Thailand Live Friday 28 Feb 2014

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YINGLUCK VS SUTHEP
Suthep calls for live TV talks with Yingluck
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has challenged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to one-on-one talks broadcast live on television in a bid to end the political deadlock.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707522-suthep-calls-for-live-tv-talks-with-yingluck/

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Noppadon calls on protesters to stop harassing Thaksin's family
The Nation


A video clip showing Thaksin Shinawatra

BANGKOK: -- Noppadon Pattama, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's legal adviser, yesterday called on protest leaders to stop harassing members of Thaksin's family.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707524-noppadon-calls-on-protesters-to-stop-harassing-thaksins-family/

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POLITICAL VIOLENCE
More patrols at rallies
The Nation

Prayuth orders increased scrutiny at protest sites to prevent grenade attacks

BANGKOK: -- Army commander in chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha has ordered soldiers to secure vantage positions around all anti-government rally stages to prevent grenade attacks, in the wake of increasing violence amid the political instability.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707525-prayuth-orders-increased-scrutiny-at-protest-sites-to-prevent-grenade-attacks/

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ACCIDENT
Reported death of 15-yr-old labourer to be investigated
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare will investigate reports that a 15-year-old was among 11 workers killed in Tuesday's building collapse in Samut Prakan.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707526-samut-prakan-building-collapse-reported-death-of-15-yr-old-labourer-to-be-investigated/

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DEMONSTRATION
Protest guards acting independently
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Military personnel are being paid as bodyguards to protect the anti-government movement's core leaders, but this is not armed forces policy, Internal Security Operations Command spokesman Col Banphot Poonpien said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707527-military-personnel-are-being-paid-as-bodyguards-isoc/

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ANTI-GOVERNMENT RALLY
CMPO to take protesters' case to charter court
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The caretaker government's command Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) will ask the Constitutional Court to rule on whether the ongoing anti-government activities are lawful and whether they should be allowed to continue if peace is to be maintained.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707528-cmpo-to-take-protesters-case-to-charter-court/

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SHINAWATRA-LINKED
'Shinawatra-linked' share prices take a hit
Somluck Srimalee
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Market capitalisation of stocks allegedly linked to the Shinawatra family dropped by Bt56.81 billion in 10 days after being targeted by the anti-government campaign led by the People's Democratic Reform Committee.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707529-shinawatra-linked-share-prices-take-a-hit/

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G2G
Govt eyes income from 1m-tonne G2G China rice sale
Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The caretaker government has high hopes of bringing in some funding from the sale of 1 million tonnes of rice from the state stockpile via a government-to-government deal to pay what it owes farmers under the pledging programme.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707530-thai-govt-eyes-income-from-1m-tonne-g2g-china-rice-sale/

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EDITORIAL
Buildings built on graveyards
The Nation

Frequent and often deadly accidents that befall workers on Thai construction sites demonstrate the urgent need for tighter safety laws

BANGKOK: -- Ten workers were killed and 16 others injured on Tuesday in Samut Prakan's Bang Phli district when a concrete structure at a construction site collapsed.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707531-thai-editorial-buildings-built-on-graveyards/

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Can the protests fix Thailand's inequality?
Tan Hui Yee
The Straits Times
Asia News Network

The events unfolding in Bangkok have all the elements of a slow-motion finale to Thailand's political drama: The civil court has banned the caretaker government from dispersing street protesters who have been targeted by armed men.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707532-can-the-protests-fix-thailands-inequality/

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Deep South talks: a fresh attempt to revive the corpse
Don Pathan
Special to The Nation


This picture taken on September 19, 2013 shows a Thai soldier keeping guard at a market in Narathiwat, capital of one of three Muslim-majority provinces in the grip of a bloody decade-long insurgency that has claimed over 5,900 lives in the deep Thai south

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707534-deep-south-talks-a-fresh-attempt-to-revive-the-corpse/

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Surapong challenges Suthep to debate with Chalerm or Jatuporn



BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul has accused protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban of not being sincere in challenging caretaker prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra to appear before the nation-wide TV for a one-to-one talk in order to find a solution to the ongoing political conflict.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707535-surapong-challenges-suthep-to-debate-with-chalerm-or-jatuporn/

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Charupong disagrees with a foreign mediator



BANGKOK: -- Caretaker Interior Minister Charupong Ruangsuwan said Thursday that he disagreed with a suggestion that UN secretary-general be invited to mediate the ongoing political conflict.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707536-charupong-disagrees-with-a-foreign-mediator/

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Central bank says bounced checks jump not a worry yet



BANGKOK: -- The Bank of Thailand (BoT) reported a total of 76,600 bounced checks in January, with the total value of over 12 billion baht.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707538-bank-of-thailand-says-bounced-checks-jump-not-a-worry-yet/

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Chalerm moves to new office for safety reason after grenade attack



BANGKOK: -- Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order (CMPO) director Chalerm Yubamrung has decided to move to a new office following an M79 grenade attack Wednesday night which he suspected was targeted against his office.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707539-chalerm-moves-to-new-office-for-safety-reason-after-grenade-attack/

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Red shirts target EC for shutdown next Monday



BANGKOK: -- The Nonthaburi-based red-shirt followers have vowed to shut down all independent organizations with a plan to close down the office of the Election Commission next Monday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707540-red-shirts-target-ec-for-shutdown-next-monday/

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Phuket vehicle rental operators warned of passport scam
Phuket Gazette


Police have warned rental operators not to accept copies of third party passports. Photo: Gazette File

PHUKET: -- Patong Police warned vehicle operators in Phuket to carefully scrutinize renters’ passports following a report from Samui that a rented bike had been stolen.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707542-phuket-vehicle-rental-operators-warned-of-passport-scam/

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Police officers sentenced
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court yesterday sentenced a former Border Patrol Police officer to seven years in jail and each of his four police subordinates to five years for abuse of authority and assault.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707543-thai-police-officers-sentenced-for-abuse-of-authority-and-assault/

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Political dialogue will take a lot longer than expected, foreign experts say
Pravit Rojanaphruk
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Dialogue is the only way forward if Thailand is to avoid descending into civil war, foreign conflict-resolution experts have said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707545-political-dialogue-will-take-a-lot-longer-than-expected-foreign-experts-say/

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BURNING ISSUE
Lacking sincerity, the two sides are engaged in a race to the bottom
Samudcha Hoonsara
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand, especially Bangkok, is taking on the appearance of a battlefield. Bunkers of protesters and troops as well as police checkpoints have been put up at several intersections, at key government offices and organisations, and outside private firms.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707546-lacking-sincerity-the-two-sides-are-engaged-in-a-race-to-the-bottom-thai-politics/

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Three Rented Rooms Burglarized at South Pattaya Villa Complex



PATTAYA: -- In the early hours of Thursday Police were called to a Villa Complex in South Pattaya to investigate reports of multiple break-ins at the location.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707547-three-rented-rooms-burglarized-at-south-pattaya-villa-complex/

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14 killed, 40 hurt in Prachin Buri bus-truck crash


Twitter photo: @Huk_31_Korat

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707553-14-killed-40-hurt-in-prachin-buri-bus-truck-crash/

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TAT unveils new campaign to boost medical tourism

BANGKOK, 28 February 2014 (NNT) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has introduced the “Thailand Extreme Makeover” campaign, aiming to attract more medical tourists from around the globe via the internet.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707564-tat-unveils-new-thailand-extreme-makeover-campaign-to-boost-medical-tourism/

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Bomb thrown at Pojaman whistle- blowers’ house



BANGKOK: -- A pipe bomb was thrown into the house of a former MP of the Democratic party but did not explode.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707565-bomb-thrown-at-pojaman-whistle-blowers-house/

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Shell station hit by M79 grenade



BANGKOK: -- Perpetrator fired a M79 grenade into the anti-government protest site on Chaengwattana road last night but missed. The grenade landed at a Shell petroleum station and exploded.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707566-bangkok-shell-petroleum-station-hit-by-m79-grenade/

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15 dead in Thai school bus crash

BANGKOK, February 28, 2014 (AFP) - At least 15 people, including 13 children, were killed when a bus carrying students on a trip to the seaside collided with a lorry in eastern Thailand Friday, police said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707553-14-killed-40-hurt-in-prachin-buri-bus-truck-crash/page-2#entry7501525

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Thai stock index opens on Friday at 1,315.64, falls 2.41 points /MCOT

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Bomb disposal unit defuses bomb in front of Nonthaburi waterworks office near pro-govt group who sealed off NACC /MCOT

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UPDATE:

14 killed and 40 others wounded in car accident in Prachin Buri

PRACHIN BURI: -- At least 14 people were killed and 40 others injured when their coach slammed into a 18-wheel truck in Prachin Buri’s Nadee district at about 4.30am.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707553-14-killed-40-hurt-in-prachin-buri-bus-truck-crash/page-2#entry7501599

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UPDATE:

Pattaya-bound school field trip bus accidents leaves 15 dead, 40 injured
By Digital Content



BANGKOK: -- Fifteen persons were killed and 40 others were injured when a chartered bus packed with students and teachers on a school field trip hit a pickup truck and veered into the past of an 18-wheel truck in the eastern province of Prachin Buri before plunging off the road on a steep hillside.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/707553-14-killed-40-hurt-in-prachin-buri-bus-truck-crash/page-3#entry7501624