Thailand Live Monday 15 Jun 2015

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Cultural Ministry to introduce helping measures for traditional artists



BANGKOK, 15 June 2015 (NNT) – The Ministry of Culture is set to present the measures designed to help traditional artists pass on their traditional knowledge to the Cabinet.

The Minister of Culture Vira Rojpojchanarat has revealed that the meeting of traditional and national artists to take care of the artists in keeping with the Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s initiative to raise the income of the artists to proper rate.

The meeting has considered the raise of monthly payment for national artists from the previous rate at 20,000 baht per month which hasn’t been changed since the last six years, as well as raising the medical allowance for treatment in private hospitals from not exceeding 40,000 baht annually to not exceeding 100,000 baht.

The Culture Minister has said that the increase of hospital allowance is now being presented to the Cabinet’s approval. The new allowance rate will take effect from 2012 if it were to be approved.

He has mentioned that the ministry will use the 9 million baht contemporary artists care fund to support the income of artists and provide space for performance and exhibition, initially to take place at Ratchadamnoen Contemporary Art Center and Thailand Cultural Center.

Traditional artists performing Likay, Manora, Mor lam and fiddle playing will receive relief measures from the ministry. Performers on a directory list will receive jobs easier through direct hiring, while the ministry will also present additional aid measures for traditional artists to the Cabinet such as the establishment of an association in each art form category.

Provincial governors and the local administrative body have also been urged to provide tax reduction measures for employers of traditional artists, while a traditional artist management organization tasked with managing the artists was also discussed.


-- NNT 2015-06-15

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Survey:

Will educational reforms result in significant improvements in the Thai educational system

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832659-survey-will-educational-reforms-result-in-significant-improvements-in-the-thai-educational-system/

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UPDATE:

PAKISTAN
All Thai students still in Lahore, pending legal processing
REUTERS

BANGKOK: -- ALL THE FIVE Thai students arrested in Pakistan for trying to board a plane with parts of a pistol and ammunition are still under detention there, contrary to earlier reports that four of them have been freed, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832729-thai-students-still-in-detention-in-lahore-pending-legal-procedures/#entry9515239

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TIP REPORT
Trafficking work lauded
NOPHAKHUN LIMSAMARNPHUN
THE NATION


Deputy national police chief, Pol Gen Aek Angsananont, talks to Suthichai Yoon

Deputy police chief tells the Nation he hopes Washington takes heed of govt's ongoing efforts against human smuggling

BANGKOK: -- THE THAI authorities have done their best over the past year to stamp out human trafficking involving Rohingya and other migrant victims, the deputy national police chief in charge of tackling human trafficking has said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832883-tip-report-trafficking-work-lauded/

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RAINY SEASON
BMA to collect 'large garbage'
NATTHAPAT PHROMKAEW
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- THE BANGKOK Metropolitan Administration (BMA)will |collect large pieces of garbage from city residents every Sunday, an initiative launched to try and reduce the problem of garbage hindering the capital's water-drainage capacity.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832884-bangkok-administration-to-collect-large-garbage/

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UPDATE:

POLITICS
Poll likely in August 2016 if referendum passed: govt
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THAILAND is expected to hold a general election in August 2016, if the draft charter is approved in a national referendum, said Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832782-wissanu-says-next-election-to-be-held-august-next-year/#entry9515252

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Facebook Clip and comments anger North Pattaya Seafood Vendor



PATTAYA: -- A Seafood vendor based in North Pattaya was shocked to see a video clip posted on Facebook which claimed she was spraying her seafood with insect repellant and potentially poisoning customers when in fact she was spraying the food with an FDA approved oil which reduces the smell of the seafood.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832885-facebook-clip-and-comments-anger-north-pattaya-seafood-vendor/

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BKK Taxi Driver Returns 41,000 Baht to Indian Passenger
By Kahaosod English


Taxi driver Surasih Butaraprom ( R ) returns money and other belongings to Ankur Gumber at FM 91, 13 June 2015.

BANGKOK – A Bangkok taxi driver teamed up with a local radio station to return 41,000 baht and a passport to an Indian man who left the belongings behind in his taxi on Friday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832886-bangkok-taxi-driver-returns-41000-baht-to-indian-passenger/

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Fishery industry optimistic of US trafficking report upgrade
PETCHANET PRATRUANGKRAI
THE NATION



BANGKOK: -- GIVEN THAILAND'S serious efforts to tackle the problem of human trafficking during the past year, there are high hopes that the United States will upgrade the Kingdom from the bottom-of-the-pile tier-three ranking in its upcoming "Trafficking in Persons" (TIP) report this month.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832887-thai-fishery-industry-optimistic-of-us-trafficking-report-upgrade/

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WASHINGTON (AP) - US launched airstrike on al-Qaida operative in Libya charged in leading attack on gas plant.

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Brother of PM one of two in line to be next Army chief
PANYA THIOSANGWAN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- DEFENCE Minister Prawit Wongsuwan is preparing for discussions next month on the annual military reshuffle, as several high-profile generals will reach mandatory retirement age in September, a source said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832888-brother-of-pm-one-of-two-in-line-to-be-next-thai-army-chief/

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If the junta has to stay on, it must do better
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN
THE NATION



OBSERVERS WARN LONGER TERM MAY ALSO BE ROCKIER

BANGKOK: -- THE WAY AHEAD is not a bed of roses. The economy is flagging. The reforms are both threats and opportunities. If the junta is to stay for another two years and remain intact, it has to do its job right, political observers have said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832889-thai-politics-if-the-ncpo-has-to-stay-on-it-must-do-better/

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Reform Council members won't be swayed by junta, Army chief says
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- MEMBERS of the National Reform Council (NRC) will use their own judgement when they vote on the draft charter and they won't be swayed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) or the Cabinet, the Army Chief General Udomdej Sitabutr has said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832890-reform-council-members-wont-be-swayed-by-ncpo-thai-army-chief-says/

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Has crackdown come too late to save Thailand from Tier 3?
SUPALAK GANJANAKHUNDEE
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- WHILE Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is quite confident increased measures introduced by his government over the past month to combat human trafficking could convince the United State to upgrade Thailand in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report this year, other officials and social workers are not so buoyant.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832892-has-crackdown-come-too-late-to-save-thailand-from-tier-3/

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NRC should be canned: Rosana
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- NATIONAL Reform Council (NRC) member Rosana Tositrakul yesterday said the council should be abolished whether its members reject the charter draft or not.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832893-nrc-should-be-canned-rosana/

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Ranong revealed as longtime hub for the trafficking of Rohingya
Shamim Ashraf
The Daily Star

RANONG: -- THE dense mangrove forest on both sides of the road through the Laem Son National Park leading to Bang Ben Bay is indeed intriguing.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832894-ranong-revealed-as-longtime-hub-for-the-trafficking-of-rohingya/

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US airstrike targets al-Qaida militant in Libya
By LOLITA C. BALDOR and SARAH EL DEEB

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S military launched airstrikes Saturday targeting and likely killing an al-Qaida leader in eastern Libya who has been charged with leading the attack on a gas plant in Algeria in 2013 that killed at least 35 hostages, including three Americans.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832897-us-airstrike-targets-al-qaida-militant-in-libya/

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Spacecraft that landed on comet finally wakes up
By FRANK JORDANS

BERLIN (AP) — To scientists' relief and delight, the Philae spacecraft that landed on a comet last fall has woken up and communicated with Earth after seven long months of silence, the European Space Agency announced Sunday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832898-philae-comet-lander-wakes-up/

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Thousands of Syrians flee into Turkey amid intense fighting
By LEFTERIS PITARAKIS and BASSEM MROUE

AKCAKALE, Turkey (AP) — Thousands of Syrians cut through a border fence and crossed over into Turkey on Sunday, fleeing intense fighting in northern Syria between Kurdish fighters and jihadis.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832899-thousands-of-syrians-flee-into-turkey-amid-intense-fighting/

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Zoo animals escape amid flooding in former Soviet republic
By MISHA DZHINDZHIKHASHVILI

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Severe flooding in the Georgian capital left at least 12 people dead Sunday and triggered a big-game hunt across the city for lions, tigers, a hippopotamus and other dangerous animals that escaped from Tbilisi's ravaged zoo.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832900-zoo-animals-escape-amid-flooding-in-former-soviet-republic/

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Clinton: Obama should use trade fight to his advantage
By KEN THOMAS

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday that President Barack Obama should use a setback in Congress to seek the best possible trade agreement with 11 other Pacific Rim nations, pointing to the stumbles over the pact as an opportunity to address Democrats' concerns about job protections and wages.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832901-clinton-obama-should-use-trade-fight-to-his-advantage/

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Greek bailout talks end without breakthrough in Brussels
RAF CASERT, Associated Press
DEMETRIS NELLAS, Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Commission said Sunday that weekend talks to find common ground between international creditors and Greece were unsuccessful and left a wide rift that needs to be closed within two weeks to avoid a possible Greek default.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832902-greek-bailout-talks-end-without-breakthrough-in-brussels/

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Israelis go on offensive ahead of UN report
JOSEF FEDERMAN, Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Sunday launched a pre-emptive assault on an upcoming U.N. report into last year's war in the Gaza Strip, saying the report is unfairly biased and issuing its own report that blames Gaza's Hamas militant rulers for the heavy civilian casualties.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832903-israel-report-backs-gaza-war-actions/

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Government hopes new courts to help rid Thailand of criminals



BANGKOK, 15 June 2015 (NNT) - The government hopes that a number of new departments under the Criminal Court will effectively help rid Thailand of miscreants.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832913-government-hopes-new-courts-to-help-rid-thailand-of-criminals/

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UPDATE:

Taxi driver returns Bt50,000 cash, valuables to Indian tourists

Bangkok:- A taxi driver was awarded US$100 after he returned a bag with cash and valuables worth more than Bt50,000 to its owner.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832886-bangkok-taxi-driver-returns-41000-baht-to-indian-passenger/#entry9515780

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'America's most awful airport' to get major make-over

NEW YORK, NY - Most international travelers would never have used New York’s La Guardia Airport, named after a former charismatic Mayor (Kennedy was once called Idlewild in honour of a local land developer – it was quickly changed to Kennedy (JFK) after the death of the President in 1963). La Guardia started life as a seaplane base and last year moved 27 million passengers, domestically within the USA, and to and from Canada.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832937-americas-most-awful-airport-to-get-major-make-over/

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Thailand's clock will be set one second slower on July 1
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Navy's Hydrographic Department announced that Thailand's clock will be reset at 7:00:01 am on July 1 to be 7:00:00 am or slowing the clock down by one second.

The department reasoned that a French agency in charge of observing the earth orbit had found that the orbit had slowed down so the clock will have to be reset.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Thailands-clock-will-be-set-one-second-slower-on-J-30262328.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-15

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2 teens are severely injured in shark attacks in N. Carolina

OAK ISLAND, N.C. (AP) — Two teenagers were seriously injured in two separate shark attacks in the same North Carolina town on Sunday, terrifying beach goers and prompting one shocked witness to compare the scene to the movie "Jaws."

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/832941-2-teens-are-severely-injured-in-shark-attacks-in-us/

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NRC members urged to adopt 'wait-and-see' stand on draft charter
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, chairman of the political reform committee of the National Reform Council, said Monday that that NRC members should wait and see how the Constitution Drafting Committee will further change the draft constitution before deciding whether to approve or reject it.

He was responding to a call by some NRC members for the chamber to reject the draft right away so that the interim government’s term will be extended.


-- The Nation 2015-06-15

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SET down 2.33 points at opening /Bangkok Post