PM vows to help disaster-hit people in SEA



BANGKOK, 29 December 2014 (NNT) - Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha has expressed concern over the current natural disasters in Malaysia, Philippines and southern provinces of Thailand. The PM said the Thai government was ready to do the utmost in helping them.

Government Spokesman Yongyuth Maiyalarp said the premier had instructed the Thai embassy in Kuala Lumpur and consulates in Penang and Kota Bharu to closely monitor the situation and to be on standby to assist Thai people in the disaster-affected areas. The PM also pledged assistance for the typhoon-hit Philippines, said the spokesman.

Gen. Prayuth traveled to the submerged southern border provinces last week. He asked government units there to urgently help those who suffered from the inundation.


-- NNT 2014-12-29

Thonglor Police Leaflet Explaining Search Policy
Published by Stickboy BKK



BANGKOK: -- Following a month of bad publicity regarding police stop and searches around the Asoke / Sukhumvit area of Bangkok, Thonglor Police District have printed a leaflet outlining your rights as a foreigner if stopped by the police.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787561-searching-foreigners-thonglor-police-leaflet-explaining-search-policy/

CHARTER WRITING
The plan for an outsider PM is risky: Abhisit
THE NATION

Ex-MP Nipit warns radical proposals could ruin charter

BANGKOK: -- Democrat Party leader and former PM Abhisit Vejjajiva says the charter drafters' proposal to allow the appointment of an "outsider" PM should not be included in the new constitution - because it is "dangerous" in normal circumstances.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787562-the-plan-for-an-outsider-pm-is-risky-abhisit/

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Govt plans boost to flagging economy next year amid global risk factors
Suphannee Pootpisut
The Nation

Sommai

BANGKOK: -- WITH looming risk factors around the globe, Thailand's Finance Ministry plans to spend an additional budget worth Bt260 billion next year in an attempt to stimulate its languishing economy.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787563-thai-govt-plans-boost-to-flagging-economy-next-year-amid-global-risk-factors/

Four police linked to online gambling gang surrender
Jessada Chantharak
Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Nation


Four out of nine policemen report themselves to the Phaholyothin Police Station yesterday to face charges over allegations that they took bribes from a big online gambling operator.

Five more told to face charges, as Pongpat undergoes heart surgery

BANGKOK: -- Four commissioned policemen yesterday turned themselves in to face charges related to claims they took bribes from an online gambling organisation.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787564-four-police-linked-to-online-gambling-gang-surrender/

Govt urged to build roads and rail lines using Thai rubber
Surat Atta
The Nation


Suthichai Yoon, chairman of Nation Multimedia Group Plc, holds a tripartite seminar on the price of rubber on Friday.

BANGKOK: -- The government should draw up an alternative strategy to ensure sustainable growth in the rubber industry by establishing a downstream industry instead of relying solely on exports, which has caused farmers to suffer from price swings and manipulation, a seminar heard recently.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787565-govt-urged-to-build-roads-and-rail-lines-using-thai-rubber/

PM opens Rattanakosin Island bike route as 'New Year's gift'
Tanatpong Kongsai
The Nation


Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumband Paribatra ride bicycles to mark the opening of the bike lane around Rattanakosin Island in the capital.

BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday opened a cycle route in Bangkok's Rattanakosin Island. The premier invited the public to travel by bike and called on motorists to follow the traffic rules.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787566-pm-prayut-opens-rattanakosin-island-bike-route-as-new-years-gift/

Russian economic crisis hits Pattaya, Phuket
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION


Foreign tourists walk on the streets of Pattaya in this file photo.

BANGKOK: -- Russia's economic crisis is expected to squeeze the hotel and tourism business in Thailand - especially in Pattaya and Phuket - through the current high season and first quarter of next year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787567-russian-economic-crisis-hits-pattaya-phuket/

YEAR-END SPECIAL
Experts predict boost in GDP growth from government's digital economy plans
Erich Parpart
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Government investment on preparing for the digital economy would directly contribute to the expansion of the economy next year and help support the growth of other economic engines - investment, government spending, exports and tourism - when it is fully implemented as planned, experts said recently.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787569-experts-predict-boost-in-gdp-growth-from-thai-governments-digital-economy-plans/

Permanent 'superboard' planned
Achara Deboonme
The Nation


Bandid

Independent organisation could be tasked with overseeing state enterprises

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's reformers are envisaging a permanent "superboard" to supervise state enterprises, a key part of the administrative branch, which is experiencing deterioration in governance, posing great risks to the country's competitiveness.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787571-permanent-superboard-planned-to-supervise-state-enterprises/

EDITORIAL
2015 won't give Prayut breathing space
The Nation

Reform deadline will increase pressure on national leader

BANGKOK: -- What is the biggest message of 2014 to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha? It's not the scale of national divide, which everyone knows well. It's not the fickleness of Thai people, or how they are next to impossible to please. It's not how delicate his "reform" agenda is either, because, again, everybody knows what is good for one camp can easily be rejected by the other. The year's biggest warning to the self-installed interim leader is that 2015 can also end in the blink of an eye.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787572-thai-editorial-2015-wont-give-prayut-breathing-space/

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Challenges of Asean integration 2015
Kavi Chongkittavorn

BANGKOK: -- As Asean moves towards one community at the end of 2015, a troubling question is being asked - whether the grouping is really gluing, or just mere rhetoric. Well, the answer would be - a combination of both.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787573-thai-opinion-challenges-of-asean-integration-2015/

Shop Worker falls to his death from high floor at Pattaya Shopping Mall



PATTAYA: -- On Sunday Night, Police and rescue services were called to a popular Shopping Mall in Central Pattaya to deal with a suspected suicide of a shop worker, who is thought to have jumped from a high floor of their car park.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787574-shop-worker-falls-to-his-death-from-high-floor-at-pattaya-shopping-mall/

Two teenagers shot and injured following earlier fight at Pattaya Countdown Festival

PATTAYA: -- In the early hours of Sunday, Pattaya Police investigated a shooting incident which occurred in Central Pattaya, close to the entrance of Soi Neun Plub Wan on the Sukhumvit Road.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787575-two-teenagers-shot-and-injured-following-earlier-fight-at-pattaya-countdown-festival/

Border Police Officer involved in road crash in Central Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- Just before daybreak on Sunday, Police and medics were called to the scene of a single-vehicle road crash on the Central Pattaya Road where a pick-up containing 3 people crashed into a Traffic Light control box.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787576-border-police-officer-involved-in-road-crash-in-central-pattaya/

Google refuses Thai govt requests to remove content from the web

According to the latest Google Transparency Report based on data from July to December 2013, Google did not comply with any of the requests made by the government in Thailand to remove content that was deemed to be unacceptable.

Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/google-refuses-thai-authorities/

District Officers conduct Fire Inspection of South Pattaya entertainment venues



PATTAYA: -- As Pattaya prepares for the New Year festivities, local authorities are conducting detailed fire inspections of entertainment venues around the City to ensure that all possible safety precautions are taken should an incident occur inside any of the venues.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787577-district-officers-conduct-fire-inspection-of-south-pattaya-entertainment-venues/

Search resumes for missing AirAsia passenger jet
TRISNADI MARJAN, Associated Press
MARGIE MASON, Associated Press

SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) — Ships and planes have resumed searching for a passenger jet that went missing more than 24 hours ago on a flight from Indonesia to Singapore.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787579-search-resumes-for-missing-airasia-passenger-jet/

1 dead, hundreds stranded in Greek ferry disaster
DEMETRIS NELLAS, Associated Press
FRANCES D'EMILIO, Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Italian and Greek military and coast guard rescue crews battled gale-force winds and massive waves Sunday as they struggled to rescue hundreds of people trapped on a burning ferry adrift between Italy and Albania. At least one person died and two were injured.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787580-1-dead-hundreds-stranded-in-greek-ferry-disaster/

US, NATO mark end of 13-year war in Afghanistan
LYNNE O'DONNELL, Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The war in Afghanistan, fought for 13 bloody years and still raging, came to a formal end Sunday with a quiet flag-lowering ceremony in Kabul that marked the transition of the fighting from U.S.-led combat troops to the country's own security forces.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787581-us-nato-mark-end-of-13-year-war-in-afghanistan/

Jazz great Buddy DeFranco dies at age 91
MELISSA NELSON-GABRIEL, Associated Press
CHARLES J. GANS, Associated Press

PANAMA CITY, Florida (AP) — Renowned jazz clarinetist Buddy DeFranco, who led the way on his instrument in the transition between the swing and bebop eras, has died at the age of 91, his family said Friday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787583-jazz-great-buddy-defranco-dies-at-age-91/

Christmas tree catches fire at Siam station walkway



BANGKOK: -- An artificial Christmas tree with LED lights caught fire causing panic among weekend shoppers and BTS sky train commuters at Siam Square One late Sunday afternoon.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787586-christmas-tree-catches-fire-at-siam-station-walkway/

Army private in Pattani task force believed to have shot himself, spokesman says
The Nation

PATTANI: -- Private Anirut Suwannao, 22, of special task force 24 in Pattani, shot himself on Saturday in an apparent suicide in Nong Chik district's Tambon Borthong, police said yesterday.

Army spokesman Col Winthai Suvari said Anirut used M 16 to fire at his head and was found dead at the military camp in Pattani.

He said with a primary investigation, police believed the soldier took his own life because of stress.

Winthai said Deputy Defence Minister Udomdej Sitabutr, who serves as Army Chief, had instructed all Army units to take special attention to care for soldiers both work and personal issues to prevent such tragedies.

He said motives believed to be root causes of soldiers taking their own lives were often family issues that people felt they could not solve, coupled with work-related stress.

Nirut's colleagues ran into the room where Anirut stayed alone after hearing a gun shot and found him lying in pool of blood.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Army-private-in-Pattani-task-force-believed-to-hav-30250874.html


-- The Nation 2014-12-29

PM to launch 'Discover Thainess' campaign
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is set to kick off the "Discover Thainess" national tourism campaign, aimed at boosting arrivals by 13 per cent, after authorities said visitors would drop by 8 per cent this year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787592-pm-to-launch-discover-thainess-campaign/

Travelers using Don Muang Airport urged to spare generous time before flights

BANGKOK, 29 Dec 2014 (NNT) - Don Muang International Airport has urged its passengers to spare generous time before their flights, anticipating heavy traffic to the venue during the upcoming holiday season.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787600-travelers-using-don-muang-airport-urged-to-spare-generous-time-before-flights/

Vanishing of QZ8501 "a Massive Shock" - Tony Fernandes
By Digital Content

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- AirAsia group chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes said the company was still in the dark over what happened to AirAsia Indonesia Flight QZ8501 which went missing Sunday morning.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787603-vanishing-of-qz8501-a-massive-shock-tony-fernandes/

UPDATE:

Baruna Jaya vessel searches missing AirAsia: minister
By Digital Content

Jakarta, Dec 29 (ANTARA News) - Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Environment Indroyono Susilo has stated that the Baruna Jaya IV vessel will also help search for the Air Asia plane flight QZ 8501 which lost contact since Sunday morning.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787579-search-resumes-for-missing-airasia-passenger-jet/?p=8865054#entry8865054

Plans to persuade more Japanese to visit Thailand
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Dec 29 -- The number of Japanese tourists visiting Thailand in 2014 declined considerably in relation to revious years, but Thailand plans to encourage more Japanese to tour this country in the coming year, according to Anek Srichivachart, president of the Thai-Japanese Tourism Promotion Association.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787605-plans-to-persuade-more-japanese-to-visit-thailand/

AirAsia shares fall 7% in Malaysia after jet disappears /MCOT

PM confident 2015 economy will improve
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Dec 29 -- Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha said Sunday his government is speeding solutions to the people's livelihood problems and he is confident that Thailand’s economy will improve in the year ahead.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/787606-pm-prayut-confident-2015-economy-will-improve/