Central bank: Feb economy improves

BANGKOK, 1 April 2015 (NNT) - The Bank of Thailand (BoT) has reported that the Thai economy in February this year slowly recovered but there were positive factors from the government’s faster budget spending, resulting in better investor confidence.

BoT senior director Rung Malikamas said the private sector’s spending contracted by 2.6% in February 2015 compared to the same month in 2014. The household and business sectors were careful with their spending and farmers’ purchasing power was low. Household debt was high, the official added.

Household debt to GDP increased from 84.7% in the third quarter to 85.9% in the fourth quarter of 2014.

As for the government’s budget spending in February, it was similar to January. The total budget disbursed in February was higher than the average for the past two years. This helped increase investor confidence as seen from a 0.5% growth in private investment.

Exports would likely expand in line with a better global economic recovery. The tourism sector continued to grow well and was an important economic drive for Thailand, Ms. Rung added.


-- NNT 2015-04-01

ARTICLE 44 INVOCATION
Lifting of martial law gets the thumbs up
THE NATION

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha talks to a foreign reporter yesterday at Government House after chairing the Cabinet meeting.

PM says public has nothing to fear about Article 44; business and tourism sectors expected to benefit from improved sentiment

BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday sought royal approval for lifting martial law, which was imposed shortly before the coup in May last year, and replacing it with Article 44 of the interim charter.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813743-lifting-of-martial-law-in-thailand-gets-the-thumbs-up/

Pheu Thai warns impact of Article 44 will be worse than martial law
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE PHEU THAI PARTY yesterday tried to dissuade the government from invoking Article 44 of the interim charter, warning of an even more adverse impact than martial law on business, tourism and investment.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813744-pheu-thai-warns-impact-of-article-44-will-be-worse-than-martial-law/

A third of party lists to be women
NITIPOL KIRAVANICH
THE NATION


Members of a women's rights group submit a letter yesterday to Constitution Drafting Committee chairman Borwornsak Uwanno.

Aim is Gender equality, but move seen as impractical for local administrations

BANGKOK: -- THE Constitution Drafting Committee yesterday narrowly voted to add a clause to the draft charter requiring one-third of the party-list system to be made up of women.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813746-a-third-of-party-lists-to-be-women/

UPDATE:

Bonanza faces probe over encroachment
Prasit tangprasert,
Piyanut Tumnukasetchai
The Nation
Nakhon Ratchasima

Officials inspect site after claim state land was seized

BANGKOK: -- BONANZA Golf and Country Club Co Ltd is being investigated for allegedly encroaching on forest reserve and agricultural-reform land.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813601-dsi-finds-race-course-in-khao-yai-intruding-forest-reserves/#entry9254624

Security measure in South and peace process 'will be tested by raid probe'
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- THE SO-CALLED Thung Yang Daeng model - an integrated security measure used in the far South - will be a failure if an investigation into the fatal shooting of four people in this Pattani district last Wednesday is not transparent or officials go unpunished if found guilty, a local expert in a government-initiated peace campaign said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813748-security-measure-in-south-and-peace-process-will-be-tested-by-raid-probe/

ICAO
Charter flights by five airlines hit amid aviation safety concerns
SUCHAT SRITAMA
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- AT least five airlines operating from Thailand to Japan, China and South Korea, and expected to carry about 150,000 passengers, will be affected in the wake of safety concerns expressed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813749-charter-flights-by-five-airlines-hit-amid-thai-aviation-safety-concerns/

Russian arrested for allegedly attempted rape

Pattaya, Chon Buri:- A Russian tourist was arrested early Tuesday after he allegedly attempted to rape a bar girl.

Police said the Thai woman fought back and injured Anprey Igivatyer, 50, with a rock before she ran for help.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813706-russian-arrested-for-allegedly-attempted-rape/

Workers in Thailand Seek Minimum Wage of 360 Baht

BANGKOK: -- Workers in Thailand are calling for a minimum wage of 360 baht. Currently, minimum wage is set at 300 baht per day. Led by the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee (TLSC), workers are seeking higher wages to offset current economic conditions.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813747-workers-in-thailand-seek-minimum-wage-of-360-baht/

Thai AirAsia X Allowed to Operate Flights Into Japan Until the End of June

BANGKOK: -- Initial reports that flights from Thai AirAsia X to Japan may have indicated the wrong stop date. Initially, reports stated that flights were allowed to operate until the end of May, but Thai AirAsia X has released a statement stating that they are allowed to continue operating flights to Sapporo until the end of June.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813741-thai-airasia-x-allowed-to-operate-flights-into-japan-until-the-end-of-june/

'Magic birds' spark frenzy among lotto betters

Ratchaburi:- A little and previously quiet village in Ratcahburi’s district has become bustling with visitors who flocked to a tapioca plantation to hear two “magic” common hill mynas predict the next lottery results.

Words about the magic hill mynas spread in Ratchaburi and nearby provinces like wildfire, prompting the plantation in Nong Klang Dong village in Tambon Khamrae to be turned into a market fair with foods and drink stalls.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813690-magic-birds-spark-frenzy-among-lotto-betters/

Thais Being Evacuated From Yemen as Country Nears Collapse

BANGKOK: -- Thailand’s Foreign Ministry is planning on evacuating Thais out of Yemen as quickly as possible. The ministry is coordinating with other ASEAN nations in an attempt to bring back all nationals to Thailand. ASEAN nations will assist with the evacuation plans when possible, but there has been no further news on assistance plans.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813745-thais-being-evacuated-from-yemen-as-country-nears-collapse/

STOPPAGE TIME
Is taking Yingluck to court the way to go?
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- The clampdown on Yingluck Shinawatra is a shame. That is because - take away the coup, the political strife and the fact that whatever the outcome, what follows will definitely be messy - it could have been the right way to go. Corruption can never be uprooted unless the head is chopped off first, so to speak.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813755-is-taking-yingluck-to-court-the-way-to-go/

Pattaya Mountain Fire at Radio Station Stock Room



PATTAYA: -- Pattaya Fire Fighters rushed to the top of the Pratamnuk Mountain in South Pattaya on Tuesday Morning to deal with a fire close to the main building of the Thai Navy Radio Station 104.75FM.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813756-pattaya-mountain-fire-at-radio-station-stock-room/

Pattaya: Hotel discounts for Thais planned

BANGKOK, 1 April 2015 (NNT) - Tourism operators in Pattaya plan to offer discounts of up to 50% on hotel rooms between April and October this year to alleviate the dropping tourist numbers from Europe.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813757-pattaya-hotel-discounts-for-thais-planned/

SRT chief: Cleaner railway toilets soon

BANGKOK, 1 April 2015 (NNT) - The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) plans to clean up dirty toilets on trains and at railway stations over the next six months.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813758-srt-chief-cleaner-railway-toilets-soon/

UPDATE:

Russian accused of attempted sexual assault of Pattaya Bar Worker



PATTAYA: -- In the early hours of Tuesday, Police were called to Pattaya Third Road close to woodland to assist a 30 year old female bar worker who claimed she had just been dragged into woodland by a Russian who attempted to sexually assault her.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813706-russian-arrested-for-allegedly-attempted-rape/#entry9254700

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) - Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan concedes defeat, says ambition not worth bloodshed.

Abhisit apologises for remarks by Bangkok governor
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- DEMOCRAT Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva apologised Tuesday for what Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra said after flooding hit the capital last week, saying he believed the governor had no intention to hurt people's feelings when reacting to the drama.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813759-abhisit-apologises-for-remarks-by-bangkok-governor/

Sailors held hostage for five years compensated upon release
Surachai Piraksa
The Nation
BURI RAM

BANGKOK: -- Two Thai sailors, who were recently released by Somali pirates after being held hostage for about five years, were yesterday each presented with Bt200,000 in cash and a Bt1 weight gold necklace by their former employer Prantalay Marketing PCL.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813760-thai-sailors-held-hostage-for-five-years-compensated-upon-release/

Haze could return in North, as many cornfields still to be cleared
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Up to 1.1 million rai (176,000 hectares) of cornfields with stubs are awaiting clearing - or burning - in the North, Natural Resources and Environment Minister General Dapong Rattanasuwan revealed yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813761-haze-could-return-in-north-as-many-cornfields-still-to-be-cleared/

Provinces in Chao Phraya river basin hit by drought
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The drought in the Chao Phraya River basin's Nakhon Sawan, Chai Nat and Lop Buri provinces from October until March 6 affected some 75,700 rai - nearly half of which was rice fields. It caused damage to 25,196 tonnes of rice worth Bt212 million, the head of the Office of Agricultural Economics, Lersak Rewtarkulpaiboon, said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813762-provinces-in-chao-phraya-river-basin-hit-by-drought/

BURNING ISSUE
Future of new charter lies in the hands of the reformers
KRIS BHROMSUTHI

BANGKOK: -- THE next few months will certainly be very challenging for members of the National Reform Council (NRC).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813763-future-of-new-thai-charter-lies-in-the-hands-of-the-reformers/

Thai democracy: 'wrong buttons in wrong holes'
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha went out of his way to address a question posed by ABC Australia's Southeast Asia correspondent Samantha Hawley, at a press conference in Government House yesterday, by getting down from the podium and walking up to her to ask what her question was, as he could not hear her clearly.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813764-thai-democracy-wrong-buttons-in-wrong-holes/

Man gets 25 years in jail over Facebook posts
Reuters

BANGKOK: -- A military court yesterday jailed a man for 25 years for posting pictures on his Facebook page that were deemed insulting to the monarchy, in one of the toughest such sentences in recent years.

Tiensutham Suttijitseranee, a 58-year-old businessman, was found guilty of posting defamatory content in a closed-door court sentencing, his lawyer said.

"The court decided that because he posted five pictures with captions last year that the court deemed defamatory, he would be sentenced to a total of 50 years; 10 years for each picture posted, reduced by half to 25 years," lawyer Sasinan Thamnithinan said.

The term was halved because Tiensutham pleaded guilty, the lawyer said, adding the court did not allow his relatives and reporters to attend the verdict.

Since the coup, all lese majeste cases have been tried by military tribunals.

There have been 20 new cases involving royal defamation after the coup, Deputy National Police chief General Jaktip Chaijinda said. - Reuters

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Man-gets-25-years-in-jail-over-Facebook-posts-30257190.html


-- The Nation 2015-04-01

Orient Thai Airlines clarifies its emergency landing



BANGKOK: -- Orient Thai Airlines today dismissed a report that its flight OX682 from Phuket to Chengdu had made emergency landing at Kunming airport, saying it landed normally and safely with no passengers injured.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813765-orient-thai-airlines-clarifies-its-emergency-landing/

Lufthansa: Co-pilot disclosed earlier 'severe depression'
By DAVID McHUGH and JOAN LOWY

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Lufthansa knew that the co-pilot of the passenger plane that crashed in the French Alps last week had suffered from an episode of "severe depression" before he finished his flight training with the German airline.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813766-lufthansa-co-pilot-disclosed-earlier-severe-depression/

Buhari wins in Nigeria, defeating Goodluck Jonathan
By MICHELLE FAUL and ANDREW DRAKE

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Amid anger over an Islamist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives, Nigerians returned a 72-year-old former military dictator to power Tuesday in the most hotly contested election in the country's history.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813767-buhari-wins-in-nigeria-defeating-goodluck-jonathan/

PM: Prosecutor wounded in Istanbul hostage standoff has died
DESMOND BUTLER, Associated Press
BERZA SIMSEK, Associated Press

ISTANBUL (AP) — Two members of a banned leftist group and a prosecutor they held hostage inside a courthouse in Istanbul died Tuesday after a shootout between the hostage takers and police, officials said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813768-bloody-end-to-turkey-hostage-crisis/

No nuke agreement yet: Iran talks push past deadline
By MATTHEW LEE and GEORGE JAHN

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — With stubborn disputes unresolved, nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers pushed past a self-imposed deadline and into overtime Wednesday as negotiators renewed marathon efforts to hammer out the outline of an agreement.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/813769-no-nuke-agreement-yet-iran-talks-push-past-deadline/