Thailand Live Wednesday 18 Jun 2014

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MOT set to use 141 billion baht from fiscal 2015 budget to improve rural roads

BANGKOK, 18 June 2014 (NNT) – The Ministry of Transport has earmarked 141 billion baht from the fiscal 2015 budget for the development of rural area infrastructures, in order to heed the National Council for Peace and Order's strategy to accommodate agriculture and tourism.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735413-thai-mot-set-to-use-141-billion-baht-from-fiscal-2015-budget-to-improve-rural-roads/

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Senior British monk detained in Myanmar monastery row: diplomat

YANGON, June 18, 2014 (AFP) - A senior British monk is being held in a notorious Myanmar prison, British diplomats confirmed Tuesday, one of a host of Buddhist clerics rounded up during a recent police raid on a monastery.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735415-senior-british-monk-detained-in-myanmar-monastery-row-diplomat/

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Army chief invites defence attaches from 22 countries in Thailand for briefing on administrative plan, NCPO roadmap to return to democracy /MCOT

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DIT to keep close watch on commodity prices



BANGKOK, 18 June 2014, (NNT) - The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) is closely monitoring the prices of commodity to make sure that they do not go beyond the set ceiling prices.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735417-thailands-dit-to-keep-close-watch-on-commodity-prices/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

'Jesus' saves as Mexico hold Brazil

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735379-jesus-saves-as-mexico-hold-brazil/

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K-Research to revise up GDP projection



BANGKOK, 18 June 2014, (NNT) - Kasikorn Research Center has said the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s economic stimulus plan will significantly improve the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as well as the performance in the credit market.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735418-k-research-to-revise-up-thai-gdp-projection/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Suarez has 'barbarian' desire to beat England

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735337-suarez-has-barbarian-desire-to-beat-england/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

German win out of this world for astronaut

NASA VIDEO / AFP

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735336-german-win-out-of-this-world-for-astronaut/

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Bangkok Bank shares its view on NCPO's policies and implements measures to help out SMEs

BANGKOK, 18 June 2014 (NNT) - Kosit Panpiemras, Executive Chairman of the Bangkok Bank, has revealed that Thailand’s improved political atmosphere has drawn a number of investors and tourists to regain their confidence in the country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735424-bangkok-bank-shares-its-view-on-ncpos-policies-and-implements-measures-to-help-out-smes/

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NCPO would like to see state lottery at Bt40 each, or Bt80 a pair prices instead of current Bt100-110 a pair price /The Nation

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RT @Biz_TheNation: Boi Board meets today at 1.30 pm at Army's Club. Press coverage is not allowed. Releases will be issued afterwards.

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Yala officials on high alert against attacks on power sources

YALA, 18 June 2014 (NNT) - Yala authorities are beefing up security near power lines in the province amid fears that insurgent attacks may cause blackouts.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735427-yala-officials-on-high-alert-against-attacks-on-power-sources/

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Phuket’s Surin Beach 'may be stripped of all businesses'
Anthika Muangrod


The area on the right of the picture has been vacated. Now the question is, will the buildings on the left also have to go?

PHUKET: -- Over the past week business owners have been ripping out structures illegally occupying public land on the west side of the walkway at Surin Beach - the side next to the beach.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735430-phukets-surin-beach-may-be-stripped-of-all-businesses/

Full story:

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Ayuthaya authorities seized war weapons

AYUTHAYA, 18 June 2014 (NNT) -- Authorities seized an M79 launcher and dozens of grenades in a raid on Tuesday evening.

The grenade launcher and ammunition were found in a house in Ayuthaya's Wangnoi district during the joint operation between local police and military officers, following the order of the National Council for Peace and Order on the crackdown on war weapons.

According to police, the launcher is being examined whether it has been used in the spate of attacks in Bangkok during political confrontation, in which more than 20 protesters and passersby were killed and 700 others injured during the rallies of both the anti-government protesters and the Pheu Thai supporters, which had been ongoing for six months before the military took over.


-- NNT 2014-06-18

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Wannabe cop arrested for wearing uniform to pick up girls
By Coconuts Bangkok


BANGKOK: -- A Bangkok car salesman who secretly role-played as a police officer finally got busted after making a real-life cop friend.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735457-wannabe-cop-arrested-for-wearing-uniform-to-pick-up-girls-bangkok/

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First execution carried out in US since botched lethal injection

GEORGIA: -- The United States on Tuesday carried out its first execution since a botched lethal injection in Oklahoma in April, after last minute appeals were denied.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735458-first-execution-carried-out-in-us-since-botched-lethal-injection/

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Cambodia slams Thailand over post-coup worker exodus
Suy SE
POIPET, Cambodia

BANGKOK: -- Cambodia has accused Thailand's new military rulers of fomenting an exodus of migrant workers which it claimed had caused at least eight deaths and economic hardship for both countries.

Some 188,000 Cambodians -- who help keep major Thai industries afloat but often lack official work permits -- have streamed across the border since the junta warned last week that illegal foreign workers face arrest and deportation.

At a meeting in Bangkok Tuesday, Cambodia’s ambassador and Thailand’s top foreign ministry bureaucrat agreed to quash "rumours" of a crackdown and to set up a hotline on labour issues.

Ambassador Eat Sophea also dismissed rumours of the shooting and abuse of Cambodian migrants by Thai authorities -- among the factors believed to be triggering the mass departures.

The junta which took power last month has insisted there is no crackdown and tried to calm the panic that has seen the exodus of what could be, by some estimates, the entire undocumented Cambodian population in Thailand.

But if the meeting was intended to mend fences between the two governments, Cambodian Interior Minister Sar Kheng was in more combative mood as he later placed blame for the crisis squarely at Bangkok’s door.

"After the military coup in Thailand, the Thai military leaders sent illegal Cambodian migrant workers in a rush without informing and discussing with Cambodia," he said in Phnom Penh, adding that eight people had been killed in traffic accidents linked to the exodus.

"I think that the current leaders of Thai junta must be held accountable for what has happened."

Sar Kheng, who is also deputy prime minister, said Cambodian migrants had helped boost the Thai economy, which is the second-largest in Southeast Asia and draws large numbers of migrants from its neighbours.

"So when they deported them, there will be a problem," he said, adding: "According to my informal information, (Thai) employers have started to protest against the issue."

- ’We did not feel safe’ -

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At the main border crossing in Poipet -- a bustling town home to several large businesses, casinos and hotels -- around 9,000 Cambodian migrants arrived in Thai military trucks and police cars on Tuesday.

The total number of Cambodians returning from Thailand via Poipet and smaller border crossings has now reached 188,000, said Kor Sam Saroeut, governor of Cambodia’s northwestern province of Banteay Meanchey where the main checkpoint is based.

Bun Veasna -- who was employed as a construction and seafood worker in Chonburi province southeast of Bangkok -- was escorted into Poipet by Thai police along with his brother on Tuesday.

"All the Cambodians in my area have returned home. We were scared of being arrested and jailed or killed there. We did not feel safe," the 32-year-old said.

Thailand’s military regime has strongly denied it has been forcing Cambodian labourers out of the country and dismissed reports of killings as "groundless".

Since last Wednesday’s threat to arrest and deport all illegal foreign workers, the Thai foreign ministry has stressed the "great importance" of the role that migrant workers play in the economy.

In the past Thai authorities have turned a blind eye to illegal labourers drawn from countries including Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos because they were needed when the economy was booming.

But now the country is on the verge of recession after the economy contracted 2.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter in the first three months of 2014.

The coup in Thailand on May 22 followed years of political divisions between a military-backed royalist establishment and the family of fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin was a close ally of Cambodian premier Hun Sen and this may help to explain the exodus of Cambodians, migration policy expert Andy Hall commented.

"I suspect that the Cambodian mass returns compared to Myanmar workers’ minimal returns so far reflects the more sensitive political relationship between Thailand and Cambodia," he said.


-- The Nation 2014-06-18

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Military-grade weapons found inside a luxury mansion in Ayutthaya Province

AYUTTHAYA, 18 June 2014 (NNT) - Ayutthaya Provincial Police along with Army officers have found an M-79 grenade launcher, 75 rounds of ammunition, and a sack filled with road spikes during their raid on a luxury mansion in Wang Noi District of the province.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735463-military-grade-weapons-found-inside-a-luxury-mansion-in-ayutthaya-province/

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NCPO gives clarifications to foreign military attaches

BANGKOK, 18 June 2014 (NNT) – The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has invited foreign defense attaches to a meeting to elucidate the Thai military’s stance in administering the country following the coup.

A total of 22 defense attaches from 18 countries today convened with the NCPO spokespersons’ team to be briefed on the administrative policy of the NCPO. Col Weerachon Sukondhapatipak said the meeting was mainly targeted to establish an understanding of the NCPO’s operation after the military takeover in May and to display the council’s sincerity and commitment to its duty to move the country forward.

Col Weerachon also assured the attendants that Thailand’s relations with foreign partners would remain its top priority. He expressed high hopes that following the clarifications, the diplomats would relay the information to their respective governments which would, in turn, help paint a clear picture of the Thai political situation.

In regard to the attempt to seek the extradition of Ms Chatwadee Rose Amornpat, a lese majeste suspect residing in England, Col Weerachon affirmed that the matter was a responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was not discussed in the meeting.


-- NNT 2014-06-18

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Missing British Children In Thailand

Posted on June 18, 2014
by Staff Reporter

PATTAYA: -- An arrest warrant has been issued in Pattaya for Onwarat Gamlem (formerly known as Wiganda Day and Onwarat Suphikunphong) on suspicion of abducting her young British/Thai children, Annie and Aleena Day in Pattaya.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735483-missing-british-children-in-thailand/

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Ko Samet Island tourism, business operators affected by exodus of Cambodian workers



RAYONG, June 18 -- The exodus of Cambodian workers has deeply affected business on Ko Samet Island, a renowned tourist destination in Thailand’s eastern resort province of Rayong, according to the provincial chamber of commerce.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735485-ko-samet-island-tourism-business-operators-affected-by-exodus-of-cambodian-workers/

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EGAT confirms normal power consumption with no blackout on the 5th day of JDA closure

BANGKOK, 18 June 2014 (NNT) - The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has confirmed that electricity generation in the South remained normal with no blackouts yesterday.

The EGAT said that the power supply in the South was normal yesterday despite entering the fifth day of a 28-day closure of a power plant, normally powered by natural gas from the Malaysia-Thailand Joint Development Area (JDA- A18). The closure during maintenance is from June 13 - July 10. The power consumption in the region peaked at 2,286.03 megawatts at 7.42 p.m. which is higher than previously. The power plants in the South can supply only up to 2,300 megawatts without disruption.

In addition, the EGAT has set up a facilitation center to monitor the risk of blackouts in the region around the clock. The public in the 14 Southern provinces was asked to reduce electricity consumption between 6.30 - 10.30 p.m. to avoid blackouts.


-- NNT 2014-06-18

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NCPO summons 33 more persons

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order Wednesday night ordered 33 more persons to turn themselves in at the Army auditorium in Bangkok's Thewes district on Wednesday morning.

The included key figures and former MPs of the Pheu Thai Party, members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, and businesspersons who supported them.


-- The Nation 2014-06-18

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Bank of Thailand's Monetary Policy Committee votes unanimously to maintain policy interest rate at 2pct per annum /MCOT

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Thai police launch operation to uproot environmental crime gangs
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, June 18 -- The Royal Thai Police has begun an operation to crack down on environmental crime, including illegal logging and wildlife trafficking.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735511-thai-police-launch-operation-to-uproot-environmental-crime-gangs/

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Parties in all-out effort create understanding over alien worker issues
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, June 18 -- Many parties are making every effort to build understanding with employers and foreign workers about labour regulation in a bid to dismiss the rumour and the workers' misunderstanding that Thailand is about to eject them.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735514-parties-in-all-out-effort-create-understanding-over-alien-worker-issues-thailand/

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AFTER COUP
Military junta briefs foreign military attaches on its reform plans

BANGKOK: -- The junta on Wednesday provided foreign military attaches with an update on political developments and its plans to restore confidence following the power seizure in May.

Military attaches from 18 countries - Australia, Canada, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Vietnam and South Korea - attended the briefing. Representatives from Cambodia, Laos, Spain and Kuwait, informed the junta that they were unable to attend.

The attaches met with the junta's spokesperson team led by Deputy spokesman Weerachon Sukondhapatipak. He told reporters after the meeting that the discussions aimed to establish an understanding of the junta's operations after the military take over.

The junta wished to display its sincerity and its commitment to moving the country forward, he said.

"We wish to assure the foreign military attaches that Thailand's relations with foreign partners remains a top priority," he said.

He is optimistic that they will relay the information to their respective governments and that this will help paint a clear and real picture of the Thai political situation.

The junta is expected to hold weekly briefings for the military attaches if any misunderstandings arise about the country's political situation.

The military was forced to seize control in order to end the longstanding problems and to prevent further violence claiming Thai lives. Weerachon said that the Thai public has been closely monitoring the junta's actions since the coup and has placed their hopes in the military body. All decisions will thus be implemented with due care.

The junta has already eased many of the initial measures including the lifting of the curfew nationwide as the political situation has improved and gradually returns to normal.

"We asked our foreign friends to be patient and give us time to solve the country's problems," he said.

During the meeting, Indonesia's military attache asked about the junta's plan for the general election while those from European countries continued to expression concern at the situation.

Gen Prayuth had told the team that he did not want to see arguments with countries that have a strong position against the junta. "It would not be normal for them to welcome the power seizure. All we can do is explain to them," he said.

The representative from Germany asked about last month's visit to China by acting defence permanent secretary Gen Surasak Kanchanarat, explaining that his country placed importance on the Thai military's position towards China.

"We informed him that the visit was scheduled in advance and China has not had responded to the situation in Thailand. China informed us that the mutual agreements with the Thai military remain the same," the spokesman said.

Japan's representative wanted information about communications and cooperation after the coup.


-- The Nation 2014-06-18

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AMLO asks banks to investigate 1,100 accounts

BANGKOK: -- The Anti-Money Laundering Office has asked banks to check 1,100 accounts whose transactions were suspected of involving drug trafficking and gambling.

AMLO secretary general Sihanart Prayoonrat said 1,000 accounts were suspected of getting involved in drug money transactions and 100 others in gambling money transactions.

The accounts were picked based on information from the drug database of the Office of Narcotics Control Board and the Narcotics Suppression Bureau, Sihanart said.


-- The Nation 2014-06-18

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Prominent anti-coup academic detained, charged
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, June 18 -- The military has detained and charged academic Worajet Pakeerat for defying an order of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) while some key figures including former MPs of the Pheu Thai Party and some red shirt leaders have reported to the council as ordered.

Following his arrest by soldiers, Mr Worajet, a Thammasat University law lecturer and a prominent scholar, was charged at the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) with defying an NCPO order for him to report as ordered.

Mr Worajet refused to talk to reporters while beng brought to an interrogation room.

Deputy CSD commander Pol Col Prasobchoke Prommoon said the authorities would bring Mr Worajet to a court-martial in Bangkok today seeking to detain him.

Mr Worajet's lawyer said he would seek the temporary release of his client on bail of Bt20,000.

The lawyer said Mr Worajet had not intended to defy the NCPO order as his wife had sought a postmonement of his surrender due to his illness.

Last night the NCPO ordered 33 more persons to turn themselves in at the Army auditorium in Bangkok's Thewes area, this morning.

Key figures and former MPs of the Pheu Thai Party, members of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, and businesspersons who supported them appeared at the auditorium this morning as ordered.

The NCPO earlier announced that it would create understanding with the people it called in. Those who cooperate, the Peace and Order Council said, would be released right away while those who were defiant are liable to two years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to Bt40,000. (MCOT online news)


-- TNA 2014-06-18

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First rise of Thai Industries Sentiment Index in 7 months
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, June 18 -- The Thai Industries Sentiment Index (TISI) in May showed its first rise in seven months, while a related indicator, motorcycle installment plan loans, have started to pick up.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/735542-first-rise-of-thai-industries-sentiment-index-in-7-months/