THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Thursday 13 Apr 2017

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HOTEL DEALS: Book by April 17th to receive an extra 10% discount on our already great prices

 

 

Book by April 17th for extra great discounts: Be quick to snap up the latest offers on Sacha's Hotel Uno in Bangkok, Classic Kameo in Ayutthaya, and Kantary Bay in Rayong. Great hotels at great prices!

 

Info: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978015-hotel-deals-book-by-april-17th-to-receive-an-extra-10-discount-on-our-already-great-prices/

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Songkran festivities hit Patong, police warn against sexual harassment

Kritsada Mueanhawong

 

 

PHUKET:-- Patong is now heaving with tourists as the much anticipated Songkran festivities kicked off prematurely this morning.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978259-songkran-festivities-hit-patong-police-warn-against-sexual-harassment/

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Phuket to remember long-term expat David Ratcliffe

The Phuket News

 

David Simon Ratcliffe: October 18, 1942 – April 6, 2017.

 

PHUKET:-- Friends and colleagues are invited to attend the funeral service for long-term Phuket resident David Ratcliffe, who passed away last Thursday (April 6). He was 74.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978246-phuket-to-remember-long-term-expat-david-ratcliffe/

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Video: Drunk as a skunk - Thai driver ushers in Songkran 2017

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

BANGKOK: -- Hopefully it is not a sign of things to come - the antics of a drunk driver caught on tape got the Thai online world commenting as the Songkran holidays began.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978271-video-drunk-as-a-skunk-thai-driver-ushers-in-songkran-2017/

 

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Bangkok dad fed up with his lazy, aggressive son empties his .38 into him

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

BANGKOK: -- A Bangkok father who claimed he was assaulted frequently by his lazy son finally had enough. He picked up a .38 gun and shot him five times in the head and body.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978273-bangkok-dad-fed-up-with-his-lazy-aggressive-son-empties-his-38-into-him/

 

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Police top brass congratulate themselves on successful pre-Songkran crime sweep

 

Picture: Thai News Agency

 

BANGKOK: -- National Police have announced the results of a 10 day crime crackdown ahead of the Songkran holidays with nearly 1,500 arrests made.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978274-police-top-brass-congratulate-themselves-on-successful-pre-songkran-crime-sweep/

 

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More accidents, fewer deaths on first day of dangerous week
By  THE NATION

 

Accident in Samut Prakan province on April 12.

 

BANGKOK: -- The first day of the week-long road accident monitoring period for the Songkran holiday from Tuesday to next Monday, saw 33 deaths and 420 injuries in 409 road accidents nationwide, according to the Road Safety Directing Centre. The number of accidents on Tuesday increased while deaths and injuries decreased compared to the previous year’s Songkran first day with 52 deaths and 431 injuries in 387 crashes. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978275-songkran-2017-more-accidents-fewer-deaths-on-first-day-of-dangerous-week/

 

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'Shogun' arrested over alleged Japan trip scam
By The Nation

 

 

More than 1,000 fall victim to 'false' promise on social media by food supplement firm

 

RANONG: -- POLICE YESTERDAY arrested Pasit Ariyalapit, known as “Shogun”, the founder and chief executive of food supplement firm WealthEver, which has been accused of cheating more than 1,000 people who were promised a three-day Songkran trip to Japan but were left stranded at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Tuesday night.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978276-shogun-arrested-over-alleged-japan-trip-scam/

 

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Different flavours of bait lured the victims

The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- VICTIMS OF AN alleged tour scam told about differing methods used to lure them into paying for a trip to Japan that never happened.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978277-japan-trip-scam-different-flavours-of-bait-lured-the-victims/

 

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Asean summit to discuss South China Sea rows
By The Nation

 

File photo : Asean Summit in Malaysia.

 

Prayut will attend meeting in Manila focusing on security

 

BANGKOK: -- PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha will attend the Asean summit in Manila on April 29 to discuss community building as well as regional and global issues, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978278-asean-summit-to-discuss-south-china-sea-rows/

 

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'Ladyboys' among thousands reporting for military draft 

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Hundreds of thousands of young men have reported for conscription since the beginning of this month. And among them were some “beautiful” transvestites, who turned many heads at respective military units. This year, the Armed Forces plan to recruit 103,097 conscripts. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978279-ladyboys-among-thousands-reporting-for-military-draft/

 

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Joint China-Thailand highspeed rail project to be tabled for Cabinet approval in June

 

File photo : Arkhom

 

BANGKOK: -- Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith plans to submit the Nakhon Ratchasima-Bangkok highspeed rail project to the Cabinet for approval in June. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978280-joint-china-thailand-highspeed-rail-project-to-be-tabled-for-cabinet-approval-in-june/

 

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Authoritarian’ media regulation bill almost ready for the NRSA
By THE NATION

 

Kanit

 

BANGKOK: -- THE HEAD of the media reform committee has confirmed that the latest revision of the media regulation bill would not include more major changes and that it could enter the whips’ office of the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) late this month or early May.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978281-authoritarian’-media-regulation-bill-almost-ready-for-the-nrsa/

 

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Key Yala suspect wanted for 2014 bombing arrested

 

PATTANI: -- Narathiwat native Panya Pi, a suspect in a Yala bombing attack and several other violent incidents in the region since 2007, has been arrested.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978282-key-yala-suspect-wanted-for-2014-bombing-arrested/

 

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Dhammakaya cases to be pursued
By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Legal actions against Dhammakaya Temple, its fugitive former abbot and followers will continue despite the lifting of a junta order declaring the vast monastery complex in Pathum Thani a “special control area” under Article 44.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978283-dhammakaya-cases-to-be-pursued/

 

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OPINION

How many ways can you respond to the big question: When is Election Day?
By Suthichai Yoon
The Nation

 

Aren’t we all supposed to be hugely excited now that we have a new constitution, rolled out on April 6? Aren’t we supposed to be celebrating a new era of democracy? Aren’t we all ready for another new chapter in Thailand’s political life?

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978284-how-many-ways-can-you-respond-to-the-big-question-when-is-election-day/

 

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Over 2,400 wanted for alleged involvement in illegal money lending syndicate

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The Department of Special Investigation plans to seek warrants for the arrest of over 2,400 people suspected of involvement in a major illegal money lending syndicate said to have networks throughout the country.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978285-over-2400-wanted-for-alleged-involvement-in-illegal-money-lending-syndicate/

 

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BMTA scraps NGV bus deal with Bestlin Group

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok Mass Transit Authority, the operator of city bus service, has scrapped its contract to procure a fleet of 498 NGV buses from Bestlin Group effective as of Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978287-bmta-scraps-ngv-bus-deal-with-bestlin-group/

 

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Woman left paralysed in Phuket motorbike accident

Eakkapop Thongtub

 

Kamlai Jantra, 52, lay motionless in the middle of the road, unable to move. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

 

PHUKET: -- A 52-year-old woman was left paralysed at the scene of a motorbike collision that involved a 17-year-old youth in Chalong yesterday morning (April 12).

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978288-woman-left-paralysed-in-phuket-motorbike-accident/

 

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Trump says NATO not obsolete, reversing campaign stance

REUTERS

 

During a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, U.S. President Donald Trump says "we must ensure NATO members meet their financial obligations and pay what they owe. Many have not been doing that." Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that NATO is not obsolete, as he had declared on the campaign trail last year, but said NATO members still need to pay their fair share for the European security umbrella.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978290-trump-says-nato-not-obsolete-reversing-campaign-stance/

 

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UK's Daily Mail to pay Melania Trump damages over modelling claims

REUTERS

 

U.S. first lady Melania Trump listens to students perform as she and China's first lady Peng Liyuan (not pictured) visit Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., April 7, 2017. REUTERS/Joe Skipper

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Daily Mail agreed on Wednesday to pay Melania Trump an undisclosed sum and issue an apology after it published an article saying the U.S. First Lady had offered "services beyond simply modelling" in her former job.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978291-uks daily mail to-pay-melania-trump-damages-over-modelling-claims/

 

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U.S.-Russia relations at another low after Syria attacks

By Yeganeh Torbati and Denis Dyomkin

REUTERS

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 12, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

 

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday trust had eroded between the United States and Russia under President Donald Trump as Moscow delivered an unusually hostile reception to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a face-off over Syria.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978292-us-russia-relations-at-another-low-after-syria-attacks/

 

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United passenger launches legal action over forceful removal

By Alana Wise

REUTERS

 

A video screengrab shows passenger David Dao being dragged off a United Airlines flight at Chicago O'Hare International Airport in this video filmed by @JayseDavid April 9, 2017. Jayse D. Anspach via REUTERS

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lawyers for the passenger dragged from a United Airlines <UAL.N> plane in Chicago filed an emergency request with an Illinois state court on Wednesday to require the carrier to preserve video recordings and other evidence related to the incident.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978293-united-passenger-launches-legal-action-over-forceful-removal/

 

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Russia blocks U.N. Security Council condemnation of Syria attack

By Michelle Nichols

REUTERS

 

Russian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Vladimir Safronkov delivers remarks at a Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S., April 12, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

 

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russia blocked a Western-led effort at the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday to condemn last week's deadly gas attack in Syria and push Moscow's ally President Bashar al-Assad to cooperate with international inquiries into the incident.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978294-russia-blocks-un-security-council-condemnation-of-syria-attack/

 

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Germany's Schaeuble says if Muslim migrants don't like Europe, go elsewhere

REUTERS

 

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble before the weekly cabinet meeting in Berlin, Germany, April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Muslims who migrate to Europe should understand that there are better places for them to live if they do not want to accept the European way of life, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978295-germanys-schaeuble-says-if-muslim-migrants-dont-like-europe-go-elsewhere/

 

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Foreign journalists in North Korea told to prepare for 'big' event

By James Pearson

REUTERS

 

FILE PHOTO: A North Korean flag flies on a mast at the Permanent Mission of North Korea in Geneva October 2, 2014. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo

 

SEOUL (Reuters) - Foreign journalists visiting North Korea have been told to prepare for a "big and important event" on Thursday, although there were no indications it was directly linked to tensions in the region over the isolated state's nuclear weapons programme.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978296-foreign-journalists-in-north-korea-told-to-prepare-for-big-event/

 

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Stockholm attack puts a choke-hold on Swedish tolerance

By Johan Ahlander and Mansoor Yosufzai

REUTERS

 

FILE PHOTO: Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven looks at flowers laid for the victims as he visits the crime scene, April 8, 2017, the day after a hijacked beer truck plowed into pedestrians on Drottninggatan and crashed into Ahlens department store, in central Stockholm, Sweden. TT News Agency/Jonas Ekstromer via REUTERS /File Photo

 

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Hours after the truck attack that killed four people in the heart of Stockholm, Muslim taxi driver Abdi Dahir found himself in a suffocating choke-hold from a man sitting in the back seat.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978297-stockholm-attack-puts-a-choke-hold-on-swedish-tolerance/

 

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Merkel says China, U.S. can sway North Korea with political pressure

REUTERS

 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany April 12, 2017. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged the United States and China to put political pressure on North Korea over its nuclear programme, pressing for a peaceful resolution to escalating tensions.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978299-merkel-says-china-us-can-sway-north-korea-with-political-pressure/

 

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French presidential race tightens further, markets nervous

By Adrian Croft and Elizabeth Pineau

REUTERS

 

A member of the French far-left Parti de Gauche pastes a poster on a free billboard for French far-left Parti de Gauche candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon over a poster of Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon (top L) as part of the 2017 French presidential election campaign in Nice, France, April 12, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

 

PARIS (Reuters) - Polls showed France's presidential election campaign tightening further on Wednesday as financial markets fretted about the rising popularity of a far-left candidate who wants to put France's European Union membership to a vote.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978306-french-presidential-race-tightens-further-markets-nervous/

 

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Bangladesh executes three Islamists for 2004 attack on British envoy

By Ruma Paul

REUTERS

 

Police guard Mufti Abdul Hannan (2nd R), alleged leader of the Bangladesh chapter of the Islamist militant group Harkatul Jihad, outside a court in Dhaka October 2, 2005. Hannan was arrested at a hideout in Dhaka. REUTERS/Rafiqur Rahman/Files

 

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh executed an Islamist militant leader and two of his aides on Wednesday for a grenade attack on the British ambassador in 2004, a senior prison official said, days after the president turned down their clemency pleas.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978307-bangladesh executes-three-islamists-for-2004-attack-on-british-envoy/