Thailand Live Sunday 21 Sep 2014

[Lite Beer]

KOH TAO MURDERS
DNA tests will be done in Singapore
The Sunday Nation

National police chief Pol-General Somyot Poompanmoung, second from left at front, visits Koh Tao yesterday to oversee the hunt for the killers of two British tourists.

KOH TAO: -- Semen and cigarette butts seen as key to finding who killed Britons on Koh Tao

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762085-dna-tests-will-be-done-in-singapore/

[Lite Beer]

Police chief believe Asian killers still on Koh Tao

National police chief Pol-General Somyot Poompanmoung said Saturday that police had certain clues that the suspects were Asian men, whom he said he was "confident" that remained on the island in the one-week-old crimes.

Somyot made an inspection visit to Koh Tao Saturday, when police investigators simulated the crimes on a few scenarios - the attackers followed the victims from the bar, the attackers randomly selected their preys, and chose the victims, and their tracks to the scene and to run away after the attack.

Source: http://www.nationmul...a-30243736.html

-- The Nation 2014-09-20

[Lite Beer]

Vietnamese men arrested for kidnap, extortion and torture
Khanathit Srihirundaj
Detavee Teevarangkula
The Sunday Nation

A Vietnamese kidnap victim shows his maimed right hand at a press conference yesterday. While living in Thailand, he says his alleged Vietnamese captors tortured him, including slicing off the finger.

BANGKOK: -- Finger of Vietnamese victim severed to demand Bt1.5m from his family

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762087-vietnamese-men-arrested-for-kidnap-extortion-and-torture/

[Lite Beer]

Tourist police, charity rescue German beggar
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- The tourism police and a German charity have come to the aid of a German man with excessively swollen legs, found begging near Khao San Road in Bangkok, after his photos were distributed and shared on social media.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762088-tourist-police-charity-rescue-german-beggar/

[Lite Beer]

NCPO will select National Reform Council members
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Council for Peace and Order yesterday clarified its decision to cancel the appointment of a 14-member committee to select the 250-member National Reform Council.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762089-ncpo-will-select-national-reform-council-members/

[Lite Beer]

'Political will is the key to decentralisation'
The Sunday Nation

DEMOCRAT LEADER Abhisit Vejjajiva has said successful decentralisation reform can happen but political willingness - or lack of it - will be the key to its success or failure. He has also made reform proposals for three forms of local administration that are designed to demonstrate a variety of characteristics of society.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762090-political-will-is-the-key-to-decentralisation/

-- The Nation 2014-09-21

[Lite Beer]

Car-free Day: Silom Road to close
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Silom Road will be closed to traffic till 6am tomorrow as part of the annual Bangkok Car Free Day events.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762091-car-free-day-silom-road-to-close/

[Lite Beer]

Navy marines arrested in Cambodia with fake dollar notes valued at $7.5 million
Panya Thiosangwan
Nitisak Setthasaengsri
Krissana Wilamas
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Royal Thai Navy has suspended from duty three marines after they were arrested in Cambodia for carrying fake US dollar banknotes.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762092-navy-marines-arrested-in-cambodia-with-fake-dollar-notes-valued-at-75-million/

[Lite Beer]

Abhisit enjoys a surge in popularity: Bangkok poll
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva's popularity has jumped while Pheu Thai Party leader Yingluck Shinawatra's is waning, according to a new Bangkok Poll.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762093-abhisit-enjoys-a-surge-in-popularity-bangkok-poll/

[Lite Beer]

EDITORIAL
Apology was good, but rape is a big problem in Thai society
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prayuth's apology for his remark about bikinis is welcome, but action to counter crime always speaks louder than words

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762094-apology-was-good-but-rape-is-a-big-problem-in-thai-society/

[Lite Beer]

PM Prayuth sends condolence message to PM David Cameron

Thai Prime Minister Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha sent a condolence message to British Prime Minister David Cameron expressing regret and sadness over the deaths of the two British tourists in Thailand with pledges to hunt down the murderers.

He also sent condolence message to the families of the two victims expressing his deep regret over the loss.

Government spokesman Col Virachon Sukontapatipak disclosed Saturday that Prime Minister Prayuth sent the condolence message to Prime Minister David Cameron late Friday evening expressing profound regret and sadness of the deaths of Hannah Witheridge and David Miller.

In the message, Gen Prayuth assured the British premier that his government would pursue the case to bring the culprits to justice as soon as possible.

Besides he also pledged to take care of all foreign tourists visiting Thailand as best as Thai tourists, the spokesman said.

He also said relatives of the two victims would be given full convenience should they return to Thailand to follow up the case.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/pm-prayuth-sends-condolence-message-pm-david-cameron/

-- Thai PBS 2014-09-20

[Lite Beer]

Chiang Mai Road Safety Center creates bike routes to promote Chiang Mai tourism

CHIANG MAI, 20 September 2014 (NNT) - Chiang Mai Road Safety Center is creating bike routes to promote Chiang Mai tourism.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762096-chiang-mai-road-safety-center-creates-bike-routes-to-promote-chiang-mai-tourism/

[Lite Beer]

Bike lane at Suvarnabhumi airport to close temporarily

BANGKOK, 20 September 2014 (NNT) –The bicycle track at Suvarnabhumi airport is closed for four days from September 22-25 for improvements and for the southern entrance to be shut down permanently.

The northern entrance from Ladkrabang Road is set to open from September 26 onward. The car park can accommodate 600 cars. In addition, a 1 km short track has been created, along with the provision of restrooms and overhead lighting for cyclists. Since its opening for public use in March, the bike lane has been warmly embraced by biking enthusiasts, especially on weekends when the number reaches about 2,000 cyclists.

-- NNT 2014-09-21

[Lite Beer]

Minor quake rattles Chiang Rai’s Mae Lao

CHIANGRAI, 20 September 2014 (NNT) –According to the Seismological Bureau, at 17:12 pm, an earthquake with a magnitude of 2.7 on the Richter scale, was felt in Mae Lao district, Chiang Rai province. At this point, no injuries or damage have been reported.

-- NNT 2014-09-20

[Lite Beer]

PM orders DDPM to closely monitor floods

BANGKOK, 20 September 2014 (NNT)- The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department has made known that the floods in 25 provinces throughout the country have eased but repairing the damage has been set as a priority.

Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said currently, all flood-hit provinces except Sukhothai, Phitsanulok, Phichit and Nakhon Sawan have recovered from the deluge. However the countryside and many people have been affected by the deluge.

He has ordered all responsible sectors to closely monitor the weather conditions and set up defense measures to prevent inundations. A total budget of 1 billion baht will be allocated to alleviate the impact. The measures consist of speeding up drainage from the main river to reservoirs, and digging out canals to allow the rapid dispersal of flood waters after heavy rain.

-- NNT 2014-09-20

[Lite Beer]

No royal treatment for Thai princess at Asian Games
Agence France-Presse

INCHEON // The Thai princess taking part in the Asian Games insisted she is treated just like any other athlete after she made her debut in the dressage competition on Saturday.

Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, whose horse is named Prince Charming, is the granddaughter of Thailand’s King and was once listed among Forbes’ “Top 20 hottest royals”.

But she said she was getting no special treatment at the Asian Games, where she is staying in the athletes’ village just like thousands of her co-competitors.

“They treat me like friends, a normal rider,” Sirivannavari told Agence France-Presse at the stables of Incheon’s Dream Park equestrian centre, after her performance on Saturday.

“If they treat me as a princess I would not be here, I’d be in another stable, with beautiful decorations. Everybody has the same – the one thing they give me is respect.”

The down-to-earth royal arrived back at her high-rise accommodation late on Friday after the Games’ opening ceremony – poor preparation for a competition.

But Srivannavari, who also competed in badminton at the 2006 Asian Games, said a blast of pop star Rihanna helped her gear up for a day in the saddle.

“For me it was no problem, it’s like: wake up, some vitamin C, a lot of water and feel fresh, good music – I listened to Rihanna this morning,” she said.

Srivannavari, 27, is the latest in a line of royals to compete in top-level equestrianism, including Britain’s Zara Phillips, a 2012 Olympics silver-medallist.

Sirivannavari finished well down the field in Saturday’s individual dressage, which was dominated by South Korean and Japanese riders.

But she said she was pleased with her performance after just two months working with Prince Charming.

“Overall big picture, I’m very happy that he’s very relaxed but I know that he wants to work too much sometimes, so I need to hold him back,” she said.

And she is not ruling out following Phillips’ example by appearing at the Olympics.

“Today is today, tomorrow is tomorrow. I want to go little by little, work hard today, work hard tomorrow and then if God wants me to go to the Olympics, why not?” she said.

Away from the sporting domain, the energetic Sirivannavari is a keen fashion designer and has had two shows at Paris Fashion Week.

Her second Paris outing, inspired by 1970s and 80s hard rock, featured models poured into stretch lame cropped biker jackets and jeans, and studded biker boots.

The French connection goes beyond Sirivannavari’s fashion shows, and her habit of switching between French and English in conversation.

The whole Thai dressage team prepared for the Games in France under veteran trainer Alain Francois, who says his royal protege has made great progress on her new horse.

“The horse is exceptional and the princess has a huge wish to go on so we just need time to improve things,” he said.

And what about the Olympics, and a repeat of Phillips’ success?

“I hope so. That is the point of every life, to go to the Olympics. But it is very difficult, the places are very few,” Francois said.

Source: http://www.thenational.ae/sport/other/no-royal-treatment-for-thai-princess-at-asian-games

--The National 2014-09-20

[Lite Beer]

RT @RichardBarrow: 8:45am Large cycle rally has just left Sanam Luang and is now heading towards Silom Road (Pic @ittipatNOW26) http://t.co/cP82pqDwUC

[Lite Beer]

RT @RichardBarrow: Map showing the route of the cycle rally this morning from Sanam Luang to Silom marking Car Free Day in #Bangkok http://t.co/M1nCyJru8R

[Lite Beer]

Retired Muslim academic who campaigned for peace dialogue dies

BANGKOK: -- Ahmed Somboon Bualuang, a retired academic who has been campaigning for peace dialogue for the far South, has died, Isra News Agency reported.

The agency said Ahmed Somboon suffered an acute chest pain while travelling on a train in Sweden and was rushed to the Helsingborg Lasarett Hospitla in Lund and was pronounced dead Saturday morning.

He left Thailand on September 15 to try to coordinate with various groups for peace dialogue between the Thai government and insurgency groups campaigning in the southern border provinces.

He retired from Prince of Songkla Universit's Pattani campus and became active in peace dialogue, liking up government agencies with exiled separatist groups from the south.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Retired-Muslim-academic-who-campaigned-for-peace-d-30243754.html

-- The Nation 2014-09-21

[Lite Beer]

RT @RichardBarrow: Aerial view showing over 10,000 monks as far as the eye can see in Samut Prakan ตักบาตรพระ 11,111 รูป ที่สมุทรปราการ http://t.co/fb5RXTD5OA

[Lite Beer]

Thai authorities, villagers team up to bury drowned chickens

Bangkok: -- Authorities and villagers in southern Thailand teamed up to bury the carcasses of 20,000 drowned chickens, a report said Sunday.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762119-thai-authorities-villagers-team-up-to-bury-drowned-chickens/

[Lite Beer]

Prayuth govt enjoys high approval rating of 8.8 points

The government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha enjoyed a popular rating of 8.8 out of 10 points, the Master Poll survey by Thai Researchers in Community Happiness Association found.

The survey was carried out among leaders of 600 communities nationwide from September 13 to 20.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Prayuth-govt-enjoys-high-approval-rating-of-8-8-po-30243756.html

-- The Nation 2014-09-21

[Lite Beer]

RT @RichardBarrow: Silom Road in #Bangkok has been turned into a Walking Street all day for Bangkok Car Free Day (Pic @pr_bangkok) http://t.co/gdekB6rCrM

[Lite Beer]

Most Nakhon Ratchasima wants referendum on province partition

KHORAT: -- Most of residents of Nakhon Ratchasima want a referendum to be held on whether Bua Yai district should be separated into a new province, an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration has found.

The NIDA surveyed residents of eight districts of the province on Thursday and Friday and found that 88.76 per cent support a referendum on the issue.

The survey found that 46.26 per cent disagree with the partition while 38.84 per cent support it.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Most-Nakhon-Ratchasima-wants-referendum-on-provinc-30243757.html

-- The Nation 2014-09-21

[Lite Beer]

Government invalidating passports of Canadians who joined extremist groups
STEWART BELL

CANADA: -- The government has begun invalidating the passports of Canadians who have left the country to join extremist groups in Syria and Iraq, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander revealed in an interview on Friday.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762141-canadian-government-invalidating-passports-of-canadians-who-joined-extremist-groups/

[Lite Beer]

RT @RichardBarrow: Cyclists are allowed on the BTS Skytrain in #Bangkok for FREE today. Hopefully room for others too! (Pic via FB) http://t.co/Sewf0jzFSR

[Lite Beer]

UPDATE:

Kidnap gang 'cut off victim's finger to extort family'

PATTAYA: Three Vietnamese kidnapping suspects who allegedly cut off their victim's little finger and sent it to his family have been arrested in Pattaya.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762087-vietnamese-men-arrested-for-kidnap-extortion-and-torture/#entry8415720

[Lite Beer]

Chinese dam risks flooding Chiang Rai

CHIANG RAI: Mekong River communities in Chiang Rai have been warned to brace for floods after an upstream dam in China began discharging increased levels of water.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762157-chinese-dam-risks-flooding-chiang-rai/

[Lite Beer]

1.67 million Thai youths addicted to smoking

BANGKOK: -- About 1.67 million Thai youths between 15 to 24 years old are addicted to smoking, Doctor Wanthanee Watana, the director of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Health Department said.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/762160-125-million-thai-youths-addicted-to-smoking/

[Lite Beer]

Over 30,000 cyclists join Bangkok car free day ride

Bangkok Governor M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra joined hands with 87 partner organizations to hold the Bangkok Car Free Day 2014 activity at Sanam Luang at 8 am Sunday.

He released a procession of 30,000 cyclists at 8:30 am. They rode from Sanam Luang to Silom Road which was closed to traffic as part of the activity.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Over-30000-cyclists-join-Bangkok-car-free-day-ride-30243760.html

-- The Nation 2014-09-21