Thailand Live Thursday 4 Jun 2015

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Five million digital TV coupons already exchanged for set-top boxes



BANGKOK: -- Over five million out of a total of 14.1 million digital TV coups distributed to households throughout the country have so far been exchanged for set-top boxes, said Mr Thakorn Tanthasathit, secretary-general of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830384-five-million-digital-tv-coupons-already-exchanged-for-set-top-boxes/

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Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn inaugurates Thailand’s first interdisciplinary congress

BANGKOK, 4 June 2015 (NNT) - Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has inaugurated the first International Congress in Interdisciplinary Approach in Thailand, addressing sustainable research & development (R&D).

The Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Congress was hosted by the Interdisciplinary Committee for Research and Development of the Royal Society of Thailand from June 3 - 4 at the IMPACT Forum, Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province.

In her inaugural speech, the Princess stressed the importance of the interdisciplinary approach in developing Thailand’s youths. In order to become a contributing member of society, a person must be well-versed in various fields of knowledge, as well as be virtuous in his or her conduct.

After the opening ceremony, Her Royal Highness proceeded to the main exhibition room to admire the various R&D booths under her patronage before returning to the Chitralada Palace.

The Congress featured lectures from numerous academics and experts on various fields on how an interdisciplinary approach can be utilized in addressing various societal concerns.

Academic papers were submitted to the Congress on interdisciplinary approaches towards meeting global challenges and development. Selected articles will be published by Interdisciplinary Network of the Royal Society of Thailand, while the best articles were given prizes at the end of the Congress.

The event celebrated the Auspicious Occasion of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s 5th Cycle Birthday Anniversary and paid tribute to the Princess’ lifelong achievements in the various fields of academia and R&D.

It was also held to promote public awareness on the interdisciplinary approach and to establish a network among local and international academics and researchers.

Interdisciplinary activities are defined as involving interaction between two or more disciplines to address various challenges and development agendas.


-- NNT 2015-06-04

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Min of Labor hopes Maritime Labor Act will improve conditions of workers at sea

BANGKOK, 4 June 2015 (NNT) - The Ministry of Labor is determined to improve working conditions for maritime laborers in Thailand.

According to Labor Minister General Surasak Kanjanarat, a meeting was recently held to follow up on the drafting of the 2015 Maritime Labor Act. The meeting was attended by private sector representatives and government officials from the Ministries of Public Health, Foreign Affairs and Transport.

The bill is expected to be enforced in February next year.

Each ministry is responsible for drafting 65 articles relevant to their line of work. The law will reflect international standards stipulated under Maritime Labor Convention 2006.

General Surasak said he hopes the Act will eventually standardize the maritime industry and promote economic security for Thailand. Workers can expect to receive fair employment and work in a safe and clean environment under the new law.


-- NNT 2015-06-04

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MOST: para rubber to be used in railway tracks

BANGKOK, 4 June 2015 (NNT) - The Ministry of Science and Technology has successfully improved the durability of para rubber such that it can replace wooden planks used underneath train tracks.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830386-ministry-of-science-para-rubber-to-be-used-in-thai-railway-tracks/

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PM says he feels ashamed because he still cannot make farmers live better



BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said today that he felt ashamed of himself every time he came across a farmer working in the field under the scorching sun whenever he was travelling in a chauffeur-driven car because he still could not make the farmers live a better life.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830387-pm-prayut-says-he-feels-ashamed-because-he-still-cannot-make-farmers-live-better/

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Minister Dapong asked to reconsider plan to chop down all rubber trees in seized plantations



BANGKOK: -- Small-scale rubber plantation owners will plead with Natural Resources and Environment Minister Dapong Rattanasuwan to review the ministry’s plan to chop down all rubber trees from rubber plantations which have encroached on forest reserves.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830392-minister-dapong-asked-to-reconsider-plan-to-chop-down-all-rubber-trees-in-seized-plantations/

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Baht continues downward trend
The Nation, Reuters



The downward trend of the Thai baht continues on the back of US dollar rally.

BANGKOK: -- As of 2.25pm, the baht was at 33.74 per dollar, from yesterday close of 33.64. It recently fell to the six-year low at 33.78-79. The greenback has also strengthened against other major currencies as well as the currencies in Asean.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830394-baht-continues-downward-trend/

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ACCRA, Ghana (AP) - Authorities: 73 dead in Ghana after explosion at gas station where dozens had sought shelter.

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Phra Suthep to not return to Democrat after leaving monkhood
The Nation

Phra Suthep Paphakaro or Suthep Thaugsuban, former secretary general of the People's Democratic Reform Committee, confirmed that he is preparing to leave the monkhood but he does not know when.

He said he will not return to the Democrat Party and will not contest for a House seat because he plans to help the people through the Mass People for Thailand's Reform Foundation that he has registered.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Phra-Suthep-to-not-return-to-Democrat-after-leavin-30261586.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-04

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Army officer suspected of human trafficking denies charges

SONGKHLA, 4 June 2015 (NNT) – A high-ranking army officer allegedly involved in Rohingya human trafficking has denied all charges, following eight hours of interrogation.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830349-human-trafficking-crackdown-thai-army-officer-faces-13-charges/#entry9480963

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The 35th Concert in the Garden



BANGKOK: -- The Public Relations Department will be hosting the 35th Music in the Garden concert under the theme: “Because of love… Birds’ songs in the Winds”. The concert will feature many quality vocalists who will be performing their hit singles. Wipa Juntakul will perform Rak Samrong, Kor Praw Rak, Huang Rak, Rakang Jai and many more.

The number one apprentice of Suthep Wongkampaeng, Promthep Thepparat will perform Sieng Nok Sai Lom, Kluay Mai, Panieng Rak. He will also perform a Duet “The Bangkok Voices” with the song: Sommut Wa Rak the hit single and many songs from Chomchai Arunchan.

Promthep will be joined by M.R. Jirakon Kitiyakorn, Chomchai-Walailak Arunchan and many up and coming vocalists and the Public Relations Department band, bringing a number of inspirational songs.

The interested public can attend this concert free of charge on Thursday the 4th of June 2015 at the Main Auditorium, Public Relations Department from 4 pm onwards.


-- NNT 2015-06-04

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Eight South Korean men arrested in Phuket for running gambling website
The Nation

PHUKET: -- Eight South Korean men were arrested in Phuket town Wednesday evening for having allegedly run a gambling website.

Police said the eight were arrested at shop house and a condominium room. Police seized 100 money transfer confirmation devices, and 60 bank books from the suspects. Police said the arrest was made after a series of arrests of South Koreans in Bangkok on the same charges.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Eight-South-Koran-men-arrested-in-Phuket-for-runni-30261592.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-04

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PTT: Clear detail for 21st petroleum concession required by this year

BANGKOK, 4 June 2015 (NNT) – The details of the 21st petroleum concession should be made clear within this year for the nation’s energy security, says the PTT Chairman.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830422-ptt-clear-detail-for-21st-petroleum-concession-required-by-this-year/

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MIAMI (AP) - Hurricane Blanca weakens slightly to Category 3 storm in eastern Pacific off Mexico's coast.

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Prayut says up to people whether he will stay on in office
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Thursday that it will depend on the people as to whether he will stay on in power for two more years to implement national reforms.

Prayut was answering questions of National Reform Council members during a seminar on the government’s problems. The members asked him whether he would invoke Article 44 of the interim charter to delay the election to implement national reform first. Prayut replied that it would depend on the people’s wish.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Prayut-says-up-to-people-whether-he-will-stay-on-i-30261603.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-04

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Prawit says Thailand lucky to have Prayut as PM
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan told a seminar of National Legislative Assembly and National Reform Council members that the country is lucky to have Prayut Chan-o-cha as the prime minister.

Prawit said the Prayut government has solved so many problems withing a short period of time. For example, the government has cracked down on illegal businesses and has allocated 7,000 rai of land to 1,000 poor families.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Prawit-says-Thailand-lucky-to-have-Prayut-as-PM-30261604.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-04

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UPDATE:

DSI officials question Phra Dhammachayo



BANGKOK: -- Enquiry officials of the Department of Special Investigation managed to question Phra Dhammachayo, abbot of Wat Dhamakaya, at the temple this afternoon (Thursday).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830318-phra-dhamma-chayo-fails-to-show-up-for-dsi-questioning-citing-sickness/#entry9481223

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GAUHATI, India (AP) - Indian police say rebel attack kills at least 10 army soldiers in troubled northeast.

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SET index closed 1,490.62 up 8.55; Bt/USD33.62; GBP51.29; AUD25.55; EUR37.64; CAD26.73; HKD4.31; SGD24.73; JPY26.87

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Pot remains Europe's most used drug, agency report says

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — The European Union's drug agency says marijuana continues to be the continent's most commonly used drug, with almost 79 million Europeans estimated to have tried it at some point in their lives.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830435-pot-remains-europes-most-used-drug-agency-report-says/

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Thailand to host SEA Librarians meeting

BANGKOK, 4 June 2015 (NNT) – Thailand will be hosting the 16th Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL XVI) to ensure the sustainable development of libraries within the region, says Culture Minister.

The Minister of Culture Vira Rojpojchanarat has revealed that the Department of Fine Arts will be hosting the CONSAL XVI meeting on 11-13 June 2014 at BITEC Bangna Exhibition Center. The event will also be hosted in honor of the auspicious occasion of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn’s fifth cycle birthday.

This year’s meeting will be held under the topic ‘ASEAN Aspirations: Libraries for Sustainable Advancement’ with about 800 participants including executives, librarians, information workers, and staffs from education institutes from the ASEAN Countries and Timor Leste.

HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn will be presiding over the opening ceremony of CONSAL XVI on 11 June 2015.

The Culture Minister has said that Thailand and other countries are facing a shortage of librarians as the profession is considered old-fashioned. The creation of library staff, and the modernization libraries and archive systems are required. Online searching system and electric books and documents storage will be incorporated to the modernization plans of libraries in the region.

He has said that a model promoting reading and learning is now being developed, which includes collecting books' information and learning sources worldwide to encourage people to read more. Once the model outline plan has been completed, it will then be submitted for the Cabinet’s approval.


-- NNT 2015-06-04

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Phuket police smash ‘B100mn’ Korean online gambling ring
Nattha Thepbamrung


The eight Koreans were arrested in Wichit yesterday (June 3). Photo: Nattha Thepbamrung

PHUKET: Eight Koreans have been arrested in Phuket for running an online gambling operation that police estimate would have had an annual turnover of more than B100 million.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830439-phuket-police-smash-b100mn-korean-online-gambling-ring/

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Four options outlined in case draft charter fails in referendum



BANGKOK: -- Four options have been considered in case the draft constitution fails to receive public approval in a referendum, said Deputy Prime Minister Visanu Kruea-ngarm on Thursday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830440-four-options-outlined-in-case-draft-thai-charter-fails-in-referendum/

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Suthep to Leave Monkhood and Return to Activism
By Khaosod English


Anti-government protester plant a kiss on Suthep Thaugsuban's cheek during a demonstration in Nonthaburi province, 22 April 2014

SURAT THANI — The firebrand leader of the ultra-conservative protest movement that helped pave the way for the 2014 coup d'etat says he will leave the monkhood and return to activism in the near future.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830442-suthep-to-leave-monkhood-and-return-to-activism/

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Thai junta orders cancellation of human rights event
AFP

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's military rulers Thursday banned a panel discussion exploring rights abuses alleged to have taken place during the junta's one-year rule.

Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, which provides legal aid to those who fall foul of the junta, had been due to launch a report on the kingdom's faltering rights record at the Foreign Correspondent's Club of Thailand (FCCT) on Thursday evening.

But in a statement released Thursday afternoon the FCCT said it had been forced to cancel the event "on the orders of the NCPO and the police".

The NCPO is the official name for Thailand's junta -- the National Council for the Restoration of Peace and Order.

A letter sent to the club from police said the FCCT should cancel the discussion because "there might be some people with ill-intentions using the opportunity to create some situations that might cause chaos".

The FCCT said the panel discussion was not sponsored by the club. Thai Lawyers for Human Rights had paid to use the venue.

Club president Jonathan Head tweeted through his personal account that although the panel discussion was cancelled the club would remain open in the evening, adding that there would be "a visible police presence".

A junta spokesman, Major General Werachon Sukhondapatipak, confirmed the military halted the event, saying Thai Lawyers for Human Rights had not sought permission from the authorities.

"They did not talk with NCPO first. They have to keep NCPO informed and explain the content of the event," he told AFP.

Werachon said the junta had previously allowed political events to go ahead at the club if organisers contacted them in advance.

An attempt by Thai Lawyers for Human Rights to hold a similar event after the junta's first 100 days in power was also cancelled after junta pressure.

The organisation was not available for comment.

Thailand's generals took over in a May 2014 coup that toppled the democratically elected administration of Yingluck Shinawatra after months of sometimes violent street protests.

They have since ruled the country with an iron fist, banning public protests, muzzling the media and arresting critics.

Last month iLaw, a local group that monitors arrest figures, said 751 people have been "summoned" by the authorities for attitude adjustment since the military took over while 166 people have been arrested "while expressing their opinions in a public place".

The junta says its power grab restored order after months of protests against Yingluck left dozens dead and the economy in a straitjacket.

They initially vowed to hold new elections within 15 months but that timetable has repeatedly slipped as the junta goes about rewriting the country's constitution.

New polls are not expected until September 2016.

Supporters of the Shinawatra family say the putsch was the latest assault by the royalist Bangkok-centric elite on the kingdom's burgeoning democratic forces.

But while the Shinawatras are loved by poor voters, particularly in the culturally distinct northeast, they are loathed by their establishment opponents who accuse them of corruption, cronyism and costly populist polices.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-06-04

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Rice field rent act to be revised

BANGKOK, 4 June 2015 (NNT) - Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Office of the Council of State, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to finish revising the Agricultural Land Rent Act B.E. 2524 within three months. The law revision is aimed at creating justice in land rent for landlords and tenants.

Permanent Secretary for Agriculture and Cooperatives Chaovalit Chookhachorn on Thursday said there were around 1.08 million households or 41% of all rice field tenants who had not signed a legal contract with their landlords. The amended law was expected to draw all rice field tenants to put them into the system, said the official.

The amended law prohibits an annual rent of agricultural land and stipulate that the landlords who want to sell their rented properties, they have to give the first right to buy to their tenants.


-- NNT 2015-06-04

[Lite Beer]

Chon Buri:- A Thai gay man working at a Pattaya coffee shop was deceived to wire Bt32,000 to help secure release of his dream farang man who claimed to have been arrested by immigration officers on his way to marry him.

Full Story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830504-thai-gay-man-falls-victim-to-online-love-scam/

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to continue:

Thailand Live Friday 5 Jun 2015

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830536-thailand-live-friday-5-jun-2015/

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to continue:

Thailand Live Friday 5 Jun 2015

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/830536-thailand-live-friday-5-jun-2015/