THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Monday 17 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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UPDATE:

 

283 killed on roads during Songkran, down by 17%
By THE NATION

 

Transport hubs were crowded with holiday-makers returning to Bangkok from their hometowns yesterday. Many, like the young man seen here carrying a rice sack at Hua Lamphong Train Station in Bangkok.

 

BANGKOK: -- A TOTAL of 283 people were killed and 3,087 others injured in 2,985 road accidents nationwide in the first five days of the so-called “seven dangerous days” of the Songkran holiday, the Road Safety Centre announced yesterday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978730-283-killed-on-roads-during-songkran-down-17-from-last-year/?do=findComment&comment=11804179

 

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Phuket suffers first death for Songkran holidays

Eakkapop Thongtub

 

Police inspect a car after a motorbike hit it from behind in Srisoonthorn, Thalang. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

 

PHUKET: -- The island has suffered its first fatality for the Songkran Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign with the death of a Thai woman who sustained fatal head injuries in a fall from a motorcycle. She was not wearing a helmet.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978758-phuket-suffers-first-death-for-songkran-holidays/

 

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Parties face six steps to comply for new poll
By THE NATION

 

Meechai

 

CDC spells out requirements for existing entities under new political party law

 

BANGKOK: -- THE Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) has proposed a six-step legislative process that political parties have to complete within six months in preparation for the next general election, which is expected to be held late next year.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978759-parties-face-six-steps-to-comply-for-new-poll/

 

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Call for probe over swapping of Constitution plaque
By THE NATION

 

 

BANGKOK: -- THE HEIR of a People’s Party member and students yesterday lodged a complaint with police demanding an investigation into the missing historical plaque marking Thailand’s shift from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, claiming state agencies have ignored the case.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978760-call-for-probe-over-swapping-of-constitution-plaque/

 

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8 warrants sought for ‘Shogun’ associates
By KORNKAMON AKSORNDECH,
JESSADA CHANTHARAK
THE NATION

 

Pasit (c)

 

BANGKOK: -- THE Crime Suppression Division (CSD) will today apply for arrest warrants for eight people who are relatives or close to fraud suspect Pasit “Sinsae Shogun” Ariyalapit.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978761-8-warrants-sought-for-‘shogun’-associates/

 

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Little progress in hunt for abductors of Karen activist
By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM
THE NATION

 

Pholachi or “Billy”

 

DSI yet to say if it will take on notorious case from Kaeng Krachan national park

 

BANGKOK: -- IT HAS BEEN three years to the day since Karen activist Pholachi “Billy” Rakchongcharoen went missing, but neither his case nor the Karen community’s appeal to return to their homeland at Ban Jai Phandin in the heart of Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi has seen any significant progress.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978762-little-progress-in-hunt-for-abductors-of-karen-activist/

 

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Path is there for foreign investors wanting to transfer funds abroad for loans
By SPECIAL TO THE NATION

 

RUJISAYA

 

BANGKOK: -- MANY foreign companies enter Thailand to take advantage of low operating and overhead costs. They may want to transpose these benefits to foreign affiliates that are financially unstable or have expensive expansion plans.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978763-path-is-there-for-foreign-investors-wanting-to-transfer-funds-abroad-for-loans/

 

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Thief prostrates before Buddha image then steals
By Kornkamon Aksorndech
The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- A thief bowed in front of an under-construction four-metre-high Buddha image at Wat Boonsri Muneekorn in Bangkok’s Soi Ram-Inthra 46 before stealing three jewellery items from the image, temple abbot Phra Maha Chanon Kusalajitto said on Sunday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978764-thief-prostrates-before-buddha-image-then-steals/

 

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Taxi driver sets good example by returning money
By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- A Bangkok cabbie was praised for his honesty yesterday after returning a wallet containing Bt35,000 to a passenger who dropped it in his taxi during Songkran.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978765-bangkok-taxi-driver-sets-good-example-by-returning-money/

 

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Indian tourists hurt as van plunges into ditch in Chon Buri
By The Nation

 

 

CHON BURI: -- Nine Indian tourists were slightly injured when their chartered van swerved to avoid hitting a car that cut in front of it before plunging into a roadside ditch in Chon Buri's Sri Racha district on Sunday morning.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978766-indian-tourists-hurt-as-van-plunges-into-ditch-in-chon-buri/

 

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‘Miraculous escape’ after charter van crashes into trailer truck
By The Nation

 

 

KORAT: -- A charter van collided into the back of a trailer truck on the Mitraparp Highway in Tambon Sam Muang of Nakhon Ratchasima’s Sida district early Sunday morning but all three passenger and the van driver escaped with minor injuries including scratches and bruises.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978767-‘miraculous-escape’-after-charter-van-crashes-into-trailer-truck/

 

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Chinese opera family injured after van crashes into house
By The Nation

 

 

NAKHON PATHOM: -- Seven Chinese opera performers from the same family were slightly injured when the van transporting them from a show in Bangkok back to Nakhon Pathom's Khamphaeng Saen district crashed early on Sunday morning.

 

Full story; https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978768-chinese-opera-family-injured-after-van-crashes-into-house/

 

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EDITORIAL

Thaksin changes his tone, but not attitude
By The Nation

 

Ex-premier glosses over facts and remains adamant that a coup led to his exile 

 

BANGKOK: -- In what some described as his least aggressive public comments, exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra still altered the truth considerably. He said in his latest Facebook post that it was a military coup that sent him out of Thailand. The statement needs to be analysed thoroughly because the country has seen two coups that were related to the man.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978769-thaksin-changes-his-tone-but-not-attitude/

 

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PM is happy with improved economic situation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha is satisfied that the economic situation has steadily improved with spending during the five-day Songkran festival this year increasing 12-14 percent to an estimated 16 billion baht compared to the same period last year, government spokesman Lt-Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd said on Sunday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978770-pm-prayut-is-happy-with-improved-economic-situation/

 

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5,106 companies removed from govt's list of juristic persons

 

BANGKOK, 17 April 2017 (NNT) - The Department of Business Development has withdrawn 5,106 companies from its database due to a failure to submit a financial report for three consecutive years. People who want to do business with them are warned to check whether they are still legal. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978771-5106-companies-removed-from-govts-list-of-juristic-persons/

 

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'Missing' activist back in KL from Pattaya

 

KUALA LUMPUR • Malaysian social activist Peter Chong, who went missing for nearly two weeks, flew in from Thailand yesterday, claiming he had been kidnapped briefly in the neighbouring country.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978772-missing-activist-back-in-kl-from-pattaya/

 

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Turkey's Erdogan declares referendum victory, opponents plan challenge

By Tuvan Gumrukcu and Humeyra Pamuk

 

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan greets his supporters in Istanbul, Turkey, April 16, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

 

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in a referendum on Sunday to grant him sweeping powers in the biggest overhaul of modern Turkish politics, but opponents said the vote was marred by irregularities and they would challenge its result.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978773-turkeys-erdogan-declares-referendum-victory-opponents-plan-challenge/

 

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U.S., allies weigh options after North Korea's missile test - adviser

By Lucia Mutikani and Sue-Lin Wong

REUTERS

 

A North Korean navy truck carries the 'Pukkuksong' submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) during a military parade marking the 105th birth anniversary of country's founding father, Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, April 15, 2017. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj/Files

 

WASHINGTON/PYONGYANG (Reuters) - The United States, its allies and China are working together on a range of responses to North Korea's latest attempted ballistic missile test, U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser said on Sunday, citing what he called an international consensus to act.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978774-us-allies-weigh-options-after-north-koreas-missile-test-adviser/

 

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On Easter, Pope denounces "oppressive regimes" but urges restraint

By Philip Pullella

REUTERS

 

Pope Francis waves at the end of his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message from the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican April 16, 2017. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini

 

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis denounced "oppressive regimes" in his Easter message on Sunday but in an apparent call for restraint urged world leaders to prevent the spread of conflicts, as tensions rose in North Korea and Syria.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978775-on-easter-pope-denounces-oppressive-regimes-but-urges-restraint/

 

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Death toll from Aleppo bus convoy bomb attack at least 126 - Observatory

By John Davison

REUTERS

 

Still image shows bodies lying near burnt out buses in what is said to be Aleppo's outskirts, Syria April 15, 2017. Social Media Website via Reuters TV/Files

 

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The death toll from a bomb attack on a crowded bus convoy outside Aleppo has reached at least 126 in the deadliest such incident in Syria in almost a year, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said on Sunday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978776-death-toll-from-aleppo-bus-convoy-bomb-attack-at-least-126-observatory/

 

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Far-left veteran Melenchon draws big crowd as French election enters final straight

By Johanna Decorse and Emmanuel Jarry

REUTERS

 

Jean-Luc Melenchon of the French far left Parti de Gauche and candidate for the 2017 French presidential election, attends a political rally in Toulouse, Southwestern France, April 16, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

 

TOULOUSE/PARIS (Reuters) - Far-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon drew tens of thousands to a rally on Sunday, aiming to maintain momentum that has pushed the one-time outsider into contention in the French presidential election, with the first round of voting a week away.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978777-far-left-veteran-melenchon-draws-big-crowd-as-french-election-enters-final-straight/

 

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Trump aide McMaster - Time for tough talks with Russia

REUTERS

 

U.S. President Donald Trump and his newly appointed National Security Adviser Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster (L) speak during the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida U.S. February 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House national security adviser H. R. McMaster said on Sunday it was time for tough talks with Russia over its support for Syria's government and its "subversive" actions in Europe.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978778-trump-aide-mcmaster-time-for-tough-talks-with-russia/ 

 

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Iraqi police accuse IS of chemical weapons attack in Mosul

By Ahmed Rasheed

REUTERS

 

A vehicle of the Iraqi forces drives along a street controlled by the Iraqi Federal Police during combat with Islamic State in western Mosul, Iraq, April 14, 2017. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares

 

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi police on Sunday accused Islamic State of using chemical weapons against their forces in Mosul, but said that had not stopped them making new ground towards the militants' last stronghold in the city.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978779-iraqi-police-accuse-is-of-chemical-weapons-attack-in-mosul/

 

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Pakistan hate speech investigation against clerics after student killed for alleged blasphemy

By Jibran Ahmed

REUTERS
 

A policeman gestures as he stands guard at the entry of Abdul Wali Khan University where Mashal Khan, accused of blasphemy, was killed by a mob, in Mardan, Pakistan April 14, 2017.REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

 

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, (Reuters) - Pakistani police opened a hate speech investigation involving two Muslim clerics on Sunday after the killing of a university student over allegations he committed blasphemy.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978780-pakistan-hate-speech-investigation-against-clerics-after-student-killed-for-alleged-blasphemy/

 

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Cairo court acquits Egyptian-American of human trafficking charges

By Amina Ismail

REUTERS

 

Aya Hijazi, founder of a non-governmental organisation that looks after street children, sits reading a book inside a holding cell as she faces trial on charges of human trafficking, sexual exploitation of minors, and using children in protests, at a courthouse in Cairo, Egypt March 23, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany

 

CAIRO (Reuters) - A Cairo court acquitted on Sunday an Egyptian-American woman and seven others who worked with street children and had been detained for nearly three years on human trafficking charges, in a case that had raised concerns in Washington.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978781-cairo-court-acquits-egyptian-american-of-human-trafficking-charges/

 

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Sukhumvit Baraku bar raided
By The Nation

 

BANGKOK: -- Troops and police raided a bar on Soi Sukhumvit 3 early Monday morning and seized 30 Baraku smoking devices and one kilogram of tobacco.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978787-sukhumvit-baraku-bar-raided/

 

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Fire destroys three shophouses in Bangkok
By The Nation

 

 

BANGKOK: -- A fire engulfed three shophouses in Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district early Monday morning, police said.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978788-fire-destroys-three-shophouses-in-bangkok/

 

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One killed,10 injured in van-truck crash
By The Nation

 

SAMUT PRAKARN: -- A van transporting employees of King Power’s Srivaree complex crashed into a trailer truck late Sunday night, killing the van driver and injuring all 10 employees, police said.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978789-one-killed10-injured-in-van-truck-crash/

 

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Pence lands at Korean DMZ day after North Korea's failed missile test

By Roberta Rampton and Lucia Mutikani

REUTERS

 

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence arrives at Camp Bonifas near the truce village of Panmunjom, in Paju, South Korea, April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

 

CAMP BONIFAS, South Korea/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, pledging an "unshakeable" commitment to South Korea, landed at a U.S. military base next to the demilitarised border with North Korea, a day after a failed missile launch by the North.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/978790-pence-lands-at-korean-dmz-day-after-north-koreas-failed-missile-test/