Thailand Live Thursday 11 Jun 2015

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea cuts key rate again to record low of 1.5 percent as fears MERS could slow recovery.

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Phuket police called to Bangkok not suspects in Vard corruption case, says lead investigator
Tanyaluk Sakoot


Lt Col Chai Sanguansin (crouching, in blue shirt) of Interpol Thailand hears Colin Vard’s plea in Bangkok.

PHUKET: -- The six Phuket police officers called to Bangkok to answer questions about the alleged extortion and embezzlement of B65 million of assets from Phuket resident Colin Vard and and his family are not suspects in the case, The Phuket News has been told.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832066-phuket-police-called-to-bangkok-not-suspects-in-vard-corruption-case-says-lead-investigator/

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Sadao Bike Week begins Friday



Songkhla:- About 5,000 big bike riders are expected to join the Sadao Border Bike Week 2015 in Songkhla's Sadao district which officially begins Friday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832067-sadao-bike-week-begins-friday/

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Man gets 203 years' jail for raping daughter
The Star/ANNT

KOTA KINABALU - A Sandakan resident has been sentenced to a total of 203 years imprisonment and ordered to be caned 24 times for raping his daughter 14 times.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832069-malaysia-man-gets-203-years-jail-for-raping-daughter/

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THAI TALK
Call for 'reforms before elections' forces a detour in PM's road map

BANGKOK: -- Opinion polls and web pages advocating "reforms before elections" have sprung up. But users of the social media have also been describing this push as an attempt to extend the tenure of the interim government.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832070-call-for-reforms-before-elections-forces-a-detour-in-pms-road-map/

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OTP to proceed with original MRT's orange line route



BANGKOK, 11 June 2015, (NNT) - The Office of Transport and Traffic Policy Planning (OTP) has decided to proceed with the original orange line subway construction plan, given preliminary work has already been carried out.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832071-otp-to-proceed-with-original-mrts-orange-line-route/

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MOPH to strictly track health of Thai Hajj pilgrims

BANGKOK, 11 June 2015 (NNT) – The Department of Disease Control (DDC) under the Ministry of Public Health will provide a special care to 10,400 Thai Muslims making pilgrimage to Mecca for the annual Hajj in Saudi Arabia. It also prepares to send medical teams to Saudi Arabia to take care of the pilgrims.

According to the DDC, the system is currently set to track health of the Thai pilgrims both before and after Hajj to prevent communicable diseases such as Flu, Meningococcemia and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus or MERS which has already killed 9 people in South Korea.

Health Passports will be given to the pilgrims, as well as free-of-charge vaccines against Flu and Meningococcemia before their trip to Saudi Arabia. Vaccination certificates will also be issued, and 1-month surveillance will be imposed on them when they return.

A 20-bed field hospital will be set up near the place of pilgrimage for three medical teams from Thailand to station and provide services.

According to statistics, the post-Hajj epidemic death toll of Thai pilgrims has significantly decreased from 23 in 2012 to six in 2014 with no reported cases of Meningococcemia in the last 10 years.

Sophon Mekthon, Director-General of the Disease Control Department, says that the Vaccine Certificate is issued according to the International Health Regulations. The provision of Flu and Meningococcemia vaccinations also meets the requirement of Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrims.

However, the arrangement on those issues is still subject to further discussion among the related sectors.


-- NNT 2015-06-11

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Minimum wage should not be equal in all region, says Chakramon

BANGKOK: -- The minister for industry says the daily minimum wage should not be the same for all regions but should be adjusted with regard to the current 300 baht base so that the respective provincial tripartite wage committees are given the opportunity to study and make appropriate recommendations at the next national wage meeting in October.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832076-minimum-wage-should-not-be-equal-in-all-region-says-thai-min-chakramonin/

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Indonesian woman gets 12 years for murder of Australian husband



DENPASAR: -- The Denpasar District Court of Bali on Wednesday sentenced an Indonesian woman to 12 years in prison for ordering the murder of her Australian husband, who was found with his throat slashed and body dumped in a ditch on the resort island last year, The Jakarta Globe reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832077-indonesian-woman-gets-12-years-for-murder-of-australian-husband/

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Four remanded for going naked on Mount Kinabalu



SABAH: -- Two of the four tourists remanded by police for desecrating Mount Kinabalu, a sacred site, have confessed to going naked while on the mountain, The Star Online reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832078-four-tourists-remanded-for-going-naked-on-mount-kinabalu/

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Bali police arrest six after missing schoolgirl found murdered



BALI: -- Bali Police on Wednesday arrested six people after officers discovered the body of an 8-year-old girl who had been reported missing last month and appears to have been tortured before she was murdered, The Jakarta Globe reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832079-bali-police-arrest-six-after-missing-schoolgirl-found-murdered/

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Fire destroys plastic recycle plant in Samut Prakan
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A massive fire burned down an one-floor storage building of a plastic recycle plant in Samut Prakan's Bangpli district at 9:40 pm Wednesday.

Some 20 fire engines took about two hours to control the blaze at the factory of Thawee Phaisarn Recycle Co Ltd. The blaze caused the roof of the building to collapse. The owner, Jidapha Kamlangthawee, said the fire caused about Bt10 million damage as as a ten-wheel truck was also burned.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Fire-destroys-plastic-recycle-plant-in-Samut-Praka-30262100.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-11

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Phuket residents take high-voltage electricity protest to governor


Protesters gathered outside of Provincial Hall, many holding placards.

PHUKET: -- More than 100 Pa Khlok residents went to Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday morning (June 9) to protest against the plan to install high-voltage electric power lines in their area. Governor Nisit Jansomwong told them to return in two weeks for an answer.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832080-phuket-residents-take-high-voltage-electricity-protest-to-governor/

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SET opens up 8.91 to 1,1512.95 points /Bangkok Post

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PM paying official visit to Singapore today

BANGKOK, 11 June 2015 (NNT)-Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is on his way to Singapore for an official visit today to strengthen bilateral relations in tourism, trade and investments.

According to Deputy Spokesperson to the Prime Minister’s Office Major General Veerachon Sukhontapatipak, Prime Minister Prayut and his entourage will be leaving for Singapore today following an invitation from his Singaporean counterpart, Mr. Lee Hsien Loong.

The two-day trip is aimed at developing stronger ties between the two nations. Prime Minister Prayut and his entourage will meet with Singapore’s high ranking officials and observe the country’s economic and education policies.

General Prayut and Mr. Lee will preside over the signing of 4 memorandums of understanding, which include cooperation on sea transport tourism, digital market productivity, and digital market information sharing between the Federation of the Thai Industries and Singapore’s business sector.

Prime Minister Prayut and his wife will also visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens and attend an orchid-naming ceremony before visiting the Thai athletes who are competing in the 28th SEA Games to boost their morale.


-- NNT 2015-06-11

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Tourism sector targets 2.5 trillion baht revenue in 2017

BANGKOK, 11 June 2015, (NNT) - Minister of Tourism and Sports Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul revealed a reform plan for the tourism sector, which aims to generate at least 2.5 trillion baht in revenue by 2017.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832086-thai-tourism-sector-targets-25-trillion-baht-revenue-in-2017/

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Phuket police officer transferred over Patong nightclub brutality, gun threat claims
Eakkapop Thongtub

PHUKET: -- A high-ranking police officer in Patong has been transferred pending an investigation into allegations of him beating a staffer at the Hollywood nightclub on Soi Bangla, and threatening to shoot anyone who tried to intervene.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832088-phuket-police-officer-transferred-over-patong-nightclub-brutality-gun-threat-claims-video/

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Fire guts recycling factory



BANGKOK: -- A night fire broke out Wednesday night at a plastic re cycling factory in Bangphli district of Samut Prakarn, completely gutted a godown where recycling plastic were stored.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832113-fire-guts-samut-prakarn-recycling-factory/

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Defiant lottery vendor fined 10,000 baht for overpricing



LOEI: -- A lottery vendor in Wang Saphung district of Loei province was yesterday caught red-handed when she sold two lottery tickets to an under-covered policeman at 90 baht each.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832114-defiant-thai-lottery-vendor-fined-10000-baht-for-overpricing/

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UPDATE:

British tourists may face imprisonment for stripping on Malaysian mountain

MALAYSIA: -- A British tourist, Eleanor Hawkins, was arrested for posing naked on top of a sacred mountain in Malaysia. The 24-year-old Southampton University graduate from Derby was detained at Tawau airport today, as she was flying out from the island of Borneo to Kuala Lumpur. She is one of five tourists arrested for the same stunt.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832078-four-tourists-remanded-for-going-naked-on-mount-kinabalu/#entry9503372

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Five more Rohingya migrants recaptured in Songkhla
The Nation

SONGKHLA: -- Five more Rohingya migrants were recaptured Thursday after they and six others escaped from a detention centre in Songkhla's Rattaphum district on Sunday.

The six others have been recaptured earlier. The remaining five were spotted inside a rubber plantation in Ban Nikom village in Tambon Kamphaengphet. They were apparently starving and dehydrated.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Five-more-Rohingya-migrants-recaptured-in-Songkhla-30262103.html

-- The Nation 2015-06-11

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Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar join hands combating human trafficking in fishery industry

CHONBURI, 11 June 2015 (NNT)- The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has recently held a meeting with representatives from Indonesia and Myanmar in an attempt to solve human trafficking crisis in the fishery industry.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832116-thailand-indonesia-and-myanmar-join-hands-combating-human-trafficking-in-fishery-industry/

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Bogus 'hot babes' photo used to discredit politically damaged Sukhumbhand
By Coconuts Bangkok


Photo: Khaosod

BANGKOK: -- A spokesperson for Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra defended his boss today, saying a photo of the governor frolicking with some lovely ladies while Bangkok was flooding is unfair and false. And she’s right.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832120-bogus-hot-babes-photo-used-to-discredit-politically-damaged-sukhumbhand/

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Thai Students Detained at Pakistani Airport for 'Carrying Firearms'
By Khaosod English

BANGKOK — Five Thai students are in police custody in Pakistan for attempting to smuggle firearms and ammunition on to a plane headed for Bangkok, a Thai government spokesperson said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832124-thai-students-detained-at-pakistani-airport-for-carrying-firearms/

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SET rises 9.76 to 1,513.80 at midday /Bangkok Post

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Two Chiang Mai Men Confess to Naked Photo Shoots, Police Say
By Khaosod English


Pol.Maj.Gen. Pacha Rattapan showing one of the nude photos on his phone, 3 June 2015.

CHIANG MAI — Police say they have arrested two men for taking nude photos in front of various landmarks in Chiang Mai province and posting them on social media.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832134-two-chiang-mai-men-confess-to-naked-photo-shoots-police-say/

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Gunfight at Phuket fruit shop ends in arrests
Darawan Naknakhon


Somchay Kadeepisarn said he returned fire only after four men started shooting up his relative's fruit stall. Photo: Darawan Naknakhon

PHUKET: -- Police have arrested five men for a gunfight at a fruit stall in Vichit on Tuesday night (June 9).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832136-gunfight-at-phuket-fruit-shop-ends-in-arrests/

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Thai GPSC, Marubeni to develop 400-MW power plant in Myanmar

BANGKOK - Thailand's Global Power Synergy PCL (GPSC) said it was joining with Japan's Marubeni Corp and Myanmar's EDEN Group to develop a 400-megawatt (MW) gas-fired combined-cycle power plant in Myanmar as part of its foreign expansion.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832146-thai-gpsc-marubeni-to-develop-400-mw-power-plant-in-myanmar/

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Senior Thai palace official arrested for lese majeste
AFP

BANGKOK: -- A senior Thai palace aide who served the now disgraced ex-wife of the Crown Prince was arrested Thursday under the country's controversial lese majeste law, part of an ongoing probe that has decimated the former princess's family.

Montri Sotangkul, 53, was a member of the household staff of Princess Srirasmi, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn's former wife.

He is accused of defaming Thailand's monarchy by improperly using his royal connections for financial gain.

He is the latest ally of the disgraced princess to be arrested in a rare public airing of palace intrigue that has seen at least eight of Srirasmi's direct relatives jailed including her elderly parents.

Montri, who continued to work at the palace after Srirasmi's downfall in December, arrived at Thailand's police headquarters on Thursday morning handcuffed and dressed in civilian clothes, an AFP photographer on the scene said, after palace officials handed him over to the police.

"Police investigators have informed him of the allegations in the arrest warrant and he signed his name to acknowledge the charges," national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung told reporters.

Police would oppose bail because Montri was considered a flight risk, he added.

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

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.

Reporting royal defamation cases is fraught with difficulty. 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.

Srirasmi has not been arrested, 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 of 87-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest serving monarch, and heir to the throne.

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 2015-06-11

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OHEC metes out “4-must” policy to deal with hazing abuses



BANGKOK: -- To prevent abuses in hazing ritual against freshmen college students by their seniors, the Office of Higher Education Commission has meted out a “4-must” policy to be applicable in all universities and colleges this year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832149-ohec-metes-out-4-must-policy-to-deal-with-hazing-abuses/