Cops dealt drugs from police pick-up: Chalerm

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Animal activists seek action against Sattahip dog killer

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Animal-activists-seek-action-against-Sattahip-dog–30196199.html

The Nation on Sunday December 16, 2012 1:00 am

Animal rights advocates rallied outside a house in Sattahip in Chon Buri yesterday afternoon belonging to a German who stabbed a two-year-old Golden Retriever to death last month after the dog attacked his Rottweiler. The man has sought Bt300,000 in compensation from owners of the retriever for being bitten by the dog he killed.

Police had summoned Alfred Gatt, 65, and the retriever’s owners, Petty Officer First Class Kampol Nuansilpa and wife Wilawan, after the incident. They charged Gatt with causing others a loss of property. The case was heard at Pattaya Court, which is expected to deliver a ruling on Tuesday.

Gatt later sent a lawyer to sue the couple for Bt300,000 compensation for injuries – from dog bites to his arm and leg.

Yesterday, police guarded the area while Gatt and his wife stayed in the house. Some 20 people from a group led by Pavena Weeratham, 31 – “A Call for Animal Rights Thailand” – condemned Gatt for killing the retriever, called for him to go back to Germany and to get his mental health checked.

They protesters said it was unfair for Gatt to seek such a large sum of compensation after brutally killing the dog. Before the rally ended, they vowed that, if the case against Gatt did not progress, they would rally outside the German Embassy for justice for the slain dog and its owners. They also urged the Thai government to pass an animal protection law to punish animal abusers.

Temporary health workers to become permanent in January

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The Nation on Sunday December 16, 2012 1:00 am

Two ministerial regulations upgrading 117,000 non-medical temporary employees nationwide to permanent-employee status are complete and should take effect in January, Deputy Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew said yesterday.

The ministerial regulations were issued as a New Year gift to the employees.

Visiting Nan’s Sung Men Hospital for a policy briefing with health personnel yesterday, Cholnan said the two regulations were being considered by the Finance Ministry before being proposed to the public health minister and permanent secretary for approval. The first regulation establishes six committees to administer criteria for permanent employees’ work, qualifications, selection, payment, welfare, work assessment and criteria for resignation during the contract period. The second regulation amends funding criteria.

Deputy Public Health permanent secretary Supan Srithamma said permanent-employee status meant better career security, as the salary would be 1.2 times higher than that of a civil servant, while welfare benefits would be equivalent to those of civil servants including provident fund, study leave, salary-hike assessment, bonus, paid leave, travel allowance and meeting allowance.

Two bridges to connect Narathiwat with Malaysia

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Two-bridges-to-connect-Narathiwat-with-Malaysia-30196196.html

December 16, 2012 1:00 am

Thailand and Malaysia have agreed to build two cross-border bridges linking the neighbouring country with Tak Bai and Sungai Kolok districts of violence-plagued Narathiwat province to boost bilateral economic cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul, who represented Thailand at yesterday’s 12th meeting of the Thai-Malaysian Joint Committee, said the cost of constructing the bridges would be split equally between the two countries.

Construction is expected to begin in 2014. Thai authorities are preparing to spend an initial Bt24 million to design the bridges, which are expected to boost local economic development in the restive South, where years of unrest have resulted in thousands of casualties.

In addition, Thailand and Malaysia have agreed to open a border checkpoint in Sadao district of Songkhla province to promote trade and economic development in the area bordering Malaysia.

Another border checkpoint will be opened at Ban Prakob across from a special economic development zone being developed by Malaysia.

Surapong said border trade between Thailand and Malaysia accounts for a high percentage of bilateral trade volume between the two countries. He said he had also proposed to his Malaysian counterpart that the two countries promote cross-border tourism by rail from the Malaysian border town of Padang Besar to Hat Yai, continuing on to Chiang Mai in the North.

Approximately 1.4 million Thai tourists and 2.5 million Malaysian tourists cross the border annually.

Crane accident leaves Rama III area without power

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Crane-accident-leaves-Rama-III-area-without-power-30196191.html

Monthien Inthaket,
Supachai Phetchthewee
The Nation December 15, 2012 7:02 pm

This crane in Bangkok

Residents in Bangkok’s Rama III area suffered a blackout from this morning until the evening after a crane became entangled in power lines and pulled down 32 electricity poles, causing damage to four cars and a townhouse and injuring six people.

Many poles were uprooted and toppled onto the road. A taxi and a container truck were among four vehicles damaged, while the six injured were taken to Charoen Krung Pracharak Hospital.

After the blackout, power was cut off for safety reasons. The accident, at 6.30am, paralysed traffic on Rama III Road from the Nang Linchee Intersection to the Ratchadapisek Intersection.

The road section was blocked so Metropolitan Electricity Authority officials could fix the power poles and lines so electricity could be put back on.

Thaksin’s cousin seeks royal pardon over boxing match

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The Nation December 15, 2012 2:00 pm

Former Supreme commander General Chaiyasit Shinawatra has sought a royal pardon for using “King’s Cup” title in a boxing match without having received a royal authorisation.

Chaiyasit, a cousin of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, said he had sent a letter to the Office of His Majesty Principal Private Secretary to seek the royal pardon.

The controversial boxing match was held in Macao and the match was broadcast live on state-run NBT Channel.

Chaiyasit explained that actually no King Cup was given, but the Lt Col Kulthorn Prachupmoh, an organiser, incorrectly spoke on the stage that that the King Cup would be handed out to the winner.

Chaiyasit said the Office of His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary demanded that he issue a letter asking for a royal pardon for using the title “King’s Cup” without prior authorisation.

“The Office of His Majesty’s Principal Private Secretary reminded us about the issue several days ago. As the chairman of the event, I had to take responsibility. I’ve sent a letter to seek a royal pardon,” Chaisit said.

“What happened was another matter with Thaksin going live on NBT.”

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) on Friday assigned a subcommittee to look into a controversial broadcast featuring Thaksin.

“The subcommittee will gather more information on the case,” an informed source said.

It said the next meeting on the issue would take place on January 7.

NBTC member Supinya Klangnarong raised the issue at the broadcast and telecom regulator’s meeting Friday.

The controversy erupted on Sunday after state-run Channel 11 aired a boxing match from Macao presided over by Thaksin, who made a speech rebutting critics who questioned his loyalty to the Thai monarchy.

Police : 20 children among 26 victims : CNN

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CONNECTICUT SCHOOL SHOOTING

December 15, 2012 8:46 am

Newtown, Connecticut – Dressed in black fatigues and a military vest, a heavily armed man walked into a Connecticut elementary school Friday and opened fire, shattering the quiet of this southern New England town and leaving the nation reeling at the number of young lives lost.

CNN reported ithin minutes, 26 people were dead at Sandy Hook Elementary School — 20 of them children. Among the six adults killed were Dawn Hochsprung, the school’s beloved principal, and school psychologist Mary Sherlach.

The shooter, identified by three law enforcement officials as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also was killed, apparently by his own hand.

“Stuff like this does not happen in Newtown,” a tight-knit community of about 27,000 just outside Danbury, said Renee Burn, a local teacher at another school in town. In the past 10 years, only one homicide had previously been reported.

How the school shooting unfolded Student: I saw bullets going past 3rd grader describes shooting from class

Young students described being ushered into bathrooms and closets by teachers as the first shots rang out.

Third-grader Alexis Wasik said police and teachers barged into her classroom and told students to hide in the corner.

“Everybody was crying,” she said. “And I just heard the police officers yelling.” One parent who was in the school at the time of the shooting said she heard a “pop, pop, pop,” sound around 9:30 a.m. In the room with her were Hochsprung, the vice principal and Sherlach. All three left the room and went into the hall to see what was happening. The parent ducked under the table and called 911.

“I cowered,” she told CNN’s Meredith Artley. The shooter “must have shot a hundred rounds.”

Responding police officers helped evacuate the children, telling them to hold hands and keep their eyes closed to the carnage as they exited the building.

As reports of the shooting surfaced, frantic parents descended on a nearby firehouse where the children had been taken.

“Why? Why?” one woman wailed as she walked up a wooded roadway leading from the school.’It doesn’t seem possible’ — parents shocked by school shooting

Police declined to speculate on a motive Friday evening, citing the ongoing investigation. Lanza had no known criminal record, a law enforcement official said.

Somtam, pla ra listed as national treasures

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The Nation December 15, 2012 1:00 am

Papaya salad has been added to the Culture Ministry

Diners can now serve themselves a double helping of pride in Thai cuisine by eating papaya salad seasoned with fermented fish, as both traditional delicacies have been registered as national treasures by the Culture Ministry in one of seven categories established to preserve the Kingdom’s traditional heritage.

The move to put the Isaan (northeastern) delicacies somtam and pla ra – which can also be combined to make a delicious dish – on a list of national treasures is part of a move by Thailand to implement the Unesco protocol on Intangible Culture Heritage in the near future, Culture Minister Sonthaya Kunplome said at a Bangkok press conference on the issue.

There are four other items in the food-related category – various Thai set menus; kheowan curry; general Thai curries; and various chilli sauces. Somtam on its own is good with many other seasonings, while pla ra serves as an alternative to fish sauce. Both are traditional Isaan dishes popular among gastronomes across the country.

Sonthaya said the registration would encourage promotion of traditions among Thais, especially youth, while serving as a form of “immunity” against the overwhelming influence of foreign cultures.

He cited the phenomenal popularity of the Korean “Gangnam Style” video among Thai children, who he said know the dance by heart while possibly being ignorant of some of their own traditions, such as mark keb, a Thai version of the game of jacks.

Among other virtually forgotten traditional heritage is khan hin Ban Bu, handmade metal bowls produced in only one location: the Ban Bu area in Bangkok Noi district. Founded in the reign of King Rama III (1824-1851), the once-large community of khan hin Ban Bu craftsmen is now reduced to just nine people.

Samruay Wajasnoh, speaking at the press conference, said khan hin Ban Bu could disappear within five years without registration and promotion by the Culture Ministry.

The ministry’s list this year consists of 70 cultural heritage items in seven categories. Eighty such items have been registered by the ministry since 1999. The 70 items this year include activities from both mainstream Thai culture and local and indigenous traditions.

Both khan hin Ban Bu bowls and baat monk’s bowls, produced at Baan Baat (Monk’s Bowl Village), are in the original and traditional handicrafts category, which comprises 13 items including five woven fabrics and wooden products engraved with nacre (also known as mother of pearl).

The 11-item arts, music and performances category includes the three-string Thai violin, ancient plays and traditional performing arts from the South known as norah and rong ngeng.

In the 14-item traditional tales category, most are influenced by or related to Buddhism and revere late monks, while two are from indigenous traditions.

Along with Thai jacks, the eight-item games and sports category includes Thai chess, bull and buffalo racing, all forms of takraw competitions except for sepak takraw, which originated in Malaysia, and a martial art known as jerng from the Lanna culture of northern Thailand.

The next category comprises seven rituals and social norms, including phook siew and phook kler, in which holy strings are tied around one’s wrist by the elderly, and Maha Chart prayers, in which previous lives of the Buddha are praised.

The two remaining categories are the 11-item natural and universe-related wisdom group, and the six-item literature and language group.

Army blames weather for airship’s ‘emergency landing’

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The Nation December 15, 2012 1:00 am

The military says bad weather forced an “emergency landing” of its airship in the South on Thursday, disputing media reports that it had crashed.

“It was an emergency landing, not a crash as widely reported by mass media,” the Army’s deputy spokesman Colonel Winai Suwaree said yesterday.

The airship was assigned to provide surveillance during a visit by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. But the weather was bad as it took off from a military camp in Pattani’s Nong Chik district, so officials called for an emergency landing from an altitude of around 20 metres.

According to media reports, the crew, consisting of two pilots and two technicians, leapt from the cabin before the airship landed and sustained slight injuries.

The landing was hard, and caused damage to the cabin and rotary system as well as some equipment inside, Winai said.

The surveillance camera system, which is the most expensive equipment on the airship, was undamaged because it wasn’t installed on Thursday, he said.

The Army will ask the aviation safety committee to evaluate the damage, the spokesman said, adding that it would be some time before the full details of the incident are known.

The airship’s systems were working properly during a flight that morning, but it had difficulties with the bad weather in the afternoon, Winai said.

Colonel Pramote Prom-in, the Internal Security Operations Command deputy spokesman based in Pattani, said a report from the pilots indicated that they lost control of the airship due to the bad weather before the decision was made to make an emergency landing.

Purchased for Bt350 million in 2009, the US-made Sky Dragon airship has been among the Army’s more controversial procurements. It has been criticised for its high cost and poor performance. Since being commissioned, more than Bt25 million has been spent on repairs.

The airship has only occasionally flown, and after being mostly grounded for the past two years, the Sky Dragon took flight again just last month on surveillance missions in the skies over Pattani.

Schools in South set to reopen on Monday

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The Nation
December 15, 2012 1:00 am

Bomb squad members inspect the site of a roadside bomb attack by suspected separatist militants on an Army vehicle in Narathiwat yesterday. The attack left six Army rangers injured.

Schools in the insurgency-hit southern border area will be reopened on Monday as teachers are satisfied with the increased security measures for them.

The decision was reached at a meeting of teacher representatives in the Muslim-majority provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala.

Schools in the three provinces have been closed intermittently following a spate of deadly insurgent attacks on schoolteachers in the area, who were brutally gunned down.

Boonsom Thongsriprai, chief of the Federation of Teachers in Three Southern Border Provinces, who discussed the matter with the authorities yesterday, said the teachers wanted to be provided with strict security measures.

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung will meet Chularatchamontri Aziz Pitakkhumpol, the spiritual leader of Muslims in Thailand, next month to discuss the violence in the southern region.

Chalerm said he would ask Aziz during their meeting scheduled for January 7 to record a speech in an attempt to help restore understanding and confidence among the Thai-Muslim communities in the South.

His request to meet the spiritual leader follows in an increase in violence in the three southernmost provinces over the past weeks, in which fatal attacks have claimed the lives of many people, including teachers and civilians.

Chalerm said he assigned the governors of Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani to organise a meeting of kamnans and village chiefs and asked for their cooperation in solving the problems.

The governors would be asked to collect data on what they needed and did not need and convey this information to him so that he could forward it to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

He would also ask the Foreign Ministry to inform Muslim countries throughout the world about the brutal attacks by insurgents in Thailand, Chalerm said, adding he would travel to Malaysia and if possible, Indonesia, to discuss the southern problems. He declined to reveal details.

Meanwhile, six rangers were wounded when their armoured personnel carrier ran over an explosive device hidden by insurgents under a road in Joh I Rong district of Narathiwat.

An initial police investigation showed that the vehicle carrying the rangers was travelling on a road in the district when insurgents triggered a bomb. The front of the vehicle plunged into a hole caused by the explosion.

After the explosion, insurgents hiding on the roadside opened fire on the rangers. The exchange of gunfire lasted about 15 minutes before the insurgents managed to flee the scene.

Meanwhile, Lertkiat Wongpotiphan, deputy secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, met some 500 local Thai-Muslim leaders who gathered to pray for peace at Tanyongmas Mosque in Narathiwat’s Rangae district.

The leaders jointly declared their commitment to reject all unrest and violence, especially recent acts that claimed the lives of people, including an 11-month-old child.

At the meeting, Colonel Chalermchai Sutthinuan, commander of the 45th Ranger unit, announced that anyone who could provide information about the recent attack on a teashop would receive Bt100,000.

Migrant workers race to beat document deadline

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The Nation, Agencies
December 15, 2012 1:00 am

Migrant workers yesterday flocked to the Labour Ministry office in Samut Sakhon to apply for nationality verification, as the government decided not to extend the deadline.

Foreign labourers had until yesterday to prove their nationality, and those who fail to do so will be repatriated, according to Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap.

Yanin Bunmee, chief of Samut Sakhon’s nationality verification centre for Myanmar workers, said the daily verification of around 200 to 400 migrant workers has sharply increased to nearly 1,000 per day in the last two days, compelling labour officials to work until 2am daily.

Most workers in Samut Sakhon, home to the fisheries industry and seafood-packing plants, are from Myanmar.

The government’s deadline for an estimated 900,000 registered alien workers to prove their nationality to the Labour Ministry expired yesterday.

About 350,000 registered workers failed to meet the deadline and another 1.5 million foreigners work as labourers illegally, according to estimates by the government and labour rights groups.

A mass deportation would threaten labour-intensive industries, such as fisheries and construction, labour activists warned.

“If these 1.5 million people get sent back, the economy would be crushed. It’s impossible,” said Andy Hall, international adviser to the State Enterprise Work Relations Confederation of Thailand.

Given Thailand’s dependence on its illegal labour force, the seriousness of the government’s threat of mass deportation is being questioned.

“What we are going to see after [yesterday] is a massive extortion exercise by Thai authorities because they will be able to take advantage of the undocumented workers,” Hall said.

Labour rights and business groups had urged the government to extend the deadline.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce on Thursday called on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to defer the deadline for nationality verification, saying the mass repatriation of migrant workers would result in a severe labour shortage.

Padermchai said the deadline had been extended twice and employers wishing to rehire repatriated workers can apply to the Labour Ministry.

Nationality verification is significant in solving the problem of illegal foreign labour employment, which has negatively branded Thailand as a country where child labour and human trafficking are rampant.

First-car policy ‘putting people’s health at risk’

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Janjira Pongrai
The Natiom December 15, 2012 1:00 am

More than 381,184 Bangkok commuters are suffering from respiratory diseases caused by air pollution that has been associated with traffic jams, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration revealed yesterday.

“The volume of cars in the capital has increased the existence of pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide and tiny particles in the air,” BMA Deputy Governor Dr Malinee Sukvejvorakij said.

According to the BMA’s medical division, the number of people suffering from respiratory diseases such as asthma and allergies has risen drastically over the past seven years, with about 20,000 to 30,000 Bangkokians developing symptoms every year.

Traffic in Bangkok is getting worse thanks to the government’s first-car tax-rebate policy. As of October 31, car registrations in Bangkok had revved up to 7,384,934, of which 296,553 were for new cars bought under the first-car policy.

Though the number of cars registered has risen this year, the Pollution Control Department’s director general Wichian Jungrungreung said the quality of air in the capital was still “good” and that the number of particles smaller than 10 micrometres had reduced over the past two years.

“We have been strictly controlling air and noise pollution released from vehicles on the road,” he said.

To control pollution, Malinee said the BMA was considering collecting extra fees from car owners, especially those who take their vehicles downtown. In addition, she said, the BMA was planning to increase the number of green spots in the capital.

She added that the BMA would also team up with Transport Minister Chatchart Sithipan to resolve the traffic problem.

“We will hold a meeting inviting relevant agencies to discuss this issue and find measures to alleviate the problem,” she said.

Malinee said that since the first-car scheme was a policy introduced by the government to boost the automobile industry, the government should look for ways to ease the impact this policy is having on people’s health.

“We suffered bad pollution from black fumes released by cars 10 years ago and hope this problem does not return, as the number of cars on the roads has risen rapidly over the past two years,” she said.

Chalerm to meet with Chularatchamontri

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SOUTH CRISIS

December 14, 2012 3:23 pm

Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung will meet Chularatchamontri Aziz Pitakkhumpol next month to discuss the violence in the southern region.

Chalerm said he would ask Aziz during their meeting scheduled for January 7 to record a speech in an attempt to help restore understanding and confidence among the ThaiMuslim communities in the south.

His request to meet Chularatchamontri, the spiritual leader of Muslims in Thailand, follows in an increase in violence in the three southernmost provinces over the past weeks, in which fatal attacks have claimed many lives of people, including teachers and civilians.

Schools in Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala were closed intermittently after teachers were brutally gunned down. Six people, including an 11monthold baby, were killed when insurgents opened fire on a crowded teashop in Pattani on December 11.

Chalerm said he assigned the governors of Songkhla, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani to organise a meeting of Kamnans and village chiefs and asked for their cooperation in solving the problems.

The governors would be asked to collect data what they needed and did not need and convey this information to him so that he could forward it to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

He would also ask Foreign Ministry to inform Muslim countries throughout the world about the brutal attacks by insurgents in Thailand, Chalerm said, adding he would travel to Malaysia and if possible, Indonesia, to discuss the southern problems. He declined to reveal details.

Meanwhile Lertkiat Wongpotiphan, deputy secretary general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre, met some 500 Thai Muslim local leaders who gathered to pray for peace at Tanyongmas Mosque in Narathiwat’s Rangae district.

The leaders jointly declared their commitment to reject all unrest and violence, especially that claimed the lives of people, including a 11monthold child.

At the meeting, Col Chalermchai Sutthinuan, ranger commander of the 45 th unit announced that anyone who could provide any information about the teashop’s attackers would receive a Bt100,000.

Final rush for migrant workers as registration ends today

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ILLEGAL WORKERS

December 14, 2012 2:28 pm

Migrant workers flocked to the Thai government labour office in Samut Sakhon today to apply for nationality verification, as the government insisted that today’s deadline will not be extended.

Those who fail to have their nationality verified by today will be repatriated, said Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap.

The majority of workers in Samut Sakhon on the Gulf of Thailand, 100 km southwest of Bangkok, are from Myanmar. The province is known for its fishing industry.

The Thai Chamber of Commerce on Thursday called on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to defer the deadline for nationality verification, saying the mass repatriation of migrant workers would result in a severe labour shortage nationwide.

Padermchai said the deadline had been extended twice and Thai employers wishing to rehire repatriated workers can apply to the Labour Ministry.

Nationality verification is significant in solving the problem of illegal foreign labour employment, which has negatively branded Thailand as a country where child labour and human trafficking are rampant.

Yanin Bunmee, chief of Samut Sakhon’s nationality verification centre for Myanmar workers, said the daily verification of 200400 migrant workers has sharply increased to nearly 1,000/day in the last two days, compelling labour officials to work until 2am daily.

Myamnar workers reporting here are from Samut Sakhon and nearby provinces.

Airship crash hurts four

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ARMY

The Nation December 14, 2012 1:00 am

The Royal Thai Army’s airship crashed yesterday while providing surveillance for Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s visit to Pattani, falling from an altitude of 15 metres.

Four crewmembers suffered minor injuries as they jumped from the aircraft before it hit the ground. The incident took place at around 3pm in a Pattani military camp as the airship was coming in for a landing.

As much as 50 per cent of the airship’s body was damaged, a military spokesperson said. However, journalists and outsiders were prohibited from entering the crash site. The Fourth Army Region, which operates the airship, issued no comments.

Costing Bt350 million, the controversial airship was purchased around three years ago by the Army’s then-chief Anupong Paochinda to provide surveillance in the South. Plagued with technical problems, the airship could not fly at a satisfactory altitude and was deemed too vulnerable for military operations.

Kept in a hangar in Pattani, it has flown only recently, making a surveillance flight last month during the Loy Krathong festival.

Around Bt25 million has been spent on upkeep and improvements to the airship, an A-40D Sky Dragon manufactured by the Worldwide Aeros Corporation. For a time, the airship was kept deflated, which caused leaks to develop. So Bt300,000 a month has been required to keep it filled with helium to prevent further leaks.