Chiang Mai police dispersed the red shirts on Thursday's night following a five-hour confrontation at Phuphing police station in Mueang district.
There was no official report on casualties although one woman was seen to have sustained minor injuries after a ping-pong bomb exploded during the commotion on Huay Kaew Road.
Provincial Police Region Five chief Lt General Somkid Boonthanom said he was responsible for ordering the crackdown on the red shirts who he claimed had turned unruly.
Somkid said police followed prescribed steps on crowd control, including the five-minute warning to disperse. The anti-riot forces were equipped with shields and batons. Water canan was deployed.
The tension started in the evening when the red shirts tried to hold a rally at Chiang Mai Airport to protest against Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai.
Korn and Porntiva arrived at the northern city for an inspection trip.
One of the rally organisers, Niyom Luangcharoen, was detained by police after the discovery that he was carrying a pistol without a license.
Niyom was brought for questioning at the police station and hundreds of the red shirts rallied to demand his release. They also blocked traffic on Huay Kaew, a main thoroughfare.
Although a majority of protesters voluntary dispersed after hearing that police agreed to grant bail to Niyom, about a hundred red shirts carried on protesting.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Police clash with red-shirt protesters
Nine people killed in blasts at Jakarta luxury hotels
Two powerful explosions hit the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels Friday morning in the Indonesian capital, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens of others, police and the security minister said.
Six bodies were found in Jakara's Marriott hotel, two in the nearby Ritz-Carlton and another victim died in hospital after the blasts, which took place during the hotels' busy breakfast time, chief security minister Widodo Adisucipto said.Four foreigners were killed, including the president of the local unit of Swiss cement maker Holcim Ltd, Timothy Mackay, local media reported.More than 40 people were injured in the blasts and were taken to nearby hospitals, Widodo said.Television footage showed severely injured victims, including foreigners, being taken out of the Marriott hotel.Smoke was rising from the hotels, and glass from broken windows and other debris were scattered on the ground.Jakarta police spokesman Chrysnanda, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, confirmed that the blasts came from "high-explosive bombs.""An investigation is under way by bomb experts," he said.The first explosion hit the Ritz-Carlton, destroying its facade, and the second blast hit a restaurant in the nearby Marriott a few minutes later."I was having a breakfast in the nearby restaurant when I heard a very strong blast," said Intan, an officer worker."I saw several foreigners covered in blood taken out of the hotel," she told the TV One channel.The hotels, connected by an underground tunnel and located in a business and diplomatic district, were popular with foreigners as a venue for business meetings because they were thought to be well-protected.The blast was the second bombing on the Jakarta Marriott. In August 2003, a militant drove a bomb-laden truck into the lobby of the hotel and set it off, killing 12 people and injuring 150."The only group that has the ability to carry out such attacks is Jemaah Islamiyah," terrorism expert Rohan Gunaratna told Channel News Asia.Until Friday, Indonesia had not had a major bombing since October 2005 when militants belonging to Jemaah Islamiyah, a regional terrorist group affiliated with al-Qaeda, blew themselves up at three restaurants in Bali, killing 20 people.Jamaah Islamiyah is also blamed for the October 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers.Analysts have said that the group's violent faction has been severely weakened after the arrest of scores of operatives in recent years but determined militants were still capable of mounting a deadly attack.Meanwhile, a car caught fire near a toll road gate in northern Jakarta, leaving two people dead, but it appeared to be an accident and unrelated to the blasts, Metro TV reported.The hotel bombings came a little more than a week after the July 9 presidential election, in which incumbent Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono appeared set to win a second five-year term although the final results have yet to be officially confirmed.Yudhoyono has been credited with restoring security after a spate of deadly attacks blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah since the start of the decade.Presidential spokesman Andi Mallarangeng said Yudhoyono would make a statement later in the day."This is something very disconcerting," Mallarangeng told Metro TV.English Premier League champions Manchester United were due to stay at the Ritz-Carlton for their friendly match with an Indonesian All Stars side Monday.
Source: The Nation
42nd Asean foreign ministers' meeting starts in Phuket
in Phuket on Thursday. They were among
thousands of security personnel deployed during.
Cambodia tries to tame traffic chaos
PHNOM PENH (AFP) – Student Chhin Sothea found out the hard way that it's not enough just to take care when crossing the street in Phnom Penh -- a motorcycle ploughed into him from behind as he strolled down the sidewalk.
"Now I keep an eye on street traffic all the time and when I get on a fast motorbike, my stomach turns," says the 23-year-old, who spent most of his savings recovering in hospital.
Stories like Chhin Sothea's are common in Cambodia, a rapidly developing country where traffic fatalities have more than doubled over the past five years, becoming the second-biggest killer after AIDS.
"The construction of smoother roads, an ever-increasing number of cars and motorbikes, and bold but often uneducated drivers will become a deadly mix in years to come," says Sem Panhavuth from Handicap International.
A report by his organisation, which monitors Cambodian road safety, found the country saw around 4.5 fatalities per day in 2008, and the number spiked to five per day in the first two months of 2009.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has recently used speeches to implore drivers to take more care, and the government is making greater efforts to bring order to chaotic roads.
The capital Phnom Penh got its first five speed detectors in March and traffic police are now frequently seen out in force, cracking down on motorcyclists who drive without helmets or rear-view mirrors.
Traffic police chief Tin Prasoeur says the compulsory helmet and mirror laws have helped reduce injuries.
"Most of the deadly traffic accidents are usually caused by Cambodian youngsters who race each other through the streets," Tin Prasoeur told AFP. "No traffic police want their money (fines) but we want to draw attention to dangers from not following the law or respecting their own safety," he adds.
However, few are optimistic Cambodia's surging traffic accident toll will soon fall.
"I've seen some improvement on the streets, and little by little we hope to see a new shape in Cambodia," says Pheng Saly, a driving instructor for nearly two decades, who is seeing an increase in clients every month.
"But the issue now is that people don't really respect the traffic laws. Many don't care to know the rules, and they break them," he adds.
Phee Khorn, a motorcycle taxi driver in Phnom Penh for the past five years, says the new road rules are not working and the problem lies with lax law enforcement.
"We see traffic police on the streets daily. They often play cat-and-mouse games by stopping bikes or cars all of a sudden, sometimes for no apparent reason," Phee Khorn says.
"When police fine us for not having a helmet or rear-view mirrors, they just take money and let us go," he adds.
For his part, traffic cop San Sophorng says he is learning how little respect his occupation gets as he tries to bring order to dangerous streets.
"When I stop people without helmets or rear-view mirrors, I always tell them their mistakes and, you know, fine them," he says, adding he gets to keep twenty percent of the money.
As he watches drivers weave, honk and jockey for position around one of Phnom Penh's bulging markets, San Sophorng says accidents are increasing because drivers don't care about the rules.
"A lot of people don't obey the traffic laws, and I can't control them all," he says, taking a short break in the shade with a few other blue uniformed policemen. "I'm becoming more tired every day."
Source: AFP
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Police leaked secrets, top cop admits
"This case could have been wrapped up sooner but has been slow because some police do not have the spirit of being law enforcers. Some act as whistleblowers and leak secrets. Some are afraid to work after being threatened. So we ended up having few investigators working on the case," Thanee said.
Police had launched a manhunt for two suspected gunmen involved in the attempted hit, amid fears the two might be targeted for killing themselves to ensure they keep silent on the person or persons behind the case, Thanee said.
"The two should report themselves to police because their lives might be in danger," he said.
A court approved arrest warrants on Tuesday for Pol Cpl Worawut Mungsanti and Master Sergeant first class Panya Srihaera.
The two are wanted on charges of premeditated attempted murder and possessing guns in public places without permission.
If police can arrest the two, they could issue more arrest warrants for those involved, Thanee said, adding that police believed the suspects were still in the country.
Worawut is a police officer assigned to the Narcotics Suppression Bureau who was seconded to work at the Department of Special Investigation.
Panya is a non-commissioned Army officer from the Special Warfare Command in Lop Buri.
The charges relate to the bid to kill Sondhi, co-leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy and founder of ASTV, early on April 17.
The Army has not commented on Panya's whereabouts. The police anti-drug unit said
Worawut was absent from work for 14 days. He faces a mandatory disciplinary probe with the threat of a dishonourable discharge, if he fails to report for work today.
Thanee said police did not think Rassami Mekchai, who was found to own the dark-purple pick-up suspected to be used in the attack, was involved in the shooting.
Police are also searching for a Mazda pick-up the assailants used to follow Sondhi's car from his home. They had found there were 800 of this model in the country and links to five of these were still being probed.
Police had yet to find guns used in the attack but said this was not a worry as they had other circumstantial evidence and witnesses that make the case solid.
Thanee said this case was actually the responsibility of the Metropolitan Police Bureau and deputy Bangkok Police Chief as chief investigator but he had had to handle it to make progress. He has not been intimidated or threatened, as he knew how to carry himself.
Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban praised police for making progress on a case that was tough.
Asked if he thought police would be able to link high-ranking military officials or police that might be involved in the attack, Suthep said the case was the work of individuals not an institution. He said the fact the two suspects were a soldier and a police officer didn't mean both institutions were involved.
New Politics Party secretary-general Suriyasai Katasila called on the government not to isolate the police team working on the case, saying it must draw a clear line between not interfering and leaving them isolated.
Thanee's team had taken the right path in finding the culprits in the attack of Sondhi, who also believed his attackers were men in uniform, Suriyasai said.
"What we worry about is whether the government will support this police team and make sure that this is not a phoney fight, especially when Thanee has revealed that some investigators let out secrets and there have been high-powered groups trying to intimidate investigators," he said.
"Although Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan have vowed this case is not a phoney fight, we have to see if they give cooperation and support to police. Just before police went to arrest the gunmen, informants leaked the news to the media about the arrest warrants, causing the suspects to become aware and able to escape,"
Suriyasai said.
He said the PM always reiterated about the rule of law and moral principles, so Sondhi's case would be test whether the PM acted as he preached. "By letting Thanee's team be intimidated and threatened, the PM is blurring the line between not interfering and leaving them isolated,'' he said.
Matubhum Party spokesman Muk Sulaiman questioned the timing of the police news on the case, saying news broke just when the government faced adverse publicity about swine flu and the foreign minister.
Thailand registers 412 new A (H1N1) cases, raising total to 4,469
Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nopamornbodi said Wednesday that 412 new cases of type-A (H1N1) influenza have been confirmed, raising the total cases in Thailand to 4,469.
No more fatalities were reported, he said.Ten patients are still in critical condition in hospitals, the minister said.
The Nation
Thaksin's defence to call first witness on the Bt76 billion asset seizure case
The Supreme Court will on Thursday convene to hear the first batch of two defence witnesses on the Bt76 billion asset seizure case involving ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra and his family.
At the trial conducted in absentia, the defence team has summoned Kanchanpa Honghern, secretary to Thaksin's ex-wife Pojaman, and legal adviser Chatchai Tanthaprasart, to testify.Public prosecutors contend Thaksin's fortune is ill-gotten amassed from conflict of interest.The defence will call 56 witnesses and the prosecution has lined up 58 witnesses. Each side is allocated 25 hearings for testimonies.
The Nation
Thaksin was never here: KL's top cop
Fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra was never in Malaysia nor was he given protection by the Special Branch as he has claimed, Malaysia's Inspector General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said.
Musa said Malaysian police had no knowledge of any visit by Thaksin, despite earlier reports quoting Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam as saying Thaksin had been spotted in Malaysia recently but left the country before he could be arrested by local authorities.
Thaworn said Thai embassy officials had informed the Malaysian authorities to seek Thaksin's arrest and extradition.
But Musa said: "We were only alerted by the Thai embassy here of the fugitive's supposed presence early this month fol-lowing a news report in Bangkok.
"As far as we are concerned, he was never in the country and we did not send 20 Special Branch officers to protect him. We have checked with local hotels, Immigration and other sources, and there is no evidence to show he was ever here."
Thaksin told a community radio station in Udon Thani that his private jet stopped in Kuala Lumpur on July 4 for refuelling and that 20 Special Branch officers were sent to protect him. "They love and care about me,"Thaksin said.
Musa was responding to a report in The Nation on Tuesday.
Source: The Nation
Man arrested with 'Bt13-million' fake US dollars
A man allegedly carrying wads of fake US currency worth Bt13 million was arrested at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre in Bangkok's Bang Na district Wednesday.Kowit Pulthavee, 36, said he was a shrimp farmer who had worked in the past as a police informant. He claimed the fake banknotes were seized from criminals and an investigation team had agreed they could be useful in a police sting operation,so he carried them from Chanthaburi to Bangkok by transport van but was arrested.
The Nation
Cambodia, France to strengthen relations, cooperation
Cambodia and France have pledged to strengthen their both diplomatic relations and commercial cooperation between the two countries, according to a press statement released Wednesday by the Cabinet of the Prime Minister Hun Sen. The statement said Bernard Kouchner, foreign minister of France during his talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, has vowed to strengthen the two countries' relations by proposing a set up as soon as possible a Cambodia-France Joint Committee so as to consolidate the relations and cooperation. And in addition to consideration on additional financial assistance to Cambodia, France had also pledged to grant more graduate scholarships to Cambodian students, it added. Hun Sen was on a five-day official visit to France during which he had held a series of meetings and talks including Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Prime Minister Francois Fillon and President Nicolas Sarkozy. While meetings with those French leaders, Hun Sen said Cambodia had granted French oil company Total to exploit oil exploration in Block III, one of its potential oil and gas resources in the Gulf of Thailand with which France welcomed it and expressed its satisfaction. Hun Sen left the country on July 9 for an official visit to France and Britain where he will attend his son's graduation ceremony and he is expected to return home on Sunday.
Source: Xinhua
Cambodia, China complete phase 1 of GMS Information Highway Project
A signing ceremony for the completion of Phase 1 of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Information Highway Project in Cambodia was held in Phnom Penh on Wednesday by China's Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. ("Huawei") in collaboration with Telecom Cambodia. Both parties provided a brief overview and arrangement of the work of Phase I of the GMS Information Highway Project - a project funded by the government of China - and voiced their support for the promotion and development of Phase 2 of the Project. The event was graced by the presence of the Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Keat Chhon, Minister of Posts and Telecommunication So Khun, diplomats from Chinese Embassy and representatives of other technical experts. "The project will help strengthening and foster the relationships between our people and nations in the GMS region, as well as to promote stronger Cambodia's and regional economies," said Keat Chhon, adding that "in particular, this project would play an important role in strengthening the relationship between China and Cambodia in developing tele-communication sector." The GMS Information Highway Project Phase l - started from Dec.2007 and completed in June 25, 2009 - involved the task of laying an optical fiber cable over a total distance of 649.9 km and equipment upgrades for the 11 stations as well as the construction of 15 new stations along the route within the Kingdom of Cambodia. The completion of the GMS Information Highway Project Phase l has brought about, within the Kingdom of Cambodia, the coverage of an optical transmission system in the Mekong Basin with a high capacity backbone in addition to interconnection with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, promoting to a great extent the construction level of basic communication networks of Cambodia, building a solid foundation for further development in the Cambodian communications industry. In the mean time, interaction between all countries of the Greater Mekong Subregion has been strengthened, making it a crucial contribution to the joint development of all nations in the subregion. "I strongly believe that the development of telecommunication sector, GMS-IS, in Cambodia will strengthen the long-lasting cooperation between Cambodia and China as well as the cooperation in the Greater Mekong Subregion for sustainable economic growth and prosperity of all countries in the region," Keat Chhon said.
Source:Xinhua
'I never used any torture,' senior interrogator at Khmer Rouge prison tells tribunal
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia - A senior interrogator at the most notorious Khmer Rouge prison denied Tuesday that he tortured victims, despite grisly earlier testimony from his former boss that torture was common there.
Mam Nai, 76, told the U.N.-backed genocide tribunal that his main duty was to interrogate low-ranking Khmer Rouge soldiers who allegedly opposed the regime, as well as Vietnamese prisoners of war.
"I never used any torture. It was my understanding that applying torture would lead to an inappropriate confession, that there would be little true in forced confessions," Mam Nai said.
His testimony comes at the trial of Kaing Guek Eav - better known as Duch - who headed the S-21 prison in Phnom Penh. Up to 16,000 people were tortured under his command and later taken away to be killed during the Khmer Rouge's 1975-1979 rule. Only a handful survived.
During hours of earlier testimony, Duch graphically described torture methods used at the prison, though he did not testify about Mam Nai's activities there. He has asked forgiveness from victims' relatives.
Duch (pronounced DOIK), 66, is the first senior Khmer Rouge figure to face trial and the only one to acknowledge responsibility for his actions. He is charged with crimes against humanity and is the first of five defendants scheduled for long-delayed trials by the tribunal.
Senior leaders Khieu Samphan, Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary and Ieng Sary's wife, Ieng Thirith, are detained and are likely to face trial in the next year or two.
Mam Nai allegedly was responsible for the interrogation and torture of high-ranking members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea accused of plotting against the regime.
He said he met Duch after fleeing into the jungle to fight with the Khmer Rouge in 1973, and Duch trained him in interrogation. He said he was once assigned to question 20 Vietnamese soldiers.
"First, I had to play politics with them, to make them understand and then they agreed to make a confession. After that, I asked for their biographies and their personal activities," he said.
"If the prisoners refused to confess, I asked the guards to take them back to their cells to think and reflect on their positive and negative activities," he said
Source: The Canadian Press
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Girl's donation jar stolen from dad's store
LOWELL, Mass. -- Police are looking for two teenagers who went into a convenience store and stole a donation jar that had been put there by a 10-year-old girl who was raising money for children in Cambodia.
Police were called to P&S Convenience at 35 Willie Street in Lowell just after 9 p.m. Sunday night when the teens took off with the donation jar.
The jar with about $150 was chained to the store's counter, but they got away with it.
Lowell Police are looking for the suspects.
"It's not just the money that was taken away, it's all the effort my daughter was putting into it," said Peter Nhim, convenience store owner.
His daughter, Chresina Nhi, said that she still wants to help.(Copyright (c) 2009 Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Southern Gold 'strikes gold' in Cambodia
Southern Gold Ltd says it has found significant gold mineralisation at one of its projects in Cambodia.
The gold junior found "a number of prominent gold intersections" during its first reverse circulation drilling program, the company said.
Shares in the company leapt on news of the discovery, which identified gold intersections as rich as 8.8 grams per tonne.
Other metals including silver, copper and zinc also were located at the site.
Southern Gold managing director Stephen Biggins said the maiden drilling program validated the company's confidence in the area.
"I am delighted with the results of this first-pass drill program and look forward to aggressively following-up these results," Mr Biggins said in a statement.
At 1107 AEST, shares in Southern Gold were up 1.5 cents, 15 per cent, to 11.5 cents.
AAP
Thaksin an embarrassment to Malaysian gov't: Thaworn
Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam on Tuesday questioned the credibility of fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra who claimed to have received VIP protection during a one-night transit in Malaysia last week."Thaksin is known for saying something but doing differently," he said in reaction Thaksin's account of his stop-over in Kuala Lumpur."Thaksin's boasting has just caused an embarrassment to the Malaysian authorities who are obligated to send him back," he said.
The Nation
INFLUENZA 2009 - Flu Pandemic is now "unstoppable"
The flu pandemic is now "unstoppable" and every nation needs equal access to vaccines, a WHO official said today.
The call from the World Health Organisation came after seven new deaths were reported in the UK yesterday, as well as others in Thailand and the Philippines, and a new study raised fresh concerns.
A panel of immunisation experts met in Geneva on July 7 to discuss a combat plan for the spread of the disease and concluded that "since the pandemic is considered unstoppable, vaccine will be needed in all countries".
The experts said the key priorities for each nation was to protect the integrity of the health care system, reduce the death rate and reduce transmission.
Health care workers will be first in line to receive the H1N1 vaccine when it is available. \
The Nation
INFLUENZA TYPE A (H1N1) - Flu claims three more fatalities
The new strain of influenza claimed three more fatalities on Tuesday, bringing the death toll in Thailand to 24.
Dr Paichit Varachit, deputy permanent secretary for Health, said a 67-year-old woman who suffered from last stage of lung cancer succumbed to the flu in a Bangkok hospital.
Meanwhile a 57-year-old woman became the 23rd victim of the flu. She died in a private hospital in Maha Chai, Samut Sakhon.
Paichit said the 24th victim was a 32-year-old woman who weighed about 120 kilogrammes and had suffered from asthma.
He added Thailand also reported 176 new cases of the flu, bringing the number of cases to 4,517.
Souce: The Nation
Everybody's dreaming of Udaipur
Results from the mag's poll of readers show that Bangkok has slipped to third behind Udaipur and Cape Town in the Top 10 Cities Worldwide category, but that Chiang Mai is a newcomer, in at No 5. Cities are judged for their sights, culture/arts, restaurants/food, people, shopping and value.
City of Lakes
Known as the City of Lakes, Udaipur is located in the state of Rajasthan in northwestern India.
It was once the capital of the kingdom of Mewar, ruled over for centuries by kings of the Rajput dynasties.
They left behind grand palaces which, along with the beauty of Udaipur's many lakes, have made the historic city the world's favourite this year.
"For a number of top-ranked cities - Udaipur, Cape Town, Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang - value ratings were sky-high," says Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of Travel + Leisure. "And while many far-flung metropolises made a strong showing, old favourites like T+L's hometown, New York City, as well as Florence, Rome and San Francisco remain in the top 10 overall.
Holidays on a budget
"This year's results reflect our readers' travel interests in this challenging economic reality - value, intimacy, service and discovery are top priorities. As for that old-fashioned sounding word, luxury, it's all about enclaves that shelter 'stealth wealth', from Amankora Paro in Bhutan to San Ysidro Ranch in California, where 'casual' and 'laid-back' are the names of the game."
The 2009 results will be announced in Travel + Leisure's August issue, which comes out on July 24. The winners will be honoured at an awards ceremony on July 21 at the Cooper Square Hotel in New York.
Readers were polled in the February and March issues as well as online at online at www.TravelAndLeisure.com/worldsbest now.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Special security protection for me in Malaysia : Thaksin
Fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra confirmed yesterday that he had stayed overnight in Malaysia and had been provided with special-branch police security.
"My private jet stopped for refuelling in Malaysia and they sent 20 special-branch policemen to guard me. They love and care about me," Thaksin said in a phone-in to FM 97.5 Udon Lovers community radio station yesterday morning.
This is the first time that Thaksin has been so close to Thailand since he fled last year.
Thai authorities had said earlier that Thaksin was in Malaysia on July 4 and had left the next day for Fiji before Thai police could take action. Thaksin ended his island hopping in the South Pacific and flew back to Dubai last Friday.
In the radio programme, host Kwanchai Praipana, a staunch supporter of Thaksin, asked the ousted PM about his thoughts on the current government's performance.
The radio programme was also broadcast via the Internet so communities across the nation could listen in.
During the hour-long chat, Thaksin called on his red-shirt supporters to unite and prepare for the next elections.
"If there is an election we will have to come out in force like we did in Sakon Nakhon and Si Sa Ket, [where the by-elections were won by Pheu Thai Party], and change the direction of Thailand," he said.
He also added that should Pheu Thai win the elections and form the next government, it would make reconciliation possible.
Some 200 members of the Udon Lovers Club, which is associated with the radio programme, greeted the former premier, saying they missed him and wanted him to return to Thailand soon.
"You people [Udon natives] are role models for red-shirt supporters nationwide. If I have a chance to return, I will buy a plot of land and build a house [in Udon Thani]," Thaksin told his supporters.
Later Kwanchai said he would evaluate the response to the phone-in and added that he might ask the former PM to call again if he felt the need to defend himself.
"For three years Thaksin has been facing accusations, and he has not been able to defend himself because the state media has shut its door on him. So, our community radios nationwide should allow him to be heard," the host said.
Health experts tell people to avoid public places
As the type-A (H1N1) virus spreads and claims more victims, the chorus to halt all forms of public life seems to be growing more strident.
"The transmission rate of the new flu virus from humans to humans will be drastically decreased if people across the country, including patients with flu-like symptoms, stay home and do not participate in any social gathering for two weeks," said Dr Tippawan Nagchinta, a health expert from the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Tippawan, who is a consultant from the CDC to the Field Epidemiology Training Programme, urged the government to tell people to avoid crowded places in order to slow down the increase in the H1N1 virus' fatality and infection rates.She was speaking after a meeting with top-level health officers and experts from the country's leading medical schools in Bangkok at the Public Health Ministry. If the government shuts down public spaces where people meet and hang out, including schools, cinemas and theatres, morbidity would immediately decrease, she said.This lesson has already been borne out in the US, where infections among students were reduced rapidly after the CDC ordered some schools, where infected cases were found, to stop operating for two weeks, she said.If the government could not ban all public areas, it should pick those places with the most cases, she said.Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kachornprasart also said he personally believes it was now time to call off all classes to control the spread of the 2009 flu."The suspension should last two to four weeks during which a major clean-up operation would be conducted," he said."After that, the schools can resume classes and arrange make-up sessions later."Sanan chairs the committee dealing with the disease. He also thought about promoting the use of facemasks. "The Public Health Ministry plans to allocate Bt10 million for purchasing face masks," he said."All Cabinet members will wear face masks at their meeting to lead by example."Sanan plans to seek Bt70 million from the Cabinet today for public campaigns on how to guard against the pandemic.Former public health minister Suchai Charoenratana-kul also advised the govern-ment to close all schools for one week. "All entertainment events should be withheld during the same period, too," he said.The new flu is a real threat because its death toll here is the highest in Asia and the sixth highest in the world. The government should also be cautious about the use of antiviral vaccine for the H1N1 flu, he said. "Any rush may bring unwanted deaths and paralysis," he said.
Source: The Nation
Leader to build Cambodia power plant
MALAYSIA'S Leader Universal Holdings Bhd will invest US$160 million in a new coal-fired power plant in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, to meet the local increasing demand for electricity, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. Presently, the capacity of all power plants in the Southeast Asian nation is only around 410MW while the demand is estimated at 808MW, according to the local state-owned power company, “Electricite du Cambodge”. The power plant with a designed capacity of 100 MW is scheduled to commence its operations in 2012 after two years of construction, said Leader’s Managing Director Sean H’ng Chun Hsiang. The company is leading wire and cable producer located in Penang. The Group's principal activities are manufacturing and selling telecommunication, power and optical fibre cables, and various electronic wires.
Other activities include providing power generation services, property development, letting of properties, insurance agent and investment holding. Besides Malaysia and Cambodia, the Group also carried ot projects in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Belgium and Saudi Arabia. Sean also revealed a plan to develop a 700MW power plant in Sihanoukville and the project will start after the completion of the 100MW plant in 2012. Cambodia currently relies on importing electricity, with 220 MW from Vietnam and 30 MW from Thailand. - Bernama
Source: Bussiness Times
The Asia Foundation Appoints Gavin Tritt as Country Representative in Cambodia
SAN FRANCISCO & PHNOM PENH, Cambodia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, The Asia Foundation announced the appointment of Gavin Tritt as Country Representative in Cambodia. He succeeds Roderick Brazier, who served as the Foundation’s Country Representative from 2006 to May 2009.
An expert on governance, counter-corruption, and education in Asia, Mr. Tritt joined the Foundation in 1993 as a program officer for economics in the Foundation’s Center for Asian and Pacific Affairs.
From 1999-2002, he was the Foundation’s Deputy Country Representative in the Philippines, where he developed and managed programs, including in economic and counter-corruption reform. Mr. Tritt also managed the Pacific Economic Outlook project. For the following six years, as director of the Foundation's Books for Asia program, Tritt oversaw the dramatic expansion of the program, which now donates one million books a year throughout Asia. During his tenure, the number of book donations tripled and the program expanded to provide books and educational materials to Afghanistan, India, and Bhutan. Tritt then moved from the Books program to serve as director of the Foundation's Governance programs. In this capacity, he led the design and implementation of programs on counter-corruption and local governance, as well as the Foundation’s strategic planning and evaluation efforts.
Tritt holds a B.A. in East Asian studies from Yale University and a M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University.
ABOUT THE ASIA FOUNDATION
The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society; women's empowerment; economic reform and development; and international relations. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.
With offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level. In 2008, the Foundation provided more than $87 million in program support and distributed over one million books and educational materials valued at $41 million throughout Asia.
Source: Yahoo
INFLUENZA 2009 - Death toll reaches 21 Monday
The new strain of influenza claimed three more fatalities on Monday, bringing the death toll to 21.
The 19 th victim was a 19-year-old boy from Surat Thani province and succumbed to death in a Bangkok hospital.
The 20 th was a 46-year-old woman. She died in Sakhon Nakhon province.
Thai Public Health Ministry said the latest victim was a 53-year-old woman, of Bangkok.
Source: The Nation
KRouge victim identifies photos of dead family
A woman who said she survived the Khmer Rouge's main torture centre has identified at Cambodia's UN-backed war crimes court chilling photos of family members killed at the jail.
Nam Mon, 48, was testifying at the trial of prison chief Duch, who is accused of overseeing the torture and extermination of around 15,000 people who passed through Tuol Sleng prison during the regime's brutal 1975-1979 rule.
"This is the photo of my father the moment he was dying," Nam Mon said after being shown an image of an emaciated man lying down, staring into the air.
As a court-appointed psychiatrist comforted her, Nam Mon identified black and white prison photos of her parents, three brothers and a sister-in-law executed at the prison.
Recognised as a civil claimant in the case against Duch, Nam Mon told the court Thursday that one of her brothers had been ordered to kill her father. Her testimony was adjourned last week when she began to weep uncontrollably.
Nam Mon said that her two elder brothers were guards at Tuol Sleng before her family was killed at the notorious jail, while she initially lived and worked there as a medic before being interrogated herself.
"I treated the sick. I saw prisoners who were beaten and interrogated... I only saw the wounds and the bleeding on bodies of prisoners while I treated them," Nam Mon said Monday.
The 66-year-old Duch, real name Kaing Guek Eav, begged for forgiveness from victims near the start of his trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity, after accepting responsibility for his role overseeing the jail.
But he has consistently rejected claims by prosecutors that he held a central leadership role in the Khmer Rouge, and says he never personally executed anyone.
Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge emptied Cambodia's cities in a bid to forge a communist utopia. Up to two million people were executed or died of starvation, overwork or torture.
Four other former Khmer Rouge leaders are currently in detention and are expected to face trial next year.
Source: AFP
11 Places With a Worse Economy Than Ours
The International Monetary Fund's latest tally of world economic conditions forecasts a 2.6 decline in U.S. economic output for all of 2009, and anemic growth of 0.8 percent in 2010. Read More
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Searchers shovel Northwest dirt seeking giant worm
The worm is said to secrete a lily-like smell when handled, spit at predators, and live in burrows 15 feet deep. There have been only a handful of sightings.
But scientists hope to change that this summer with researchers scouring the Palouse region in hopes of finding more of the giant earthworms. Conservationists also want the Obama administration to protect the worm as an endangered species, even though little research has been done on it. Read More
Progress in Vaccine as flu claims 18th victim
Thai scientists have succeeded in developing the country's first seed viruses to produce new vaccines against type-A (H1N1) influenza which has infected 3,555 people and, by yesterday, had killed 18.
Science and Technology Minister Kalaya Sophonpanich said the live-attenuated vaccine and the inactivate virus vaccine were developed from the new pandemic 2009 virus, which was collected from the country's first confirmed new flu patient.
The Public Health Ministry's Medical Science Department had sent samples of the A/Nonthaburi/102/2009 (H1N1) virus collected from the first patient to Mahidol University's Siriraj Hospital and the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec).
Dr Prasert Auewarakul and Dr Onpreeya Saptaveewat of Siriraj Hospital developed the live-attenuated vaccine while Anan Jongkaewwattana of Biotec developed the inactivate virus vaccine.
These two seed viruses were developed by reverse genetic technology which helps scientists produce vaccines in different forms.
The seed viruses were now being tested in ferrets to investigate the safety of the vaccine in animals before its use in humans, Kalaya said.
Scientists will also study how to increase the amount of vaccine, the stability and safety of the vaccine and the ability to boost immunity in animals.
After the test, they will send the seed viruses to the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) as alternative seed viruses to produce the new vaccines.
Public Health Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said the country would no longer need to purchase new seed viruses from other countries to produce vaccines.
"This would help Thais to use vaccines sooner," he said.
The GPO was expected to issue the first batch of two million doses of the new vaccines by January.
Medical workers will be the first group to receive the new vaccines, as they stand at the front line of the fight against the pandemic.
Source: The Nation
Abhisit urges public not to panic over A (H1N1) flu
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva urged the people not to panic over the type-A (H1N1) influenza outbreak.
He said the people should not be careless but should not panic over the epidemic.He also urged members of the public to be responsible to the society by isolating themselves from the society after they got the flu."Students with the flu should not go to school and working people should stop working," Abhisit said during his weekly TV programme on Channel 11.
Source: The Nation
157 more A (H1N1) flu cases confirmed, raising total to 3,228
The Public Health Ministry Saturday reported 157 more confirmed cases of type-A (H1N1) influenza.
Doctor Phaichit Warachit, deputy permanent secretary for Public Health Ministry, said the new cases added the total cases of type-A (H1N1) influenza to 3,228.He said the death toll remained at 15 and six patients are being closely watched by doctors.
Source: The Nation
Thais are divided over royal pardon for Thaksin : Abac poll
The debate on the signature campaign to seek a royal pardon has raged on about the appropriateness of involving the Royal Palace in order to help ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra elude his graft conviction and two-year jail term.
In a latest twist to the debate, Abac Poll said yesterday 6 in ten people in the Northeast, seen as Thaksin's political stronghold, and about half of
Bangkok's residents, were inclined to agree to the idea of granting amnesty for politicians convicted of corruption.
The survey was conducted in a sample of 4,102 respondents from 17 provinces nationwide, including Bangkok.
Although the average of one in two people nationwide opposed the idea of a royal pardon, the intensity of the opposition varied from region to region.
The opposition was strongest in the South where four in five people ruled out a royal pardon for Thaksin.
Individual backgrounds influenced the outlook on whether a graft offender should be granted a royal pardon.
About 48 per cent of non-university graduates found a graft pardon acceptable while 35 per cent of those with a Bachelor's degree agreed with the idea. The percentage plunged to 22 per cent for those with graduate studies.
Roughly half the unemployed and retirees were in favour of a royal pardon.
Democrat Party MP Thepthai Senpong said his main coalition party wanted to remind the red shirts to heed criticism about the appropriateness of the signature campaign.
"Righteousness and appropriateness are two key issues that the red shirts should carefully consider before proceeding any further to submit the petition seeking a royal pardon on Thaksin's behalf," Thepthai said.
He was reacting to speculation that the red shirts might have completed soliciting one million signatures to endorse the petition.
He said the content of the draft petition contained statements deemed an insult the judicial review done under the name of His Majesty.
Senator Prasarn Maruekhapitak said it was erroneous to make a comparison between the signature campaign carried out on Thaksin's behalf and the tradition of sounding a bell to petition the King in the Sukhothai era.
"In the past like the Sukhothai era, the petition would not have happened because a convict who showed no remorse and was involved in the Songkran
mayhem, would have been beheaded along with family members up to seven generations," he said.
Source: The Nation
Road show to explore new land link
The Foreign Trade Department will lead local businesses on a roadshow to Cambodia and Vietnam next week in a bid to explore trade and investment opportunities along the new land link between the three countries.
Representatives of the Board of Trade of Thailand, the Federation of Thai Industries, the Thai Machinery Association and the Thai Chamber of Commerce in Trat province, as well as cross-border traders, will participate in the roadshow along Route No 48, or R48.
The 151.5-kilometre road to Cambodia, which extends another 300km into Vietnam, begins as an east-west corridor in Thailand, including four river-spanning bridges. Construction of the stretch linking Thailand with Cambodia was completed in June last year, at a total cost of Bt1.8 billion.
Unchana Withayathamthat, deputy director-general of the Foreign Trade Department, said the road would facilitate trade and investment growth between the countries.
"This roadshow, conducted from July 15 to 18, will pave the way for Thai enterprises to find new opportunities to increase trade and investment, in particular by securing farming and machinery-production contracts in the neighbouring countries," said Unchana.
Four Cambodian provinces with strong growth potential lie along R48: Koh Kong, Kampot, Sihanoukville (recently renamed Preah Sihanouk) and Takaew. These include six special economic zones, making them attractive for Thai investors. Unchana pointed out that potential businesses for Thai investors include contract farming for soybeans and sugarcane with local farmers; and establishing plants to produce processed seafood, garments and hydroelectric power.
Thai investors are allowed 100-per-cent ownership rights in Cambodian special economic zones. However, transportation of goods along the new route is subjected to a 5-per-cent customs tariff.
Source: The Nation
Cambodia's old temples - without the crowds
We walk in. It turns out that we do end up sharing it, with a local man who brings his cows onto the grounds to graze. And with an affable mason who leads us across acres of fallen stone to see a message from the past, an inscription chiseled into the door jamb of a holy tower. This kind of company we welcome.
Cambodia's great temples of Angkor, 100 kilometres away, have long since been rediscovered after a quarter-century of closure by war. They now draw more than a million foreign visitors a year, not a few of whom regret that so many other people had the same idea. At peak hours, human traffic jams can form at temple steps.
But go beyond Angkor and you can find places that serve up the old solitude and sense of discovery.
Banteay Chhmar is among the most spectacular of these places. Getting to it entails hours on very bumpy and dusty dirt roads. Staying the night means making do with primitive accommodations: candlelit rooms in local homes, bath water drawn from that same moat.
I stayed the night, and it turned out to really make the visit. The next morning I rose early, as everyone here does, and took a walk in clean country air. I passed hens foraging with their chicks, boys tending to a mud oven in which charcoal was being made. I was seeing not only a temple but a way of life.
Today several thousand people -- rice farmers, cattle herders, market vendors -- make their homes on all four sides of the temple. They grow vegetables on the banks of a series of moats; they pile straw within the walls of lesser ancient buildings that dot their settlement. The ancient and present day coexist.
Spending time here also means doing a good turn, spreading a bit of wealth in a part of a war-recovering country that has largely missed out on the tourist dollars that Angkor is bringing in. People do have cellphones (charged by generator), and some have small tractors, but there are few other signs of affluence.
Banteay Chhmar was created in the Khmer Empire's last great burst of construction, under the 12th-century Buddhist king Jayavarman VII. His engineers were thinking big even by Khmer standards: To contain a great settlement, they built earthworks and moats that formed a square measuring roughly one 1.5 kilometres on each side. At its centre, within another square moat system, they built the temple.
More than a century ago, French archeologist Etienne Aymonier found the temple to be in a state of "indescribable ruin.'' It still is, despite the efforts of the friendly mason, who is part of a small reconstruction team. But that's part of what makes the site so enticing.
Exploring it means climbing over piles of large fallen stones. We passed ruined towers, courtyards and ceremonial walkways. Sometimes the stones were so high that we were walking at roof level.
The temple is no longer a formal religious site, but Cambodians believe that it, like all those that their forebears left behind, remains a holy site. In one surviving chamber we found a small contemporary shrine, with a Buddha image wearing a cloth robe, where people made incense offerings.
One of the best parts of this temple is the many bas-reliefs on its outer walls. We had to scramble up more stones to get a good view. Before us was a full sample of life 900 years ago: processions of elephants, prominent ladies tended by maids, children roughhousing, villagers in a sampan, servants tending a stove.
There were also many scenes of war with Champa, a long-vanished rival state to the east: The temple is in large part a memorial to four generals who lost their lives in that long conflict. On land, the men of arms go at one another fiercely with spears (you can identify the Chams by the curious blossom-shaped headdress they wear). On water, rows of men pull at oars from galleys as others strike at the enemy with spears. There are also images of the divine, notably the god Vishnu, with 32 arms arrayed like rays of light.
The carving style is similar to that of the Bayon temple reliefs in Angkor. The difference is there's no need to fight for a view. We did cross paths for a few minutes our first day with a party of about 20 French-speaking tourists. We saw no other visitors that day or the next.
Late in the afternoon, we went to see what the ancient Khmers could do with water. Just east of the temple, they created a big reservoir. Academics disagree over whether it did only symbolic duty as an earthly stand-in for the mythic Sea of Creation, or was part of an irrigation system, or both. Whatever the truth, I was awed by the scale.
The reservoir was now largely dry, but because its floor is low and collects water, it has been divided into rice paddies. We went for a stroll, walking along paddy dikes to keep our feet dry.
We said hello to members of a farming family who were tinkering with a small tractor. A woman had caught a bucketful of paddy crabs and insects, which she would sell as food.
I spent the night at the house of a Cambodian family, friends of a friend. They couldn't have been more gracious. They gave me a room, bottled water, mosquito coils and a big luxury: a car battery hooked to a fluorescent light.
Other members of our party slept at a formal homestay, the term given to guesthouses.
It had two rooms with large beds covered by mosquito nets. Downstairs there was a basic bathroom with a squat toilet and scoop bath.
In the morning we went exploring on foot. Mixed in among wooden homes we passed were the stone walls of lesser 12th-century relics that had been monasteries or small temples. The ruins of one temple's gate lay foliage-shrouded just a few steps from a house. Little boys ran about, and a teenage girl ironed clothing.
We had breakfast at a stall in the town's market; there are no proper restaurants. It was noodle soup with chicken, and very good.
I first visited Angkor in 1969. Back then, you could be alone in the big temples there. I once walked through the largest of them, Angkor Wat, encountering hardly a soul.
It's good to know that such an experience can still be had. You just have to work a bit harder for it.
If you go:
? Getting around: There is no public transportation to the sites described here; wheels are on a bring-your-own basis. Tour companies in Siem Reap will arrange visits. If you feel adventurous, you can strike deals directly with taxi or motorcycle drivers and go on your own.
Being Mealea and Koh Ker can both be visited in one long day. Banteay Chhmar, at four hours each way, is a bigger challenge to reach. If you're entering Cambodia overland from Thailand, you can save time by turning north at Sisophon town to reach the temple.
? When to go: Winter is Cambodia's peak tourist season. Avoid March, April and May, the peak time for heat. Don't be scared off by the summer-through-fall rainy season. The rains typically occur only in late afternoon.
? Where to stay: A French non-profit organization has been helping Banteay Chhmar operate a homestay program. It provides for overnight accommodations, often in a guesthouse next door to the host family's home; meals; local culture performances; and an ox cart ride. Tour companies can book you. Or you make direct contact by emailing program co-ordinator Tath Sophal at: mailto:tathsophal@yahoo.com
Being Mealea isn't really far enough from Siem Reap for an overnight. Koh Ker has guesthouse accommodations.
