Thailand Live Wednesday 30 Jul 2014

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PDA holds an energy saving and renewable energy exhibition in Buriram

BURIRAM, 29 July 2014 (NNT) – The Vice President of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA) has launched an exhibition of energy management for sustainable community development at Mechai Pattana School, Buriram Province.

The exhibition is being held as a point of exchange of education, experiences, and administration in energy management such as inventions for energy saving, use of renewable energy, and the education of people applying knowledge in everyday life.

The activities included lectures about the current state of Thai energy and sustainable development in rural areas, work presentations from students, water management by solar energy, the energy saving reaper, Biodiesel production from used oil, hydroponic plantings, etc.


-- NNT 2014-07-30

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Democrat Urges Investigation Of Pheu Thai Clocks, Amulets
By Khaosod English


Pro-government supporters stage protests in front of the office of National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), 13 March 2014

BANGKOK — A prominent member of Thailand’s Democrat Party has urged authorities to investigate the former ruling Pheu Thai Party over purchases of expensive amulets and digital clocks.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747247-democrat-urges-investigation-of-pheu-thai-clocks-amulets/

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Biggest Australian department store may open sourcing office in Thailand
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, July 30 -- Phusit Ratanakulsereroengrit, a senior official of Thailand's Department of International Trade Promotion, said representatives of Woolworths Limited want to discuss business deals with about 60 Thai operators as it plans to open a sourcing office in Asia Pacific and is especially interested in Thailand.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747248-biggest-australian-department-store-may-open-sourcing-office-in-thailand/

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Chinese media visit Khon Kaen to learn about local way of life

BANGKOK, 30 July 2014 (NNT) - Press members from the Bureau of Radio, Film and Television of Guangxi Zhuang, China, have visited Khon Kaen to learn about the province’s renowned Indian Eri silkmoth farming and help promote the way of life of local Thai farmers.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747249-chinese-media-visit-khon-kaen-to-learn-about-local-way-of-life/

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CAMPAIGN
Activists plan anti-shark fin protest at THAI check-in counters worldwide
Suchat Sritama
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- The Oceanic Preservation Society has invited shark advocates to gather at Thai Airways check-in desks at airports worldwide next month to protest against what it calls a cruel shark-fin cargo policy.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747250-activists-plan-anti-shark-fin-protest-at-thai-check-in-counters-worldwide/

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PRESS FREEDOM
Press council prepares to investigate ASTV magazine
Khanittha Thepphajorn
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Press Council of Thailand (NPCT) has assigned a sub-panel to look into the work of ASTV Manager Weekend magazine after it allegedly published a false information about the junta, the council's chairman Chakkrish Permpool said yesterday.

On Saturday, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) slammed the magazine for allegedly publishing an article that cast NCPO chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha in a bad light. The NCPO later called on the Press Council to investigate the magazine's moves, Chakkrish said.

The NPCT sub-panel has decided to give the magazine's editor a chance to defend the articles before it reports to the NCPO in 30 days. The NCPO will then have 20 days to make a decision.

If the magazine is found guilty, then it will need to publish the council's report as well as an official apology to the NCPO within seven days.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Press-council-prepares-to-investigate-ASTV-magazin-30239796.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-30

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THAI-KHMER RELATIONS
Cambodia won't shelter wanted Thais: Tea Banh
The Nation


National Council for Peace and Order chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, right, and Cambodia

BANGKOK: -- CAMBODIA will not allow any Thai politicians who face arrest warrants in Thailand to shelter on its territory - and it has laws against such moves, Cambodian deputy premier and defence minister General Tea Banh said yesterday.

Cambodia has no policy to allow anyone to use its land to operate against Thailand or other countries," he insisted.

Tea Banh was speaking after completing a two-day official visit to the Kingdom, the first since the Thai military junta seized power in late May.

He met with National Council for Peace and Order chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, during which Prayuth informed him of the NCPO's work, which was focused on solving political problems so that the country could move towards "perfect democracy".

The junta chief also thanked Cambodia for freeing via a royal amnesty Veera Somkwamkit, a Thai activist jailed in Phnom Penh for espionage. He said the NCPO was also moving to develop border areas for the benefit of both countries.

Tea Banh, meanwhile, said Cambodia understood the need for the junta to step in to solve the country's problems.

Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni, Prime Minister Hun Sen and other officials support the Thai military leaders, he said, adding that the country was therefore ready to work with the junta as its neighbour steps towards the Asean Economic Community, which comes into at the end of 2015.

A Thai source said the Thai side had asked Phnom Penh not to allow Thai politicians who fled the Kingdom when the junta seized power to use Cambodia as a shelter.

They include Jakrapob Penkair and Charupong Ruangsuwan, whose passports have already been revoked. However, it was reported that they had alternative passports issued by other countries.

Improved relations

Meanwhile, Cambodia's deputy army chief, Lt-General Hun Manet, said Hun Sen had expressed concern over Thailand's situation and wished that the country could move forward and the ruling junta could solve the problems it faced.

Hun Manet, who is a son of the prime minister, accompanied Tea Banh on his official visit to Thailand. He is also commander of Hun Sen's security unit. The visit is regarded as a reflection of improved bilateral relations following the conflict over Preah Vihear temple, after Cambodia took a case against Thailand to the International Court of Justice.

During Abhisit Vejjajiva's government, Hun Sen strongly criticised Thailand and appointed fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra as an adviser. Tea Banh's entourage comprised high-ranking officials in the Cambodian armed forces.

Bilateral relations will have improved following Phnom Penh's agreement to free Veera, a known activist against Cambodia over the Preah Vihear controversy.

A senior Thai Army official said Tea Banh's visit had been arranged following the return of a huge number of Cambodian workers who fled home from Thailand following rumours that the junta would launch a severe crackdown against them.

Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy had used the incident to criticise Hun Sen in order to gain more support. Phnom Penh therefore wished to discuss the issue with the Thai side to make sure that it would not come up again, the military official said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Cambodia-wont-shelter-wanted-Thais-Tea-Banh-30239799.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-30

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NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY
Military officers, ex-senators expected to have strong role
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will mostly comprise of active military officers and former senators, sources said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747251-military-officers-ex-senators-expected-to-have-strong-role-national-legislative-assembly/

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SEMINAR
Foreign investors 'unsure' of Kingdom's long-term stability
Pichaya Changsorn
The Nation


From right: Doangkamol Chotana, president of Nation Multimedia Group (nmg); Kan Trakulhoon, president and CEO of SCG Group; Supant Mongkolsuthree, president of the Federation of Thai Industries; Dr Surakiart Sathirathai, former deputy prime minister

BANGKOK: -- Foreign investors are positive on the near-term outlook for Thailand but remain sceptical of its long-term prospects, a seminar heard yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747252-foreign-investors-unsure-of-thailands-long-term-stability/

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HOSPITALITY
Hotel staff told to leave during 2-year renovation
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- TCC Group, the conglomerate owned by Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdim, will shut down Imperial Queen's Park Hotel for renovation and ask nearly 800 staff to leave.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747253-imperial-queens-park-hotel-staff-told-to-leave-during-2-year-renovation/

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INVESTMENT
Japan firms in Thailand see improved H2
Erich Parpart
The Nation


Setsuo Iuchi

BANGKOK: -- JAPANESE BUSINESS operators and investors are keeping a watchful eye on the development of the junta's economic policies and its reform road map, but believe business performance will improve in the second half thanks to rising confidence and increased consumption, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Bangkok (JCCB) said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747254-investment-japan-firms-in-thailand-see-improved-h2/

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STOPPAGE TIME
Yingluck must face rice scheme trial
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- If I were Yingluck Shinawatra, I would come back to Thailand just to shut up those predicting I wouldn't. And risk spending considerable time in jail in the process?

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747255-yingluck-must-face-rice-scheme-trial-thai-opinion/

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EDITORIAL
Knee-jerk, rearguard measures won't end school violence
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The root causes of this tragic situation must be addressed - but to start with, can Thai adults serve as good role models?

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747256-knee-jerk-rearguard-measures-wont-end-school-violence-thai-editorial/

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Australia's channel 7 broadcast clip of assault suspects father attacking camera man at Samui provincial court.



KOH SAMUI: -- On Thursday the 24th of July the two suspects in the Jack Hansel-Bartel case arrived at the Samui Provincial Court. Raymond Chang and Ryan Wang were charged with assaulting Jack Hansel-Bartel in the Green Mango nightclub in Chaweng on the 9th of July.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747257-australias-ch7-broadcast-clip-of-assault-suspects-father-attacking-camera-man-at-samui-court/

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Phuket beach campaign establishes Patong bridgehead
Darawan Naknakhon


V/Gov Jamroen (foreground, left) at Tritrang Beach this morning

PHUKET: -- Vice-Governor Jamroen Tippayapongthada this morning (July 29) zeroed in on the southern end of Patong in his continuing Army-backed drive to clean up Phuket’s beaches.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747258-phuket-beach-campaign-establishes-patong-bridgehead/

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White Box restaurant targeted in Phuket beach 'clean-up'
Alasdair Forbes


Beach cleaning committee meet outside The White Box

PHUKET: -- The White Box restaurant received a visit today (July 29) from the beach-cleaning committee, led by new Patong Mayor, Charlermluk Kebsap and Vice-Governor, Jamroen Tippayapongthada, accompanied as usual by men in camouflage uniforms.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747259-white-box-restaurant-targeted-in-phuket-beach-clean-up/

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RKK insurgents 'trained abroad': security sources
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Three insurgents killed in a gunfight on Monday wore wristwatches of the same Netherlands-based brand on their right hands, signifying their graduation from terrorist training overseas apart from self-identification among the operatives, security sources said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747260-rkk-insurgents-trained-abroad-thai-security-sources/

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Actress Janie, hubby Chonsavat part ways
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- POPULAR ACTRESS Janie Thienphosuvan has finally broken up with her high-profile local politician husband Chonsavat Asavahame.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747262-thai-actress-janie-divorce-goes-public-as-she-flees-to-us/

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Burmese boy won top prize in Thai Handwriting contest



BANGKOK: -- A 12-year old Burmese boy caused a big stir in Tak province when he won the first prize of the Thai Handwriting Competition held by the Office of the Basic Education Commission on the occasion of the Thai National Language Day on Tuesday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747265-burmese-boy-won-top-prize-in-thai-handwriting-contest/

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Thammawattana siblings end decade-long family feud



BANGKOK: -- Thanks to the mediation of the Criminal Court, the rival siblings of the Thammawattana family have agreed to withdraw from the Civil and Criminal courts all the 48 cases pending consideration and to end their decade-long violent family feud.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747267-thammawattana-siblings-end-decade-long-family-feud/

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BURNING ISSUE
Junta leaders deploying both soft and hard power
Pravit Rojanaphruk

BANGKOK: -- It's not just through guns and tanks that the military junta, known as the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), usurps and clings to power. Two months after the coup, the Kingdom saw the use of both soft and hard power, as well as support from a large enough sector of the population that helped shore up the NCPO.

Hard power is the most obvious: high-profile opponents face court martial, with former education minister Chaturon Chaisang and Red Sunday group leader Sombat Boonngam-anong the two most visible opponents of the May 22 coup facing prosecution. Hundreds of others were summoned, with dozens, including this writer, detained for up to seven days under martial law. Then there were about a dozen of those that refused to report who are now fugitives domestically or in exile abroad.

The fact that virtually none were physically tortured (online news-site prachatai.com claimed that one anti-coup university student was physically assaulted and threatened), is in fact a shield against international condemnation and opposition to the coup.

It seems the junta is well aware that as long as there is no forced disappearances or torture of high-profile opponents of the coup, its claim of wanting to 'strengthen' Thai democracy carries at least some weight with some people.

The existence of Article 44 of the Provisional Constitution promulgated last week - which gives the NCPO leader "special power" over the legislative, executive and judiciary branches - also further "legalised" and normalised the junta's hard power.

Then there are the coup-supporters. Some are so hateful towards Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra that they're willing to put up with anything. Others are fond of dictatorial rule and are calling for Prayuth to stay on for 10 years, or urging him to exercise power in a more draconian fashion, such as detaining more dissidents and executing rapists.

There are also various concerts and feel-good activities aimed at "returning happiness" to the people, and this can create the impression that everyone is happy and reconciled and that there's no longer any resistance to the coup.

While some pro-democracy scholars have chosen to censor themselves for fear of prosecution, law expert Chamnan Chanruang, for example, posted on this writer's Facebook comment space that the problem is not his self-censorship but "the media's self-censorship after interviewing [him]."

This, combined with the junta's attempt to "neutralise" unconvinced journalists through its controversial order number 97, leaves little space for dissent in mainstream mass media and helps maintain the perception that everything is well.

However, one only has to observe social media to see how strongly a good number of Thais still oppose the junta and how divisive Thai politics continues to be.

Continued online resistance aside, now that two months have passed and the "honeymoon period" is fast expiring, the junta's continued hold on power will increasingly depend on its economic performance, its delivery of a new permanent constitution and how free and fair an election it can deliver in 15 months from now.

Brute power is no longer enough to enable the junta to cling to power, as it will be judged more and more for its performance and intention than for the size of its guns.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Junta-leaders-deploying-both-soft-and-hard-power-30239790.html


-- The Nation 2014-07-30

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Council urges far stronger anti-graft penalties
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Corruption laws need to be made a fiercer deterrent by scrapping the statute of limitations and imposing punishment not only on those convicted but also several generations of their families as well as their nominees, according to the Political Development Council.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747272-thai-council-urges-far-stronger-anti-graft-penalties/

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Coach Driver caught with guns and drugs in East Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- Acting on information received from a member of the public, Pattaya Police arrested a 38 year old man in the early hours of Tuesday who was caught in possession of a variety of firearms, gun parts and a large bag of the class 5 drug Marijuana.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747273-coach-driver-caught-with-guns-and-drugs-in-east-pattaya/

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Last surviving Hiroshima bomb crew member dies

US: -- The last surviving member of the US air crew that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima has died in Georgia aged 93.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747279-last-hiroshima-bomb-crewman-dies/

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Gaza conflict: Hamas vows no Israel ceasefire

GAZA: -- A reclusive Hamas commander has rejected suggestions the Palestinian militants are ready for a ceasefire with Israel to end violence in Gaza.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747281-hamas-vows-to-continue-gaza-battle/

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Ukraine conflict: US and EU widen sanctions on Russia

WASHINGTON: -- US President Barack Obama has announced new economic sanctions against Russia, saying they will make Russia's "weak economy even weaker".

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747283-us-and-eu-expand-sanctions-on-russia/

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Woman can claim $17,500 tax deduction for winter in Thailand, court rules
By: Sheryl Smolkin

Tax court has decided for second year a Thunder Bay woman suffering from chronic pain can deduct cost of winter in Thailand, Indonesia

TORONTO: -- For the second year in a row a court has decided that a Thunder Bay woman suffering from chronic pain can deduct the cost of spending the winter in a hot climate.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747295-woman-can-claim-17500-tax-deduction-for-winter-in-thailand-court-in-canada-rules/

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Success of the To-Be-Number-One Project in Uttaradit

BANGKOK, 30 July 2014 (NNT) - The To Be Number One Project, a campaign initiated by Princess Ubolratana, to reduce drug abuse among teenagers, has met a great success in Uttaradit province.

The project was introduced to the Technical College of Uttaradit in 2010 and has later been instituted in other vocational colleges nearby, raising the number of project members in the province to nearly 6,000 students currently. These colleges have constantly organized activities to make students realize they can be the best without drug involvement, in pursuit of the project’s goal to deter youngsters from experimenting with drugs.

The province has also established a To Be Number One Friends’ Corner, to provide children with an easier access to consultations and consolation when they are in distress. Uttaradit’s To Be Number One Project has as its theme “WE ARE…TO BE NUMBER ONE : SMILE, SMART AND HAPPINESS TOGETHER”. The effort, launched with cooperation from various provincial organizations, has enabled Uttaradit to win 6 awards at the recent nationwide contest to mark the 12th anniversary of the To Be Number One Project in 2014.

Princess Ubolratana , in her capacity as the chairperson of the To Be Number One Project, visited Uttaradit early this week to witness its success in the project at the Technical College of Uttaradit. On this occasion, the Princess also granted an audience to 30 teenagers who used to be drug addicts and are now under rehabilitation, to provide royal advice aimed at encouraging them to quit drugs for good.

The Princess also joined To Be Number One idols in a musical performance at the end of her visit.


-- NNT 2014-07-30

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OBEC: More than 8,000 CCTV cameras to be installed in southern schools

BANGKOK, 30 July 2014, (NNT) - The Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) is preparing to install more than 8,000 CCTV cameras in schools in the South.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747300-obec-more-than-8000-cctv-cameras-to-be-installed-in-southern-schools/

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VIDEO: Phuket Surin Beach Confusion

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/747301-video-phuket-surin-beach-confusion/