Thailand Live Wednesday 10 Jun 2015

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Administration nearing decision on improving Iraqi training
ROBERT BURNS, Associated Press
LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Obama administration is nearing a decision on how to improve and accelerate the training of Iraqi security forces in light of recent setbacks against the Islamic State, including the possibility of setting up new training camps in Anbar Province, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831804-obama-administration-nearing-decision-on-improving-iraqi-training/

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Commerce Min. to unveil low-cost stores this June 19

BANGKOK, 10 June 2015, (NNT) - The Ministry of Commerce with the cooperation of 136 local mom-and-pop stores nationwide is organizing a low-cost store campaign, which is to kick off on June 19.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831807-thai-commerce-min-to-launch-136-low-cost-stores-nationwide/

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Thailand receives FAO award for successful fight against hunger



ROME, 10 June 2015 (NNT) – Thailand has been awarded by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations for successfully reducing the rate of hunger and malnutrition among residents by more than half.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831809-thailand-receives-fao-award-for-successful-fight-against-hunger/

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Cabinet agrees to seek Japanese funds for Red Line project



BANGKOK, 10 June 2015 (NNT) – The Cabinet has approved a plan to borrow 10 billion baht from Japan to fund the second phase of the Red Line electric train project on the Bang Sue-Rangsit section.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831811-thai-cabinet-agrees-to-seek-japanese-funds-for-red-line-project/

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Indonesia launches counterterrorism squad



JAKARTA: -- Indonesia now has a new counterterrorism squad, which was launched on Tuesday by Indonesia’s Armed Forces, or TNI.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831812-indonesia-launches-counterterrorism-squad/

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Top leaders to host Suu Kyi on her 1st visit to China
LOUISE WATT, Associated Press

BEIJING (AP) — Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi meets with Chinese leaders in Beijing this week to build ties with her country's most important neighbor while China hopes to shore up its declining influence in the Southeast Asian nation following recent democratic reforms.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831813-top-leaders-to-host-suu-kyi-on-her-1st-visit-to-china/

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SET up 5.91 points at opening /Bangkok Post

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No sex in parks, please: BMA

[Photo credit: Naew Na]

Bangkok: -- The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has instructed its security officers guarding 34 BMA parks around the capital to patrol the parks more frequently to prevent students and other park goers from drinking and having sex.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831825-no-sex-in-parks-please-bma/

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UPDATE:

CABINET APPROVED
Finance Ministry gets nod to seek loan from JICA
Erich Parpart
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The cabinet has granted permission to the Finance Ministry to secure another 38.203-billion Japanese yen (around Bt10 billion) loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in order to continue with the construction of the second phase of the Bang Sue-Rangsit suburban route.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831811-thai-cabinet-agrees-to-seek-japanese-funds-for-red-line-project/#entry9499723

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Industries voice support to floating minimum wage



BANGKOK: -- The proposed floating of minimum wage reached at a meeting last week hosted by the Ministry of Labour and the Minimum Wage Committee drew criticism from employers with the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) planning to raise the issue at the meeting of the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) next week.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831848-thai-industries-voice-support-to-floating-minimum-wage/

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Singapore starts temperature screening for travellers from South Korea from June 9



SINGAPORE: -- Starting from Tuesday at 7pm, all passengers arriving in Singapore from South Korea are subject to undergo temperature screening at airport checkpoints, according to The Straits Times.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831849-singapore-starts-temperature-screening-for-travellers-from-south-korea/

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Expensive espresso: Thailand's elephant dung coffee
AFP

Chiang Saen, Thailand: -- In the lush, green hills of northern Thailand, a woman painstakingly picks coffee beans out of a pile of elephant dung, an essential part of making one the world's most expensive beverages.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831852-expensive-espresso-thailands-elephant-dung-coffee/

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UPDATE:

Transport Min. greenlights increase of surcharge by airport taxis

BANGKOK, 10 June 2015, (NNT) - The Transport Ministry yesterday gave the green light to an increase in surcharge for taxi service operating at Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang international airports.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831532-airport-taxi-surcharges-to-be-increased/page-2#entry9499856

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Wanted drug dealer shot dead by police in Krabi
Eakkapop Thongtub


Winai was shot by police as he attempted to flee the palm oil plantation he was hiding in.

KRABI: -- A man wanted by police in Krabi was shot dead yesterday (June 9) as he attempted to flee from them though a palm plantation in the province̕s Klong Thom district.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831865-wanted-drug-dealer-shot-dead-by-police-in-krabi/

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Private hospitals told to show medical fees on websites

BANGKOK, 10 June 2015 (NNT) – In the latest bid to solve complaints about private hospitals’ unusually high medical fees, the Ministry of Public Health’s special committee has come up with new regulations to enable patients to pick hospitals and services they can afford.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831866-private-thai-hospitals-told-to-show-medical-fees-on-websites/

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UPDATE:

Call for police action on growing popular laughing gas balloons on Phi Phi Island



KRABI: -- As the bright color balloons filled with nitrous oxide - also known as laughing gas - are gaining popularity in the country's holiday resorts among foreign tourists, Thai tourism authorities are not happy with the sale of this hottest thing to tourists as they feared that it could tarnish the image of the country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831708-three-farang-girls-seen-high-on-laughing-gas-on-koh-phi-phi/page-4?p=9499988#entry9499988

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Cabinet approves the bill cutting room fee for hoteliers to 40 baht per room per year

BANGKOK, 10 June 2015 (NNT) - The Cabinet yesterday approved a bill that will reduce accommodation fees which hotel business owners have to pay to the Interior Ministry each year. Once sailing into law, the legislation will cut the fee to 40 baht per room per year, which is only half of the existing rate.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831883-cabinet-approves-the-bill-cutting-room-fee-for-hoteliers-to-40-baht-per-room-per-year/

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Gold Confidence Index plummets as Fed indicates benchmark hike this year

BANGKOK, 10 June 2015, (NNT) - The Gold Confidence Index crashed this month, as the US Federal Reserve signals a looming benchmark rate hike. However, the baht’s depreciation could pare down gold prices, with forecast lows of 18,000 - 19,000 baht per baht weight.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831885-gold-confidence-index-plummets-as-fed-indicates-benchmark-hike-this-year/

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Are you getting enough business? Pacific Cross are - Case study/testimonial

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831894-are-you-getting-enough-business-pacific-cross-are-case-studytestimonial/

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Boat Driver Flees After Striking British Diver Near Koh Tao
By Khaosod English


Rescue workers bring a 20-year-old tourist who was struck by a boat turbine to a hospital on Koh Samui, 9 June 2015.

SURAT THANI — A boat driver in southern Thailand fled after he struck a British tourist with his engine off the coast of Koh Tao yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831895-boat-driver-flees-after-striking-british-diver-near-koh-tao/

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MERS outbreak does not affect inbound tourism



BANGKOK: -- The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic in South Korea that has claimed seven lives won't affect the Thai inbound tourism sector, according to Kasikorn Research Center.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831897-mers-outbreak-does-not-affect-inbound-thai-tourism/

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Commerce launches 136 low cost stalls nationwide June 19

BANGKOK: -- The Commerce Ministry will next Friday open 136 low cost stalls across the country to sell necessary goods to the people at low prices.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831807-thai-commerce-min-to-launch-136-low-cost-stores-nationwide/#entry9500324

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EC proposes Jan 10 as referendum date
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Election Commission Wednesday proposed that the referendum on the new draft charter should be held on January 10 next year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831904-ec-proposes-jan-10-as-referendum-date/

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City police to take harsh actions against litterbugs and vandals



BANGKOK: -- Municipal police in all 50 districts throughout Bangkok have been instructed to get tough with garbage littering and dumping of polluted water into the city’s klongs.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831906-bangkok-city-police-to-take-harsh-actions-against-litterbugs-and-vandals/

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UPDATE:

Phi Phi laughing gas goes viral, prompts warning nitrous oxide can be lethal
Eakkapop Thongtub


The three young women were pictured near bars, and apparently inhaling laughing gas from balloons. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

PHUKET: -- Photos of three young foreign women on Phi Phi Island reportedly under the effects of inhaling nitrous oxide, better known “laughing gas”, have gone viral on social media, prompting officials to issue a health warning.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831708-three-farang-girls-seen-high-on-laughing-gas-on-koh-phi-phi/page-5?p=9500433#entry9500433

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Lowest rainfall in 30 years prompts RID to tighten reins on rice cultivation

BANGKOK, 10 June 2015 (NNT) - The Royal Department of Irrigation (RID) has revealed that the off-season farming has left only 3.8 billion cubic meters of water for agricultural purposes during the May - October period, while rainfall hits a 30-year low.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831910-lowest-rainfall-in-30-years-prompts-rid-to-tighten-reins-on-thai-rice-cultivation/

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Digital TV operators oppose to NBTC’s proposed licence ownership change



BANGKOK: -- A major digital TV operator today voiced opposition to the National Broadcast and Telecommunication Commission's (NBTC) proposal for amendments of laws to allow ownership change of digital TV licences saying the regulator must observe the auction rules and conditions strictly.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831912-digital-tv-operators-oppose-to-nbtcs-proposed-licence-ownership-change/

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Video footage exonerates Aussie expat from Phuket murder charge
Eakkapop Thongtub


Mark Pendlebury (2nd from left) talks to police after the attack in March.

PHUKET: -- Video footage of the attack in which Australian expat Mark Pendlebury fatally stabbed a Patong nightclub staffer in March has convinced Phuket police to drop the murder charge against the 59-year-old from Western Australia.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831913-video-footage-exonerates-aussie-expat-from-phuket-murder-charge/

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Thai police seek royal official on lese majeste charges
AFP

BANGKOK: -- Thai police said Wednesday they plan to arrest a senior palace official who is linked to the Crown Prince's ex-wife, under a controversial royal defamation law.

Montri Sotangkul, 53, was part of the household staff of Princess Srirasmi, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn's former wife. She fell dramatically from grace when a corruption scandal enveloped her family late last year.

Montri, who remained at the palace following Srirasmi's downfall, is accused of defaming the monarchy by improperly using his royal connections to make financial gains, police said.

"Montri has claimed that he is close to members of the royal family to make profit for himself" in land and business deals, national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung told reporters.

"The former princess recruited him to work for her and he has nothing to do with the Crown Prince," he added.

It is highly unusual for palace officials to face police investigations, let alone on lese majeste charges.

But Somyot said he had written to the Royal Household Bureau, telling it to hand Montri over to police custody on Thursday.

Thailand's monarchy is protected by a highly controversial lese majeste law, one of the world's strictest.

Anyone convicted of insulting the king, queen, heir or regent faces up to 15 years in prison on each count.

But reporting royal defamation cases is fraught with difficulty and media must heavily self-censor. Even repeating details of the charges could mean breaking the law.

Critics of the law say it is frequently used to pursue political opponents of the royalist elite and their military allies.

In recent months it has also been wielded with spectacular effect against many members of Srirasmi's family.

At least eight of the former princess's family members have now been jailed for lese majeste -- including her elderly parents, her elder sister and brother-in-law, two brothers and a nephew.

Most were accused of using their royal connections to make money. All pleaded guilty at trials behind closed doors.

Her family's downfall began in November when a series of senior police officers, including a distant relative of Srirasmi, were arrested and jailed for running a criminal enterprise.

Srirasmi has not been arrested and local media report that she has returned to her hometown of Ratchaburi.

But she has not been seen in public since December, shortly before it was announced that she had relinquished her royal title and that Vajiralongkorn had divorced her.

Vajiralongkorn is the only son and the heir of 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest serving monarch.

While his father is widely adored by Thais, many of whom see him as a semi-divine figure, Vajiralongkorn has yet to attain such popularity.

Thailand has been beset by a near-decade of political turbulence -- partly fuelled, analysts say, by unease over the country's future as Bhumibol's reign enters its twilight years.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2015-06-10

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DPM: Thai exports need quality upgrade for competitiveness

BANGKOK, 10 June 2015 (NNT) – The quality of Thai export products must be improved to keep up with international standards for competitiveness in the global market, said the DPM for Economic Affairs.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/831915-dpm-thai-exports-need-quality-upgrade-for-competitiveness/