Thailand Live Tuesday 19 May 2015

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PM’s Office Minister visits Tak special econ zone to observe progress

TAK, 19 May 2015 (NNT) – Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office Suwapan Tanyuwattana has paid a visit to Tak province to follow up on the progress of the special economic zone’s development.

While in the western border district of Mae Sot, Tak province, Mr Suwapan chaired a meeting with concerned officials on the endeavor to establish the Tak special economic zone. The attending officials included the governor of Tak, the mayor of Mae Sot Municipality, the Mae Sot district chief and heads of local state agencies.

The Prime Minister’s Office Minister stated that his visit was aimed at making sure the Tak special economic zone would be fully functional in time for the official opening of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of this year.

On this occasion, Mr Suwapan observed preparations for the construction of the second Thai-Myanmar Friendship Bridge in Mae Sot district. According to him, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is scheduled to preside over the foundation stone laying ceremony for the new structure this July.

The minister also witnessed the improvement of state-owned lands, basic infrastructure and public utilities in preparation for the expansion of investment in the area.


-- NNT 2015-05-19

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RICE-PLEDGING SCHEME
Yingluck warned to attend first day of court trial today
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- A SENIOR public prosecutor yesterday warned former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra against failing to show up on the first day of her trial today in the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office-Holders.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826200-yingluck-warned-to-attend-first-day-of-court-trial-today/

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Survey:

Should Foreigners be Allowed to own Property?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/825264-survey-should-foreigners-be-allowed-to-own-property/

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CHARTER DRAFT
'Six months needed for referendum'
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE NATIONAL Reform Council has proposed at least six months for the whole process of holding a referendum on the draft constitution, a council member said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826201-thai-charter-draft-six-months-needed-for-referendum/

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UPDATE:

HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Alleged trafficking kingpin detained
THE NATION, AGENCIES

Alleged trafficking kingpin detained; foreign minister to attend meeting in KL on boat people issue

BANGKOK: -- A SOUTHERN man alleged to be a suspected human smuggling kingpin was in police custody yesterday after a brief manhunt along the Thai and Malaysian border as part of the ongoing crackdown on a vast network in the trafficking of Rohingya and other migrants.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826118-thai-people-smuggling-kingpin-hands-himself-in-police/#entry9420598

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PRIVATE HOSPITALS
Moves to control medical treatments and drug costs will be difficult
PUANGCHOMPOO PRASERT,
CHULARAT SAENGPASSA
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- PRIVATE hospitals have warned that government attempts to control the cost of medical treatments and medicine will be difficult, as various facilities have different operational costs and private hospitals - unlike pharmacies - shoulder heavier costs in the dispersal of drugs.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826202-private-hospitals-moves-to-control-medical-treatments-and-drug-costs-will-be-difficult/

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BURNING ISSUE
Political inclusion will help the charter drafting process
KRIS BHROMSUTHI

BANGKOK: -- AT LAST week's public forum organised by the National Reform Council (NRC)'s political reform panel, the country's main political parties and academics were invited to express opinions on the charter provisions.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826203-political-inclusion-will-help-the-thai-charter-drafting-process/

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Tourism permanent secretary, three others transferred over procurement
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- FOUR TOP OFFICIALS at the Tourism and Sports Ministry were moved to inactive posts on Friday by the junta over an alleged link to equipment purchases at inflated prices.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826204-thai-tourism-permanent-secretary-three-others-transferred-over-procurement/

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Tourism operators praise military govt for shepherding industry from crisis to growth
SUCHAT SRITAMA
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- COMPANIES and their support associations in the tourism sector commend the military regime for turning the industry around, but have urged the junta to seek more "quality" tourists and maintain safety standards.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826205-tourism-operators-praise-thai-govt-for-shepherding-industry-from-crisis-to-growth/

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Cambodian Mother kills 5 year old Son and attempts suicide in East Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- On Monday afternoon, Nongprue Police dealt with a disturbing case of murder and attempted suicide at a remote village in East Pattaya, which saw the Mother of a 5 year old boy, kill her son and then attempt to kill herself.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826206-cambodian-mother-kills-5-year-old-son-and-attempts-suicide-in-east-pattaya/

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7 injured in high-speed Minivan crash in East Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- The driver and six passengers in a Toyota Minivan, travelling from Sattahip to Bangkok, were injured on Monday morning on Highway 331 after their vehicle flipped-over several times after coming off the main highway.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826207-7-injured-in-high-speed-minivan-crash-in-east-pattaya/

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STREETWISE
Lots of missing links in Thailand's social development

BANGKOK: -- It caught me by surprise when Channel 3 began airing "Sud Kaen Saen Rak" (Blinded by Love and Hate) recently.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826208-lots-of-missing-links-in-thailands-social-development/

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EDITORIAL
Does Asean know the meaning of 'emergency'?

WITH THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS ADRIFT AT SEA, DEBATE MUST TAKE SECOND PLACE TO URGENT ACTION

BANGKOK: -- Malaysia, as current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), has done the right thing in calling for an urgent meeting over the plight of thousands of migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh left adrift in the Bay of Bengal and the Strait of Malacca.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826209-does-asean-know-the-meaning-of-emergency/

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Phuket fruit shop owner shot 'in dispute with her family'
Darawan Naknakhon



Police are hunting the gunman, who has yet to be identified.

PHUKET: -- The owner of a fruit shop near the Nimit Circle in Phuket Town was critically wounded at about 4pm today (May 18) when she was shot by an assailant who so far has not been identified.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826210-phuket-fruit-shop-owner-shot-in-dispute-with-her-family/

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Time Abhisit left politics, says Nattawut
THE NATION

RED-SHIRT co-leader Nattawut Saikua yesterday recommended that Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva retire from politics if he loses the next election.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826211-time-abhisit-left-politics-says-nattawut/

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Red stronghold in Pathum Thani unchanged
PRAVIT ROJANAPHRUK
NITIPOL KIRAVANICH
THE NATION
LAM LUK KA, PATHUM THANI


Rattatiya Yusingtoh, 44, right, and her husband Amnat Inbaan, 45, left still wear red T-shirts in staunchly redshirt district of Pianont Market, Lam Luk Ka district in Pathum Thani.

BANGKOK: -- RIGHT after staging a coup a year ago, the military went to this staunchly red-shirt province to host a concert and offer free food in a bid to ease the political divide and foster reconciliation.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826212-red-stronghold-in-pathum-thani-unchanged/

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Reconciliation vital, but still out of reach
NITIPOL KIRAVANICH
THE NATION

HONEST BROKER NEEDED TO URGE DISPUTING PARTIES TO TALK PEACE

BANGKOK: -- A YEAR after the coup, the military's promise to bring about national reconciliation looks highly unlikely to be achieved with the conflicting political parties doubtful it would be achieved anytime soon. However, all agree reconciliation is still needed.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826213-thai-politics-reconciliation-vital-but-still-out-of-reach/

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Husband of British woman found dead in Thai hotel pool reveals devastation
Stefan Brown, whose wife Rachel Turner Brown reportedly drowned on holiday in Koh Chang, says her death has left him ‘in tatters’
Dominic Smith


A beach in Koh Chang, Thailand. Rachel Turner Brown, 42, from Wolverhampton, had planned a two-month tour of Thailand and nearby countries. Photograph: Alamy

WOLVERHAMPTON: -- The husband of a British woman who reportedly drowned while on holiday in Thailand at the weekend has said her death has left him “in absolute tatters”.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826214-husband-of-british-woman-found-dead-in-koh-chang-hotel-pool-reveals-devastation/

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Bandido chief stranded in Thailand after government refuses to renew visa


Daniel Roach.

SYDNEY: -- A top Victorian bikie is stranded in Thailand after the federal government effectively banned him from re-entering Australia.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826215-bandido-chief-stranded-in-thailand-after-australian-govt-refuses-to-renew-visa/

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Thailand follows European standard in addressing Rohingya problem



BANGKOK: -- Thailand has adopted the standard used by European countries and Australia in their treatment of illegal migrants in the handling of Rohingya migrants, said Dr Panitharn Wattanayakorn, an advisor to Deputy Prime Minister in charge of security affairs.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826216-thailand-follows-european-standard-in-addressing-rohingya-problem/

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EC says open list voting may cause public confusion



BANGKOK: -- Open list voting may cause public confusion and will take longer time for ballot counting, according to the finding from a demonstration of open list voting carried out Monday by the Election Commission.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826217-ec-says-open-list-voting-may-cause-public-confusion/

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IS militants look for collaborators after taking Iraqi city
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN and SAMEER N. YACOUB

BAGHDAD (AP) — Islamic State militants searched door-to-door for policemen and pro-government fighters and threw bodies in the Euphrates River in a bloody purge Monday after capturing the strategic city of Ramadi, their biggest victory since overrunning much of northern and western Iraq last year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826220-is-militants-look-for-collaborators-after-taking-iraqi-city/

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Obama restricts police military gear, says it can alienate
By NEDRA PICKLER

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — President Barack Obama ended long-running federal transfers of some combat-style gear to local law enforcement on Monday in an attempt to ease tensions between police and minority communities, saying equipment made for the battlefield should not be a tool of American criminal justice.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826222-obama-restricts-police-military-gear-says-it-can-alienate/

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US man in prison 21 years to be freed pending new trial

SALEM, Massachusetts (AP) — A Dominican-born man who had spent 21 years behind bars for a murder he says he did not commit has been released from prison until a new trial can be held, a judge in Massachusetts ruled Monday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826223-us-man-in-prison-21-years-to-be-freed-pending-new-trial/

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Charges filed against 170 motorcycle gang members in Texas
By NOMAAN MERCHANT and DAVID WARREN

WACO, Texas (AP) — About 170 members of rival motorcycle gangs were charged with engaging in organized crime Monday, a day after a shootout at a Texas restaurant that killed nine people and wounded 18.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826224-charges-filed-against-170-motorcycle-gang-members-in-texas/

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Discovery opens door for homemade morphine, painkillers
By ALICIA CHANG

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scientists have figured out all the steps to make morphine and similar painkillers without using opium poppies, opening the door for home-brewed drugs and even wider abuse.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826225-discovery-opens-door-for-homemade-morphine-painkillers/

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Appeals court sides with Google in anti-Muslim film case
By SUDHIN THANAWALA and BRIAN MELLEY

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal appeals court panel should not have forced YouTube to take down an anti-Muslim film that sparked violence in the Middle East and death threats to actors, a larger group of judges ruled Monday in a victory for free speech advocates.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826226-a-us-appeals-court-sides-with-google-in-anti-muslim-film-case/

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EU approves military plan to target migrant traffickers
RAF CASERT, Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union nations approved plans Monday for a naval operation to go after the human trafficking networks that are sending thousands of migrants weekly across the Mediterranean toward Europe or to their deaths. NATO said it stood ready to help out if needed.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826227-eu-approves-military-plan-to-target-migrant-traffickers/

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Officials check hotels, restaurants at Ao Nang

Krabi:- Deputy Krabi Governor Narong Woonsiew led officials and troops to check hotels and restaurants at Ao Nang bay Monday to take action against businesses that released wasted water into the sea.

The inspection found that several of 14 small hotels that were inspected Monday do not have proper wasted water treatment system. Narong said 14 more hotels and restaurants will be inspected Tuesday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826176-officials-check-hotels-restaurants-at-ao-nang/

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Kan Air adds new Pattaya - Hua Hin flight

PATTAYA, 14 May 2015: Chiang Mai-based Kan Air will operate direct flights from Pattaya (U Tapao Airport) to central and southern destinations in Thailand starting end of this month.

Read more: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/826232-kan-air-adds-new-hua-hin-to-pattaya-flight/