Thailand Live Wednesday 12 Feb 2014

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Six couples tie knots underwater in Trang

TRANG, 12 February 2014 (NNT) – The prestigious underwater wedding ceremony of Trang province has been organized for 6 couples this year amid warm welcome by local residents.

A total of 6 couples joined in on the 18th Trang Underwater Wedding Ceremony, with one of the participants being Deputy Governor of Trang Sathorn Narawisut, who was named the honorary groom. Upon arrival in Sikao district, the lovers were warmly greeted by the locals before being sent off to Ko Kradan located in the Sea of Trang for the underwater matrimony.

The couples also took part in a diving activity, during which they had a chance to release fish and turtles and enjoy visits to various islands as well as the famous Emerald Cave. The ceremony was concluded with a grand celebration on the beach for the newly-weds.

Mr Salin Tothapthiang, President of the Trang Chamber of Commerce, stated that the underwater wedding event had been held in Trang on an annual basis and had been receiving overwhelming attention from brides- and grooms-to-be every year. As about 5,000 people came to witness the ceremony this year, the president said organizers were aiming to make it even bigger and better in the years to come.


-- NNT 2014-02-12

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Thailand to hold election re-runs in April

BANGKOK, February 12, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand will hold election re-runs in April in constituencies where voting was obstructed by opposition protesters earlier this month, poll officials announced on Tuesday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703838-thailand-to-hold-election-re-runs-in-april/

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Teens Should Spend Valentine In Temples: Official
By Khaosod English


Banner inviting teen couples to celebrate Valentine Day at Wat Samian Nari Temple

BANGKOK: -- A public health official has suggested that teenage couples should celebrate 2014 Valentine's Day in Buddhist temples to avoid unwanted pregnancy.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703839-teens-should-spend-valentine-in-temples-thai-official/

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Authorities urged to stringently prevent alcohol sales on Makha Bucha

BANGKOK, 12 February 2014 (NNT) – A network of anti-alcohol groups submitted a letter to the Department of Disease Control director-general on Tuesday to call on authorities to strictly enforce the ban on alcoholic beverage sales on Makha Bucha Day.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703840-authorities-urged-to-stringently-prevent-alcohol-sales-on-makha-bucha/

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SEARCH OF SONTHIYARN'S HOUSE
Sonthiyarn's family accuses police of ill-treatment
The Nation


Police search protest leader Sonthiyarn Chuenruethainaitham's house

BANGKOK: -- More than 50 police yesterday searched anti-government leader Sonthiyarn Chuenruethainaitham's house in Samphran in Nakhon Pathom.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703841-sonthiyarns-family-accuses-thai-police-of-ill-treatment/

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RICE-PLEDGING SCHEME
Farmers to sue govt for rice money
Petchanet Pratruangkrai,
Erich Parpart
The Nation

World Bank says pledging scheme poorly implemented, tainted by corruption

BANGKOK: -- Rice farmers will soon take the Yingluck Shinawatra government to court to seek compensation for their overdue payments under the rice-pledging scheme, in what could be the first case in Thai history of the government being sued by farmers.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703842-farmers-to-sue-thai-govt-for-rice-money/

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ANTI-GOVERNMENT CAMPAIGNS
DSI backs down on threat to reveal 'backers'
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) has stepped back from its threat to reveal the identity of people funding the anti-government protest - amid fears that the move may backfire.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703843-dsi-backs-down-on-threat-to-reveal-backers/

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SPECIAL REPORT
Police teams tracking top rally leaders
The Nation


Protesters place car tyres to block a section of Chaeng Wattana Road to prevent motorists from passing through the rally site.

BANGKOK: -- Police have assigned a four-man team to follow key leaders of the anti-government protest around the clock to provide updates on their whereabouts - so the team can be assembled in short notice to arrest them when a chance appears, a high-ranking police source has revealed.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703844-thai-police-teams-tracking-top-rally-leaders/

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POLITICS
Army calm about soldiers facing charges
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Army-police relations remain intact, despite the police having obtained arrest warrants for four soldiers following allegations they were part of a team that shot red-shirt leader Kwanchai Praipana (Sarakham) last month.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703845-thai-army-calm-about-soldiers-facing-charges/

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ORDINARY NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL TEST
Mathayom 6 students fare poorly in O-Net
Chuleeporn Aramnet
The Nation

O-Net got less than 50% in all subjects but one

BANGKOK: -- MATHAYOM 6 students' latest average scores in the Ordinary National Educational Test (O-Net) are lower than 50 per cent in six out of seven general education |subjects.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703846-mathayom-6-students-fare-poorly-in-o-net/

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PART 3
Reforms must cover media, land, education and separation of powers
Special to The Nation


An anti-government protester poses for pictures with a man carrying a doll with a picture of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the word tyrant attached to it during an anti-government march in downtown Bangkok on Monday.

BANGKOK: -- If Thailand is to compete with China and its rivals in Asia and elsewhere, fixing the corruption within our government system must be the priority.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703847-reforms-must-cover-media-land-education-and-separation-of-powers/

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EDITORIAL
Rice scheme's authors should be made to pay
The Nation

If politicians are called to account for policies that fail spectacularly, we might see fewer "populist" promises

BANGKOK: -- A political commentator on TV has suggested that the "owner" of the rice price-pledging scheme should be the one who repays the government's debt to the farmers. It was a half-joking dig at Thaksin Shinawatra, but perhaps it bears a nub worth serious consideration. Never in Thai history have politicians and decision-makers taken responsibility for damage caused by their failed policies.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703849-rice-schemes-authors-should-be-made-to-pay-thai-editorial/

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STOPPAGE TIME
What if the "majority" balks at 'democracy'?
Tulsathit Taptim
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The question remains strictly hypothetical at the moment, of course. We have perpetually lazy voters who don't care either way and who must have contributed to the low voter turn-out of the February 2 general election. Voting was incomplete in several constituencies and no results have been made official yet. But it's still a fair question, no matter how tricky it sounds.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703850-thai-opinion-what-if-the-majority-balks-at-democracy/

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DSI begin crackdown on illegal Russian Tour Guides in Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) Eastern Branch, have begun a crackdown on Thai Tour Companies who are accused of illegally employing Russian Tour Guides. It is also thought that many of the companies are allowed to operate in such a way without fear of prosecution by Police.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703851-dsi-begin-crackdown-on-illegal-russian-tour-guides-in-pattaya/

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Raided mountain ideal for insurgents
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- THAI AUTHORITIES have claimed their "most successful crackdown on an insurgent base in a decade" with their raid on Tawae mountain in Narathiwat on Sunday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703852-raided-mountain-in-narathiwat-ideal-for-insurgents/

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PDRC to hold mass rallies on Feb 14-16



BANGKOK: -- The People’s Democratic Reform Committee will hold mass rallies at the protest sites on February 14-16 to coincide with St Valentine’s day and Makha Bucha day.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703853-pdrc-to-hold-mass-rallies-in-bangkok-on-feb-14-16/

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State of emergency costing millions of baht a day in food, other expenses
The Nation

The budget for maintaining the state of emergency is running into the millions of baht per day.

BANGKOK: -- The food bill alone for providing meals catered by a five-star hotel to caretaker Cabinet members and administrators of the Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order range from Bt100,000-Bt500,000 per day.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703855-state-of-emergency-costing-millions-of-baht-a-day-in-food-other-expenses/

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BURNING ISSUE
Only an election, not secret deals, can bring peace
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Division and conflict in Thai society this time is too deep for the tradition of secret deals among the elite to mend. The elements of the conflict include social class, economic interest and political ideology.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703857-only-an-election-not-secret-deals-can-bring-peace-thai-politics/

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Seventh suicide attributed to lack of rice-pledging payments
Thanissara Chaowalitroj
The Nation

The government's rice-pledging scheme has driven seven farmers to suicide this year.

BANGKOK: -- The latest victim, Boonma Sa-thong-uan, hanged herself in Kamphaeng Phet yesterday morning. Recently, she had suffered severe stress over the fact that the scheme had not paid her family any money for months, despite taking her paddy last October.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703895-seventh-suicide-attributed-to-lack-of-rice-pledging-payments/

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Thai stock index opens on Wednesday at 1,299.58, gains 3.33 points /MCOT

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Thai rice woes rebound on crisis-hit government
by Aidan JONES

BANGKOK, February 12, 2014 (AFP) - Angry farmers, a rice mountain and a slew of corruption allegations -- a flagship policy that helped propel Thailand's premier to power now threatens to boomerang on her embattled government.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703926-thai-rice-woes-rebound-on-crisis-hit-government/

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Constitutional Court will announce today whether to accept request to rule on legality of February 2 general election /MCOT

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Rice not missing but sold cheaply to millers



BANGKOK: -- The 3,500 tons of sticky rice reportedly missing from the central warehouse in Udon Thani on the way to a Lopburi warehouse to make 5-kilo packed rice are not missing but sold cheaply to a rice miller.

Mystery surrounding the disappearance of the sticky rice was divulged after a specialist enquiry officer Pol Lt-Col Nawakit Nawakarnpanich at Udon Thani police station invited both Mr Yutthasart Sansuanchit, the Public Warehouse Organisation (PWO) branch coordinator in Udon Thani, and Mr Yutthasart Sansuanchit, owner and manager of Chokeworalak rice mill in Lopburi province, and also Miss Sophin Jirayuthpong, a coordinator of PWO branch in Lopburi for questioning after the PWO reported the missing of its 3,500 tons of sticky rice worth 86 million baht while being delivered to the Lopburi warehouse.

Investigation by the police revealed that the sticky rice was transported out of the PWO warehouse in Udon Thani between January 5-26 last year and the Chokeworalak rice mill had confirmed that it had received all the rice. But the rice miller said each truck that delivered the rice cargo to the mill did not show any rice “transfer” receipt and the truck driver just said the papers would arrive later.

The investigation specialist said that on June 21 last year, the PWO ordered the Udon Thani warehouse to pack the 3,500 tons of sticky rice into smaller 5-kilo packed rice at 22.575 baht per bag as packaging cost, and to contain 10 5-kilo packed rice into a bigger package for delivery to Jiameng Marketing Co Ltd. The PWO said the buyer had already paid for the packed rice.

However the PWO branch coordinator in Lopburi Miss Sophin said she did not realize of the delivery of rice to the miller in Lopburi until she received 105 transfer receipts on October 29 last year which she did not sign acknowledgement.

The specialist said that without her signature in the transfer receipts, there is no official guarantee that the delivered sticky rice is of highest grade sticky rice had arrived at the destination. The price of this rice shipment was assessed by the PWO at approximately 86 million baht while the market price of the rice is about 26-31 baht/kilo or a total of 91-108 million baht.

This rice shipment was sold to Jiameng Marketing by the PWO under the government’s cheap rice scheme to lower the people’s cost of living. Under the purchase contract between the PWO and Jiameng Marketing, the state warehouse operator would deliver 500,000 bags of 5-kilo packed rice to Jiameng at 56.60 baht/bag or a total of 32.8 million baht.

Such deal was tantamount to sell high grade rice to private miller at low cost, the specialist said.

The PWO has already transferred its coordinator in Udon Thani branch Mr Yutthasart Sansuanchit and Lopburi branch coordinator Miss Sophin Jirayuthpong to the PWO head-office in Bangkok and toreport the controversy to PWO officials next Monday.

Commenting on the immediate transfer, Mr Yutthasart said that it was the normal practice of the PWO in case of problem in which area, responsible official will be transferred to the central office immediately.

Meanwhile Udon Thani police chief Pol Col Kowit Charoenwatanasak said that the PWO just filed complaint about its missing rice but did not conduct its own investigation to find out the wrongdoers to bring criminal and civil charges against them.

Therefore it would be the duty of the police to gather evidence which might take time, he said but added that he learned that the PWO began to investigate the case by itself.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/rice-missing-sold-cheaply-millers/


-- Thai PBS 2014-02-12

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1 Million Baht Fire at Bed Production Factory in East Pattaya

PATTAYA: -- On Tuesday afternoon efforts to clear a field of dead grass by burning the remains led to a massive fire at a Bed Production Facility in East Pattaya. No injuries or deaths were reported but damage was estimated at 1 Million Baht.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703894-1-million-baht-fire-at-bed-production-factory-in-east-pattaya/

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Foreign Teachers for the Southern Provinces

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703927-foreign-teachers-for-the-southern-provinces/

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20 rescued as third dive boat sinks off Phuket

Claire Connell

Smiles of relief after the sun comes up over the crew and divers aboard the fishing boat that rescued them.

PHUKET: -- The Phuket News has learned that 15 French tourists were rescued after the dive boat they were on caught fire and sank around 60km southwest of Koh Lanta on February 1 – the third dive boat to sink in the past three weeks.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703929-20-rescued-as-third-dive-boat-sinks-off-phuket/

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Suthep raises over 24 million baht in two-day street march



BANGKOK: -- People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban revealed last night that his two-day street march has received over 24 million baht donations from the people of all walks of life.

He said he never expected that Bangkok people from all walks of life would show their deep care and sympathy on the poor farmers who will never speak of their plight unless they were extremely suffered and could no longer stand up with the injustice.

He said all the funds raised would be spent to help farmers fighting for justice in the court and get their money back from the cheated government of the caretaker prime minister.

He assured that all farmers would get their money back while the Lawyers Association of Thailand would provide more than 5,000 lawyers nationwide who are members of the association to help take notes of their complaints to file to the court.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/suthep-raises-24-million-baht-two-day-street-march/


-- Thai PBS 2014-02-12

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Caretaker FM Surapong disclosing today 136-name list of companies, individuals financially sponsoring anti-govt movement /MCOT

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Daily Weather Forecast For Thailand 12 February 2014

General Situation
The moderate high pressure still covers upper Thailand and the South China Sea with cool to cold in the morning.
The easterly wind remains over Thailand with the humidity from the South China Sea and the Gulf of the country. It expected to strengthen during 13-14 February. More rain will be likely over the Northeast, the East and the South. The stronger wind wave is forecast about 2 meters in the lower Gulf. All ships should proceed with caution.

Weather Forecast for Thailand from 6.00 p.m. Wednesday to 6.00 p.m. Thursday
Northern Thailand Fog in the morning and thick patches in some areas. Upper part: Cold, minimum temperature 12-14 degree Celsius. Lower part: Cool, minimum temperature 16-18 degree Celsius. Maximum temperature 30-35 degree Celsius. Cold to very cold on mountaintops. Minimum temperature 4-8 degree Celsius. Westerly winds 10-20 km/hr.

Northeastern Thailand Light fog in the morning and isolated shower. Cool, minimum temperature 17-21 degree Celsius. Maximum temperature 33-35 degree Celsius. Cold on mountaintops. Minimum temperature 8-12 degree Celsius. Easterly winds 10-30 km/hr.

Central Thailand Cool with fog in the morning and isolated shower. Minimum temperature 17-22 degree Celsius. Maximum temperature 34-36 degree Celsius. Cool to cold on mountainous areas. Minimum temperature 12-17 degree Celsius. Southerly winds 10-25 km/hr.

Eastern Thailand Partly cloudy with fog in the morning. Isolated light rain along the coast. Minimum temperature 19-24 degree Celsius Maximum temperature 32-35 degree Celsius. Cool to cold on mountainous areas. Minimum temperature 12-18 degree Celsius. Southeasterly winds 10-30 km/hr. Wave height below 1 meter.

Southern Thailand East Coast Partly cloudy with light fog in the morning and isolated light rain. Minimum temperature 19-23 degree Celsius. Maximum temperature 30-33 degree Celsius. Surat Thani Northward: Southeasterly winds 10-30 km/hr. Wave height below 1 meter. Nakhon Si Thammarat: Southward: Easterly winds 15-35 km/hr. Wave height 1-2 meters and about 2 meters offshore.

Southern Thailand West Coast Cool with light fog in the morning. Minimum temperature 21-23 degree Celsius. Maximum temperature 32-35 degree Celsius. Northwesterly winds 10-30 km/hr. Wave height below 1 meter.

Bangkok Metropolis and Vicinity Partly cloudy with a chance of light rain. Minimum temperature 20-24 degree Celsius. Maximum temperature 33-34 degree Celsius. Southeasterly winds 10-30 km/hr.


-- NNT 2014-02-12

weather forecasts for all Thailand provinces: http://weather.thaivisa.com

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Thailand hosting international military drill



PHITSANULOK, 12 February 2014 (NNT) – The annual multilateral military drill, Cobra Gold 2014, has kicked off in Phitsanulok Province, with the armed forces of Thailand, USA, and other nations participating.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703935-cobra-gold-2014-kicks-off-in-thailand/