Thailand Live Thursday 28 May 2015

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Islamic State suicide attacks in Iraq's Anbar kill 17 troops
By SINAN SALAHEDDIN

BAGHDAD (AP) — As Iraqi forces gathered for a major new offensive to try to take back the sprawling Sunni heartland of Anbar province, Islamic State militants struck first, unleashing a wave of suicide bombings that killed at least 17 soldiers.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828632-islamic-state-suicide-attacks-in-iraqs-anbar-kill-17-troops/

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Rick Santorum announces second White House run
By STEVE PEOPLES and JOE MANDAK

CABOT, Pa. (AP) — Conservative culture warrior Rick Santorum launched a 2016 White House bid on Wednesday, vowing to fight for working-class Americans in a new election season that will test his influence — and focus on social issues — in a changing Republican Party.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828633-rick-santorum-announces-second-white-house-run/

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Guantanamo inmates swapped for Bergdahl could move freely
By DEB RIECHMANN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Five senior Taliban leaders released last year from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in exchange for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl could move freely around the world next week as their one-year travel ban expires.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828634-guantanamo-inmates-swapped-for-bergdahl-could-move-freely/

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US state abolishes death penalty in landmark override vote
GRANT SCHULTE, Associated Press

LINCOLN, Nebraska (AP) — Nebraska abolished the death penalty on Wednesday in a landmark veto-override vote backed by an unusual coalition of conservatives who oppose capital punishment.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828635-us-nebraska-abolishes-death-penalty-in-landmark-override-vote/

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APNewsBreak:

Quartet Mideast envoy Tony Blair resigns
JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday stepped down as the international community's Mideast envoy, leaving a post that began with great promise but which struggled to deliver dramatic changes in its quest to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828636-tony-blair-quits-middle-east-envoy-role/

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Chinese elevate to status of quality tourists

Bangkok:- Chinese tourists have elevated their status to quality tourists with the highest average daily spending in Thailand in the first quarter of this year, Tourism Minister Korbkarn Wattanavrangkul said.

Korbkarn said each Chinese tourist averagely spent Bt6,346 per day during the stay in Thailand. The minister said the median of average daily spending of tourists from countries in the first quarter was Bt4,950.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828640-chinese-elevate-to-status-of-quality-tourists/

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An end to 'unofficial fees' charged by Thai officials?
The Phuket News


Photo K Millard

PHUKET: -- A new law, due to come into force in July, could mean an end to demands by officials for "unofficial fees" to issue permits, licenses or registration documents.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828650-an-end-to-unofficial-fees-charged-by-thai-officials/

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Rapid vaccination taking place in Buriram after province declared rabies outbreak area

BURIRAM, 28 May 2015 (NNT) – Livestock Department officials in Buriram are rapidly vaccinating dogs and cats in areas deemed at risk of rabies, after the entire province was declared an outbreak area for the disease last week.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828651-rapid-vaccination-taking-place-in-buriram-after-province-declared-rabies-outbreak-area/

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Finance Ministry: No plan to sell AOT’s shares

BANGKOK, 28 May 2015, (NNT) - Prasong Phunthanet, the Airport of Thailand chairman of the board, has said the Finance Ministry has no plan to sell its 70 percent holding in the company, assuring the state agency will remain under the government’s supervision.

Prasong brushed aside rumors that the Ministry of Finance is planning to sell its shares in the company to pay for the government’s debts, following its consultation with the State Enterprise Policy Office.

According to the AOT Board Chairman, the company’s shares continue to outperform expectations, generating significant amount of income for the ministry.

He said the AOT’s committee and the management board have been working hard to bring the nation’s airports to their full potential in order to be able to better handle the nation's ever-growing tourism sector, thanks to the arrival of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of this year.


-- NNT 2015-05-28

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Phuket to hold disaster drill on 25-26 June

PHUKET(NNT) - Provincial authorities in Phuket convened for a meeting to prepare an emergency response drill in case of earthquake, evacuation of residents and management of temporary shelters.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828655-phuket-to-hold-disaster-drill-on-25-26-june/

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Young British man jailed for attempting to join IS
English.news.cn

LONDON, May 27 (Xinhua) -- A young British Muslim was sentenced six years' imprisonment by a court on Wednesday for trying to travel to Syria to join Islamic State, local media reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828656-young-british-man-jailed-for-attempting-to-join-is/

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Australia to give $12m in refugee funding

(CAMBODIA) Under an agreement signed in Phnom Penh last year, Australia will spend at least US$43.3 million for the resettlement of a small number of refugees in Cambodia, The Phnom Penh Post reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828659-australia-to-give-cambodia-us12m-in-refugee-funding/

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Rohingya trafficking: inside the investigation
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Gen Paween: ' Let us do our job and we’ll see where it leads.' Phuket News file photo

PHUKET: -- Pol Maj Gen Paween Pongsirin headed up the investigation into taxi mafia and corruption in Phuket in April to August last year and then was sent in to straighten out the Koh Tao murders investigation in September.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828662-rohingya-trafficking-inside-the-investigation/

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M.R. Pridiyathorn suggests 2 options of paying government's debts

BANGKOK, 28 May 2015 (NNT) - Deputy Prime Minister M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula has suggested to the Ministry of Finance two possibilities of paying the 720 billion baht debt incurred by the previous administration.

According to him, 520 billion baht of the debt was the damage caused by the rice pledging scheme, and the remainder of 200 billion baht was created through the Social Security Fund and the subsidy to the State Railway of Thailand.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the Finance Ministry could issue government bonds or selling shares of the state enterprises that had not made any profit as 2 primary options to pay the government debts. M.R. Pridiyathorn however did not indicate how much the bonds should be and how long the installments should last.


-- NNT 2015-05-28

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SET up 0.70 points at opening /Bangkok Post

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Pentagon: Military mistakenly shipped live anthrax samples
By ROBERT BURNS

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday it is investigating what the Pentagon called an inadvertent shipment of live anthrax spores to government and commercial laboratories in as many as nine states, as well as one overseas, that expected to receive dead spores.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828685-pentagon-military-mistakenly-shipped-live-anthrax-samples/

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UK leader travels to 4 EU states to press case for reform
DANICA KIRKA, Associated Press
JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister David Cameron is setting off Thursday on a whirlwind visit to four European capitals, pressing his case that Britain needs to renegotiate its relationship with the 27 other members of the bloc.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828690-david-cameron-travels-to-4-eu-states-to-press-case-for-reform/

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Thailand’s FDA warns of danger from fake rice

BANGKOK: -- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has instructed its officials nationwide to increase inspection on the quality of rice in the wake of the discovery of fake rice allegedly made from resin in the northern province of Nan.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828692-thailands-fda-warns-of-danger-from-fake-rice/

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UPDATE:

Kuwaiti Man dies in tragic Phuket bungee jump fall

Eakkapop Thongtub

Police question a member of the bungee jump's staff.

PHUKET: -- A Kuwaiti man died yesterday (May 27) when the ankle straps he was wearing when he jumped from the World Bungee Jump in Patong came off. Police are currently investigating to find whether this incident was was due to faulty equipment or was just a tragic accident.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828570-kuwaiti-tourist-killed-in-bungee-jump-accident/page-3#entry9455153

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PM weekly program rescheduled around SEA Games

BANGKOK, 28 May 2015 (NNT) - Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has rescheduled his 'Returning Happiness to the People' program to 17:00 hrs this Friday, instead its regular 20:30 hrs broadcasting.

Major General Sansern Keawkamnerd, the Deputy Spokesperson to the Prime Minister’s Office, said the decision to shift the weekly program three hours earlier was to allow football fans in Thailand to watch the live broadcast of the SEA Games’ first football match at 19:30 hrs.

The Deputy Spokesperson is asking the media to inform the public about the new timetable on Friday.


-- NNT 2015-05-28

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Min. of Commerce content with campaigns to ease living expenses

BANGKOK, 28 May 2015, (NNT) - The Ministry of Commerce has declared that its various cost saving campaigns have been well received by the public.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828697-thai-commerce-min-content-with-campaigns-to-ease-living-expenses/

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HM the King on royal duty in Hua Hin

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, 28 May 2015 (NNT) - His Majesty the King yesterday granted an audience to the following groups of people respectively at Klai Kangwon Palace in Hua Hin District.

- President of the Constitutional Court Nurak Mapraneet who led Mr. Worawit Kangsasithiam, a Constitutional Court judge, to take an oath of allegiance before assuming his post.

- Mr. Asis Pithakkhumpol, Chula Ratchamontri (Sheikhul Islam) and chairman of the Central Islamic Council of Thailand, led his committee members to extend their good wishes to His Majesty the King on behalf of the Thai Muslims in observance of the Month of Ramadan and the 50th anniversary of the royal project on the translation of the Holy Quran into Thai.

The Chula Ratchamontri presented to His Majesty on this occasion a set of six books containing the Holy Quran and its meaning in Thai. The official translation of the Holy Quran into Thai was a project conceived by His Majesty the King who advised that the noble scripture not only contained religious significance but also was recognized as an important piece of literary work of the world which had been translated into many languages.

In 1964 His Majesty instructed the then Chula Ratchamontri to translate the Quran from Arabic into Thai. He also provided personal fund for the printing of the Thai version of the Quran for distribution to the public. In July 1970, the first set of translation was completed, and His Majesty presented its copies to the Provincial Islamic Committee of Narathiwat. It was in 1987 that the complete set of the Quran with Thai translation was published and presented to HM the King on the occasion of his 60th birthday. The books were distributed to libraries of various mosques, Islamic schools and charity organizations.

Since then, the royal edition of the Quran translation has been published for pubic distribution on important occasions such as the 50th anniversary of the King’s accession to the Throne in 1996, and the 6th cycle birthday of Her Majesty the Queen in 2004.

The royal project on the translation of the Quran reached its 50th anniversary in 2014. It has yielded a satisfying result allowing Thai Muslims to have thorough understanding of the Islamic teachings as wished by His Majesty the King.


-- NNT 2015-05-28

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Gulf of Thailand closed to commercial fishing from June - July

BANGKOK, 28 May 2015 (NNT)-The Department of Fisheries will ban all commercial fishing in the Gulf of Thailand from June until July.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828698-gulf-of-thailand-closed-to-commercial-fishing-from-june-july/

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NATO Believes Russia Can Take Over Kiev, Baltic Countries Within Two Days
Czech General Petr Pavel who will assume office of Chairman of the NATO Military Committee on June 1, 2015 considers Russia a threat to the security of all NATO countries. He ranks Russia together with ISIL.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828704-nato-believes-russia-can-take-over-kiev-baltic-countries-within-2-days/

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Prayut assures UN diplomats of election by September next year



BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told diplomats from the United Nations that the country will hold general election in September next year and assured them that the military junta and the government will not interfere with the election.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828705-prayut-assures-un-diplomats-of-election-by-september-next-year/

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Family appeals for help finding missing Phuket expat: VIDEO
Chris Husted



PHUKET: -- Jodie Poyner of the UK has made a public plea for any information that may lead to finding her father, Graham Poyner, a Phuket expat last seen on March 25.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828733-uk-family-appeals-for-help-finding-missing-phuket-expat-video/

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11 arrested in Phuket for drug related offences
Eakkapop Thongtub


Apinya and Palakorn were found in possession of five bundles of kratom leaves and one kratom tree.

PHUKET: -- Eleven people were arrested in Patong yesterday (May 27), all for drug related offences.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828735-11-arrested-in-phuket-for-drug-related-offences/

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Six former PAD leaders jailed two years for occupying Government House
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court Thursday jailed six former leaders of the now-defunct People's Alliance for Democracy for leading protestes to storm into and occupy the Government House in 2008.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828736-six-former-pad-leaders-jailed-two-years-for-occupying-government-house/

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Silom Walking Street closes for two months



BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will call off the popular "Silom Walking Street" for two months when the capital enters the rainy season.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828739-silom-walking-street-closes-for-two-months/

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AMLO to auction off Ufun's assets in July



BANGKOK: - The Anti-Money Laundering Office (AMLO) is to stage a public auction in July of the properties seized from Ufun Store in order to raise fund to help its cheated victims.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/828746-amlo-to-auction-off-ufuns-assets-in-july/