Thailand Live Tuesday 21 Apr 2015

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NSTDA-FTI tied to commercialize Thai pilot researches and innovations

BANGKOK, 21 April 2015 (NNT) – The National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) has joined hands with the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) in bringing research projects and innovations made by Thai students to concrete use.

NSTDA president Thaweesak Koanantakool said the collaboration between the two authorities was to encourage business operators to use the initiatives as a value-adding strategy which help them develop creative, novel or even state-of-the-art products. Packaging for liquid materials and fireproof cups made from industrial waste are among several successful innovations under NSTDA Intellectual Property Right.

NSTDA has planned to hold a wide range of activities to transfer their innovations - in medical, agricultural and industrial fields – to the private sector. Training, demonstrations and field study, for example, will be encouraged with no charge or lower charge than usual.

Meanwhile, the President of the Institution of Research Development and Innovation for Industry said that their collaboration would reduce costs of labour, technology, and production as well as stimulate the industrial sector to harness science and technology in their business development.


-- NNT 2015-04-21

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Survey:
Will Thailand Regain its Lead as a Regional Economic Leader?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818404-survey-will-thailand-regain-its-lead-as-a-regional-economic-leader/

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Preliminary investigation shows Krabi ferry fire not caused by careless service

BANGKOK, 21 April 2015 (NNT) – A Deputy Permanent Secretary for Transport says investigations continue to find the cause of a fire of "Ao Nang Princess 5" tourist boat caught fire on 8 April 2015 on its route from Krabi to Phuket.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818860-preliminary-investigation-shows-krabi-ferry-fire-not-caused-by-careless-service/

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Tourism Min boasts jump in tourist number in past 6 months

BANGKOK, 21 April 2015 (NNT) – The Ministry of Tourism and Sports has announced its success in pushing up the number of tourists by over 15 percent during the past six months.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818861-thai-tourism-min-boasts-jump-in-tourist-number-in-past-6-months/

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Anti-fracking protesters rally at US Embassy
Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation



Demand that firms cease drilling system they claim threatens villagers' health

BANGKOK: -- AROUND 20 members of the "Stop Fracking Thailand Network" rallied outside the US Embassy in Bangkok yesterday to protest against chemical fracking in this country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818862-anti-fracking-protesters-rally-at-us-embassy-in-bangkok/

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Substandard Airlines May Be Grounded, States Prayut

Thailand’s Transport Ministry may have to ground substandard airlines. The news comes after months of concern that many airlines in Thailand do not meet safety standards. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the grounding of substandard airlines may help the country’s standard airlines be approved by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818856-substandard-airlines-may-be-grounded-states-prayut/

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UPDATE:

Pakistani woman drowns in hotel swimming pool

Phuket:- A Pakistani tourist drowned in a hotel’s swimming pool in Phuket’s Thalang district early Monday in what police believed to be a suicide.

Pol Maj Santi Prakorbparn, an officer of Tha Chatchai police station, was informed by the Thalang Hospital that a foreign tourist drowned in a swimming pool of a popular hotel in Tambon Maikhao and the body has been sent to the hospital.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818803-pakistani-woman-drowns-in-hotel-swimming-pool/

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22,000 Collectors Declare 150 Tonnes of Ivory

'Following the news of the $6 million seizure of ivory tusks in Bangkok, the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department has announced that 150 tonnes of ivory items have been declared to the authorities from over 22,000 collectors. Among the collectors are prominent businesspeople and politicians. The people of Thailand have until Tuesday to legally declare their ivory assets.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818850-22000-collectors-declare-150-tonnes-of-ivory/

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UPDATE:

Monk Known for Black Magic Rituals Accused in Grave Robberies

A strange case in Udon Thani is starting to unfold. Authorities have been investigating the mystery of a grave robbery where no valuables were stolen. The finding occurred on April 12th when a couple filed a complaint that the corpse of their son and daughter went missing.

The daughter, Sirirat Akkharat, was 26 years old when she died. Her corpse was found with the head missing and everything else left intact.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818853-monk-known-for-black-magic-rituals-accused-in-grave-robberies/

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1ST DRAFT DEBATE
Charter will promote unity, reconciliation, CDC says
NITIPOL KIRAVANICH
THE NATION



'MMP VOTING SYSTEM WILL YIELD COALITION GOVERNMENTS AND END POWER FIGHTS'

BANGKOK: -- CHARTER drafters insisted yesterday that the new Constitution would lead to reconciliation and unity in the country rather than deepen political rifts, as widely feared - while reformers urged a referendum to be held on the charter.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818866-thai-charter-will-promote-unity-reconciliation-cdc-says/

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IODINE-125 IMPLANTATION
Warning over radiation from cancer patients
Chularat Saengpassa,
Pratch Rujivanarom
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- THE DEPARTMENT of Medical Services has urged cancer patients who have undergone Iodine-125 implantation treatment in China to get themselves tested to ensure they are not harming others with radiation.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818867-iodine-125-implantation-warning-over-radiation-from-cancer-patients/

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RESTRUCTURING PROMISED
Narong to breathe new life into education
The Nation

Says three transferred heads have not been found guilty of corruption yet

BANGKOK: -- EDUCATION Minister Admiral Narong Pipatanasai yesterday vowed to restructure three subordinate bodies whose heads were transferred last week together with the blanket axing of their boards, while at the same time appointing new members to the boards and closely monitoring them for signs of corruption.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818868-narong-to-breathe-new-life-into-thai-education/

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DSI provides info for probe into UFUN
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- THE Department of Special Investigation (DSI) passed information about the case against UFUN Thailand's alleged pyramid scheme to police yesterday for further investigation, as three more people - one a military officer - filed complaints with police over the company.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818869-dsi-provides-info-for-probe-into-ufun/

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TOURISM
Tourism industry lauds some govt actions, calls for long-term measures
SUCHAT SRITAMA
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The lifting of martial law and crackdowns on illegal businesses have been the highlights of the government's six-month performance, according to tourism industry representatives, but they have called on the regime to ensure the safety and security of tourist for the long term.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818870-thai-tourism-industry-lauds-some-govt-actions-calls-for-long-term-measures/

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BUDGET SPENDING
Govt sets June deadline for water, road repair contracts
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The government has set a June deadline for applications for Bt78 billion in procurement contracts for water-system and road-repair projects.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818871-thai-govt-sets-june-deadline-for-water-road-repair-contracts/

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EDITORIAL
We want rule by law, not laws for rulers
The Nation

By granting some citizens more privileges than others, the draft constitution imperils the foundations of civilised society

BANGKOK: -- What the drafters of Thailand's new constitution - and all citizens - must keep in mind when scrutinising the just-completed draft is the role of the document itself and the rule of law.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818872-thai-editorial-we-want-rule-by-law-not-laws-for-rulers/

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TAURANGA, New Zealand (AP) - AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd pleads guilty to charges of threatening to kill, drugs possession.

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STREETWISE
It's time the young woke up and became financially literate
Achara Deboonme

BANGKOK: -- Let me start with a brief conversation I overheard between two young men.

"My mum said she invested Bt50,000 in a fund. She has advised me to put extra money into the fund, but what is a fund?" one man asks his friend, who mumbles something inaudible.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818873-thai-opinion-its-time-the-young-woke-up-and-became-financially-literate/

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Man shot dead in North Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- In the early hours of Monday a 27 year old Thai man, who reportedly worked as an illegal money lender in Pattaya, was shot dead in a North Pattaya street following a confrontation with another man.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818874-man-shot-dead-in-north-pattaya/

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Army demolition team called-in as Pattaya Hotel Demolition saga continues



PATTAYA: -- Army demolition teams were called in to knock down ground-floor walls of a South Pattaya Hotel which is the subject of a demolition order due to a breach of planning regulations.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818875-army-demolition-team-called-in-as-pattaya-hotel-demolition-saga-continues/

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Kitchen Fire at South Pattaya Iranian Restaurant



PATTAYA: -- Fire Rescue Units were called to deal with a 3rd floor fire at an Iranian Restaurant in South Pattaya on Monday Morning.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818876-kitchen-fire-at-south-pattaya-iranian-restaurant/

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The Big Clean-up on the Morning-after Pattaya's Songkran Festival



PATTAYA: -- With record numbers thought to have been in-attendance at the Pattaya Songkran Festival on Sunday, came a record amount of refuse which left the Pattaya Beach area resembling a war zone, at-least for a couple of hours until the area was sanitized.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818877-the-big-clean-up-on-the-morning-after-pattayas-songkran-festival/

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UPDATE:

New law seeks better control over beggars, and buskers
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE CABINET Monday gave the green light to a draft bill on street beggars, which empowers the Social Development and Human Security Ministry to send migrant beggars back to their home countries.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818823-thai-junta-to-issue-new-law-banning-begging/?p=9324573#entry9324573

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Temple disciples seek help
Prapasri Osathanont
The Nation


File Photo

BANGKOK: -- DISCIPLES from Kanchanaburi's Wat Pa Luang Ta Bua Yansampanno urged the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday to probe the head of the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department for ordering 400 armed officials to remove wildlife from the temple earlier.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818878-tiger-temple-disciples-seek-help/

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Man denies role in Samui car bomb
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A PHATTHALUNG man who resembled a suspect in a police sketch wanted over the Central Festival bomb attack on Koh Samui two weeks ago met yesterday with police.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818879-man-denies-role-in-samui-car-bomb/

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Prayut wants 'hijab' issue handled with care
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday that he had instructed the Education Ministry to solve the problem of Muslim students wearing the hijab or headscarves after a state school issued an order banning it.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818880-prayut-wants-hijab-issue-handled-with-care/

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AP NewsBreak:
EU to put Thailand 1 step away from fish ban
RAF CASERT, Associated Press

LUXEMBOURG (AP) — The European Union is to give Thailand six months to drastically change its policies on illegal and unregulated fishing or face an EU seafood import ban by the end of the year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818881-eu-to-put-thailand-1-step-away-from-fish-ban/

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Lawyer: Washington Post reporter in Iran faces 4 charges
By NASSER KARIMI and ADAM SCHRECK

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A Washington Post reporter jailed for nearly nine months in Iran faces charges of espionage and three other crimes, his lawyer revealed Monday following her first in-depth meeting with the journalist.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818882-washington-post-reporter-jason-rezaian-faces-iran-spy-trial/

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US warship heads to Yemeni waters; could block Iran weapons
By LOLITA C. BALDOR

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a stepped-up response to Iranian backing of Shiite rebels in Yemen, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is steaming toward the waters off Yemen to beef up security and join other American ships that are prepared to intercept any Iranian vessels carrying weapons to the Houthi rebels.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818883-us-warship-heads-to-yemeni-waters-to-intercept-iranian-weapons-shipments/

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Amid new migrant crises, Italian PM decries 'death voyages'
By COLLEEN BARRY

MILAN (AP) — Shaken by the feared drowning of as many as 900 people in the latest Mediterranean tragedy, European leaders struggled Monday for an adequate response in the face of unremitting migrant flows and continued instability in Libya that has given free rein to human traffickers.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/818884-amid-new-migrant-crises-italian-pm-decries-death-voyages/