Foreign 'Mafia' Harass Tourists in Pattaya, Taunt Local Police

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Graft buster rejects attorney’s request for more questioning before indicting Yingluck

BANGKOK: -- The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) today rejected the request by the Office of the Attorney-General to question more witnesses regarding the government-to-government rice deals before prosecuting former Premier Yingluck Shinawatra.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa....cting-yingluck/

[Lite Beer]

NRC SEMINAR
Reforms need 'united society'
The Sunday Nation

Thienchay

BANGKOK: -- NRC promises not to impose its will on charter drafters; seminar hears the importance of public participation for the process to be successful; civic groups urged to join efforts

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783919-reforms-need-united-society/

[Lite Beer]

'Bike for King' event proves a huge success
The Sunday Nation

Bikers taking part

BANGKOK: -- The Department of Physical Education joined forces with NOW 26, a Nation Multimedia Group digital TV channel, to organise the "Bike for King" event yesterday morning.

During the opening ceremony at the National Stadium, Department chief Pattanachat Kritbaworn said the event was a celebration of His Majesty the King's 87th birthday and health promotion among the public through a growing lifestyle trend.

Participants, including former Muay Thai champion Samart Payak-arun, rode along a 14km route that ended back at the stadium.

The route took the riders past, among other locations, Saphan Khao Market, Golden Mountain, Democracy Monument, the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Silpakorn University, the Phan Fa Lilat Bridge and the Royal Turf Club of Thailand.

Department's Sport Office director Niwat Limsukniran said the gathering brought together some 2,000 cyclists, who attended an early morning ceremony to wish His Majesty good health and longevity.

NMG president Duangkamol Chotana said NOW 26 was happy to join the Department in hosting an activity that celebrated the King's birthday and promoted cycling.

She said the participants enjoyed a new experience and were exposed to some of Bangkok's key locations.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Bike-for-King-event-proves-a-huge-success-30249783.html

-- The Nation 2014-12-14

[Lite Beer]

NACC not hopeful of resolution with prosecutors in Yingluck case
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Sansern rules out conducting more probe in rice-pledging case against ex-PM

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783920-nacc-not-hopeful-of-resolution-with-prosecutors-in-yingluck-case/

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Sorrayuth, three others to be indicted
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- A joint panel of public prosecutors and National Anti-Corruption Commission officials has recommended the indictment of TV host Sorrayuth Suthassanachinda and three others for their role in the alleged embezzlement of Bt138 million in advertising revenue from MCOT nine years ago.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783922-sorrayuth-three-others-to-be-indicted/

[Lite Beer]

Vietnamese fishing trawlers intercepted
Santiphab Ramasut
The Sunday Nation

Naval officers question crewmembers of five Vietnamese fishing vessels detained for illegally fishing in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- The Navy yesterday intercepted five Vietnamese fishing trawlers and detained 30 crewmembers for allegedly operating illegally near Koh Kra off Nakhon Si Thammarat in the Gulf of Thailand.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783924-vietnamese-fishing-trawlers-intercepted/

[Lite Beer]

Authorities look the other way as activists disappear in Asia

BANGKOK: -- The wife of missing Laotian activist Sombath Somphone says his abductors still enjoy impunity two years after his disappearance - an ugly reality across a region where powerful business interests and murky state actors stand accused of routinely "disappearing" opponents.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783926-authorities-look-the-other-way-as-activists-disappear-in-asia/

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Police officer fired, faces probe for 'forgery'
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- National police chief Somyos Pumpanmuang yesterday ordered the dismissal from civil service of Pol Colonel Denchai Butphosri of the Police Aviation Division, pending an investigation into a fraudulent claim in a Huai Khwang massage parlour search on Friday night, a police spokesman said yesterday.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783927-police-officer-fired-faces-probe-for-forgery/

[Lite Beer]

UPDATE:

Investigation ongoing into 'lese majeste'
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police will summon the business partner of a police officer's wife who has been accused of committing lese majeste for allegedly winning a contract to supply food to an establishment by claiming she had links with the monarchy.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783728-seven-more-people-linked-to-catering-deal/page-2#entry8799613

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EDITORIAL
Movie-makers missed the point completely
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- By misusing the image of Hitler in a film meant to promote moral values, they trivialised one of the most sordid chapters in world history

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783928-movie-makers-missed-the-point-completely/

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DESIGNS
Enter the Design City
Khetsirin Pholdhampalit
The Sunday Nation

Pimarn Tovanabootr of Soap-n-Scent makes soap that looks like traditional desserts.

Chiang Mai has spent the past week showing off its creative ingenuity

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783930-enter-the-design-city/

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Phuket police commander makes plans to resolve traffic problems

Saran Mitrarat

Phuket Provincial Police Commander Maj Gen Patchara Boonyasit.

PHUKET: Construction companies will no longer be able to block the roads without filing their constructions plans first, following an order from the police.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783931-phuket-police-commander-makes-plans-to-resolve-traffic-problems/

[Lite Beer]

Thai PM: CIA’s interrogations in Thailand, an internal USA matter

BANGKOK, 13 December 2014 (NNT) – The Prime Minister of Thailand has commented on the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s report on a rumored CIA detention complex in Thailand, saying its an internal matter for the US and is unrelated to the Thai government.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783932-thai-pm-cias-interrogations-in-thailand-an-internal-usa-matter/

[Lite Beer]

Public Health tackles teen pregnancy

BURIRAM, 13 December 2014 (NNT) -- The Ministry of Public Health is taking serious action against the problem of teenage pregnancy which has been rising fast in the last ten years.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783933-public-health-tackles-teen-pregnancy/

[Lite Beer]

NBTC presents TV Shopping for Digital Economy

BANGKOK, 13 December 2014 (NNT) – The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is considering to provide TV Shopping service licenses as another way to push the government’s Digital Economy policy and to help extend the television business.

According to Vice Chairman of the NBTC Dr. Natee Sukonrat, the NBTC has learned from the example of the South Korean TV Shopping service that it has achieved great success and proved to be beneficial to the economy.

The NBTC Chairman has said that there are many television service providers in Thailand, of which the television business can be further developed to create even more economic value.

He said that if the NBTC introduced the TV Shopping service license, it would initiate an improvement to the existing television business in Thailand to become a new category of business. This will generate more economic value using technology complying to the government’s digital economy policy.

The NBTC has also been praised from the television business regulating authority of South Korea for the Digital TV tender in Thailand as a fair and appropriate way to allocate the service license.

-- NNT 2014-12-13

[Lite Beer]

Washington march: Civil rights protest over US police killings

Thousands of people have marched through the US capital, Washington DC, to protest against the recent killings of unarmed black people by police.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783935-washington-march-civil-rights-protest-over-us-police-killings/

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RT @RichardBarrow: This is where old Royal Thai Navy aircraft go to die - at U-Tapao #Thailand http://twitter.com/RichardBarrow/status/543753888298319874/photo/1

[Lite Beer]

Latvian tourist arrested in Nong Khai for using fake visa stamps

BANGKOK: -- A Latvian tourist was arrested at the First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge border checkpoint in Nong Khai's Muang district at noon Saturday for using Thailand's exit and re-entry visa stamps.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783939-latvian-tourists-arrested-in-nong-khai-for-using-fake-visa-stamps/

[Lite Beer]

Temperature at Khao Yai park drops to 14 degree, drawing more than 1,000 tourists

Khaoyai National Park chief Khanchit Srinoppawan said the lowest temperature on Khao Yai mountaintop has dropped to 14 Celsius degree.

He said the cold temperature prompted some 1,000 tourists to occupy the camping ground of the park since Friday evening.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Temperature-at-Khao-Yai-park-drops-to-14-degree-dr-30249796.html

-- The Nation 2014-12-14

[Lite Beer]

RT @RichardBarrow: Jim Thompson Farm in Pak Thong Chai, Nakhon Ratchasima has just opened for the winter season (Pic @Naris_Reporter) http://twitter.com/Naris_Reporter/status/543588094742515712/photo/1

[Lite Beer]

Yingluck still more popular than Abhisit: survey

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is still more popular than Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, Bangkok University pollster found in its latest opinion survey.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783945-yingluck-still-more-popular-than-abhisit-survey/

[Lite Beer]

Most people want referendum on new charter to be held

Bangkok University pollster found that 71.2 per cent of 1,206 respondents want a national referendum on the draft constitution to be held while 12.4 per cent do not want it and the remaining 16.4 per cent were undecided.

The opinion survey was carried out on the occasion of six months after the May 22 coup.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Most-people-want-referendum-on-new-charter-to-be-h-30249798.html

-- The Nation 2014-12-14

[Lite Beer]

IPST launches free online student assessment tests

BANGKOK: -- The Institute for the Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology has launched free online tests under the Programme for International Student Assessment at http://pisaitems.ipst.ac.th.

IPST Director Pornphan Waithayangkul said the tests were developed in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/IPST-launches-free-online-student-assessment-tests-30249799.html

-- The Nation 2014-12-14

[Lite Beer]

Nakhon Phanom sees mercury drop to 14 C degree

Nakhon Phanom saw its lowest temperature of this year Sunday morning when the mercury dropped to 14 Celsius degree, the local meteorological office announced.

The cold temperature led to thick fog in several areas of the country. Nakhon Phanom Governor Adisak Thepart said he ordered all district offices to survey whether local people need blankets and jackets.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Nakhon-Phanom-sees-mercury-drop-to-14-C-degree-30249800.html

-- The Nation 2014-12-14

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Quebec man fights for truth two years after daughters died in Thailand

MONTREAL - More than two years after Audrey and Noemi Belanger died in a Thailand hotel room, their father is still looking for answers.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783953-quebec-man-fights-for-truth-two-years-after-daughters-died-in-thailand/

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Corruption suppression most tangible achievement of Prayut govt

BANGKOK: -- Most or 46 per cent of leaders of 629 communities saw that corruption suppression was the most tangible achievement of the Prayut Chan-o-cha government during the past three months, the Thai Researchers in Community Happiness Association has found in its latest opinion survey.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783957-corruption-suppression-most-tangible-achievement-of-prayut-govt/

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Sombat insists PM direct election can tackle vote buying

BANGKOK: -- Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, the chairman of the National Reform Council's political reform committee, insisted that direct election of the prime minister and Cabinet would tackle the issue of vote buying.

Speaking during an NRC seminar on Saturday, Sombat said those who were opposed to the idea should reasonably rethink the issue.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Sombat-insists-PM-direct-election-can-tackle-vote--30249802.html

-- The Nation 2014-12-14

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Geminids meteor shower to peak midnight Sunday

BANGKOK: -- Thais can enjoy watching the Geminids meteor shower around the country Sunday night, astronomer Worawit Tanwutthibanthit said.

He said the sighting could be around 80 meteors per hour and the peak would happen at midnight. He said Thais need to look at the northeast direction.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Geminids-meteor-shower-to-peak-midnight-Sunday-30249804.html

-- The Nation 2014-12-14

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UPDATE:

Taxis are being inspected and meters adjusted for the new fare implementation

BANGKOK, 14 Dec 2014, (NNT) - The Department of Land Transport (DLT) is urgently inspecting taxis and adjusting their meters to conform to the new fare rates.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783545-thai-transport-ministry-announces-new-cab-fare-rates/page-2#entry8800575

[Lite Beer]

NLA’s 1st Vice President: Religion helps people focus on all things that are good

BANGKOK, 14 December 2014 (NNT) - The first Vice President of the National Legislative Assembly believes religion helps people coexist in the world.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/783993-nlas-1st-vice-president-religion-helps-people-focus-on-all-things-that-are-good/