THAILAND LIVE Thailand Live Thursday 25 May 2017

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Too many ministers and too many changes: Education reform ‘has gone nowhere’

By The Nation

 

 

EDUCATION reform has made little progress over the past three years while the country was controlled by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), according to speakers at a recent seminar in Bangkok.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984714-too-many-ministers-and-too-many-changes-education-reform-‘has-gone-nowhere’/

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PM confident ‘bad guys’ behind Bangkok hospital blast would be captured soon

By The Nation

 

 

Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday said the “bad guys” behind the bombing at Phramongkutklao Hospital would soon be caught.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984708-pm-confident-‘bad-guys’-behind-bangkok-hospital-blast-would-be-captured-soon/

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Former soldier arrested for building houses on Wat Takiap Hill, Hua Hin

 

Picture: Daily News

 

HUA HIN: -- A 65 year old former soldier has been arrested after a raid on his two properties on Wat Takiap Hill, Hua Hin, yesterday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984748-former-soldier-arrested-for-building-houses-on-wat-takiap-hill-hua-hin/

 

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Video: Serial notebook thief hunted on social media after stealing from Chula student

 

Picture: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- A man dressed as an ordinary office worker was caught on CCTV stealing a computer notebook belonging to a Chula university student.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984749-video-serial-notebook-thief-hunted-on-social-media-after-stealing from-chula-student/

 

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Bangkok bounty hunters! Report motorcycles on sidewalk and get a share of the fine!

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

BANGKOK: -- A scheme is underway that might allow members of the public to take a share in motorcycle fines in Bangkok.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984750-bangkok-bounty-hunters-report-motorcycles-on-sidewalk-and-get-a-share of-the-fine/

 

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Phuket taxi, tuk-tuk drivers rally against Patong parking crackdown

Premkamon Ketsara

 

The Patong taxi and tuk-tuk drivers 'appealed' to the Army contingent in Phuket for a more 'middle of the road' approach. Photo: Premkamon Ketsara

 

PHUKET: -- Hundreds of taxi and tuk-tuk drivers massed near Phuket Provincial Hall today (May 24) to “negotiate” with officials over parking spaces along the Patong beachfront and elsewhere in the island’s busiest tourism town, following an Army push to make more spaces available to the public.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984751-phuket-taxi-tuk-tuk-drivers-rally-against-patong-parking-crackdown/

 

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Jealous Ex Boyfriend kills Karaoke worker

By Online Admin -

 

 

PATTAYA: -- During the night of May 23rd, a fight in a karaoke bar on Third road broke out in which a member of staff was bottled, and later died in hospital.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984752-jealous-ex-boyfriend-kills-karaoke-worker-in-pattaya/

 

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Dodgy roads causing problems for tourists and locals

By Online Admin -

 

 

PATTAYA: -- Locals and tourists alike have been kicking up a fuss recently regarding the state of some of Pattaya’s roads, especially one that links Second Road and Beach Road, otherwise known as Soi 13/3.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984753-dodgy-roads-in-pattaya-causing-problems-for-tourists-and-locals/

 

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Hospital blast raises questions on the motives
By ATTAYUTH BOOTSRIPOOM,
PAKORN PUENGNETR
THE NATION

 

File Photo

 

Hand of same group seen in all three recent explosions in the capital.

 

BANGKOK: -- THE explosion at Phramongkutklao Hospital on Monday, which left more than 20 people injured, has drawn widespread condemnation as the perpetrators targeted patients and innocent people.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984754-phramongkutklao-hospital-blast-raises-questions-on-the-motives/

 

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PM dances to the tune of vendors in Songkhla

By The Nation

 

 

SONGKHLA: -- Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha let his hair down and surprised vendors at an organic products market inside the Prince of Songkla University campus with a “chicken dance” during his one-day visit to Songkhla province on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984755-pm-prayut-dances-to-the-tune-of-vendors-in-songkhla/

 

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EC wants election time frame set by charter to exclude counting process
By The Nation

 

BANGKOK: -- The president of the Election Commission (EC), Supachai Somcharoen, said on Wednesday it would be more convenient for all parties involved if the 150-day time frame set for the next election to take place excluded the confirmation period of the poll results.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984756-ec-wants-election-time-frame-set-by-charter-to-exclude-counting-process/

 

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Central bank maintains key policy rate at 1.5 percent

 

 

The fiscal policy committee agreed to maintain the key policy rate at 1.5 percent, citing clear sign of economic recovery and low inflation pressure which is likely to pick up in the second half of the year.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984757-central-bank-maintains-key-policy-rate-at-15-percent/

 

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Dead Chinese Tourist Found Floating off the Coast of Koh Tao

 

 

SAMUI: -- A Chinese tourist who went missing after renting a jet ski has been found dead floating off the coast of Koh Tao. 18 year old Chen Wentuck was reported missing on May 18th after he failed to return after hiring a jet ski in Koh Samui. The incident was reported to authorities on Thursday evening.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984135-jet-ski-found-but-chinese-driver-still-missing-believed-taking-his-own-life/?do=findComment&comment=11919714

 

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GLO to issue new lottery tickets

 

 

BANGKOK: -- The Government Lottery Office is to issue new lottery tickets which will be more difficult for counterfeiting starting September 1, GLO director Maj-Gen Chalongrath Nark-arthit disclosed on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984758-glo-to-issue-new-lottery-tickets/

 

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Iconic American Harley Davidson Motorcycles to be Made in Thailand

 

Workers unpack new motorcycles arriving at a Harley-Davidson showroom in Bangkok on May 15

 

BANGKOK -American Motorcycle builder Harley-Davidson, praised by US President Donald Trump as a pillar of American manufacturing and keeping jobs at home, is building a new plant in Thailand.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984759-iconic-american-harley-davidson-motorcycles-to-be-made-in-thailand/

 

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UPDATE:

 

Online defamation defendants wait on court action

By Sasiwan Mokkhasen, Staff Reporter

 

  

Andy Hall at the Bangkok South Criminal Court in August 2015. Photo: Andy Hall / Facebook

 

BANGKOK — A defendant in a defamation case was surprised to learn Wednesday that charges and convictions brought under the Computer Crime Act may be vacated, while a legal reform advocate said the improvements won’t end suppression of free speech.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984574-50000-defamation-suits-may-be-dropped-wednesday/?do=findComment&comment=11919735

 

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OPINION

All major political players share one dilemma: Public distrust 

By Suthichai Yoon
The Nation

 

BANGKOK: -- Nobody can say when the next general election will take place, despite an official timeline that promises we should be able to cast our ballots once again before the end of next year. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984760-all-major-political-players-share-one-dilemma-public-distrust/

 

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EDITORIAL

Out of the frying pan

By The Nation

 

If consumer-protection measures were being enforced, advertisers couldn’t make outlandish claims on TV

 

BANGKOK: -- It seems at first glance a trite matter, but controversy has focused on the so-called Korea King frying pan for a good reason. Television commercials in Thailand, particularly the pitches made on home-shopping programmes, routinely include exaggerated claims about the quality of the products on offer, and gullible  people are being conned.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984761-thai-editorial-out-of-the-frying-pan/

 

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Arrests in Manchester, Tripoli as police hunt suicide bomber's network

By Michael Holden and Andy Bruce

REUTERS

 

Britain deploys its military to guard key sites as the Prime Minister says the security threat is now 'critical'. Rough cut (no reporter narration).

 

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Police made arrests in Manchester and Tripoli on Wednesday as the investigation into a suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a concert venue packed with children focused on tracking down a network of accomplices who authorities fear could strike again.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984762-arrests-in-manchester-tripoli-as-police-hunt-suicide-bombers-network/

 

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Trump calls North Korea leader 'madman' who cannot be let on the loose - transcript

REUTERS

 

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy, May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Remo Casilli

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In a call last month with the Philippines' president, U.S. President Donald Trump described North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un as a "madman with nuclear weapons" who could not be let on the loose, according to a leaked Philippine transcript of their call.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984763-trump-calls-north-korea-leader-madman-who-cannot-be-let-on-the-loose-transcript/

 

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Egypt blocks 21 websites, including Al Jazeera -state news agency

REUTERS

 

The logo of Al Jazeera Media Network is seen during the annual MIPCOM television programme market in Cannes, France, October 17, 2016. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

 

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt has banned 21 websites, including the main website of Qatar-based al Jazeera television, for "supporting terrorism", state news agency MENA and security sources said on Wednesday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984764-egypt-blocks-21-websites-including-al-jazeera-state-news-agency/

 

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Russians talked about influencing Trump through advisers - NY Times

REUTERS

 

Then national security adviser General Michael Flynn delivers a statement daily briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 1, 2017. Picture taken February 1, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. spies learned last summer that Russian officials discussed influencing Donald Trump through his advisers Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing three current and former U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984765-russians-talked-about-influencing-trump-through-advisers-ny-times/

 

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Estimated 23 million would lose health insurance under Republican bill - CBO

By Yasmeen Abutaleb

REUTERS

 

An electronic patients chart is shown on the wall to a hospital room at the newly constructed Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center hospital in San Diego, California April 17, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An estimated 23 million people would lose health coverage by 2026 under Republican legislation aimed at repealing Obamacare, a nonpartisan congressional agency said on Wednesday in the first calculation of the new bill's potential impact.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984766-estimated-23-million-would-lose-health-insurance-under-republican-bill-cbo/

 

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U.S. can handle worsening terror threat - ex White House adviser

By Michael Connor

REUTERS

 

Richard A. Clarke, a former U.S. counterterrorism official at the Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, February 19, 2010. REUTERS/Christian Charisius (GERMANY)

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Even as terrorists grow more brazen, now even striking arenas packed with teenage music fans, improvements in counterterrorism technology and government preparedness make Americans safer than at any time since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, veteran U.S. counterterrorism expert Richard A. Clarke said.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984768-us-can-handle-worsening-terror-threat-ex-white-house-adviser/

 

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Customs Department cracking down on import tax evasion

 

 

BANGKOK, 25 May 2017 (NNT) – The Customs Department is keeping an eye on illicit businesses circumventing taxation such as travelers that return with goods for commercial purposes and shipping companies with fraudulent manifests while also considering cooperation with companies such as Alibaba, EBay and Amazon to combat non-regulated e-commerce. 

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984769-thai-customs-department-cracking-down-on-import-tax-evasion/

 

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In first under Trump, U.S. warship challenges Beijing's claims in South China Sea

By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart

REUTERS

 

FILE PHOTO: Chinese dredging vessels are purportedly seen in the waters around Mischief Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea in this still image from video taken by a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft provided by the United States Navy May 21, 2015. U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, the first such challenge to Beijing in the strategic waterway since U.S. President Donald Trump took office.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984777-in-first-under-trump-us-warship-challenges-beijings-claims-in-south-china-sea/

 

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Bangkok roads flooded following heavy overnight rains

By The Nation

 

Krungthep Kreeta Road at 7.39am by @Surasak Phromphong

 

BANGKOK: -- Heavy rains throughout Wednesday night and Thursday morning have caused flooding on many Bangkok roads, leading to severe traffic congestion during the morning rush hours.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984779-bangkok-roads-flooded-following-heavy-overnight-rains/

 

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Five flood-hit Bangkok schools closed
By The Nation

 

Bodindecha (Sing Singhaseni) School

 

BANGKOK: -- At least five Bangkok schools cancelled classes on Thursday after heavy rains caused flooding at the schools and on roads leading to the schools.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984780-five-flood-hit-bangkok-schools-closed/

 

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Suspected suicide bombers kill three police officers, wound 10 in Jakarta

By Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Tom Allard

REUTERS

 

Police secure the area following an explosion at a bus stop in Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, Indonesia May 24, 2017 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Sigid Kurniawan/ via REUTERS

 

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two suspected suicide bombers killed three Indonesian police officers and injured 10 people on Wednesday night in twin blasts near a bus station in the eastern part of the capital, police said.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984784-suspected-suicide-bombers-kill-three-police-officers-wound-10-in jakarta/

 

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United outclass Ajax to win Europa League on emotional night

By Philip O'Connor and Richard Martin

REUTERS

 

Football Soccer - Ajax Amsterdam v Manchester United - UEFA Europa League Final - Friends Arena, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden - 24/5/17 Manchester United celebrate winning the Europa League with the trophy Reuters / Andrew Couldridge

 

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Manchester United's Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored a goal in each half as their team comfortably outclassed Ajax Amsterdam to win an emotional Europa League final 2-0 and qualify for the group stages of the Champions League.

 

Full story:  https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/984785-united-outclass-ajax-to-win-europa-league-on-emotional-night/