Thailand Live Tuesday 22 Jul 2014

[Jonathan Fairfield]

BREAKING

Thailand Immigration confirms new overstay rules are now official

BANGKOK: The website of the Immigration Bureau in Bangkok has today (22nd July 2014) posted a new announcement regarding its rules for overstay.

Find out more here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/744965-thailand-immigration-confirms-new-overstay-rules-are-now-official/

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Tesco Lotus declares to stop selling parrot fish meat

BANGKOK, 22 July 2014 (NNT) - British retailer Tesco Lotus has announced that parrot fish meat will be no longer available for sale after several environmentalist groups have protested to protect the endangered fish species.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/744979-tesco-lotus-declares-to-stop-selling-parrot-fish-meat/

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Travelers warned about Typhoon Matmo

BANGKOK, 22 JULY 2014 (NNT) - Typhoon Matmo is gearing up to take a swipe at Taiwan and China, according to meteorologists. Travelers are being warned to check the weather status before expedition, especially on 22-25 July, travelers who will travel to Manila, Taipei, and Shanghai.

Matmo -- the tenth storm of the 2014 Pacific season -- formed Thursday in the southern Philippine Sea. Despite not being affected by the Matmo, central Thailand will experience scattered rain, while isolated heavy rain is expected in the eastern Northeast, the East and South West Coast.

The waves in the upper Andaman Sea are expected about 2 meters high from the heavy winds. All ships should proceed with caution, according to meteorologists.


-- NNT 2014-07-22

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Military junta eases media restrictions



BANGKOK: -- The military junta has eased the media restrictions after a meeting with four media associations Monday over Announcement No 97 announced last Friday. The new order allows self censorship by the media as an alternative.

In a swift response to the media’s request to reconsider the freedom curb after Monday’s meeting, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) issued last night a new order, Announcement No 103 that revised Announcement No 97 on two main issues which are the media’s concern.

Under the revised order, criticism of the NCPO’s performances with dishonest intention to discredit it with false information is not allowed.

In case of defiance of the order by any media, the NCPO may forward the matter to the media association of which it is a member to take action on breaching the media ethics code.

This revision is considered as easing the restriction when the junta allows self censorship by the media instead of its prompt action.

Earlier Announcement 97 bans criticism of not only the NCPO, but also its staff and relevant officials, while violation may face censorship, suspension of distribution and publication of the media, closure or black out of the broadcast of the defiant programmes.

This order raised grave concern among the media organisations which later led to a meeting with General Surasak Kanchanarak, the defence permanent secretary, the NCPO representative.

The media in general felt unease with the restrictions among them the ban against media’s criticism of the performances of the NCPO and its officials and the right of the authorities to suspend the distribution of printed matters and suspension of the broadcast of any TV programme.

General Surasak said he agreed with the media organisations’ proposal of self-regulating but would like to hear their opinions regarding the curbs.

Thai Journalists Association president Pradit Ruangdit said yesterday he had conveyed to the defence permanent secretary the four media organisations’ unease over the press freedom restrictions especially regarding the ban on criticism of the NCPO and the media censorship which, he explained, constitutes an insult to members of the media.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/military-junta-eases-media-restrictions/


-- Thai PBS 2014-07-22

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AFTER COUP
Amnesty unlikely to be in provisional charter : Reform Center chief

BANGKOK: -- Amnesty is unlikely to be included in the provisional charter, as detailed discussions would be required within the National Reform Council, Reconciliation for Reform Centre director Lt Gen Kampanart Ruddi said on Tuesday.

However he declined to say whether the provisional charter would be delivered when junta chief Gen Prayuth Chanocha is granted an audience with HM the King on Tuesday afternoon.

Kampanart said Gen Prayuth had assigned a legal and justice team to check and compile the legislation pending in Parliament prior to the junta taking power. Any pending legislation would be looked into by the National Council for Peace and Order.

Referring to reports that the amnesty will be included in the provisional charter, Kampanart said the issue should first be discussed by the National Reform Council to see if it is needed and acceptable to the public.

"The National Reform Council will consider whether it is time for the amnesty and if so, who should be covered," he said.

The amnesty law has four steps; fact finding, legal and healing processes and amnesty, he added.

Before an election, politicians and society will be invited to enter into a social contract that they will continue national reform.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/aec/Amnesty-unlikely-to-be-in-provisional-charter-Refo-30239131.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-22

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Special Report: NCPO places great emphasis on tackling corruption

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has increased the budget allocation for the National Counter Corruption Commission (NACC) to tackle existing frauds and corruption in the country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/744987-special-report-ncpo-places-great-emphasis-on-tackling-corruption/

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Malaysian Airliner Tragedy To Affect Thai Tourism: Official
By Khaosod English


Debris of the Boeing 777, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, which crashed during flying over the eastern Ukraine region near Donetsk. All 295 people on board Flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur are feared dead. EPA/ALYONA ZYKINA

BANGKOK — Officials have warned that the suspected downing of a Malaysian Airline plane in Ukraine could discourage Westerners from traveling to Thailand, further crippling the Kingdom’s already-struggling tourism industry.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/744995-malaysia-airlines-mh17-tragedy-to-affect-thai-tourism-official/

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Number of tourist arrivals in Koh Samui declines this year

SURAT THANI, 22 July 2014 (NNT) - According to Thanongsak Somwong, the chairman of the Koh Samui Tourist Promotion Association, as of July 2014 the number of tourists visiting the famous Samui Island has declined by 20% compared to the same period last year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/744996-number-of-tourist-arrivals-in-koh-samui-declines-this-year/

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“Returning happiness to the people” activities held for taxis at Suvarnabhumi Airport

BANGKOK, 22 July 2014 (NNT) - Suvarnabhumi Airport has joined hands with the military organizing activities for cab drivers at the airport in an effort to reconcile the nation.

Military officers have joined hands with Suvarnabhumi Airport holding activities dubbed “Returning Happiness to the People” for taxi drivers in Suvarnabhumi Airport in a bid to restore unity and return happiness to Thais.

The wvent is in line with the “Returning Happiness to the People” campaign by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), aimed at encouraging the people to live together happily and peacefully.

Activities in the event include cleaning and reorganizing taxi parking areas. It also features concerts performed by army personnel, and a variety of free services such as health checkup and haircut.

-- NNT 2014-07-22

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Jatuporn and Nattawut given two-year suspended sentences



BANGKOK: -- Redshirt leaders Jatuporn Prompan and Nattwut Saikua were on Tuesday given two-year suspended jail terms after they were found guilty by the Criminal Court of illegal wire-tapping of phone conversation.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/744999-jatuporn-and-nattawut-given-two-year-suspended-sentences/

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Land Department denies foot-dragging on bad land in Phuket
Suthicha Sirirat


Thammasak Chana: 'Land Department officials are not – as the media have suggested – indifferent to this problem.'

PHUKET: -- Following a recent announcement that land papers for 89 parcels of land infringing on the Sirinart Marine National Park can be cancelled immediately, the Land Department has moved to counter accusations that it has been dragging its feet on cooperation with the investigation.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745001-land-department-denies-foot-dragging-on-bad-land-in-phuket/

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US scientists say June was hottest since 1880

WASHINGTON: -- The US government's climate agency Monday reported that this June's global temperatures were the hottest since record keeping began in 1880.It was also the 352nd consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th-century average.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745002-us-scientists-say-june-was-hottest-since-1880/

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4 border patrol police wounded in Pattani bomb attack
By Digital Content



PATTANI, July 22 -- A roadside bomb ambush in the southernmost province of Pattani this morning has wounded four border patrol police.

Police said a 20 kilogramme homemade bomb exploded near road No 42 in the Pattani provincial seat while a vehicle carrying border patrol police from Nakhon Si Thammarat was passing by.

The police had come to Pattani for a regular reassignment.

The explosion wounded four border patrol police.

In a related development, the authorities have arrested two men suspected of involvement in a bombing incident in Narathiwat on Sunday.

Narathiwat's Ra Ngae district police and army rangers have jointly searched a suspected location in Tan Yong Mat subdistrict and detained two suspects who may involved with the bomb attack.

The suspects, 21 and 19 years old, told police that they were behind the attack. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2014-07-22

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ASEAN INTEGRATION
Public hearing on foreign companies' share offerings start
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Securities and Exchange Commission is seeking public comments on the proposed information disclosure rules for foreign companies offering equities in Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745017-public-hearing-on-foreign-companies-share-offerings-start/

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Baht rose 0.3 pct to Bt31.84/U$, 8-month high as global funds bought Thai assets on optimism govt spending will revive growth /The Nation

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Thailand moves forward with organic agriculture
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, July 22 -- Thailand's Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC) has joined with the private and public sectors, as well as NGOs and academic sector to push forward with projects to promote more organic farming in the country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745020-thailand-moves-forward-with-organic-agriculture/

[Lite Beer]

OPINION: The right kind of long-timer

The Phuket News

A Russian passport. The number of Russian visitors to the Kingdom has been steadily rising in recent years. Photo: MediaPhoto

BANGKOK: -- The nationwide crackdown on “visa-runners” is now firmly in place, and has yielded a wealth of anecdotal feedback. One example is the luckless farang – presumably one of the very first who got caught in the net – who, back in the first week of May, received an unexpected earful from an Immigration official on the Thai-Cambodian border.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745027-opinion-the-right-kind-of-long-timer/

[Lite Beer]

UPDATE:

Jatuporn, Nuttawut get suspended jail term for telephone eavesdropping

BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court on Tuesday convicted former deputy commerce minister Nuttawut Saikuar and United Front of Democracy against Dictatorship chairman Jatuporn Promphan for eavesdropping on a telephone conversation of a former secretary of the Supreme Court.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/744999-jatuporn-and-nattawut-given-two-year-suspended-sentences/#entry8136438

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Ball game goes bad and ends in gunplay, death
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- A Bangkok motorcycle taxi operator accidentally shot himself instead of his intended victim after a casual game of pétanque yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745042-bangkok-ball-game-goes-bad-and-ends-in-gunplay-death/

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Thai farmers poorest in ASEAN



BANGKOK: -- Thai farmers are the poorest among other farmers in Asean countries with their net profit after rice sales falling to1,555.97 baht/ton.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745047-thai-farmers-poorest-in-asean/

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Dead baby found in informal grave in Phuket
Eakkapop Thongtub

The hole in which the baby was buried.

PHUKET: -- A box containing a dead baby was found buried in a shallow grave in near Friendship Beach, Rawai, yesterday afternoon (July 21).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745052-dead-baby-found-in-informal-grave-in-phuket/

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60% of northern rice warehouses checked

BANGKOK, 22 July 2014 (NNT) - Commander of the 3rd Army Area Commander Lt.Gen.Preecha Chan-ocha has reported that more than 500 from 755 warehouses or 60% in 17 northern provinces were already checked by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO). The rest is expected to be inspected by the end of this month.

The commander, who was appointed as a member of the rice warehouse probing panel, said the 3rd Army Area Command had set up 52 teams to help inspect rice warehouses in the North, the region with the most rice warehouses in Thailand. So far the teams had found that most of the warehouses had faced with the problems of missing stock and spoiled rice. Police officers would then take legal actions against those involved in the problems, the commander said.

Apart from the rice warehouse inspection, Lt.Gen.Preecha said the army was able to control other issues in the region and the local government units as well as the general public well cooperated with the army.


-- NNT 2014-07-22

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Thai coup leader to meet king on new constitution
by Boonradom Chitradon

BANGKOK, July 22, 2014 (AFP) - Thailand's junta chief is set to meet the king Tuesday to win approval for an interim constitution that will map out year-long political reforms expected to curb the influence of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

It will be the first time the revered but ailing King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 86, has granted an audience to coup leader General Prayut Chan-O-Cha since the military seized power two months ago.

Prayut has ruled out holding elections until around October 2015, despite appeals from the United States and the European Union for a return to a democratic path.

The interim constitution, which has not yet been published, is expected to give an indication of how the military plans to run the country.

The junta, which has curtailed civil liberties, has said it plans to share power with a new interim government, with the military retaining control of national security.

The army chief seized power after nearly seven months of protests saw 28 people killed and paralysed the government of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is Thaksin's sister, and her Puea Thai Party.

The new cabinet is expected to be picked by a junta-appointed national assembly which observers expect to be broadly subservient to the military.

The reforms could result in the lower house of parliament becoming partially appointed, like the upper house, said Kan Yuenyong, executive director of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank.

"The conservatives know that if they let a normal election happen again, the Puea Thai Party and Yingluck maybe can win another landslide," he told AFP.

He said the new constitution could also include an amnesty for the coup-makers.

But Kan added that there was also "a lot of political conflict within the conservatives themselves", so it was unclear how radical the reforms would be.

- 'Important mission' -

The Royal Household Bureau said in a brief announcement that Prayut would be granted an audience with the king at 5pm (1000 GMT) to receive the approved interim constitution.

Speaking at army headquarters on Tuesday, Prayut said the charter had already been endorsed by the monarch, describing the planned audience as an "important mission".

The junta chief received approval from the king -- the world's longest-serving monarch -- to run the country days after the May 22 coup.

On that occasion he did not meet Bhumibol, who has lived at his seaside palace in the resort of Hua Hin south of Bangkok since leaving hospital in August 2013 after almost four years.

The May coup was the latest chapter of a long-running political crisis broadly pitting Thaksin's billionaire family and its supporters against a royalist establishment backed by parts of the military and judiciary.

The army said the takeover was necessary to restore order.

But critics accuse the junta of using political unrest as an excuse to purge Thai politics of Thaksin's decade-long dominance.

The populist politician, who was seen by his opponents as a threat to the monarchy, was ousted by royalist generals eight years ago and lives in Dubai to avoid a jail term for corruption.
Yingluck was last week given permission by the military to travel overseas for the first time since the coup.

She is expected to attend Thaksin's 65th birthday party on July 26, but has vowed not to flee into self-exile.

Since taking power, the junta has imposed martial law, banned public rallies, censored the media and summoned several hundred people for questioning.

At the same time it has sought to win public support with free concerts and a vow to crack down on graft and other problems afflicting society.

King Bhumibol, who has suffered from a range of ailments in recent years, commands great respect among many Thais.

His blessing has traditionally been a key step in legitimising the recurring military takeovers in Thailand, which has seen 19 actual or attempted coups since 1932.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-07-22

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Office of Atoms for Peace organizes project to hear opinions on atomic energy

BANGKOK, 22 July 2014 (NNT) -- Mr. Supan Saengthong, the Secretary General of the Office of Atoms for Peace, said that the project to gather opinions on draft laws on atomic energy is being held from 24th-25th July 2014. The Office of Atoms for Peace has amended the laws relating to the use of atomic energy and there are five draft laws in total.

The target groups are stakeholders including those who are allowed to produce, possess or use radioactive materials, have responsibility for a radiation generator and nuclear materials, as well as medical personnel who work with radiation, lawyers, government officials and other associated people. The seminar is expected to help develop complete and effective draft laws.


-- NNT 2014-07-22

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Thailand post warns against posting prohibited items online for shipping

BANGKOK, 22 July 2014 (NNT) – Thailand Post has advised members of the public against posting prohibited items online after a pet animal had been shipped in a box to a customer in Pathum Thani.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745066-thailand-post-warns-against-posting-prohibited-items-online-for-shipping/

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Thailand to continue support for both Palestine and Israel

BANGKOK, 22 July 2014 (NNT) – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated that there will be no change in Thailand’s foreign policy on Israel and Palestine following the newly erupted violence between the two countries.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745068-thailand-to-continue-support-for-both-palestine-and-israel/

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Democrats prohibited from joining NLA, NRC

BANGKOK: -- Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has prohibited all party members from joining the National Legislative Assembly and the National Reform Council, deputy party leader Khunying Kalaya Sophonphanich said Tuesday.

Kalaya said Abhisit fears that the party would be accused of having conflicts of interest if Democrats join the two chambers.

She said if certain party members want to join the two chambers, they must seek approval from Abhisit and must promise not to contest future elections.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Democrats-prohibited-from-joining-NLA-NRC-30239162.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-22

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Budget spending tops NCPO’s economic agenda

BANGKOK, 22 July 2014 (NNT) - The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has expedited the spending of the 2015 budget by government units and state enterprises while promoting investment in transport infrastructure.

NCPO Chief Gen.Prayuth Chan-ocha said during the council’s meeting on Tuesday that the NCPO met on urgent issues over the past week, including the 2015 budget spending and budget allocation for local administrative organizations. The NCPO also assigned the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) to develop a plan on special economic zones, Gen.Prayuth told the meeting.

The council also decided to urgently promote investment in transport infrastructure in substitution of long-term equity funds (LTFs) which will expire in 2016. Before the meeting ended, Gen.Prauth called on all relevant people to work in the best interest of the country and Thai people and in line with the current NESDB plan.


-- NNT 2014-07-22

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SET index closed 1,520.81, down 17.74; Bt/USD31.73; GBP54.07; AUD29.64; EUR42.77; CAD29.42; HKD4.08; SGD25.45; JPY31.10

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State Petroleum Enterprise Sued For Resort Island Oil Spill

By Khaosod English


PTT Global Chemical staff during the clean-up operation of the oil spill on Koh Samet, 31 July 2013

RAYONG — Business owners on Koh Samet island are suing a state-owned petroleum enterprise for the oil spill that polluted the resort island's beaches last year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/745072-koh-samet-state-petroleum-enterprise-sued-for-resort-island-oil-spill/