Thailand Live Saturday 28 Jun 2014

[Lite Beer]

Election in Oct 2015, NCPO says
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Appointed govt could start in September

Elections for parliamentarians are expected to be held in October 2015 and a democratically elected government in place late next year, the junta leader said last night.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738150-election-in-oct-2015-ncpo-says/

[Lite Beer]

Media to be free but monitored to prevent further conflict, NCPO says
Jintana Panyaarvudh,
Jeerapong Prasertpolkrung
The Nation

More than 40 editors and media executives meet with National Council for Peace and Order

BANGKOK: -- General meets media chiefs, says they will contact editors next time they disagree with reports

The junta insisted yesterday that press freedom would be maintained, but said it was necessary to monitor the media because the country was in a "special" situation.

At a meeting at the Army Club with more than 40 editors and executives from print and broadcast media, National Council for Peace and Order secretary-general General Udomdej Sitabutr said the NCPO needed to control the media at the moment to prevent further chaos.

"We did not intend to restrict media freedom but want to encourage each other," Udomdej said.

He shed more light on a recently set up panel to monitor the media, saying the panel would continue the task that the NCPO had done since the May 22 power seizure.

Udomdej said the NCPO would consider revoking an order aimed at preventing negative comments about the junta from appearing in the media when the time was appropriate.

Referring to fugitive former Pheu Thai party chief Charupong Ruangsuwan's anti-coup movement overseas, Udomdej said the media would be allowed to present the movement if it used good judgement to prevent further conflict from being caused.

On Wednesday, military officers walked into editorial rooms of a Thai newspaper to show their disapproval at a report carried by the paper on Charupong's Free Thai Organisa-tion.

Udomdej said the next time the NCPO would contact editors, if there was a problem.

He said Charupong's organisation would not affect the NCPO but he did not want the movement to get more support.

Udomdej said "colour-coded" television stations like the pro-Thaksin Shinawatra Asia Update and BlueSky, which anti-Thaksin protesters have a strong affiliation for, would have to wait until the situation becomes more stable before being allowed to resume broadcasts.

Meanwhile, Pol General Adul Saengsingkaew, deputy chief of the NCPO, gave a guarantee yesterday that the junta would not disturb press freedom, saying the new committee was set up to merely monitor the media.

Representatives of the Thai Journalists Association and the Thai Broadcast Journalists Association met Adul, who chairs the committee, to express their concerns.

The two groups urged the junta to respect people's right to know what is happening and to have media freedom.

They said the junta should have clear guidelines for officials attached to many media organisations.

Adul said his committee would monitor the media and the NCPO would issue warnings if the committee found irregularities in reports.

Asked if the junta would send any more officials into editorial rooms, Adul said there was no policy to do so.

Representatives of the associations also asked Adul to explain why veteran journalist and Matichon group owner Khanchai Boonpan was summoned by the junta despite it being aware of his health issues. Adul said it was a mistake and it had been corrected.

Khanchai's nephew informed the junta that he could not comply due to ill health. The junta issued a warrant to prosecute him and later revoked the warrant with an unclear explanation.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Media-to-be-free-but-monitored-to-prevent-further--30237301.html

-- The Nation 2014-06-28

[Lite Beer]

Yingluck's wealth rose by Bt33m while in office, anti-graft body says
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's wealth increased by some Bt33 million while she was in office, according to the anti-graft agency.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738152-yinglucks-wealth-rose-by-bt33m-while-in-office-anti-graft-body-says/

[Lite Beer]

Court approves bigger cigarette warnings
Puangchompoo Prasert
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- All cigarette packaging in Thailand will have to feature large pictorial health warnings by September 23, after the Supreme Administrative Court ruled in support of a new regulation by the Public Health Ministry.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738153-court-approves-bigger-cigarette-warnings/

[Lite Beer]

New resolution on transgender rights
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Human Rights Commission of Thailand has issued a resolution advising universities to revise regulations, permitting students to cross-dress at their graduation ceremony.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738154-new-resolution-on-transgender-rights/

[Lite Beer]

AMLO swoops on 'VAT cheats', seizes assets
Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Agents from the Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) conducted simultaneous raids at four locations yesterday in Bangkok in a move to seize assets allegedly acquired by cheating the country of up to Bt4 billion worth of value-added tax.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738155-amlo-swoops-on-vat-cheats-seizes-assets/

[Lite Beer]

NEWS BRIEFS IN ENGLISH
Short news in English by NOW26 comes to BTS
June 27, 2014 4:11 pm

BANGKOK: -- News briefs in English - the Now News Update - can now be viewed on the BTS Skytrain via 1,056 TV screens and at all 21 BTS stations through 92 LED screens from 6am to 12pm everyday.

The "Now News Update" programme is currently on a broadcast trial and the real broadcasts will start from July 1. The English news briefs come in a ready-to-serve package designed for the train and cover a variety of subjects including business, stock, investment, sport, lifestyle and politics. The content, which is provided by skilled teams, is designed to respond to the needs of urbanites. The Nation is one of the content providers.

"We foresee that a growing number of BTS passengers, who make up NOW26's target audience, will want to be kept updated through brief content.

NOW26 has thus joined with VGI Global Media in producing short news in English to broadcast on BTS trains," said Duangkamol Chotana, president of Nation Multimedia Group Plc.

A wide range of interesting programmes can be viewed on NOW26 via digital TV channel 26, as well as via TrueVisions, CTH and all cable TVs and satellites systems on channel 36. Viewing NOW26 from a smartphone and tablet application is another alternative.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Short-news-in-English-by-NOW26-comes-to-BTS-30237165.html

-- The Nation 2014-06-28

[Lite Beer]

Better rice policies needed
THE NATION

Farmers speak out at forum

BANGKOK: -- AT THE FIRST Citizens' Forum for Reform, farmers made it clear that deep down they yearn for sustainable solutions - not rice-pledging schemes or crop-price guarantees.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738156-better-rice-policies-needed/

[Lite Beer]

Second dinner with 'Uncle Kamnan' closed to media, 'outsiders'
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The People's Democratic Reform Committee will continue holding fund-raising events, but they will be closed to media and "outsiders", said a source who asked not to be named.

A second "Dinner with Uncle Kamnan", the uncle in this case being PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban, will be held today at the Pacific Club. The first such dinner was held last week.

These fund-raising events are aimed at helping people who were hurt during the PDRC anti-government protests that began in Bangkok late last year.

These dinners, for which participants have to pay at least Bt10,000 each, have become an issue because Suthep had been insisting for a while that he would not hold any political events or give media interviews.

It was reported that he announced at the dinner last week that he had been advising coup-maker General Prayuth Chan-ocha on how to deal with the influence of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra - a claim that the general has denied.

Some key PDRC members had said earlier that the event might be cancelled, leaving only key members of the movement and some "thinkers" on reforming the country to dine together and discuss some issues.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Second-dinner-with-Uncle-Kamnan-closed-to-media-ou-30237303.html

-- The Nation 2014-06-28

[Lite Beer]

Mother seeks truth behind son's killing
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The mother of slain protest-rally leader Sutin Tharatin called on the police yesterday to ask about the latest developments and urged for the investigation to be speeded up, especially since there seem to be no results after nine months.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738157-mother-seeks-truth-behind-sons-killing/

[Lite Beer]

Court approves detention of Worachet
The Nation

A group of students offer moral support to Worachet Pakeerut, a Thammasat University law lecturer and key member of the Nitirat Group, left, as he arrives at the military court yesterday.

BANGKOK: -- A military court yesterday approved the detention of Thammasat law academic and key Nitirat Group member Worachet Pakeerut for another 12 days. However, he remains free on bail.

The 12-day detention period runs from next Monday until July 11. The court told him to report again on July 10.

Worachet's arrest warrant stems from his defiance of an order to report to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

His lawyer Winyat Chartmontri said he would contest the charge, as his client had no intention of trying to evade the summons by the NCPO. He was abroad, sick, and had told his wife to inform the NCPO of these factors after being summoned.

Worachet went into military custody when he returned to Thailand on June 16, then was released on bail two days later.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Court-approves-detention-of-Worachet-30237306.html

-- The Nation 2014-06-28

[Lite Beer]

SAMUT PRAKAN
Chemical blaze racks up huge bill
Sutinan Kongsin
The Nation

A chemical storage company caught fire in Bang Pu industrial estate in Samut Prakan yesterday, creating a huge black cloud of smoke, but no casualties.

Samut Prakan:-- Damage in estate put at more than Bt1 billion

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738158-chemical-blaze-racks-up-huge-bill/

[Lite Beer]

Junta purges senior officials close to previous govt
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Junta Friday night issues an order to purge several senior government officials who were close to the previous government.

These officials were earlier seconded to inactive posts at the PM's Office while officially retaining their old positions with other officials acting on their behalf.

The latest order removed them from their positions so that the acting officials could be their replacements officially.

The purged officials included Defence Ministry's permanent secretary Gen Niphat Thonglek, Attorney General Atthapol Yaisawang, Tarit Pengdith, chief of the Department of Special Investigation, PM's Office permanent secretary Thongtong Chandarangsu, and Thawee Sodsong, secretary general of the Southern Border Provinces Provincial Administrative Centre.

The order appointed Gen Surasak Kanchanarat as permanent secretary for Defence, Trakul Winijphak as the attorney general, ML Panadda Disakul as the PM's Office secretary general, and Chatchawal Suksomjit as the DSI director general.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Junta-purges-senior-officials-close-to-previous-go-30237327.html

-- The Nation 2014-06-27

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL
Football's boundaries are vanishing
The Nation

A revolution is taking place in Brazil as world superpowers suffer the rise of the underdogs

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738159-footballs-boundaries-are-vanishing/

[Lite Beer]

Department of Health aims to have zero mother-to-child HIV transmissions

BANGKOK, 27 June 2014 (NNT) – The Department of Health has announced that they intend to have zero mother-to-child HIV transmissions before too long, and it expects to reduce the transmissions of new infectious patients numbers by two-thirds by 2016.

The Director-General of the Department of Health said while presiding over opening ceremony for the "Countdown To Zero: Eliminating Mother to Child HIV Transmissions" at the Miracle Grand Convention Hotel in Bangkok that the national policy on HIV/AIDS preventions 2012-2016 is in harmony with UNAID strategies of bringing new infectious patients to zero, and reducing new infection by two-thirds by 2016.

-- NNT 2014-06-28

[Lite Beer]

MFA plans US, European visits to clarify Thai labour issue

BANGKOK, 27 June 2014 (NNT) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is poised to travel to the US and Europe to confirm Thailand’s commitment to eradicating human trafficking and to restore confidence among importers of Thai products.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738161-mfa-plans-us-european-visits-to-clarify-thai-labour-issue/

[Lite Beer]

Navy chief confirms U.S. has not yet canceled/relocated Cobra Gold

BANGKOK, 27 June 2014 (NNT) – Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Navy Admiral Narong Pipathanasai on Friday confirmed the Cobra Gold defense exercise had not yet been canceled or relocated from Thailand as the rumours had said.

On 27 June Admiral Narong presided over a ceremony to receive an oil tanker from the Bangkok Dock. The oil tanker was named “Rua Luang Mattra” by His Majesty the King and will be deployed by the Amphibious Squadron of the Royal Thai Navy.

After the ceremony, Admiral Narong visited the “Rue Luang Mattra” exhibition before traveling back immediately, refusing to give an interview to the press. When asked if the U.S. would still organize the 2015 Cobra Gold in Thailand, the navy chief said it definitely would.

-- NNT 2014-06-27

[Lite Beer]

Heated opinions as locals debate future of Phuket’s Surin Beach

Anthika Muangrod

V/Gov Jamroen and Mr Ma'an in discussions with the beach masseuses.

PHUKET: Vice-Governor Jamroen Thippayapongthada, Cherng Talay OrBorTor chief executive Ma’an Samran and other relevant officials went to Surin Beach today (June 27) to check how things going on on the beach. Almost 100 per cent of the west side was cleared.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738165-heated-opinions-as-locals-debate-future-of-phukets-surin-beach/

[Lite Beer]

Troops find 91,000 sacks of rice missing from a Pathum Thani warehouse

Rice stock check of a warehouse in Pathum Thani province by the army on Friday has shown that 91,000 sacks of milled rice worth 69 million baht have been missing.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738167-troops-find-91000-sacks-of-rice-missing-from-a-pathum-thani-warehouse/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Suarez a 'scapegoat' - Uruguay coach Tabarez

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738164-suarez-a-scapegoat-uruguay-coach-tabarez/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Scolari anxious ahead of Chile clash

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738166-scolari-anxious-ahead-of-chile-clash/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Can USA win it? Yes we can, says Klinsmann

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738169-can-usa-win-it-yes-we-can-says-klinsmann/

[Lite Beer]

RT @RichardBarrow: Bangkok Farmers’ Market is this weekend at K Village on Sukhumwit 26 #Bangkok from 9am-4pm

[Lite Beer]

Two knife-wielding men threaten Pattaya school Students over Facebook clash

PATTAYA:--On Friday afternoon, Police stationed at the Police Box located outside of Pattaya School Number 8 in South Pattaya received a complaint from two 15 year old students that they had just been threatened by two men armed with knives.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738201-two-knife-wielding-men-threaten-pattaya-school-students-over-facebook-clash/

[Lite Beer]

Pre-Dawn raid at Pattaya Remand Prison

PATTAYA:--373 Police, Navy and Local Government Officers took part in a pre-Dawn raid at the Pattaya Remand Prison on Friday Morning with the aim of searching for illegal items such as weapons and drugs.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738199-pre-dawn-raid-at-pattaya-remand-prison/

[Lite Beer]

Pediatrician recommends ways to prevent games addiction in children

BANGKOK, 28 June 2014 (NNT) – A pediatrician from Prince of Songkla University has suggested parents supervise their children in regard to online mobile games, as recent reports show that when children use their parents' mobile to play games, some will also buy items offered in the game without their parents awareness or consent.

Since smart phones are now a part of most people’s lives, it is impossible to keep children from using them, and in any case smart phone technology can benefit the young in age appropriate usage.

A doctor suggests parents monitor children’s mobile usage saying that kids less than 2 years old should not be allowed to play with mobile phones at all since they still lack understanding of interpersonal relationships and their language progress will be impeded, while children aged over 2 years may gradually learn to use or play with a mobile phone or enjoy children's television, but not for more than two hours a day.

Meanwhile, parents should filter games or media that children watch, avoiding violence and adult material, and observe the kids frequently to explain to them what is right.

-- NNT 2014-06-28

[Lite Beer]

UPDATE:

NCPO to solve problems within limited time frame
By Digital Content

BANGKOK, June 28 -- Urging Thais to be patient, army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha said late Friday that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) would rectify problems accumulated in the past, ones that previous governments were unable to solve, within a limited time.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738150-election-in-oct-2015-ncpo-says/page-2?p=8031303#entry8031303

[Lite Beer]

Yannawa District Office stages Returning Happiness to People event at Siam City Park

BANGKOK, 28 June 2014 (NNT) - Yannawa District Office has held a Returning Happiness to the People event in front of Siam Park City which was greatly welcomed by the local people.

Yannawa District Office, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the 3rd Infantry Battalion the 12th Infantry Regiment, government and private sector personnel jointly held the Returning Happiness to the People event in front of Siam City Park to promote the cooperation of every sector in the community as a way to maintain peace and order. The occasion was well attended by people who said they were very pleased with the event.

Activities at the event included a walking parade starting from Siam City Park to Amorini Shopping Mall, music performances, photographs with soldiers, a free salon, free vaccination for pets, a mobile dentist clinic, a mobile library and free health check-ups.

-- NNT 2014-06-28

[Lite Beer]

Lampang launches anti deforestation operation

LAMPANG, 28 June 2014 (NNT) -- Military officers in Lampang have joined hands with a local forestry office, seizing more than 100 rais of rubber and tapioca plantations that encroach on a national park.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/738231-lampang-launches-anti-deforestation-operation/

[Lite Beer]

Special Report: Thailand continues efforts to create understanding

BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has continued its efforts to create better understanding of Thailand’s political situation in the international community.

The Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Acting Foreign Minister, Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, on 24 June 2014 met with Mr. Jesus Miguel Sanz, Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Thailand, on the conclusions adopted by the EU Foreign Affairs Council regarding the situation in Thailand.

A report from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted the Permanent Secretary as saying that Thailand was disappointed by the EU’s measures, which did not take into account the positive developments in Thailand since 22 May 2014. The developments included the restoration of peace and order, the continuation of the national administration, and most importantly, the restoration of normalcy in the Thai society.

The Permanent Secretary said that Thailand had urged the EU to review the measures at the earliest opportunity and to remain engaged with Thailand in a constructive and positive manner. However, the measures from the EU will not affect Thailand’s participation in the multilateral meetings, including the ASEAN – EU Ministerial Meeting in Brussels in July 2014 and the ASEM Summit in Milan in October 2014.

He reiterated to the Ambassador that the EU should review its decision to suspend official visits to and from Thailand, and put on hold the signing of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, taking into consideration the long-term mutual interest.

Thailand also called on the EU and its member states to recognize the ongoing efforts from all sectors of the Thai society to bring about national reconciliation, which would foster an environment conducive to sustainable democracy, as laid out in the three-phase roadmap.

According to the Permanent Secretary, the three phases include national reconciliation, reform, and a general election under a democratic system, which is legal and accepted by all sides. The NCPO envisaged that the roadmap would put the country back on the path toward reconciliation and sustained democracy.

He also made known that Thailand’s foreign policy and commitment to strengthening cooperation with other countries remain unchanged, while expressing willingness to expand cooperation with other nations in the fields of trade and investment, technical cooperation, tourism, and education.

-- NNT 2014-06-28