webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Pattani holds its 9th Annual Chinese New Year eventPATTANI, 23 Feb 2015, (NNT) - The Southern Province of Pattani yesterday kicked off its 9th annual Chinese New Year, highlighting the long traditions of the locals and Thais of Chinese descend.The event is being held at Pattani’s Art and Cultural Court in front of the City Hall, drawing the attention of the locals, visitors and Thais of Chinese descent alike.The celebration is a joint effort of Pattani Provincial Administration office and the province’s various Chinese Thai foundations, with the main objectives of preserving the cultures of the local Thais of Chinese descent, as well as promoting unity and tourism scene in the province.The event which started at 4.30 pm featured several activities, including parade, lion & dragon dances, arm wrestling, beauty pageant for boys and girls, and Miss China Pattani beauty pageant as well as live performances.-- NNT 2015-02-23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 UPDATE: Invitation to GermanyThe Nation BANGKOK: -- Germany has invited the Constitutional Drafting Committee, the Election Commission and the National Reform Council to Germany to learn about the mixed-member proportional election system. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802691-thai-officials-to-observe-election-in-germany/#entry9105321 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thai stock index opens on Monday at 1,609.42, gains 5.97 points /MOCT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Foreign tourists still pack Hat YaiBy Digital ContentSONGKHLA, Feb 23 -- Despite the car bombing incident in the trouble-plagued southern province of Narathiwat last Friday, foreign tourists, mostly Malaysians, remain packed nearby Hat Yai district celebrating the Chinese New Year, said Panu Woramit, chief of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Hat Yai office. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802730-foreign-tourists-still-pack-hat-yai/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Government offers 10-billion-baht loan credits to rubber operatorsBANGKOK, 23 Feb 2015, (NNT) - The Industry Ministry reported that the 10-billion-baht loan project extended by the government to latex processing operators during November 2014 to April 2015 has received warm response.Permanent-Secretary Atchaka Seeboonrueng explained that the loan carries an interest rate of 5%, of which 3% will be paid by the Government throughout the 1-year repayment period.According to Ms. Atchaka, 41 entrepreneurs have already applied for the loan offered through various commercial banks from November 19th last year to January 30th this year. They requested a total loan of 5.2 billion baht.Twelve of the entrepreneurs have already received their loans, worth 684 million baht altogether. Sixteen other applicants have been granted approval and are waiting to sign loan agreements with their banks. Thirteen others are in the process of loan negotiation.-- NNT 2015-02-23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Charter drafting committee's meeting to be held in Chonburi this weekBANGKOK, 23 February 2015 (NNT)-The Charter Drafting Committee has relocated its meeting to Chonburi province this week, citing the need to complete the first revision promptly.The meeting is being held at the Holiday Inn, Pattaya City. The committee is expected to review several sections governing the Parliament, the cabinet and the mixed proportional electoral system.The committee has so far completed the revision of more than 150 sections and will not go beyond section 299. No media observation is allowed at the meeting.The CDC claimed the change of venue would help them pull concentration and finish the first draft sooner. The meeting will be held from 9.00 – 21.00 hrs every day until February 28th.-- NNT 2015-02-23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Cobra plays toilet peek-a-boo in Bangkok homeBy Coconuts BangkokBANGKOK: -- Firefighters in the capital’s Nong Khaem district responded to an exciting call Saturday that a cobra had somehow emerged from a toilet to totally freak out the home’s residents. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802733-cobra-plays-toilet-peek-a-boo-in-bangkok-home/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Wearing motorcycle helmets to be banned in deep SouthNARATHIWAT: -- Security authorities are considering to ban wearing motorcycle helmets in 13 districts of Narathiwat province following last week's car bomb explosion that injured a dozen of people and damaged almost 50 shop houses. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802734-wearing-motorcycle-helmets-to-be-banned-in-deep-south/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Zionism debate at heart of bitter Israeli voteBy DAN PERRYJERUSALEM (AP) — What is Zionism? The ideological question, rooted in the 19th century, has gained surprising urgency in an Israeli election campaign that seems more open than had been expected. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802737-zionism-debate-at-heart-of-bitter-israeli-vote/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 N. Korea bars tourists from popular race over Ebola concernsBy ERIC TALMADGETOKYO (AP) — North Korean authorities are barring foreigners from this year's Pyongyang marathon, a popular tourist event, amid ongoing Ebola travel restrictions, the head of a travel agency that specializes in the country said Monday. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802738-n-korea-bars-tourists-from-popular-race-over-ebola-concerns/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Phuket to increase number of bike patrol officersNattapat TuarobThe officers have received great feedback from tourists and locals.Phuket: -- Having only been introduced three months ago, the tourists police̕s bike patrol officers have received such a positive reaction from locals and tourists that their number is set to increase. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802740-phuket-to-increase-number-of-bike-patrol-officers/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Diminished 'Cobra Gold' ends with less explodinating excitementBy Coconuts BangkokBANGKOK: -- Instead of F/A-18C Hornets sweeping through the sky while MV-22 Ospreys hovered over soldiers conducting live fire exercises, Cobra Gold 2015 was, by all accounts, a much duller affair this year. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802742-diminished-cobra-gold-ends-with-less-explodinating-excitement/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Special Report: PM stresses importance of transparencyBANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has stressed transparency in the administration of the public sector, which would lead to reform in Thailand and the development of sustainable democracy. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802747-special-report-pm-prayut-stresses-importance-of-transparency/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Officials inspect vegetable vendors, prevent unfair tradingBANGKOK, 23 February 2015, (NNT) - The Department of Internal Trade (DIT) has revealed that the prices of vegetables are expected to climb in the coming months.The DIT said that its officials will be dispatched to inspect marketplaces due to reports of unfair pricing. The department has also planned to collaborate with vendors to regulate the sales of produce across different venues, in order to stabilize prices.The DIT revealed that several vegetable items were sold in Bangkok for higher prices during the Chinese New Year celebrations last week. The regulatory agency claimed that prices would return to normal this week, save for drought-affected produce such as lime.The DIT also expected palm oil prices to hold at current levels, despite the Kingdom beginning to import raw palm oil from abroad. The department said the current price of raw palm oil hovers between 5.9 - 6 baht per kilogram.Meanwhile, the department has assured food security nationwide, due to the introduction of new farmlands in Nakhon Ratchasima, Suphanburi and Angthong provinces.-- NNT 2015-02-23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 UPDATE: Doi Suthep temple to ask tour operators educate touristsCHIANG MAI: -- A video clip posted on Facebook showing a foreign male tourist using his leg to beat the fortune bell on Chiang Mai's Doi Suthep temple went viral on the social media with many saying it was inappropriate and showed no respect to the sacred place. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802670-chinese-tourist-filmed-kicking-chiang-mai-temple-bell/page-3#entry9105915 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Public Health Ministry initiates road safety campaignBANGKOK, 23 February 2015 (NNT) - The Ministry of Public Health will take a leading role in promoting road safety, as Thailand ranks third in terms of most road fatalities. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802750-thai-public-health-ministry-initiates-road-safety-campaign/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Four Chinese among top 100 candidates for one-way trip to MarsNews DeskChina DailyBEIJING: -- Four Chinese are among the top 100 candidates for the Mars One project, among whom 24 will be selected in the end to receive special training for the supposedly one-way trips to Mars, China National Radio reported on Saturday. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802753-four-chinese-among-top-100-candidates-for-one-way-trip-to-mars/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Oscars spread around awards to 'Birdman,' 'Boyhood,' 'Ida'By JAKE COYLELOS ANGELES (AP) — In an Academy Awards largely populated by smaller, independent films, Hollywood spread its awards around at a stormy Oscars heavy on song-and-dance, occasionally lacking in clothes and punctuated by passionate stands for equality. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802757-oscars-spread-around-awards-to-birdman-boyhood-ida/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thai pair jailed for more than two years for royal slur in playAFPBANGKOK: -- Two young Thais accused of defaming the monarchy in a university play were jailed for two and a half years on Monday, as the ruling junta intensifies a crackdown under the controversial lese majeste law.Student Patiwat Saraiyaem, 23, and activist Porntip Mankong, 26, were sentenced after pleading guilty to defamation following their arrests last August, nearly a year after "The Wolf Bride", a satire set in a fictional kingdom, was performed.The pair were originally sentenced to five years in prison each but the term was reduced to two years and six months due to their confessions, said a judge at Ratchada Criminal Court in Bangkok."The court considers their role in the play caused serious damage to the monarchy and sees no reason to suspend their sentences," he said.The pair had each been charged with one count of lese majeste linked to the performance at Bangkok's Thammasat University, which marked the 40th anniversary of a pro-democracy student protest at the campus that was brutally crushed by the military regime in October 1973.After the sentencing the pair's lawyer Pawinee Chumsri said the two "would not appeal" the ruling.Police are hunting for at least six others involved in the play for allegedly violating "112" -- the feared section of the Thai criminal code which carries up to 15 years in jail for each count of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent.Of those on the wanted list, at least two have fled Thailand, joining dozens of academics, activists and political opponents of the coup in self-exile amid a surge in royal defamation cases since the military seized power in May.Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 87, is revered by many in the country as a demi-god and shielded by one of the world's most draconian royal defamation laws.The Paris-based International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) said at least 40 people have been arrested since the coup -- seven of them have already been sentenced to between three and 15 years in prison.- Suppressing dissent? -Critics say the lese majeste law has been used as a tool to suppress political dissent, noting that many of those charged have been linked to the opposition Red Shirt movement.Rights activists as well as local and international media are forced to censor discussion of cases as even repeating details of charges risks breaking the law.Under junta rule Thailand has seen a rapid deterioration in civil rights with the military crushing any criticsm of the coup, from banning protests and censoring the media to arresting and detaining opponents.The Wolf Bride was performed in October 2013, several months before the coup, but the case is just one of many driven through by the junta, which is bolstering its self-designated role as protector of the monarchy.Before the ruling, Andrea Giorgetta from FIDH said the surge in lese majeste cases looked set to continue."We're expecting a lot more people to go to jail in the next month. Almost all cases have been backdated (for alleged offences) before the coup," he told AFP. "It's a very grim situation for rights in Thailand."Recent "112" convictions include a taxi driver jailed for two and a half years after his passenger recorded their conversation on a mobile phone, while a student, 24, was sentenced to the same period of time for defaming the monarchy in a message posted on Facebook.Analysts say the most recent chapter of Thailand's long-drawn political turmoil is fuelled by anxieties over who will run the country when the more than six-decade reign of the ailing king, the world's longest-serving monarch, eventually ends.Discussion of succession is also restricted in Thailand under the lese majeste law. -- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-02-23 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 LOS ANGELES (AP) - Alejandro G. Inarritu wins best director Oscar for 'Birdman' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 LOS ANGELES (AP) - Eddie Redmayne wins best actor Oscar for 'The Theory of Everything' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 LOS ANGELES (AP) - Julianne Moore wins best actress Oscar for 'Still Alice' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 LOS ANGELES (AP) - 'Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)' wins best picture Oscar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Phuket residents block entrance to hotelSuthicha Sirirat The group believe the hotel had sent a complaint letter about noise from a nearby mosque.PHUKET: -- More than 200 residents from Baan Ao Makham blocked the entrance to a Cape Panwa hotel last Thursday (February 19) in protest against a letter of complaint they believe the hotel sent about noise disturbance from a nearby mosque. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802767-phuket-residents-block-entrance-to-hotel/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Special economic zone developments underway in Tak provinceTAK, 23 February 2015 (NNT)-Tak Governor Somchai Hatayatanti is confident that the development of a special economic zone (SEZ) in Tak will improve the livelihood of residents.As Thailand is moving toward the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the government has decided to set up SEZs in border provinces to increase the country’s competitive edge and attract foreign investments.The SEZ development in Tak province is conducted in five aspects, according to Mr. Somchai. They include land allotment for investments, investment benefits, labor incentives, the construction of basic infrastructure and the establishment of a one stop service center.The governor believed that the SEZ implementation would boost regional economy, trade and employments.-- NNT 2015-02-23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Man killed in Phuket crashEakkapop ThongtubThe Toyota driver is to be charged with reckless driving causing death,PHUKET: -- A man from Nakorn Sri Thammarat was killed instantly yesterday (February 22) after an oncoming car slammed into his motorbike on the Old Airport Rd. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802806-man-killed-in-phuket-crash/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Australia to tighten immigration laws in counterterror bidBy KRISTEN GELINEAUSYDNEY (AP) — Australia will strengthen immigration laws and crack down on groups that incite hatred under a raft of counterterrorism measures introduced Monday in a bid to combat the threat from home-grown terrorists. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802807-australia-to-tighten-immigration-laws-in-counterterror-bid/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Activist abbot urges probe of Supreme Sangha councillors' wealthBANGKOK: -- Activist abbot of Wat Or-noi in Nakhon Pathom Phra Buddha-isara today asked the National Reform Council to look into the practise of the Supreme Sangha after it resolved to retain the monk status of Phra Dhamachayo, abbot Wat Dhamakaya. Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802813-activist-abbot-urges-probe-of-supreme-sangha-councillors-wealth/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Customs Department to increase duty threshold for touristsBangkok:- The Customs Department is planning to grant the import-duty exemption for a higher value of products that people have brought into Thailand for personal use or souvenirs.Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802810-customs-department-to-increase-duty-treshhold-for-tourists/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webfact Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Complete list of Oscar winnersFull story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/802757-oscars-spread-around-awards-to-birdman-boyhood-ida/#entry9106629 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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