Bangkok ready to host 10th Asian Network of Major Cities 21 Conference of counter-measures to combat infectious disease



BANGKOK, 20 January 2015 (NNT) - Bangkok is ready to host the 10th conference of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 (ANMC21) scheduled to be held from 2-6 February 2015, Bangkok Spokesperson Threedow Aphaiwongs revealed.

This year the meeting will be held under the concept “Combat the infectious disease: Tuberculosis and HIV”. It will provide a stage for the thirteen member cities to share views, knowledge, and experiences on the topic.

Participants will also follow up technological progress in the infectious disease control, jointly formulate plans for combating health threats, and enhance the inter-city relationships.

The ANMC21 is an international network of Asian capitals and major cities, undertaking joint projects on common tasks regarding crisis management, environmental counter measures and industrial development, and applying the outcome for the prosperity and development of the Asian region.

The thirteen cities are Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Metropolitan Manila, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo, Tomsk, Ulaanbaatar and Yangon.


-- NNT 2015-01-20

Japanese man shaming Suvarnabhumi in Thai goes viral
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- Koki Aki is really, really disappointed in his adopted home’s airport, and no one is really disagreeing with him.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793115-japanese-man-shaming-suvarnabhumi-in-thai-goes-viral/

IMPEACHMENT CASE
No order to impeach Yingluck, Prayut says
THE NATION

Denies NLA told how to vote, insists 'no reconciliation with wrongdoers'

BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday angrily denied an allegation that the junta-appointed National Legislative Assembly had been ordered to impeach former PM Yingluck Shinawatra.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793204-no-order-to-impeach-yingluck-prayut-says/

PM to open floating market near Government House
Anapat Deechuay
The Nation


Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha gestures while touring a temporary orchid market just outside Government House yesterday after presiding over its opening ceremony.

BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha is planning to open a floating market at Khlong Prem Prachakorn near Government House.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793205-pm-prayut-to-open-floating-market-near-government-house/

Commerce Ministry : Rice export for 2014 the highest in history

BANGKOK: -- Thailand exported altogether 10.8 million tonnes of milled rice worth US$ 5.37 billion last year which was regarded as the highest amount in recent history, said Commerce Minister General Chatchai Sarigalaya on Monday.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793147-commerce-ministry-rice-export-for-2014-the-highest-in-history/

Condo's permit may be scrapped
Chularat Saengpassa,
Somluck Srimalee
The Nation



Court to rule on highrise in north bangkok next month

BANGKOK: -- THE CENTRAL Administrative Court may scrap EIA and construction permit for a Bt2.8-billion condominium project in Bangkok's Lak Si district next month in response to a complaint from long-time residents in the area.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793206-bangkok-lak-si-condos-permit-may-be-scrapped/

UPDATE:

Prayut urged to act on gold mine
Jeerapong Prasertpolkrung
The Nation



Villagers fear heavy metal contamination

BANGKOK: -- PEOPLE LIVING near a gold mine in the central north are calling for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to urgently intervene after hundreds of villagers were found to have heavy-metal contamination.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793082-pichit-residents-affected-by-gold-mining-operations-petition-the-prime-minister/#entry8958923

Things could get rocky soon, Thienchay warns as NRC members air their views
Nitipol Kiravanich
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- National Reform Council president Thienchay Kiranandana says he has never had a clearer vision for the country, but in the near future the council will face stormy weather.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793207-things-could-get-rocky-soon-thienchay-warns-as-nrc-members-air-their-views/

Annual fee mulled on sales revenue of set-top boxes
USANEE MONGKOLPORN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE BROADCASTING committee of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has considered imposing an annual fee on the revenue from the one-off sales of satellite TV set-top boxes this year in its move to regulate the business.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793208-annual-fee-mulled-on-sales-revenue-of-set-top-boxes/

Prices drop for construction supplies
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- FOLLOWING the collapse of fuel costs, the retail prices of building and other basic materials will be reduced in stages by 2-7.7 per cent to ensure fairness to consumers, according to the Internal Trade Department.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793209-prices-drop-for-construction-supplies-in-thailand/

EDITORIAL
Time to push ties with Phnom Penh
The Nation

The Prayut government must make progress while it still has the support of powerful nationalist interests in Thailand

BANGKOK: -- Now would be an opportune moment for Thailand and Cambodia to push ahead with tasks to enhance bilateral ties while conservatives and nationalists here still retain faith in the junta-run government. The government under Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha should realise that the honeymoon period is fast running out.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793210-thai-editorial-time-to-push-ties-with-phnom-penh/

STREETWISE
Children need more than wise words - they need examples
Achara Deboonme

BANGKOK: -- It was a touching story from the Philippine Daily Inquirer: A 12-year-old girl asked visiting Pope Francis on Sunday, "Why does God allow such things to happen?"

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793211-thai-opinion-children-need-more-than-wise-words-they-need-examples/

Who dumped two tons of unused condoms in this empty field?
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- Ayutthaya officials are looking for someone who dumped thousands of large, unused condoms in an empty field and tried to burn them.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793212-thousands-of-large-unused-condoms-dumped-in-an-empty-field-in-ayutthaya/

Boy, 15, arrested in Phuket for illegal Xanax possession
Eakkapop Thongtub


Thanin Kumbaan with the 150 Xanax pills.

PHUKET: -- A 15-year-old was one of two people arrested in Phuket Town yesterday (January 18) after being found in possession of a total of 250 pills of the prescription drug alprazolam, the drug marketed as Xanax to treat anxiety and other disorders brought on by cancer treatment.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793213-boy-15-arrested-in-phuket-for-illegal-xanax-possession/

Thailand to import 50,000 tons of raw palm oil to ease expected shortage



BANGKOK: -- The National Oil Palm Policy Committee will officially ask for approval from the Cabinet the imports of 50,000 tons of raw palm oil tomorrow to ease expected shortage of palm oil in the country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793214-thailand-to-import-50000-tons-of-raw-palm-oil-to-ease-expected-shortage/

Fishy purchases of outdoor playground equipment under probe



BANGKOK: -- The purchases of outdoor playground and children fitness equipment since early 2012-January 2014 worth over 700 million baht by the Department of Physical Education is under probe by the Public Sector Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) as many equipment were bought at seven times higher than market price,.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793215-thailand-fishy-purchases-of-outdoor-playground-equipment-under-probe/

UPDATE:

Man arrested for second slaying
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- A man suspected for killing his ex-girlfriend six years ago in Saraburi has been arrested for also allegedly killing Wiriya Thian Witthaya School director Doungkhae Khunthongphetch at her home in Hat Yai in Songkhla on January 15. Police say the motive was jealousy.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793099-songkhla-murder-suspect-arrested-for-second-slaying/#entry8959012

Bt100m more missing: KMITL
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- KING MONGKUT'S Institute of Technology Lat Krabang (KMITL) has revealed that another Bt100 million went missing from its bank accounts in 2012, around the time when Bt1.47 billion was embezzled.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793217-bt100m-more-missing-kmitl/

Which Bangkok hotels have the fastest Wi-Fi?

Anyone that travels to Thailand and spends time in hotels around the nation’s capital will know that Wi-Fi can be a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. But new statistics show the fastest speeds at selected hotels in the capital, and it clearly shows that some are much better than others.

Read more here: http://tech.thaivisa.com/bangkok-hotels-with-fastest-wi-fi/2940/

To counter terror, Europe's police reconsider their arms
By LORI HINNANT

PARIS (AP) — One was a young policewoman, unarmed on the outskirts of Paris and felled by an assault rifle. Her partner, also without weapons, could do nothing to stop the gunman. Another was a first responder with a side arm, rushing to the Charlie Hebdo offices where a pair of masked men with high-powered weapons had opened fire on an editorial meeting. Among their primary targets: the armed police bodyguard inside the room.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793221-to-counter-terror-europes-police-reconsider-their-arms/

Pope's climate-change stand deepens conservatives' distrust
By RACHEL ZOLL

NEW YORK (AP) — Conservative distrust of Pope Francis, which has been building in the U.S. throughout his pontificate, is reaching a boiling point over his plan to urge action on climate change — and to do so through a document traditionally used for the most important papal teachings.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793222-popes-climate-change-stand-deepens-conservatives-distrust/

Ukraine, rebels both claim to control Donetsk airport
MSTYSLAV CHERNOV, Associated Press

DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — Russian-backed rebels and Ukrainian government troops fought pitched battles Monday for control of Donetsk airport, while residential areas nearby were caught in intensive crossfire.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793223-ukraine-rebels-both-claim-to-control-donetsk-airport/

Pope: Catholics don't have to breed 'like rabbits'
NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press

ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (AP) — Pope Francis is firmly upholding church teaching banning contraception, but said Monday that Catholics don't have to breed "like rabbits" and should instead practice "responsible parenting."

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793224-pope-catholics-dont-have-to-breed-like-rabbits/

Fla. boy's circumcision spurs lengthy legal battle, protests
By MATT SEDENSKY

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An estranged Florida couple's fight over whether to circumcise their son has become a rallying cry for those who denounce the procedure as barbaric.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793226-us-florida-boys-circumcision-spurs-lengthy-legal-battle-protests/

'Coronation Street' star Anne Kirkbride dies at 60
JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Actress Anne Kirkbride, a star of British soap opera "Coronation Street" for more than 40 years, has died at the age of 60.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793227-coronation-street-star-anne-kirkbride-dies-at-60/

Jihadists on Facebook: The high-tech war to win Western recruits
Sara Hussein
Agence France-Presse
BEIRUT

BEIRUT: -- Jihadist groups tied to the men who attacked France's Charlie Hebdo newspaper and a Paris kosher supermarket are waging an increasingly sophisticated propaganda campaign targeting Western recruits.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793228-jihadists-on-facebook-the-high-tech-war-to-win-western-recruits/

NBTC to put telecom cables in Bangkok underground soon

BANGKOK, 20 January 2015 (NNT) – The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is seeking to put telephone cables in Bangkok underground, as the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) will not longer allow additional telecom cables to be carried on electricity poles.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/793235-nbtc-to-put-telecom-cables-in-bangkok-underground-soon/

Lamphun sets up learning center discouraging the ‘slash and burn’ practice

LAMPHUN, 20 Jan 2015, (NNT) - The Department of Environmental Quality Promotion (DEQP) has established a learning center in Baanpuang Sub-district of Tunghuachang District in Lamphun Province, aimed at discouraging the ‘slash and burn’ agricultural technique.

Deputy Director General of the Department, Sakol Thinakul, presided over the opening ceremony of the center, handing out an education fund of 20,000 baht on behalf of the center to the locals.

According to DEQP officials, the slash and burn practice triggers smog and bush fires, which are persistent issues every season in the North. The practice produces dust smaller than 10 micron, which is harmful to those inhaling it, adding that the issue has greatly affected the local tourism industry.

The department and related agencies thus decided to establish learning centers in 5 different locations in the North, with an aim to inform the residents of the adverse effect of the slash and burn technique, and to teach them a better method to prepare their farmland for the next planting season. These centers are located in Lamphun, Lampang, Phayao and Maehongson.


-- NNT 2015-01-20

Prices of three categories of products already lowered due to cheaper oil

BANGKOK, 20 January 2015 (NNT) – Prices of three categories of goods, of which manufacturers have benefited from the drop in oil price, have already been lowered, according to the Department of Internal Trade.

Department director-general Boonyarit Kalayanamit said on Monday the three categories included lubricants, plastic beads and construction materials. PTT has lowered its prices of lubricants by 2-5%, and prices of the remaining manufacturers are expected to be reduced by early February. Plastic beads have become 3.85-7.70% cheaper, according to Mr. Boonyarit. Cement prices have dropped by 2-4%, roof tile prices by 5-7%, steel bars by 1,500-2,000 baht per ton, metal sheets by 1,000-1,500 baht per ton, and structural steel by 1,000-1,200 baht per ton.

Mr. Boonyarit disclosed further that chemical fertilizer manufacturers have promised to lower prices of 50-kilogram bags of fertilizer by 10-30 baht. He also assured that there will be no shortage of palm oil, and each liter will retail for no more than 42 baht.


-- NNT 2015-01-20

Apples sold in Thai markets are not from the US company was forced to withdraw its apples after a deadly outbreak of listeria, health officials say. /Bangkok Post