Thailand Live Monday 23 Mar 2015

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Lee Kuan Yew, founder of modern Singapore, dies at 91

STEPHEN WRIGHT, Associated Press

File photo. Source: Internet

SINGAPORE (AP) Lee Kuan Yew, who founded modern Singapore and was both feared for his authoritarian tactics and admired for turning the city-state into one of the world's richest nations, died Monday, the government said. He was 91.

Lee was admitted to Singapore General Hospital on Feb. 5 for severe pneumonia and was later put on life support.

The Prime Minister's Office said in a statement posted on its website that Lee "passed away peacefully" at the hospital at 3:18 a.m. Monday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811017-lee-kuan-yew-founder-of-modern-singapore-dies-at-91/

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Chinese Tourist Detained Over Fatal Accident in Chiang Rai

By Khaosod English

CHIANG RAI - Police have detained a Chinese tourist in northern Thailand who allegedly crashed his car into two motorcycles and killed a 41-year-old woman.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/810913-chinese-tourist-detained-over-fatal-accident-in-chiang-rai/

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SURVEY:

Should the Gov't Continue Cleaning up Tourist Areas?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/810592-survey-should-the-govt-continue-cleaning-up-tourist-areas/

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Pridiyathorn to discuss smog remedies with governors
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- DEPUTY Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula will meet with eight governors from the North in Chiang Mai tomorrow in a bid to find ways to combat wildfires that are partly to blame for severe haze in the region.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811020-deputy-thai-pm-pridiyathorn-to-discuss-smog-remedies-with-governors/

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UPDATE:

Ex-rector pleads his innocence
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- THE INDICTED ex-rector of King Mongkut Institute of Technology Ladkrabang has insisted he had nothing to do with the Bt1.5 billion embezzlement scandal at the institution ahead of the first pre-trial hearing today.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/810909-kmitl-ex-rector-opens-his-house-to-media-to-prove-his-innocence/#entry9218614

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Doubts hang over reforms being put into action
NITIPOL KIRAVANICH
THE NATION

Changes may not be implemented if next elected govt doesn't back plans

BANGKOK: -- MORE THAN 10 new organisations will be set up to carry out reform under the new constitution, but there are doubts over whether they will be able to achieve their goals within the given time of five years.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811021-thai-politics-doubts-hang-over-reforms-being-put-into-action/

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'Too few trickle-down benefits' in SEZ plans
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- This is the third in a series on special economic zones, which the government is promoting for deepening economic integration in the Asean Economic Community and border development, The Nation's Wiraj Sripong reports.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811022-too-few-trickle-down-benefits-in-sez-plans/

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Teaching seminar helps banish boredom from the classroom
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION



Boeing joins forces with Kenan Institution to teach methodology of interaction

BANGKOK: -- BORING lessons are an obstruction to a student's academic success, so Boeing Company and the Kenan Institute Asia started the Boeing Technology Enhance Learning (BoeingTEL) project to train teachers in new techniques to make the learning experience more interesting and fun.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811023-teaching-seminar-helps-banish-boredom-from-the-thai-classroom/

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New lease of life for illegal hotels
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION

CHA-AM: -- More than 200 illegal hotels in Cha-Am are being made registered hotels following a revised ministerial draft regulation on old building usage recently approved by the Cabinet.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811024-new-lease-of-life-for-illegal-hotels-in-cha-am/

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BOT's lower GDP growth forecast unlikely to affect property sector, companies say
SOMLUCK SRIMALEE,
NISANAT KANGWANWONG,
SOMCHAI SAMART
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- SOME COMPANIES in the property and construction segments doubt that the central bank's downward revision of its economic growth forecast on Friday will have an adverse impact on their businesses.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811025-bots-lower-gdp-growth-forecast-unlikely-to-affect-property-sector-companies-say/

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SET index could reach 1800 points
ERICH PARPART
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- ASSET MANAGERS said the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) index still has a chance to hit 1700 and even 1800 basis points this year even though the Bank of Thailand last week revised down its projection for growth of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) from 4 per cent to 3.8 per cent because of the slower than expected economic recovery.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811026-set-index-could-reach-1800-points/

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EDITORIAL
Prayut gives the United States the perfect excuse
The Nation

"One shirt can't fit all" in fact aptly describes american action and diplomacy

BANGKOK: -- We don't need Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to tell us that the United States has been playing a diplomatically dangerous game. Putting all eggs in one "democracy" basket has been an obvious American policy for a few years now, and it seems that the greater the criticism from one half of Thailand, the more galvanised Washington has become in imposing its ideas of good politics in this country. Prayut's frustration only confirms that the strained relationship is not healing, and its future is getting increasingly uncertain.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811027-prayut-gives-the-united-states-the-perfect-excuse/

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REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Medvedev's trip reboots Thai-Russia strategic partnership
Kavi Chongkittavorn
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- In 1897, when Siam faced imminent danger from the great colonising powers of Great Britain and France, King Chulalongkorn went to Russia for diplomatic support to ward off the foreign predators. Since then the balance of power strategy preserved the country's independence and liberty over the past century.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811028-medvedevs-trip-reboots-thai-russia-strategic-partnership/

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Man shot dead outside Beauty Salon in Central Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- In the early hours of Sunday, a 31 year old man was gunned-down outside of a Beauty Salon situated underneath his rented apartment.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811030-man-shot-dead-outside-beauty-salon-in-central-pattaya/

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Frenchman arrested for shoplifting meat from North Pattaya Supermarket



PATTAYA: -- On Sunday afternoon a 60 year old Frenchman was arrested by Pattaya Police after he was caught by Security Guards at a North Pattaya Supermarket, attempting to leave with meat products he had not paid for.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811031-frenchman-arrested-for-shoplifting-meat-from-north-pattaya-supermarket/

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Suspected Drunk Driver killed in South Pattaya Road Crash

PATTAYA: -- In the early morning hours of Saturday a 26 year old Engineer died in a suspected drink-related road crash on the Sukhumvit Road in South Pattaya.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811032-suspected-drunk-driver-killed-in-south-pattaya-road-crash/

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Pick-up flips-over and two injured in Central Pattaya Road Crash



PATTAYA: -- In the early hours of Sunday, the driver and passenger of a Mazda pick-up truck were injured after their vehicle flipped onto its side following a rear-end collision with a Bangkok Taxi on the Sukhumvit Road in Central Pattaya.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811033-pick-up-flips-over-and-two-injured-in-central-pattaya-road-crash/

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Explosives and ammunition found near the site of mobile cabinet meeting this week



HUA HIN: -- A cache of explosives and ammunition was found on Sunday at a roadside bush about two kilometres from an army’s resort in Hua Hin where the mobile cabinet was scheduled to take place on March 27-28.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811034-explosives-and-ammunition-found-near-the-site-of-mobile-cabinet-meeting-in-hua-hin/

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BMA to relax building rules around Rama IX park

Bangkok:- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s City Planning Department is planning to relax the rules that prohibit constructions of high-rise buildings around the King Rama IX Park, the director of the department said.

Wanchai Thanomsak, director of the BMA’s City Planning Department, said the department had received complaints from people near the park that the areas around the park have become an important economic zone of Bangkok so the rules should be changed.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/810970-bma-to-relax-building-rules-around-rama-ix-park/

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Three kids drown at a waterfall in Nakhon Si Thammarat

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT: -- Three young cousins drowned after they went swimming at a waterfall in Ronpibooon district of Nakhon Si Thammarat on Sunday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811036-three-kids-drown-at-a-waterfall-in-nakhon-si-thammarat/

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'Martial law caused tourist numbers to surge'
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- MARTIAL LAW was the reason behind a spike in tourist arrivals in the second half of last year, a government spokesman said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811037-martial-law-caused-tourist-numbers-to-surge/

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Russian PM Medvedev set to visit next month
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- RUSSIAN Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev will pay an official visit to Thailand on April 7-8, as part of a trip to Southeast Asia.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811038-russian-pm-medvedev-set-to-visit-thailand-next-month/

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Ex-Democrat MP mocks 'tank-driven reform bodies'
THE NATION

OUTSPOKEN Democrat Party politician Watchara Petthong yesterday criticised the "tank-driven" reform agencies appointed by the junta.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811039-ex-democrat-mp-mocks-tank-driven-reform-bodies/

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Filmart: Thailand Expects Record 2015 for International Productions Despite Political Turmoil
by Clifford Coonan

LOS ANGELES: -- Political turmoil sparked an 11 percent fall in location shoot revenues last year, but Thailand remains an attractive destination for international productions, and this year could be a record one, the director of the country's film office said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811041-thailand-expects-record-2015-for-international-productions-despite-political-turmoil/

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Greece fights German bailout demands with Nazi-era claims
By FRANK JORDANS

BERLIN (AP) — It was 1943 and the Nazis were deporting Greece's Jews to death camps in Poland. Hitler's genocidal accountants reserved a chilling twist: The Jews had to pay their train fare.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811044-greece-fights-german-bailout-demands-with-nazi-era-claims/

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Cruz to become first major candidate to jump into 2016 race
By STEVE PEOPLES

WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz will become the first major candidate for president when he launches his campaign Monday, kicking off what's expected to be a rush over the next few weeks of more than a dozen White House hopefuls into the 2016 campaign.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811047-us-cruz-to-become-first-major-candidate-to-jump-into-2016-race/

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US pullout from Afghanistan hinged to developing forces
By DEB RIECHMANN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The pace of U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan will headline Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's visit to Washington, yet America's exit from the war remains tightly hinged to the abilities of the Afghan forces that face a tough fight against insurgents this spring.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811048-us-pullout-from-afghanistan-hinged-to-developing-forces/

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US trains Iraqi forces as battle for Tikrit continues
By VIVIAN SALAMA and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

TAJI, Iraq (AP) — As the U.S. mission to Iraq expands, so do its efforts to arm and train the country's security forces to combat the Islamic State group, with large-scale operations continuing to recapture territory from the Sunni militants.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811049-us-trains-iraqi-forces-as-battle-for-tikrit-continues/

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Unemployed husband kills two before taking his own life

Phitsanulok: – An unemployed husband killed two family members and inflicted serious knife injuries on his wife, police said, adding that the infant, one month, has survived.

Alerted about domestic dispute by neighbours, Police Lieutenant Kecha Paksawat went to investigate the scene in Nakhon Thai district.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811043-unemployed-husband-kills-two-before-taking-his-own-life/

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Teenager gang nabbed for stealing iPhones

Chiang Mai: – Provincial police have arrested four teenagers, aged ranging from 12 to 17, on suspicion of stealing iPhones from Hua Hin and trying to sell in the northern province.

Responding to a tip-off by an anonymous mobile phone vendor, police uncovered 31 brand new iPhones at a hotel’s lobby before the delivery arranged through an online sale website.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/811046-teenager-gang-nabbed-for-stealing-iphones/