Thailand Live Thursday 26 Jun 2014

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Princess Maha Chakri to attend opening ceremony of Nobel Laureates’ Meeting in Lindau

BANGKOK, 26 June 2014 (NNT) - Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn on Wednesday night (June 25) left for the Federal Republic of Germany to attend the opening ceremony of the 64th Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau and a feast on the summer of science.

According to a Royal Household Bureau announcement issued last night, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is paying a visit to Germany from June 25 to 30, 2014. The royal itinerary includes participation in the opening ceremony of the Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates, and visits to many places of importance such as the Technical and Business College of Berlin and the High-Level Vocational Training Center for information technology, industrial electronics and energy management in Berlin.

Her Royal Highness will also observe the production of orthosis and prosthesis at the Ottobock Health Care Company in Duderstadt. Her Royal Highness will return to Thailand on June 30, on a Swiss International Airlines flight to land at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Sumut Prakan Province at 14.40 hr.


-- NNT 2014-06-26

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Motorists violating road laws face harsher action
PHATHINYA IAMTAN



BANGKOK: -- MOTORISTS ARE to face tougher enforcement of traffic laws including traffic-fine collection, with the planned introduction of an e-ticket system and driving licence suspension for repeat offences.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737602-motorists-violating-thai-traffic-laws-face-harsher-action/

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China may gain from Thai-US Cobra Gold spat
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- WHILE the United States is considering whether to delay next year's annual Cobra Gold military exercise in response to the coup, China appears to have sent a clear signal of its wish for a greater role in this exercise, the largest in the Asia-Pacific region.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737604-china-may-gain-from-thai-us-cobra-gold-spat/

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The NCPO finally decides to take on the South and its insurgency problems
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- POLITICIANS and academics oppose the idea of total military control in the troubled South - but they do support a more active role for the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) and civil groups.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737605-the-ncpo-finally-decides-to-take-on-the-south-and-its-insurgency-problems/

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China steps into the breach
THE NATION

Ambassador praises junta even as the US cuts military aid; Prajin says NCPO concerned about pressure from west

BANGKOK: -- China rushed to praise the military junta yesterday even as the US mounted pressure by cutting some military aid, leading to concerns over pressure from western allies.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737606-china-praises-ncpo-even-as-us-cuts-military-aid/

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Junta goes on TV to list its performance
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The ruling junta yesterday went on television to tell the public about the steps it has taken to solve problems during its first month in power.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737607-ncpo-goes-on-tv-to-list-its-performance/

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Economy won't be affected by US, EU actions: UBS
WICHIT CHAITRONG
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE DOWNGRADING of relations by the EU and US will not prevent the Thai economy from bouncing back in the near future, experts said yesterday. The current political milieu has started to turn positive for the Thai economy, said Edward Teather, senior economist at UBS Investment Bank.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737608-thai-economy-wont-be-affected-by-us-eu-actions-ubs/

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Little effect from slavery accusations on fish-product exports so far: ministry
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND is still shipping seafood to the United States and Europe as normal despite the recent accusations of slave labour, according to the Commerce Ministry's survey of trading partners and Thai exporters.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737609-little-effect-from-slavery-accusations-on-fish-product-exports-so-far-thai-ministry/

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Retailers happy with junta's performance
KWANCHAI RUNGFAPAISARN
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- MAJOR RETAILERS and shopping-mall operators are impressed with the junta's performance in the month since it seized power on May 22, thanks to its efforts to return happiness to the people and boost the economy.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737610-thai-retailers-happy-with-ncpo-performance/

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EDITORIAL
No more bets, please
The Nation

Eradicating illegal gambling might be impossible but, with enough effort and funding, we can suppress this problem and the social ills that it brings

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737611-no-more-bets-please-thai-editorial/

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THAI TALK
For sustainable farming, get populist politics out of the way
Suthichai Yoon
The Nation
Nakhon Sawan

BANGKOK: -- The most effective way for the government to help Thai farmers and the rice industry is simple and urgent: Just stay put.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737612-thai-talk-for-sustainable-farming-get-populist-politics-out-of-the-way/

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CAT's union wants junta to scrap the board's overseas trip



BANGKOK: -- The labor union of Cat Telecom Plc today asked the National Council for Peace and Order to stop the company’s board of directors to make an overseas business trip next month which will cost the company 11 million baht in spending.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737613-cats-union-wants-ncpo-to-scrap-the-boards-overseas-trip/

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Military junta to revive pension system



BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) is now tasking its legal and judicial affairs advisory panel to draft a bill that will allow government officials to switch to the previous pension system from the government pension fund.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737615-ncpo-to-revive-thai-pension-system/

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Police arrest two Myanmar men over gory murder
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- TWO MYANMAR nationals have been arrested for allegedly killing a fellow citizen, whose body was found in a large bin in the boot of a taxi in Samut Sakhon's Muang district.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737616-thai-police-arrest-two-myanmar-men-over-gory-murder-body-in-taxi-boot/

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Tighter hold over media
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has assigned agencies to look into information disseminated to the public via different kinds of media.

They have been instructed to further understanding by the public about the work of the NCPO, and also to stem the flow of false information that may lead to hatred of the monarchy. The agencies have been told also to refer to the NCPO any information that may affect its work.

Deputy NCPO chief Pol General Adul Saengsingkaew chaired yesterday's meeting, which assigned the task to five working groups.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission was assigned to monitor broadcast media, the Special Branch Police was assigned to look into print media and the permanent secretary of the Information and Communications Technology Ministry was assigned to be in charge of monitoring online media. Meanwhile, the permanent secretary of Foreign Affairs was assigned to work on foreign media.

Manop Thip-osod, Thai Journalists Association (TJA)'s vice president on press freedom and media reform, said the association was concerned about the NCPO's move to monitor media. He added that the agencies tasked with the job should be given clear guidelines and ensure that their "monitoring" does not affect people's right to access information.

The TJA also voiced concern when it learned that a military officer walked into a newspaper's editorial office and asked the editors not to publish reports related to a certain prominent figure from the previous government.

The TJA board will be meeting today to discuss the issue.


-- The Nation 2014-06-26

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TELL IT AS IT IS
Get off your high horse, America, we do not need a ride
Pornpimol Kanchanalak
Special to The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Thais collectively have made a mess of their political system." The patronising words, with a typically blinkered anti-coup undertone, come from an American academician. Like him, his government has since May 22 been preaching down to Thailand, the country that in 1833 signed a bilateral Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the US, becoming the first Asian nation to establish formal diplomatic relations with America.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737617-get-off-your-high-horse-america-we-do-not-need-a-ride-thai-opinion/

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Chiang Mai Army Hunts Down 'Red Buffalo' Shirts
By Khaosod English


Military officers are scouring every market in Chiang Mai in search of t-shirts that depict a red buffalo stamping on a cockroach in a symbolic representation of Thailand’s rival political factions, 25 June 2014.

CHIANG MAI — Military officers in Chiang Mai are scouring every market in the city to search for ‘red buffalo’ t-shirts they say are causing a conflict in society.

The controversial t-shirts depict a red buffalo stamping on a cockroach in a symbolic representation of Thailand’s rival political factions. Critics of the Redshirt movement commonly refer to its supporters as “buffalos,” a Thai idiom for “stupid people,” because many of the group’s members hail from Thailand’s rural North and Northeast. The opposing Yellowshirt faction is mostly composed of Bangkok-based middle and upper class elites.

The cockroach depicted on the t-shirt refers to Redshirts’ nickname for the Democrat Party, which is allied to the Yellowshirt movement. Redshirts commonly refer to the establishment-backed party as “the cockroach party” because it has been around for so long and “refuses to die.” The Democrat Party is the oldest political party in Thailand, although it has not won a national election for more than two decades.

Today, soldiers were dispatched to all of Chiang Mai city’s markets, including Ton Lam Yai market and Warorot market, to search clothes shops for the “offensive” t-shirts that have become popular among Redshirt activists in Chiang Mai province.

A leader of the local Redshirt group "Love Chiang Mai 51" said some Redshirts were told that the shirts violate the atmosphere of reconciliation imposed by the military junta's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). The activist advised all Redshirt supporters to refrain from wearing the shirts for their own safety.

Since staging a coup on 22 May, the NCPO has harshly cracked down on the Redshirt movement, which supported the former government led by Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra. The junta has summoned and detained scores of politicians, activists, and academics, many of whom are seen as sympathetic to Redshirt causes. Those released from military custody have been forced to promise they will not participate in any political activities.

The crackdown has caused many Redshirt supporters to stop wearing their iconic red shirts or publicly express their loyalty to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Ms. Yingluck's brother and the Redshirt movement’s de facto leader.

Although military spokespersons have insisted that the junta treats all political groups in Thailand equally, Redshirt critics say the military's crackdown on freedom of expression has been disproportionately directed at supporters of their movement.

Source: http://en.khaosod.co.th/detail.php?newsid=1403699029&typecate=06&section=


-- Khaosod English 2014-06-26

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Where's the money? Phuket police search official's house
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Wanchai (right) watches as police begin their search.

PHUKET: -- Police Crime Suppression officers yesterday made a thorough search of a house belonging to one of the four men who surrendered this morning to police to answer charges of involvement in taxi mafia activities in Karon.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737618-wheres-the-money-phuket-police-search-officials-house-taxi-mafia-activities/

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US GDP shrinks 2.9% in first quarter

WASHINGTON: -- The US economy suffered its worst performance for five years in the first quarter of 2014, latest figures show.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737622-us-gdp-shrinks-29-in-first-quarter/

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300,000 state officials will have option to switch from provident fund back to pension system when draft bill is passed by new National Legislative Assembly /The Nation

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Long-time Swedish Phuket police volunteer dies

Lars-Goran Dikander. Photo: Facebook

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737637-long-time-swedish-phuket-police-volunteer-dies-aged-66/

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The Seismological Bureau reported Thursday a 3.2 magnitude tremor in Phan district of Chiang Rai province with epicentre five kilometres deep underground.
There was no report of damages in this tremor which happened twenty three minutes after midnight, it said.

http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/48348/


-- Thai PBS 2014-06-26

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70 alleged prostitutes rounded up in Pattaya

PATTAYA: -- Navy and police officers rounded up 70 alleged prostitutes, including more than 50 transvestites and 7 Madagascan women, in Pattaya early Thursday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737642-70-alleged-prostitutes-rounded-up-in-pattaya/

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NCPO sets D-Day for implementation of the new van service regulation on July 1st

BANGKOK, 26 June 2014 (NNT) - The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will implement new regulations on van service in the capital on July 1st.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737644-ncpo-sets-d-day-for-implementation-of-the-new-van-service-regulation-on-july-1st/

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Experts less concerned with repeat of 2004 tsunami than with devastating storms

BANGKOK, 26 June 2014 (NNT) – Experts indicated on Wednesday they were less concerned with a repeat of the 2004 tsunami than they were with the current tendency for devastating tropical storms.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737646-experts-less-concerned-with-repeat-of-2004-tsunami-than-with-devastating-storms/

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Thai stock index opens on Thursday at 1,475.42, gains 6.93 points /MCOT

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Residents surrender firearms to officials as deadline approaches

SURIN, 26 June 2014, (NNT) - Several locals in Surin surrendered their firearms to officials yesterday, the deadline set by authorities for people to turn in their weapons without being charged with possession of illegal firearms.

More than a hundred items were handed to officials at Weerawatyothin Military Camp yesterday, including handguns, grenades, rifles and shotguns. The handover was witnessed by Major General Nirut Ketsiri and Governor Nirun Kanlayanamit.

Meanwhile, officials raided a residence in Nakhonratchasima and found several M16 Automatic Rifles, HK33 handguns, AK47 Rifles, Carbine handguns, M79 Grenade launchers, and other handguns as well as rounds of ammunition. The owner of the weapons, Noppadon Petchmadan, a retired conscript was arrested at the scene.

The arrest was made after the officials had learned about Mr. Noppadon’s mini armory from inquiries of suspects of the 'Khon Kean Model' arms trafficking network, who claimed that Mr. Noppadon was linked to Lopburi arms dealers in the Northern Region.

The retired conscript initially denied his involvement with the ‘Khon Kean Model’ but admitted having bought the weapons from various sources including military and police officers.

In Nontaburi, residents reportedly found about 10 rifles, handguns and shotguns abandoned in Soi Bangplub 8 in Pakkred District.


-- NNT 2014-06-26

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Food and Drug Administration burns 3 tonnes of seized illicit drugs as part of drug incineration ceremony in Ayutthaya /MCOT

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Fire hits old Phitsanulok community

BANGKOK: -- A massive fire broke out at an old market community in Phitsanulok's Prompiram district at 5:30 am Thursday, destroying 12 shop houses. The blaze was put out an hour later. No casualties were reported.

Police quoted a woman as saying that she heard an explosion from a foods shop before the fire spread quickly.


-- The Nation 2014-06-26

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NBTC to set the set top box discount at 690 baht

BANGKOK, 26 June 2014 (NNT) - The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has set the price of set top box discount coupon at 690 baht, a significant decrease from the earlier announced price of 1,000 baht.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/737675-thailands-nbtc-to-set-the-set-top-box-discount-at-690-baht/