Thailand Live Tuesday 21 Jul 2015

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NRC approves in principle anti-corruption reform

BANGKOK, 21 July 2015 (NNT) - The National Reform Council has approved in principle the proposed reform of anti-corruption operations.

The NRC Meeting on Monday resolved to endorse the report from the committee in charge of the reform, designed to prevent and clampdown on corruption.

The first item on the agenda of the report is about anti-corruption reform, which received 218 votes in support with no objections and seven abstentions. It will accordingly be presented to the Cabinet for consideration.

The meeting also approved three draft laws proposed by the committee, which include a public information law, a state public relations law and a law related to crimes concerning a conflict of personal and public interests.

All these drafts will be passed back to the committee for vetting within seven days.


-- NNT 2015-07-21

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Tap water crisis in Bangkok is now over, MWA Governor says

BANGKOK, 21 July 2015 (NNT) – The Governor of the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority (MWA) has affirmed that the tap water crisis in Bangkok has subsided, while the public should still conserve water usage.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842008-tap-water-crisis-in-bangkok-is-now-over-mwa-governor-says/

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Thai Govt Asks Japan to Reconsider Housing Exiled Academic
BY Khaosod English


Justice Minister Paiboon Khumchaya ® meeting with Japanese ambassador Shiro Sadoshima (L) at the Ministry of Justice in Bangkok, 20 July 2015.

BANGKOK — A minister of Thailand's military government said he has asked the Japanese ambassador to "reconsider" whether it is appropriate for Japan to shelter an academic charged with insulting the Thai monarchy, a crime known as lese majeste.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842009-thai-govt-asks-japan-to-reconsider-housing-exiled-academic/

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SURVEY:

Should Coffee Houses and Fast Food Restaurants be allowed to Charge an Overstay Fee?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/841707-survey-should-coffee-houses-and-fast-food-restaurants-be-allowed-to-charge-an-overstay-fee/

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DON MUEANG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
New strict baggage screening called off after long delays
The Nation


Long queues form at airline check-in counters inside Don Mueang International Airport yesterday due to stricter security measures that drew many complaints.

BANGKOK: -- AIRPORTS OF Thailand yesterday hastily called off its strict screening measures at Don Mueang International Airport, which it had just imposed on Friday, after they caused mayhem, with passengers languishing behind long queues and many almost missing their flights.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842010-new-strict-baggage-screening-at-don-mueang-called-off-after-long-delays/

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ENVIRONMENT
'Krabi coal plant must be scrapped'; protesters call for fair review
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION



KRABI: -- ENVIRONMENTAL groups are calling on the government to scrap a controversial coal-fired power plant planned for Krabi province, while Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has warned that the price of electricity may rise if new plants are not built.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842011-krabi-coal-plant-must-be-scrapped;-protesters-call-for-fair-review/

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DROUGHT
Good news for farmers: downpour in north, northeast
The Nation


Rain eases drought, prompts water release for farms in 3 provinces

BANGKOK: -- THE Irrigation Department is preparing to release more water for rice farmers in irrigated areas of Ayutthaya, Lop Buri and Sing Buri provinces following heavy rainfall in the North and Northeast over the past several days that boosted water reserve levels in major dams.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842012-good-news-for-thai-farmers-downpour-in-north-isaan/

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HACKING
Police deny plans to spy on people's e-mails, mobiles
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- THE Police Bureau has dismissed social media reports that surveillance computer software it purchased from Italy could be used to spy on citizens via their e-mails and mobile devices.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842013-thai-police-deny-plans-to-spy-on-peoples-e-mails-mobiles/

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CABINET RESHUFFLE
Peetipong accepts public desire to change some ministers
THE NATION


Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha chooses the choicest mangosteen while visiting a central fruit market in Rayong

BANGKOK: -- AGRICULTURE Minister Peetipong Phuengbun na Ayutthaya has admitted that there are elements of the public who want him and economic ministers removed.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842014-cabinet-reshuffle-peetipong-accepts-public-desire-to-change-some-ministers/

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EDITORIAL
The folly of hunting lese majeste fugitives abroad
The Nation

Wielding the law for political purpose has already damaged the country's record on human rights

BANGKOK: -- The military government is busy squandering what is left of its international credibility by hunting lese majeste suspects who have fled overseas. The move can do nothing to improve Thailand's reputation, only further tarnish its record on human rights.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842015-thai-editorial-the-folly-of-hunting-lese-majeste-fugitives-abroad/

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STREETWISE
Thailand's 'kitchen of the world' defrosts slowly in Milan
Achara Deboonme

BANGKOK: -- A week in Milan (or any other city in Italy) is enough to kill your appetite for spaghetti. The dish dominates menus everywhere, from busy tourist cafes to small back-alley restaurants, and comes with a vast variety of sauces, all made with local ingredients.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842016-thailands-kitchen-of-the-world-defrosts-slowly-in-milan/

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UPDATE:

MWA governor says tap water has returned to normal

BANGKOK: -- The quality of tap water in Bangkok and peripherals has returned to normal thanks to rains in the last couple of days and increased water releases from the Bhumibol dam, said Mr Thanasak Wattanathana, governor of Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, on Monday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842008-tap-water-crisis-in-bangkok-is-now-over-mwa-governor-says/#entry9643077

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NSC Chief confirms 109 deported Uighur immigrants are well treated in China



BANGKOK: -- The secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC) says all the 109 Uighur deportees sent to China are in good health and well looked after.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842017-thailands-nsc-chief-confirms-109-deported-uighur-immigrants-are-well-treated-in-china/

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6 Month ban for drunk captain of pleasure boat driven onto sand at Pattaya Beach



PATTAYA: -- It was announced on Monday that the 51 year old Captain of a Pleasure Boat which ran ashore on Pattaya Beach late on Sunday Night has been banned from captaining any boats for 6 months.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842018-6-month-ban-for-drunk-captain-of-pleasure-boat-driven-onto-sand-at-pattaya-beach/

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Two hospitalised as Phuket cement truck slams head-on into pickup truck
Eakkapop Thongtub


The front-right wheel of the truck was ripped off by the force of the impact. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

PHUKET: -- Two men were rushed to hospital after a Phuket cement truck slammed head-on into pickup truck in Cherng Talay this afternoon (July20).

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842019-two-hospitalised-as-phuket-cement-truck-slams-head-on-into-pickup-truck/

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American Fraudster, Theodore (Ted) Andrew Werner Arrested in Phuket

PHUKET – American fraudster, Theodore (Ted) Andrew Werner, 48, wanted by New York state police for internet fraud has been captured in Phuket.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842020-american-fraud-fugitive-theodore-werner-arrested-in-phuket/

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Army denies outside influence behind May 22 coup
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE ARMY staged the coup on May 22 last year on its own and was not influenced by any particular group of people, as has been claimed by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a court has heard.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842022-army-denies-outside-influence-behind-may-22-coup/

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BURNING ISSUE
Govt must manage water usage, deliver tangible results
CHULARAT SAENGPASSA

BANGKOK: -- THE ongoing drought has prompted the government to ask farmers in the Chao Phraya River Basin to stop channelling water into their farmlands because the very limited water supply needs to be used for households only.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842023-thai-govt-must-manage-water-usage-deliver-tangible-results/

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NRC acts to boost fight against "rife" corruption
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Reform Council (NRC) yesterday voted to accept amendments to three bills that seek to combat corruption.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842024-thai-nrc-acts-to-boost-fight-against-rife-corruption/

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Somyot wants new pistols for police
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- National police chief Pol General Somyot Poompanmuang sent a letter yesterday to the permanent secretary of the Interior Ministry to request the import - direct procurement - of some 152,469 Sig Sauer pistols from a manufacturer in the United States.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842025-somyot-wants-new-pistols-for-thai-police/

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Police probe death of Banyin's ex-wife as plot thickens
Kittipong Maneerit,
Noppadon Sritaweekat
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- POLICE HAVE decided to re-examine the 1988 case of Pol Lt-Colonel Banyin Tangpakorn's ex-wife as she is believed to have died in circumstances very similar to those of construction tycoon Chuwong Saetang.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842026-thai-police-probe-death-of-banyins-ex-wife-as-plot-thickens/

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Airport seize case postponed to 2016
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Criminal Court Monday resolved to postpone the submission date of evidence against 98 members of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) to February, 2016.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842027-suvarnabhumi-airport-seize-case-postponed-to-2016/

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Sold from a jungle camp to Thailand's fishing industry: 'I saw 13 people die'
Hussein twice lived through the horror of Thai trafficking camps, sold by brokers to boats and working in terrible conditions at sea for four years without setting foot on land, in the service of the country’s multibillion-dollar seafood industry
Emanuel Stoakes and Chris Kelly Ranong, Annie Kelly

LONDON: -- Hussein* was only 16 when he first experienced the jungle camps of southern Thailand. These were places of torture, rape and death, the holding pens of a vast transnational trafficking industry preying on the desperation and isolation of thousands of stateless Rohingya.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842028-sold-from-a-jungle-camp-to-thailands-fishing-industry-i-saw-13-people-die/

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Turkey suspects Islamic State behind bomb that killed 31
By DESMOND BUTLER

ISTANBUL (AP) — Authorities suspected the Islamic State group was behind an apparent suicide bombing Monday in southeastern Turkey that killed 31 people and wounded nearly 100 — a development that could represent a major expansion by the extremists at a time when the government is stepping up efforts against them.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842029-turkey-suspects-islamic-state-behind-bomb-that-killed-31/

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Grooveshark co-founder discovered dead at Gainesville home

GAINESVILLE, Florida (AP) — A co-founder of the defunct music streaming service Grooveshark has been found dead at his Florida home.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842031-us-grooveshark-co-founder-josh-greenberg-28-found-dead/

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UN endorses Iran nuclear deal with 6 world powers
By EDITH M. LEDERER

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council on Monday unanimously endorsed the landmark deal to rein in Iran's nuclear program and authorized measures leading to the end of U.N. sanctions, but also approved a provision that would automatically reinstate the harsh measures if Tehran reneges on its promises.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842032-un-endorses-iran-nuclear-deal-with-6-world-powers/

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Trump's self-paid presidential run means he's not going away
By JULIE BYKOWICZ

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump faced an avalanche of fresh criticism Monday for questioning Sen. John McCain's heroism. But he's getting no pressure at all from the one community that could push a candidate out of the 2016 presidential race: political donors.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842033-trumps-self-paid-presidential-run-means-hes-not-going-away/

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California bridge passed inspection, failed in flash flood
By BRIAN SKOLOFF and JUSTIN PRITCHARD

DESERT CENTER, Calif. (AP) — The interstate bridge that washed out in the desert between Los Angeles and Phoenix easily withstood its daily load of thousands of cars and trucks, but the pounding of a powerful flash flood scoured away the land where the bridge was anchored, officials said Monday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842035-california-bridge-passed-inspection-failed-in-flash-flood/

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Police believe suspect in 5 homicides also killed 2-year-old

MODESTO, Calif. (AP) — Police said Monday that a suspect in the homicides of five people whose bodies were found in a Northern California home this weekend is also responsible for the death of a toddler left in his care last year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842036-us-police-believe-suspect-in-5-homicides-also-killed-2-year-old/

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Draft charter faces rejection if Shinawatras banned: Pheu Thai member
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN
THE NATION

CDC member says lifetime ban not too extreme; fair punishment for violators

BANGKOK: -- The latest attempt to block the Shinawatra siblings from ever returning to politics could result in the draft charter failing to pass the planned referendum, as Pheu Thai supporters would not be happy to see their favourite politicians wiped out, a Pheu Thai politician said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/842037-draft-charter-faces-rejection-if-shinawatras-banned-pheu-thai-member/