Thailand Live Tuesday 25 Aug 2015

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Merkel condemns neo-Nazi riots outside refugee shelter
FRANK JORDANS, Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday condemned the neo-Nazi riots outside a refugee shelter in eastern Germany over the weekend, calling the attacks and those Germans who stood by watching them "shameful."

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850933-merkel-condemns-neo-nazi-riots-outside-refugee-shelter/

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - IndyCar driver Justin Wilson has died of a head injury.

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UN tribunal orders India to suspend case against Italians
By FRANK JORDANS

BERLIN (AP) — A U.N.-mandated tribunal on Monday ordered India to put on hold legal proceedings against two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 until an arbitration panel has ruled on the dispute.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850947-un-tribunal-orders-india-to-suspend-case-against-italian-marines/

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Security worry: How to stop the 'lone wolf' attacks
By LORI HINNANT

PARIS (AP) — The gunman had an arsenal that he claims to have stumbled upon in a park near the train station. Like three other men accused of drawing up failed plans for attacks in France recently, the suspect denied any links to terrorism, telling his lawyer he was homeless and only wanted to rob a train "to eat."

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850950-security-worry-how-to-stop-the-lone-wolf-attacks/

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IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies of head injury
By JENNA FRYER

DENVER: -- IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died Monday night from a head injury suffered when a piece of debris struck him at Pocono Raceway. He was 37.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850952-indycar-driver-justin-wilson-dies-of-head-injury/

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Surgeon who wrote of becoming killer is denied bail reduction
By NAOMI MARTIN

DALLAS: -- Long before he faced lawsuits and criminal charges, a North Texas neurosurgeon emailed one of his employees.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850957-us-surgeon-who-wrote-about-becoming-a-cold-blooded-killer-is-denied-bail-reduction/

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BEIJING (AP) - Chinese stocks tumble again, Shanghai and Shenzhen benchmarks 6 percent lower in early trading.

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Ministry says 13 bomb victims still in ICUs



BANGKOK: -- The Ministry of Public Health yesterday said another 17 injured victims at the deadly bomb explosion have been discharged from hospital and have made their way homes.

It said 50 victims are still receiving medical attention and of these 13 are still in Intensive Care Units (ICU).

As for the deceased, the ministry said that all 20 bodies have been claimed by their families.

Meanwhile mobile operators have open a hotline numbers to help police find the bombers.

AIS, Dtac and True Move said the public can report any lead or sightings that might help in the investigation at No 1515 hotline on their mobiles free of charge.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/ministry-says-13-bomb-victims-still-in-icus


-- Thai PBS 2015-08-25

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Thailand's tourism shrinks by 2%-3% in first half of 2015

BANGKOK, 25 August 2015 (NNT) – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has admitted that domestic tourism shrank by 2-3 percent in the first half of this year due to lower public purchasing power caused by tourists’ careful spending.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850958-thailands-tourism-shrinks-by-2-3-in-first-half-of-2015/

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Substandard weight scales destroyed to bolster consumer confidence

BANGKOK, 25 August 2015 (NNT) – The Department of Internal Trade on Monday destroyed 630 substandard weight scales seized from markets in Greater Bangkok in an attempt to bolster the confidence of those who shop at markets.

Department director-general Boonyarit Kalayanamit presided over the ceremony that saw to the demise of all the 630 weight scales. To prevent possible re-use of the substandard scales, they were slowly run over and crushed by a road roller.

The director-general indicated that Internal Trade Department personnel will continue making inspections of weight scales at fresh markets nationwide to ensure accuracy and to enable consumers to be confident they would receive the accurate amount of the food they are buying. Inaccurate weight scales will continue to be seized immediately upon discovery. In the meantime, grocery shoppers are encouraged to check whether a weight scale bears a certification sticker from the Department of Internal Trade, and to report the use of non-certified scales to the department's hotline number 1569.


-- NNT 2015-08-25

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Hong Kong journalist charged but released on bail



BANGKOK: -- Anthony Kwan, a reporter with Hong Kong startup Initium Media, was released yesterday on bail but was not allowed to leave the country.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850960-bangkok-hk-journalist-anthony-kwan-charged-but-released-on-bail/

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UPDATE:

Domestic tourism shranks



BANGKOK: -- Domestic tourism has slowed down in the first half of this year as spending by the people becoming more cautious.
This was what the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) revealed yesterday.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850958-thailands-tourism-shrinks-by-2-3-in-first-half-of-2015/#entry9774198

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Islamist hacker group attacks Thai government websites
By Asian Correspondent Staff
By Daniel Maxwell

BANGKOK: -- Islamic cyber group Fallaga hacked six Thai government websites on Monday, replacing the sites’ original content with images and messages condemning the treatment of Rohingya refugees.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850968-islamist-hacker-group-attacks-thai-government-websites/

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SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea says it stops anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts along border as part of accord.

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Chinese stocks tumble again as other Asian markets rebound
By JOE McDONALD

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese stocks tumbled again Tuesday after their biggest decline in eight years while most other Asian markets rebounded from a day of heavy losses.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850972-chinese-stocks-tumble-again-as-other-asian-markets-rebound/

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Nearly 100 sets of US army uniforms found smuggled into Vietnam



HO CHI MINH CITY: -- Vietnamese customs officers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City have seized nearly 100 sets of U.S. army uniforms in a consignment sent from the US to Vietnam, Tuoi Tre News reported.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850980-nearly-100-sets-of-us-army-uniforms-found-smuggled-into-vietnam/

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Household debts rise to 10.57 trillion baht in first half



BANGKOK: -- The National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) says household debt has risen 6.4% to 10.57 trillion baht in the first quarter of this year, while credit card defaults also rose 28%in the second quarter.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850983-household-debts-rise-to-1057-trillion-baht-in-first-half/

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SET rises Tuesday after big plunge /Bangkok Post

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UPDATE:

Thailand's Shrine Bombing - The Case For Turkey's Grey Wolves
Susan Cunningham ,CONTRIBUTOR

BANGKOK: -- The most likely perpetrators of the deadly Bangkok bombing last week were militant members of a right-wing Turkish organization infuriated by the Thai government’s forcible repatriation of Uighur refugees back to China. Anthony Davis, a veteran security analyst with IHS-Jane’s, made a persuasive case for the Grey Wolves on a panel at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand Monday evening.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/850968-islamist-hacker-group-attacks-thai-government-websites/#entry9774452

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Prayut submits military reshuffle list for royal command
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said Tuesday that he has submitted the annual military reshuffle list for a royal command.

It has been reported that Prayut’s brother, Assistant Army chief Gen Preecha Chan-o-cha, would be moved out of the Army to become the Defence Ministry permanent secretary and the Army chief would be given to Assistant Army chief Gen Gen Thirachai Nakwanit.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Prayut-submits-military-reshuffle-list-for-royal-c-30267363.html

-- The Nation 2015-08-25

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Prayut takes group photos with new Cabinet
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-Cha took a group photo with members of the new Cabinet at 8 am Tuesday before the weekly Cabinet meeting.

All Cabinet members were present for the photo session, except Justice Minister Gen Paiboon Koomchaya, who was on an official trip to Vietnam.

Before posting for the group photos, Prayut raised his hands to give a wai to all the ministers and thanked them for joining his Cabinet.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/breakingnews/Prayut-takes-group-photos-with-new-Cabinet-30267364.html

-- The Nation 2015-08-25

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Major blackout in Phuket Town
The Phuket News


PHUKET: The government quarter of Phuket Town will be without electricity supply this Saturday (August 29) as workers repair power lines. Photo: The Phuket News / file

PHUKET: -- The government quarter of Phuket Town will be without electricity supply this Saturday (August 29) as workers repair power lines.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851009-major-blackout-in-phuket-town-saturday-august-29/

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BANGKOK BLAST
Taxi driver says he drove bomber to Hua Lamphong
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Police have located a taxi driver who took the suspected Erawan Shrine bomber from in front of Charn Isara Building to the Hua Lamphong railway station.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851019-taxi-driver-says-he-drove-bangkok-bomber-to-hua-lamphong/

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Bangkok Bombing Dragnet Yields 142 Unrelated Arrests

By Khaosod English


A formal ceremony and parade kicked off "Operation Lock Down the City, Raid the Bandits' Nest" on Sunday, two days after it began and a day before it ended. The massive operation failed to net any suspects related to last week's bomb attack, but led to the arrest or detention of 142 people for unrelated offenses.

BANGKOK: -- A formal ceremony and parade kicked off "Operation Lock Down the City, Raid the Bandits' Nest" on Sunday, two days after it began and a day before it ended. The massive operation failed to net any suspects related to last week's bomb attack, but led to the arrest or detention of 142 people for unrelated offenses.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851048-bangkok-bombing-dragnet-yields-142-unrelated-arrests/

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Customs put on auction 535 vehicles today



BANGKOK: -- The Customs Department today put on oral auction a total 535 vehicles that were smuggled into the country and failed to pay taxes and have been seized.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851049-customs-put-on-auction-535-vehicles-today/

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Underwater cables power up electricity supply to Phuket islands
The Phuket News


PEA governor Sermsakul Klaikaew (left) leads Phuket Governor Nisit Jansomwong (centre) in arriving at the pier. Photo: PR Dept

PHUKET: -- Governor Nisit Jansomwong joined the chief of all provincial electricity authority offices in the country yesterday (August 24) in officially launching two underwater power cables now providing mains supply to two islands off Phuket.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851050-underwater-cables-power-up-electricity-supply-to-phuket-islands/

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Saudi women register to vote for the first time: 'A dream for us'
By Elahe Izadi
The Washington Post

WASHINGTON: -- Two women in Saudi Arabia made history last week when they became the country's first registered female voters, according to local media.

“The participation of the Saudi women in the municipal elections as voters and candidates was a dream for us,” Jamal al-Saadi, one of the women who registered, told the Saudi Gazette. She added: "I was quite ready for this day."

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851051-saudi-women-register-to-vote-for-the-first-time/

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Banyin says he is not guilty, knows nothing about the unusual share transfer



BANGKOK: -- Former Nakhon Sawan MP and deputy commerce minister Pol Lt Col Banyin Tangphakorn turned in to the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) police before noon today to defend charges of theft, falsifying official documents and using false official documents.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851052-chuwong-case-banyin-says-he-is-not-guilty-knows-nothing-about-the-unusual-share-transfer/

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Erawan Shrine now sealed off for a two-week long repairs



BANGKOK: -- Fine Arts Department's traditional craftsmen today sealed off the Erawan shrine to begin repairing the four-faced Brahma (Phra Phrom) statute which was slightly damaged by the deadly bomb explosion on August 17 leaving 20 dead and 120 injured.

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/851053-erawan-shrine-now-sealed-off-for-a-two-week-long-repairs/

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DWR works with 13 provinces under water management plan

AYUTTHAYA, 25 August 2015 (NNT) - The Department of Water Resources (DWR) will be implementing its water management plan over 13 provinces to prevent floods and water shortages, while maintaining water quality.

The plan was unveiled to 500 people attending a conference held earlier today in Ayutthaya province. DWR Deputy Director General Niwatchai Khampee said Thailand faces three common water-related concerns, namely flooding, drought and water quality.

He said these issues have caused significant loss of life and property in Thailand, and are likely to intensify. The National Council for Peace and Order appointed five committees to develop an effective response to these growing concerns.

All stakeholders are expected to get involved in water management, which will be executed within each river basin. The policy has been developed to encourage relevant agencies to identify the problems, determine the solutions and implement short-, medium- and long-term plans.


-- NNT 2015-08-25