

PATTAYA: -- In a case of mistaken identity, a group of debt collectors, working for a syndicate of illegal money lenders, kidnapped a Vietnamese Flower seller in the early hours of Wednesday, thinking he was one of a group of Cambodian Flower Sellers, who owe the lenders money.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694989-debt-collector-kidnap-vietnamese-flower-seller-on-pattaya-beach/

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Police raid Central Pattaya hotel and arrest 5 illegal foreign workers



PATTAYA: -- Five Laos Nationals were arrested and face deportation following a Police raid on a Central Pattaya Hotel on Tuesday afternoon.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694990-police-raid-central-pattaya-hotel-and-arrest-5-illegal-foreign-workers/

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DSI Eastern Branch raid three unlicensed Health and Beauty Shops in Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) Eastern Branch, in conjunction with the Ministry of Labor and Chonburi Health Department officials, conducted raids on three locations in Pattaya which were suspected of importing and distributing health and beauty products without the correct licenses.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/695001-dsi-eastern-branch-raid-three-unlicensed-health-and-beauty-shops-in-pattaya/

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BURNING ISSUE
No room for reason in a storm of whistles
Pravit Rojanaphruk

BANGKOK: -- Waving a gigantic Thai national flag, blowing whistles en masse and calling themselves "the great mass of the people" - this is how the anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) project themselves to the world.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/695004-no-room-for-reason-in-a-storm-of-whistles-thai-politics/

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PM survives charter-change probe; 308 to face charges
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was cleared yesterday by a national anti-graft body probe into her role in charter-amendment legislation that was ruled unconstitutional.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694881-yingluck-survives-naccs-investigation-over-senatorial-charter-amendment-bill/

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Corruption costs the country Bt300 bn every year, claims Abhisit
Hataikarn Treesuwan
The Nation


Suthep Thaugsuban, leader of the anti-government People

The Democrat Party yesterday unveiled its anti-corruption proposal as part of its national reform blueprint.

BANGKOK: -- Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said corruption is costing Thailand Bt300 billion per year, or 2 per cent of gross domestic product. With that amount of money, the country could build 30 Parliament Houses, 201 BTS stations, or 5,100 large secondary schools, he said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694970-heckler-tells-abhisit-to-respect-my-vote/#entry7260787

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Vessels trapped in Antarctic sea ice break free, head for open waters

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694991-vessels-trapped-in-antarctic-sea-ice-break-free-head-for-open-waters/

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Michael Schumacher's wife pleads for journalists to stay away

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/694992-michael-schumachers-wife-pleads-for-journalists-to-stay-away/

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Thailand on the brink
Mark Fenn


Protesters seize a bulldozer in an attempt to plow through police barricades outside Government House last month. (WNV/Mark Fenn)

Thailand is no stranger to political turmoil but the current unrest looks set to be a protracted and especially bitter affair, raising the very real possibility of civil war.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/695020-thailand-on-the-brink/

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,259.47, falls 2.89 points /MCOT

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Bangkok closes 146 schools in capital on January 13

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will close all its 146 schools in the capital on January 13, the day when the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDEC) announced to shut down Bangkok to pressure the resignation of the caretaker prime minister.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/695030-bangkok-closes-146-schools-in-capital-on-january-13/

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Chula Hospital will be operational during the shutdown

BANGKOK, 8 Jan 2014 (NNT) - Chulalongkorn Hospital has announced it will operate normally during the People’s Democratic Reform Committee’s planned shutdown of Bangkok on January 13th.

It said that from January 13th - 17th, its Out-Patient Department (OPD) would still open during the official working hour, ensuring the public that it would be able to provide services to its patients during the period.

The hospital stated those who cannot travel to the venue during the period mentioned can request for advance appointments with their doctors from now until Friday during its official working hour. The hospital reaffirmed it has prepared medical staff for the purpose while its emergency response team will also stand ready 24 hours a day as usual during the shutdown.

The hospital can be reached for more information at 02-256-5487 and 02-256-4409.


-- NNT 2014-01-08

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Foreign Ministry to brief envoys on ‘Bangkok shutdown’ today
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Jan 8 – Foreign diplomats in Thailand are scheduled to attend a briefing at the Foreign Ministry today on measures to cope with the expected anti-government protesters’ seizure of Bangkok on Monday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/695028-foreign-ministry-to-brief-envoys-on-bangkok-shutdown/

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DSI delays asking Court to issue arrest warrants for 33 protest leaders until tomorrow, needs time to prepare documents /MCOT

Caretaker PM chairs CAPO meeting to discuss response measures for protesters BKK shutdown Mon; Foreign Ministry briefs envoys /MCOT

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THAI to close its HQ on Jan 13

BANGKOK, 8 Jan 2014 (NNT) - Thai Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) has announced that it will close its headquarters on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road and main office on Chaeng Watthana Road on January 13th, the day the People’s Democratic Reform Committee plans a shutdown of Bangkok.

THAI Acting President Chokchai Panyayong made the announcement, adding that the company’s other offices in Lan Luang and Silom areas and the one on the 4th floor of Suvarnabhumi Airport will be operating as usual. He said that passengers who wish to reschedule their flights can do so without charges, citing the transaction can be done conveniently on its website or through its call center at 02-356-1111. Some of the employees are allowed to work from home, he added.

Furthermore, the Acting President stated the company has prepared living quarters and other facilities for its employees in case the shutdown prevent them from going home. The national carrier also arranged food supplies for its passengers as well as trucks for logistic purposes, he said, adding that THAI would also update the latest situation on the capital shutdown to other airports abroad.

-- NNT 2014-01-08

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Constitution Court opens first hearing of 2-trillion baht loan bill



BANGKOK: -- The Constitution Court today opened the first hearing of the 2-trillion baht loan bill to rule whether it is against the Constitution.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/695033-constitution-court-opens-first-hearing-of-2-trillion-baht-loan-bill/