Thailand Live Saturday 8 Mar 2014

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UPDATE:

Mongkutwattana hospital attack strongly condemned
By Digital Content



NONTHABURI, March 8--- Maj Gen Dr Rienthong Nanna, director of Mongkutwattana General Hospital, condemned last night’s shooting attack at the hospital on Chaeng Wattana Road.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709382-hospital-in-bangkok-under-gun-attack/page-2?p=7536532#entry7536532

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Murder investigation launched after discovery of body in Phuket drainpipe
Phuket Gazette

The body was discovered in a drainage pipe in Paklok. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: -- Police launched a murder investigation after the decomposed body of a woman was found yesterday by a medical worker who stopped by the side of the road to urinate.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709431-murder-investigation-launched-after-discovery-of-body-in-phuket-drainpipe/

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Phuket expat volunteers back to work after successful negotiations
Anthika Muangrod

PHUKET: -- Phuket’s expat volunteers, who went on strike last week after allegations that some police officers were using the volunteers to extort money from tourists, are now back at work following a successful meeting yesterday (March 7).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709432-phuket-expat-volunteers-back-to-work-after-successful-negotiations-with-police/

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RT @MCOT_Eng: 6 suspected drug smugglers killed in gun battle with police in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai; 840,000 meth pills, number of firearms seized

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PM, military leaders discuss army reshuffle



BANGKOK, 8 March 2014 (NNT) – Prime Minister and Defense Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has met with military top brass to discuss military reshuffling. It has been confirmed that the government did not meddle in the list.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709435-pm-yingluck-military-leaders-discuss-army-reshuffle/

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UPDATE:

Lost Malaysia Airlines plane had clocked up 20,000 hours' flying time
The San Francisco crash landing of South Korean airline last July was the first fatal accident in the Boeing 777 19-year history
Danny Lee, Lana Lam and Agencies

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709351-contact-lost-with-malaysia-airlines-plane-with-239-people-on-board/page-5?p=7536687#entry7536687

[Lite Beer]

Senator to petition court for PM’s removal over Tawin’s transfer

BANGKOK, 8 March 2014 (NNT) – An appointed senator is planning to file a motion with the Constitutional Court, seeking to unseat the Prime Minister for the unfair transfer of former Secretary-General of the National Security Council (NSC) Tawin Pleansri.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709438-senator-to-petition-court-for-pms-removal-over-tawins-transfer/

[Lite Beer]

RT@Juarawee: RT @news1005fm: EC’s Somchai believe Thailand will have new govt by May, as he expected across-nation elections would be completed in Apr.

[Lite Beer]

January insurance premium jumps 13.78%

BANGKOK, 8 Mar 2014, (NNT) The Thai Life Assurance Association (TLAA) has revealed that premium for life insurance policies in January was valued at 37.5 billion baht, a 13.78% growth year-on-year.

According to the company, out of the 37.5 billion baht worth of premium, 11.4 billion baht was from new clients and the remaining 26.4 billion baht was from the existing life insurance policy owners, pointing out that January maintenance ratio was at the decent level of 89%.

The TLAA’s analysis indicates that clients have increasingly recognized the importance of having life insurance coverage; in the meantime, insurance companies have stepped up their efforts to attract clients by offering various competitive deals and packages, which have positive results in terms of both the customer and the sector’s growth.

-- NNT 2014-03-08

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Missing Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 triggers Southeast Asia search

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709464-missing-malaysia-airlines-jet-carrying-239-triggers-southeast-asia-search/

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Six armed drug traffickers killed in clash



CHIANG RAI: -- A combined force of border, provincial police and soldiers clashed with armed drug caravan near the Burmese border in Mae Sai district of Chiang Rai province before dawn Saturday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709466-six-armed-drug-traffickers-killed-in-clash-in-thailand/

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UPDATE:

Malaysia says pressing Vietnam for details on missing plane

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709464-missing-malaysia-airlines-jet-carrying-239-triggers-southeast-asia-search/?p=7537124#entry7537124

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Tears and fury as relatives wait for news of airliner

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709464-missing-malaysia-airlines-jet-carrying-239-triggers-southeast-asia-search/?p=7537160#entry7537160

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RT@SkyNewsBreak: Vietnam Air Force planes have spotted two oil slicks suspected to be from missing Malaysia Airlines plane

[Lite Beer]

UPDATE:

Vietnam says planes seeking Malaysia jet spot oil slick

HANOI, March 8, 2014 (AFP) - Vietnam said Saturday rescue planes searching for a missing Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 passengers spotted two large oil slicks in the sea and it is sending boats to the area.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709464-missing-malaysia-airlines-jet-carrying-239-triggers-southeast-asia-search/page-4?p=7538080#entry7538080

[george]

Stolen Italian, Austrian passports on missing Malaysian airlines plane

MILAN: -- Foreign ministry officials in Rome and Vienna confirm that names of two nationals listed on the manifest of the missing Malaysian airlines flight match passports reported stolen in Thailand.

Italy's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that an Italian man whose name was listed as being aboard is travelling in Thailand and was not aboard the plane.

A foreign ministry functionary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Italian reports that Luigi Maraldi had reported his passport stolen last August.

Italian news agency ANSA says Maraldi called home after hearing reports that an Italian with his name was aboard the plane.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Weiss confirmed that a name listed on the manifest matches an Austrian passport reported stolen two years ago in Thailand. Weiss would not confirm the identity.

Source: AP 2014-03-08

[george]

Search called off for missing Boeing 777 as it is emerges that two people on board were using STOLEN PASSPORTS

- Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.21am

- Vietnamese Navy detected emergency signal 153 miles out to sea

- Flight MH370 declared missing nearly 90 minutes after it was due to land

- Malaysian Transport Minister said 'no crash site has been found'

- 227 passengers and 12 crew were from 14 different countries including Malaysia, China, U.S., France, Canada, and Australia

- Three Americans, including a baby, feared dead

- Two passengers believed to have been travelling on a stolen passports

- Aviation expert Chris Yates said the aircraft will not have been carrying enough fuel to still be flying and 'will have crashed'

- He said the investigation will look at two areas, the maintenance of the aircraft and possible terrorism

- Vietnamese air force spot two oil slicks suspected to be from the wreckage

An air search for the Malaysian Airlines plane that vanished off the coast of Vietnam has been called off until daylight as it emerged two passengers were travelling using stolen passports.

Two oil slicks were spotted by the Vietnamese air force earlier today, as the major search and rescue operation was launched when Flight MH307 disappeared shortly after losing contact with air traffic controllers.

The Boeing 777, with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.21am (4.21pm GMT) bound for Beijing, where it was expected to land at 6.30am (10.30pm GMT). Among them were three Americans, including a baby.

But after reaching 35,000ft and 120 nautical miles off the coast of the Malaysian town of Kota Bharu the plane vanished, prompting fears the aircraft 'could have crashed'.

As Malaysian Airlines released a full list of the passengers on board - including five children aged two to four years old - it emerged two passengers were travelling on stolen passports.

Foreign ministry officials in Rome and Vienna have confirmed that names of two nationals listed on the manifest of the missing Malaysian airlines flight match passports reported stolen in Thailand.

Italy's Foreign Ministry said that an Italian man whose name was listed as being aboard is traveling in Thailand and was not aboard the plane.

A foreign ministry functionary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Italian reports that Luigi Maraldi had reported his passport stolen last August.

Italian news agency ANSA says Maraldi called home after hearing reports that an Italian with his name was aboard the plane.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Weiss confirmed that a name listed on the manifest matches an Austrian passport reported stolen two years ago in Thailand. Weiss would not confirm the identity.

As the air search is abandoned over night aviation expert Chris Yates said the plane would not be carrying enough fuel to still be in the air and would 'definitely have crashed'.

He told Sky News: 'Frankly the plane would not have been carrying enough fuel to stay aloft much longer than an hour after it was due to arrive in Beijing.

'We simply don't know the circumstances behind what caused that crash at the moment.

'There will be two areas for the investigation: the maintenance of the aircraft and also possible terrorism.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2576087/Malaysia-Airlines-says-plane-missing.html

[george]

Stolen Passports Prompt Terror Concerns in Missing Jet, Officials Say

U.S. officials told NBC News on Saturday they are investigating terrorism concerns after two people listed as passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet turned out not to be on the plane and had reported their passports stolen.

We are aware of the reporting on the two stolen passports, one senior official said. We have not determined a nexus to terrorism yet, although its still very early, and that's by no means definitive.

U.S. officials said they were checking into passenger manifests and going back through intelligence.

Luigi Maraldi, 37, was the only Italian on a passenger manifest released by the airline after the jet disappeared over the South China Sea.

But his father, Walter Maraldi, told NBC News from Cesena, Italy: Luigi called us early this morning to reassure us he was fine, but we didnt know about the accident. Thank God he heard about it before us.

Luigi Maraldi was on vacation in Thailand, the father said. He said that Luigi Maraldis passport was stolen one year ago.

The foreign ministry of Austria confirmed to NBC News that police had made contact with a citizen who was also on the passenger list, and who reported his passport stolen two years ago while traveling in Asia.

-- NBC News 2014-03-08

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to continue:

Thailand Live Sunday 9 Mar 2014

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/709583-thailand-live-sunday-9-mar-2014/