Thailand Live Wednesday 9 Jul 2014

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8 northern provinces warned to brace for flash floods due to heavy rains

BANGKOK, 9 July 2014 (NNT) - Eight northern provinces are warned of flash floods and landslide from 9-10 July 2014 while the Ministry of Interior is closely monitoring the weather in order to assist the affected people in time.

Director-General of the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department Chatchai Phromlert said the eight provinces warned to brace for flash floods and landslide from heavy rains included Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Phrae and Nan. Officers from the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation were on standby 24 hours to assist the affected people especially those who lived in areas along river banks, foothill slopes and flood-prone areas, the official said.

Some areas in the eight provinces have reported rainfall of over 100 millimeters after heavy rains earlier this week.

The director-general added that officers would lead tourists at natural attractions to a safe place if a natural disaster was likely. As for the local people, they should keep abreast of weather forecasts and disaster warnings. They were strongly advised to abide by the warnings and frequently look for signs of a natural disaster, Mr Chatchai said.


-- NNT 2014-07-09

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BREAKING

Thai Immigration officially confirms and clarifies overstay crackdown

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741109-immigration-clarifies-and-confirms-overstay-crackdown/

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TOURIST
Junta to receive TCT's tourism-revival plans
Suchat Sritama
The Nation


Foreign tourist walk at Siam Paragon at the period of The Tourism Council of Thailand will propose three strategic plans to the ruling junta next Wednesday to revive tourism.

BANGKOK: -- The Tourism Council of Thailand will propose three strategic plans to the ruling junta next Wednesday to revive tourism, said TCT vice president Thanate Vorasaran.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741146-junta-to-receive-tcts-thailand-tourism-revival-plans/

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Temple of Dawn Removes 'Extortionate' Photostand
By Khaosod English


The popular Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun Ratchawararam) in Bangkok has removed a photostand that sneakily charged unsuspecting tourists for taking pictures with it.

BANGKOK — The popular Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun Ratchawararam) in Bangkok has removed a photostand that sneakily charged unsuspecting tourists for taking photos with it.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741150-bangkoks-temple-of-dawn-removes-extortionate-photostand/

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SOUTH CRISIS
Eight hurt as bus guards battle insurgents in Yala
Nakarin Chinworakomon
The Nation

YALA: -- SUSPECTED insurgents yesterday opened fire at a passenger bus, injuring eight passengers as guards on the bus fought them off in Yala's Krong Penang district.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741151-eight-hurt-as-bus-guards-battle-insurgents-in-yala/

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UPDATE:

SOCIAL MEDIA
Rape-and-murder convicts must face death: netizens
The Nation

Amid furore over the grisly fate of 13-year-old on a train, pressure mounts on SRT governor to resign

BANGKOK: -- CONCERNED NETIZENS have called for mandatory death sentence for rape-and-murder crimes, in an angry and swift reaction to the tragic rape and murder on Sunday night of a 13-year-old victim by a State Railway of Thailand employee on a moving train.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/740956-thai-facebook-users-suggest-death-penalty-in-cases-of-rape-and-murder/page-4#entry8074047

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Germany run riot in record 7-1 defeat of Brazil

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741144-germany-run-riot-in-record-7-1-defeat-of-brazil/

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DEATH OF TEEN
SRT employee says he was drunk when he inflicted crime
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A NEW employee of the State Railway of Thailand has claimed he was drunk when he raped and killed a 13-year-old passenger on a Bangkok-bound train early on Sunday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741154-murder-of-thai-teen-srt-employee-says-he-was-drunk-when-he-inflicted-crime/

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Water shortage possible in Thailand this year
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, July 9 -- The water supply in Central Thailand's large reservoirs will not last more than two weeks if no rain comes at the beginning of August, according to Royal Irrigation Department.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741155-water-shortage-possible-in-thailand-this-year/

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INVESTMENT
Thailand+1: key step for Japan producers
Pichaya Changsorn
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Japanese companies can adopt the "Thailand+1" strategy to tap the growing opportunities in the Greater Mekong Subregion, an investment seminar was told yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741157-thailand1-key-step-for-japan-producers/

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ANALYSIS
NCPO will have final say on charter
Opas Boonlom
The Nation

Special clause expected to give junta more power than govt to deal with security situations

BANGKOK: -- A provisional charter is set to be put into effect soon after it is submitted to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) for final approval before it gets royal endorsement and can be promulgated.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741158-ncpo-will-have-final-say-on-charter-thai-analysys/

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EDITORIAL
Thailand totters towards the AEC start line
The Nation

Our ageing society could lose out in the race with youthful regional partners when economic integration begins next year

BANGKOK: -- The starting pistol for the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is cocked and ready to fire next year. But make no mistake: This is a marathon, not a 100-metre sprint. As such, the "age" of the participants is crucial as the regional bloc prepares to set off on its next adventure.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741159-thailand-totters-towards-the-aec-start-line/

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STOPPAGE TIME
There's light at the end of the tunnel
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- The pale white dot is not showing Thaksin Shinawatra a road home, of course, but the faint light he sees is not a train coming at him, either. We all know that every honeymoon must come to an end, and fragile yet high post-coup expectations may be starting to run into some tough realities.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741161-thai-opinion-theres-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel/

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Multi-Million Baht Pattaya Illegal Money Lending Operation shut-down



PATTAYA: -- In a joint news conference by the Chief of Banglamung District and the Royal Thai Navy on Tuesday night, it was announced that 5 people had been arrested accused of running a multi-million Baht illegal money lending operation in Pattaya.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741162-multi-million-baht-pattaya-illegal-money-lending-operation-shut-down/

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Public Hearing on new Pattaya Expressway extension turns violent in Sriracha



PATTAYA: -- On Tuesday morning a Public Hearing was held at The City Sriracha Hotel, just outside of Pattaya, which was supposed to present the results of a feasibility study on a proposed extension to the Burapavithi Expressway. The meeting turned violent with many angry residents voicing their disapproval at the plans which will cut through residential areas.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741163-public-hearing-on-new-pattaya-expressway-extension-turns-violent-in-sriracha/

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Vendors begin to move off Phuket's Patong Beach
Alasdair Forbes


A small truck is loaded with beach chairs. Photo Amy Bensema

PHUKET: -- Beach-and-umbrella operators (July 8) began clearing their businesses off Patong Beach, the last place holding out against the Royal Thai Army’s campaign to reclaim the sands for the public.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741164-vendors-begin-to-move-off-phukets-patong-beach/

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Editorial: Death Penalty Is Not The Solution To Rape
By Khaosod English


Rape and murder suspect Wanchai Saengkhao (blue shirt) at the police press conference on 8 July 2014

BANGKOK: -- Punishing convicted rapists with the death penalty will not address the root causes of the problem.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741165-thai-editorial-death-penalty-is-not-the-solution-to-rape/

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Alcohol sale and drink will be banned on all trains



BANGKOK: -- The State Railway of Thailand will impose a ban on alcohol sale and drink on all trains in the aftermath of the rape and killing of a 13-year old girl on board a night sleeper train by a railway employee who took drug and drank on board.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741167-alcohol-sale-and-drink-will-be-banned-on-all-trains-in-thailand/

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Electronic monitoring devices considered for Don Mueang, Phuket airports
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- After achieving success at Suvarnabhumi Airport, the authorities are planning to use electronic monitoring devices at the capital's Don Mueang International Airport as well as at the Phuket International Airport in a move to prevent tour guides and taxi drivers from harassing tourists.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741168-electronic-monitoring-devices-considered-for-don-mueang-phuket-airports/

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Calls for TV soap opera to be dropped
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Chiang Mai-based activist Natee Teerarojanapong and advocates yesterday called for RS Channel 8's soap opera Samee Chua Krao (Temporary Husband) to be cancelled within three days on grounds that it depicts conflicting morals within Thai society.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741169-calls-for-thai-tv-soap-opera-to-be-dropped/

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Giving NCPO absolute power not necessary: Abhisit
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that it was not necessary for the interim charter to grant the ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) absolute control because the country was not facing any security threats.

Abhisit expressed disapproval of Article 17 in the proposed charter, which he said was similar to the charter put in place by Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat after the coup in 1958.

The Democrat leader reasoned that political parties and warring factions had been cooperating and helping the NCPO maintain peace and order. He pointed out that nobody had staged any protests.

Instead, he said, the NCPO should strike a balance between controlling people and allowing them their rights, adding that if too much weight was given to control and too little to rights, then the public would feel uncomfortable.

He said an interim charter that restricts basic rights might have adverse political ramifications.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Giving-NCPO-absolute-power-not-necessary-Abhisit-30238078.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-09

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Democrats blast MP term-limit proposal
The Nation

EC accused of 'looking like amateurs'

BANGKOK: -- Politicians have cried foul over the Election Commission's proposal to restrict MPs' rights by letting them serve only two consecutive four-year terms.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741172-thai-democrats-blast-mp-term-limit-proposal/

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AFTER COUP
Sihasak set to meet top UN official in New York
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Sihasak Phuangketkeow, permanent-secretary of the Foreign Minister, said yesterday that he is scheduled to meet United Nations chef de cabinet Susana Malcorra today to update her on the post-coup situation in Thailand.

He said that though he would not have a chance to meet UN chief Ban Ki-moon, being allowed to meet Malcorra - who will relay his message to her boss - means that Ban is interested in Thai politics.

Sihasak, who is acting foreign minister, is in New York to attend a meeting of the UN Economic and Social Council. Yesterday, he met Croatia's Deputy Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Josko Klisobic and Croatian Assistant Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Beena Cos, in addition to diplomats from Congo, Venezuela, Jamaica and Iraq. He was in New York to push for Thailand to become a member of the UN Human Rights Council.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Sihasak-set-to-meet-top-UN-official-in-New-York-30238071.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-09

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Australian to learn if he will face death

Karlis Salna

MELBOURNE: -- A Malaysian court is expected to decide whether Perth man Dominic Bird will again be set free and escape a mandatory death penalty over drug trafficking charges.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741173-australian-to-learn-if-he-will-face-death-in-malaysia/

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N Korea fires 'short-range missiles'

SEOUL: -- North Korea has fired two suspected short-range missiles into the sea, South Korea says, in what is apparently latest in a series of recent tests.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741174-n-korea-fires-short-range-missiles/

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The Tourism Authority of Thailand has worked with local insurance firms to promote travel insurance service for foreign tourists to recover tourist confidence. /Bangkok Post

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Washington 'pot shops' hit by shortage on first day of sales

WASHINGTON: -- Legal marijuana sales in the western US state of Washington have begun amid a shortage of the drug in the state.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741195-washington-pot-shops-hit-by-shortage-on-first-day-of-sales/

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Eric Holder of US warns Europe over Syrian fighters

WASHINGTON: -- The US attorney general has called on European governments to be stronger in preventing their own citizens from joining the fighting in Syria.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741197-us-warns-europe-over-syrian-fighters/

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Suspects arrested for encroaching and burning state property

RATCHABURI, 8 July 2014, (NNT) - Police, in cooperation with the military and local administrative officers, have arrested 3 suspects for encroaching on and burning more than 200 rais of state property in Rachaburi.

The 3 suspects were identified as Mr. Tid Padtin, 55, Mr. Sawangmon Boonting, 45, and Ms. Te Suanpueng, 35. They were caught red-handed driving a backhoe clearing the area.

The arrest is in line with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s policies in preserving forest areas.

According to police, the 3 admitted that they were hired by a group of people to burn the forest area and that they had already destroyed more than 200 rai of the woods when they were arrested. The suspects claimed that the land belonged to Mr. Chai-Anan Todsapol-Udompong, a former head of Suanpueng village. Police will summon him for questioning.


-- NNT 2014-07-09

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'Forgotten' US smallpox vials found in cardboard box

WASHINGTON: -- Long forgotten vials of smallpox left in a cardboard box have been discovered by a government scientist at a research centre near Washington, officials say.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/741200-forgotten-us-smallpox-vials-found-in-box/