Down under or Thai? Aussie mum trades Oz for Land of Smiles

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BIKE FOR MOM
Prince leads record bike ride
WASAMON AUDJARINT
THE NATION



Vast number of cyclists take part in 'Bike for Mom' rides in Bangkok and round the country; Guinness says eligible total is new world mark

BANGKOK: -- HUNDREDS of thousands of Thais yesterday cycled in Bangkok and other provinces nationwide to mark Her Majesty the Queen's 83rd birthday in a record show of loyalty led by HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848720-tourists-crossing-the-border-to-see-bike-for-mom/page-2?p=9742391#entry9742391

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MEKONG
Vietnamese plea to Thailand: Don't divert the Mekong
PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION



BANGKOK: - PEOPLE in Vietnam hope Thailand will reconsider its plan to divert water from the Mekong - because it would seriously affect their ability to produce food.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848905-vietnamese-plea-to-thailand-dont-divert-the-mekong/

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SURVEY:

Do you believe the using of the atomic bomb during WWII was justified?

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848787-survey-do-you-believe-the-using-of-the-atomic-bomb-during-wwii-was-justified/

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Wissanu defends crisis panel's powers
THE NATION

Says NSRRC will need special powers during the transition period, but Weng slams it as 'politburo"

BANGKOK: -- DEPUTY Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has said giving "super power" to the National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Committee (NSRRC) is necessary, as the country is in a transitional period, while red-shirt leader Weng Tojirakarn has labelled the body a communist party "politburo".

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848907-wissanu-defends-crisis-panels-powers/

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INTERVIEW
RCEP seen as more important than TPP for now
Nophakhun Limsamarnphun,
Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Deputy Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn has suggested that Thailand should eventually join the US-led Trans-Pacific Partnership, which will control about 40 per cent of global gross domestic product and one-third of world trade if approved.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848908-thai-interview-rcep-seen-as-more-important-than-tpp-for-now/

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4G
CAT targets 4G service as it looks to strengthen its hand in tough market
Usanee Mongkolporn
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- CAT Telecom has requested a permit from the National Broadcasting and Telecommu-nication Commission (NBTC) to upgrade its 1800MHz and 850 MHz to provide a 4G service.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848909-cat-targets-4g-service-as-it-looks-to-strengthen-its-hand-in-tough-market/

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INVESTMENT
Govt 'must prioritise' big projects
Sirivish Toomgum
The Nation


Transport Minister ACM Prajin Juntong, left, delivers speech in the roundtable, which was moderated by Suthichai Yoon, right, advisor to the Nation Multimedia Group

BANGKOK: -- KEY business leaders have urged the Transport Ministry to prioritise infrastructure mega-projects to facilitate short-term economic stimulus and promote long-term national competitive strategies.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848910-thai-govt-must-prioritise-big-projects/

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Something to cheer, something to fear

Be thankful and mindful about our strengths and weaknesses

BANGKOK: -- Two pieces of economic information have been doing the rounds on social media lately. The "good news" is relatively old, referring to the release earlier this year of Bloomberg's "Misery Index" that ranked Thailand as the happiest economy on earth, above even the likes of Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Japan.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848911-thai-opinion-something-to-cheer-something-to-fear/

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UPDATE:

Bike for Mom goes into Guinness World Records



BANGKOK: -- Guinness World Records billed the “Bike for Mom” cycling event on Sunday as the biggest simultaneous gathering of cyclists in the world beating the record holder Taiwan.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848720-tourists-crossing-the-border-to-see-bike-for-mom/page-2?p=9742425#entry9742425

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UPDATE:

POLITICS
Paiboon shrugs off Thaksin's charter jibes
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- IT IS hardly surprising that Thaksin Shinawatra is critical of the charter draft - as he doesn't stand to gain from it, Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) member Paiboon Nititawan said yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848848-paiboon-shrugs-off-thaksins-charter-jibes/#entry9742433

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Former Udon Thani Sexpat Sentenced to 15 Years by UK Court

LONDON – British national Robert David Hastings, 62, who sexually abused a child in Thailand has been jailed for more than 15 years after a UK trial the BBC reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848913-udon-thani-robert-hastings-sentenced-to-15-years-by-uk-court-for-child-abuse/

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EDUCATION
Communication students tune in to new world of digital news sources
MESINEE MUANGPIN
THE NATION


Passengers on a BTS train in Bangkok are busy checking their cell phones, which increasingly has become an indispensable part of their lives. / REUTERS

MANY YOUNG PEOPLE SAY THEY GET NEWS FROM SOCIAL MEDIA

BANGKOK: -- NOWADAYS, people can receive news through so many outlets, be they papers, television, or social media.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848914-thai-education-communication-students-tune-in-to-new-world-of-digital-news-sources/

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EDU UPDATE
How primary education can save billions
The Nation August

BANGKOK: -- Southeast Asian countries stand to lose billions of dollars in the near future unless urgent measures are taken to enrol millions of out-of-school children in the region, a recent report from Unesco Bangkok showed.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848915-how-primary-education-can-save-billions/

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VIDEO: What REALLY happens to your luggage at the airport

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848916-video-what-really-happens-to-your-luggage-at-the-airport/

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EXCURSIVE INTERVIEW
'Grand Design' blueprint critical to Thailand's future, charter drafter Buntoon insists
PIYAPORN WONGRUANG
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- ONE OF the architects of the draft charter has defended the proposed National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Committee (NSRRC) and its supporting structures, such as the "grand coalition" government, saying they were needed to ensure the reform and reconciliation process continued to its conclusion.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848918-grand-design-blueprint-critical-to-thailands-future-charter-drafter-buntoon-insists/

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CHINA BUSINESS WEEKLY
Yuan reset - killing two birds with one stone?
Suwatchai Songwanich
Chief executive Officer,
Bangkok Bank (China)

BANGKOK: -- Last week's surprise move by the People's Bank of China to change the yuan exchange-rate adjustment mechanism rippled around the globe. The yuan plunged almost 4 per cent in a couple of days while other currencies also saw major falls, especially in Asia.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848919-yuan-reset-killing-two-birds-with-one-stone/

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ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Asean eyes joint World Cup
Marisa Chimprabha
Jakarta

Study to explore the possibility for 2034

JAKARTA: -- Asean is marching towards its one-community idea at the end of this year by introducing two major sports projects to encourage participation and commitment of member nations.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848920-asean-eyes-joint-world-cup/

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5.9% pay hike forecast for Thailand
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Salaries in Thailand are expected to go up by 5.9 per cent in 2015, according to global consulting firm Mercer in its recently released annual labour market research.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848921-salaries-in-thailand-expected-to-go-up-by-59-per-cent/

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Trump: Deport children of immigrants living illegally in US
By STEPHEN BRAUN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants more than a wall to keep out immigrants living in the country illegally. He also wants to end "birthright citizenship" for their children, he said Sunday. And he would rescind Obama administration executive orders on immigration and toughen deportation, allowing in only "the good ones."

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848922-trump-deport-children-of-immigrants-living-illegally-in-us/

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After decades, Guardian Angels resume Central Park rounds
By JENNIFER PELTZ

NEW YORK (AP) — The squad in stop-sign-red jackets and berets strode through Central Park, on guard for signs of crime.

It was a familiar sight a generation ago, when New York was plagued by lawlessness that police have worked for years to dispel. Yet Guardian Angels volunteers made a pointed return this month to Central Park for the first time in over two decades, citing a 26 percent rise in crime there so far this year.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848923-after-decades-guardian-angels-resume-central-park-new-york-rounds/

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UPDATE:

Indonesia rescuers head to mountains in missing plane search
By NINIEK KARMINI

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — An airliner carrying 54 people went missing Sunday during a short flight in bad weather in Indonesia's mountainous easternmost province of Papua, and rescuers were heading to an area where villagers reported seeing a plane crash into a mountain, officials said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848834-indonesian-aircraft-with-54-on-board-missing-in-papua-region-officials/page-2?p=9742516#entry9742516

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Julian Bond, former NAACP chairman and activist, dies at 75
By JESSE J. HOLLAND and JEFF MARTIN

ATLANTA (AP) — Julian Bond's life traced the arc of the civil rights movement, from his efforts as a militant young man to start a student protest group all the way to the top leadership post at the NAACP.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848924-julian-bond-former-naacp-chairman-and-activist-dies-at-75/

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Migrants mass in Turkey to take shortest route to Europe
By MIKE CORDER

BODRUM, Turkey (AP) — Suddenly, almost silently, a group of young men carrying a small plastic dinghy emerges from the darkness, dashes across a road and a dirty strip of sand and plunges into the crystal-clear waters of the Aegean Sea.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848925-migrants-mass-in-turkey-to-take-shortest-route-to-europe/

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US Army parachutist dies after Chicago air show accident

CHICAGO (AP) — A U.S. Army parachutist died Sunday after suffering severe injuries from an accident during a stunt at the Chicago Air & Water Show, the Cook County medical examiner's office said.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848926-us-army-parachutist-dies-after-chicago-air-show-accident/

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Government air raids near Syrian capital kill more than 80
By BASSEM MROUE

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian airstrikes on a Damascus suburb killed more than 80 people on Sunday in one of the deadliest such raids of the four-year civil war, as fighting escalated in and around President Bashar Assad's seat of power at a time when his overstretched forces have been losing ground elsewhere in the country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848927-government-air-raids-near-syrian-capital-kill-more-than-80/

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Anti-government protesters take to streets across Brazil
STAN LEHMAN, Associated Press

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilians took to the streets of cities and towns across the country Sunday for anti-government protests being watched as a barometer of discontent with the increasingly unpopular President Dilma Rousseff.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848928-anti-government-protesters-take-to-streets-across-brazil/

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US authorities: 3 dead in midair collision of small planes

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Authorities say at least four people were killed after two small planes collided in the air near an airport in San Diego County.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848929-us-authorities-3-dead-in-midair-collision-of-small-planes/

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Bullets and the Bible: Alabama Church Opens Gun Range

JEMISON: -- Ever wanted to fire off some rounds in the name of the lord? You can do so at a church in Alabama, which has opened a gun range.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848931-bullets-and-the-bible-alabama-church-opens-gun-range/

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Australian government lawmaker introduces gay marriage bill

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — A maverick lawmaker has broken from conservative government ranks to introduce legislation to Parliament that would legalize gay marriage in Australia.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848947-australian-government-lawmaker-introduces-gay-marriage-bill/

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Eight killed in railway crossing accidents in Indonesia



JAKARTA: -- The Jakarta Globe reported that eight people were killed in two separate train accidents in East and West Java on Sunday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/848950-eight-killed-in-railway-crossing-accidents-in-indonesia/