For spray painting posters of the king

From the BBC  see full article
See also background about lese majeste

A Swiss man has been jailed for 10 years after pleading guilty to charges of insulting the Thai king.

Oliver Jufer was arrested last December after drunkenly spray-painting posters of King Bhumibol Adulyadej in the northern city of Chiang Mai.

Judge Phitsanu Tanbukalee said that Jufer received a reduced sentence because he had admitted his guilt: This is a serious crime, and he was sentenced to four years for each of five counts, for a total of 20 years. Because he confessed, the court has reduced his sentence to 10 years.

Jufer is believed to be the first foreigner ever imprisoned for the offence. Others have been charged in the past, but later expelled from the country rather than jailed. Jufer, who had faced a maximum sentence of 75 years, has lived in Thailand for more than 10 years.

The Swiss Embassy issued a tempered criticism. We respect the Thai justice system," said Jacques Lauer, deputy chief of mission at the embassy in Bangkok. However, we consider the implementation of the Thai penal code regarding lese majeste cases a tough one.

Jufer was recorded on surveillance cameras defacing the portraits on the king's 79th birthday. Earlier he had tried to buy alcohol but been refused, since such sales are sometimes banned on important days.

The case has highlighted strict laws in Thailand which forbid any criticism of the monarchy. Such is the sensitivity of the issue, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok, that it is receiving little attention in the Thai media.

Most Thais feel a deep reverence for their monarch. But they also fear discussing the institution because of the severe penalties for criticising members of the royal family.

Jufer's court-appointed lawyer, Komkrit Kunyodying, called the penalty appropriate for the crime he has committed, adding he did not yet know if his client planned to appeal.

Jufer has a month to lodge an appeal against the sentence, our correspondent adds, but his best hope now is probably a royal pardon.

 
Don Muang re-opens

From the The Peninsula

Bangkok’s Don Muang airport will reopen today to ease congestion at the new $4bn Suvarnabhumi airport, six months after it was decommissioned.

Only three airlines, led by national carrier Thai Airways, will fly from Don Muang. (Now with an alternative spelling of Don Mueang and airport code DMK)

Other Thai airlines said they would continue to operate from the new airport because it handled both international and domestic flights.

From 6am today Don Muang’s domestic terminal will handle 140 flights with estimated 18,000 passengers a day.

 
Swingers Club in Udon Thani under investigation

From Metro
See also Resort Caroline

A Briton who set up a swingers club in rural Thailand faces jail for promoting adult sex tourism.

Anthony Craig is under investigation for charging guests £100 a night for sex with unlimited adult partners, both girls and transsexual 'ladyboys'.

Craig says on his website that all his sex workers are anxious to meet foreigners and 'shag like rabbits'.

Guests are picked up discreetly from Udon Thani airport and taken to Resort Caroline in the remote Nong Saeng district, five miles from the nearest village.

Craig, who with Thai wife Lampan, is on £4,600 bail, says in his promotional literature: I have helped village girls find fun and rich western boyfriends and husbands. My hedonistic business is aimed at soft-play couples and shy single men. It started off as a nudist resort and my guests sort of changed things. My ethos is live and let live.

I make more friends than enemies but my enemies are the unseen bigots that condemn my way of life because of their myopic outlook, he says.

About 6,000 swingers, mainly from Britain, are thought to have visited the resort since it opened four years ago. Its gatehouse is manned by Craig's Thai mother-in-law.

Police chief Teerasak Krinponsa said: These swingers and this resort are giving Thailand a bad name.

 
Silks for the office

Perhaps the culture minister can promote his idea via brewery sponsored silk shirts.

From Thai Visa

The Ministry of Culture is propelling the campaign for Thai people to wear Thai clothing. The ministry is cooperating with other involved agencies to promote Thai silk.

Weera Rojpojanarat, the Permanent Secretary for Culture, says the ministry would like to encourage Thai people to wear Thai clothes as they are unique and wearable in many occasions, not only special ones. He says he has an idea to promote Thai national costumes for people to wear in their daily lives. The Culture Ministry plans to urge government officials and people from the private sector to wear Thai national attires once a week.

 
Only private and closed bars to be allowed

From The Nation

The Cabinet yesterday approved a bill to control alcohol consumption and ban advertisements for alcoholic drinks.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said the bill would provide comprehensive control of alcohol consumption and prohibit the sale of alcoholic drinks to people under 20 years old.

It would also set zones for alcoholic drink sales and consumption, he said, adding that sales would be banned near temples and schools. 500m was mentioned and note that Walking Street is inside the 500 metre zone of both a nearby temple and a school.

Advertising would only be allowed in "private and closed" places. Beer gardens would be allowed if no logos or brands were on show.

The only exception is for ads on sports programmes broadcast live from foreign countries.

The bill will be submitted to the National Legislative Assembly for deliberation soon.

Some cabinet members were concerned that the content of the bill authorises the minister to issue orders to add more bans.

Comment: Wat You Drinking?

Re: "It would also set zones for alcoholic drink sales and consumption, he said, adding that sales would be banned near temples and schools."

Somehow I don't foresee such a ban every being enforced if legislated.
Even in BKK, but especially everywhere else, the temple grounds are the scene of numerous types of local celebrations. When a son is about to be ordained, there is very likely to be a huge party with freely flowing alcohol held on the temple grounds.
There are the popular temple fairs = excuse to get drunk.
There are the ever-popular funerals = excuse to get drunk.
There are holidays (secular and religious) = excuse to get drunk.

HOW can a temple anywhere continue to exist if alcohol is banned?

OR perhaps it is purely the SALE of alcohol not its actual consumption that will be banned. Fine to give it away and send everyone out on the roads drunk as a skunk, but DON'T SELL it to them! THAT would be BAD!

And on the subject of zones and temples has anyone noticed that Walking Street is within a couple of hundred metres of Wat Chai

 
Insult to king hits the world press

From the BBC but reported in all the UK newspapers

A 57-year-old Swiss man has pleaded guilty in a court in Thailand to charges of insulting the king.

Oliver Jufer was arrested last December after drunkenly spray-painting several portraits of the monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He has been held on remand since that time.

In court, Jufer pleaded guilty to five charges under Thailand's draconian lese majeste law. He is due to be sentenced later this month, and the maximum penalty he could face is 75 years in jail. Jufer's lawyer said the minimum sentence he faced was seven-and-a-half years.

Police reports said Jufer was drunk when the portraits were defaced on 5 December, which as the day of the King's birthday is a national holiday. Jufer, who has lived in Thailand for more than 10 years, was recorded on surveillance cameras defacing the portraits.

The BBC's Jonathan Head, who was outside the court in the northern city of Chiang Mai, says the case throws a rare spotlight on the strict lese-majeste laws in Thailand forbidding any criticism of the monarchy.

At one point the prosecutor tried to get the media to leave, saying the case had been postponed: We don't want the Thai people to know about this case, he said.

A handful of other foreigners have faced similar charges in the past. Most have eventually been allowed to leave the country.

 
Australia issues another Thai travel warning

From the Bangkok Post

Australia warns its citizens about safety in Thailand, saying that intelligence information showed a high threat of insurgent bomb attacks.

The warning, issued on Thursday, is the second in little more than two weeks.

We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including tourist areas and other places frequented by foreigners, Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said in its latest advisory.

It said more attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Thailand: The increase in violence in Southern Thailand may lead to attacks elsewhere in Thailand, including Bangkok and other tourist areas, such as Phuket and Pattaya.

 
Government expected to take control of errant TV station

iTV was still broadcasting on Wednesday morning after the deadline had expired

From the BBC

The Thai government has announced that it will take over the country's only main independent TV station, iTV, after it failed to pay unpaid fees.

The broadcaster had until Tuesday to pay nearly 100bn baht ($2.9bn) in fines and unpaid fees, after losing a legal battle. But iTV had already admitted it had no hope of finding the money required.

The takeover was widely expected after the government announced last week that it would terminate iTV's licence if it failed to meet Tuesday's payment deadline.

The iTV station will be shut down from 7 March until there is clarity on legal issues, said Dhipawadee Meksawan, a minister at the prime minister's office.

Shin Corp, which was founded by Thaksin and held a 53% stake in iTV, was bought last year by the Singapore-based firm Temasek.

Update: Still Broadcasting

A last minute decision has been made enabling iTV to continue broadcasting whilst being 'reorganised'

 
Consider buying property under the real rights law

From the Bangkok Post

Foreign Real-estate companies owned by foreigners through nominees should restructure their shareholdings now to avoid future problems involving land-holding rights, according to a local lawyer. Foreigners seeking rights to property in Thailand should also consider alternative laws, especially the long-overlooked Real Rights Act, said Nirut Dej-udom, a partner with Bangkok Jurist Limited.

For foreigners seeking the rights to Thai property, he suggested that their contracts be based on the real rights law, which offered more protection to rights holders than normal leasing contracts. Under this law, the rights are attached to the assets, while under leasing contracts, they are attached to individuals.

The Real Rights Act endorses the rights of holders to use the property according to the agreed terms within a specific period. This law has been in place for a long time but is not popular due to its complications.

Clayton Wave, managing director of the property consulting firm Senior Home Real Estate, noted that the amended law had put an end to a decade-long boom in Pattaya's real-estate market during which foreign demand had pushed land prices in the resort city by about 20% a year.

 
Capital controls to end

Based on an article from the Bangkok Post

Thailand will lift its remaining controls on capital inflows today, after the finance minister who was their chief supporter announced his resignation.

Bank of Thailand Governor Tarisa Watanagase told the Foreign Bankers' Association on Wednesday night that the controls would be lifted on Thursday, more than two months after the measures were introduced.

Tomorrow (Thursday), the central bank will have a final review on the measures regarding capital inflows, she said. Fully hedged bonds, mutual funds and property funds will be exempted from the 30 percent reserve requirement.

Tarisa's announcement that the remaining requirements would be lifted came just hours after Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula announced his resignation.

Update: Not Lifted

The capital controls are still in place but further relaxations were announced

 
Australia & Britain issue Thai travel warnings

Whilst the risk of death and injury is appreciable in the troubled southern states, it is hardly a realistic worry in the rest of Thailand. Equally 'practical' advice may be to avoid drunk Thai men carrying guns and to avoid relationships with Thai girls who will become vengeful when spurned.

From The Nation
See also UK Travel advice

Australia and Britain yesterday issued travel warnings to their citizens, urging them to exercise a high degree of caution when visiting Thailand and to avoid demonstrations, political rallies and areas with concentrations of military personnel.

We continue to receive reports that terrorists may be planning attacks against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners, the Australian Embassy's advisory said: Reports indicate possible bombing attacks at crowded places such as department stores, and Skytrain and subway stations in Bangkok.

The Australian government also advised its citizens to reconsider any planned travel to Thailand's deep South.

In Bangkok, Governor Apirak Kosayodhin instructed all 50 districts in the metropolitan area to remain alert, saying now is not the time to be complacent.

Apirak ordered all districts to take utmost precaution following last Sunday's incidents, when suspected insurgents launched coordinated arson and bombing attacks on about 50 locations - including soft targets that included karaoke bars, hotels, power stations and rubber factories - in the far South. At least seven people died in attacks on Sunday and Monday.

The recent heightened alert came after Thursday's meeting in Parliament, when Defence Minister General Boonrawd Somtas told the National Legislative Assembly that the militants had infiltrated universities in Bangkok, which could be used as a launching pad for assaults. The Police Special Branch said earlier it was closely monitoring southern Muslim student groups in Bangkok.

But Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said possible insurgent strikes in Bangkok were still a matter of "speculation". Interior Minister Aree Wongsearaya said that although Bangkok should be on the alert for terrorism, he did not anticipate any imminent attacks.

 
It doesn't exist...

Technology minister on a rant. Perhaps he could better spend his time encouraging Thais rather than ranting at people for admiring foreign technology. Perhaps he should also consider his Government's policy of shutting out foreigners rather than encouraging expert foreigners to work in Thailand to spread some of their expertise around.

From the Bangkok Post

Comworld 2007 gave a welcome lift to IT vendors after the retail sector had been in a relatively gloomy state since the New Year bombs went off. But the event did not get such a good welcome from ICT Minister Sithichai Pokaiudom.

Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, the minister said that it was wrong of Thai people to admire modern technology, which was not developed by Thai people: It is a fake development because the country is now getting worse as almost everything at the exhibition here is imported and nothing is made by Thais.

The minister stated that "Thai computers" should mean Thais producing component parts, not just assembling, and that they should also design the products: It is sad that today we cannot find any Thai products. The technology show here provides foreigners an opportunity to take money from Thai people. To be truly proud, it should show technology that has been developed by Thais.

 
30 bombs in coordinated terror attack

From the BBC

Thailand's Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has met security chiefs after a wave of bombings and shootings that killed at least seven people.

Some 30 bombs went off in southern Thailand in one of the region's worst outbreaks of violence since a Muslim insurgency flared up three years ago.

Schools, bars, hotels, a car showroom and a power station were targeted. Thai officials believe the attacks were timed to coincide with the start of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

Speaking after the prime minister's emergency talks with military and security chiefs, Thailand's army chief-of-staff warned that there could be further attacks. General Montri Sangkasap said that the authorities were still unsure about who had carried out the attacks. And he warned that, since they had happened as Thailand's many ethnic Chinese were celebrating Lunar New Year, extra vigilance would be needed around the time of other festivals.

Gen Montri said security forces would now be placed on extra high alert during the Makhabucha festival on 5 March and the Songkran Thai New Year celebrations in mid-April.

The most recent blasts happened about 1900 (1200 GMT) on Sunday. Petrol stations, karaoke bars, hotels, a golf course and a cinema were hit in the southern province of Yala. At least one person was killed in blasts at five karaoke bars in Narathiwat province. Two public schools in the province also were torched. Firebombings targeted electricity transmitters in Pattani province, causing power blackouts across Pattani town, police said.

Three people were shot dead by unidentified assailants. An army major was killed, and his seven-year-old son wounded, by a bomb left in a bag outside his home. At least 45 people were injured in the wave of attacks.

 
Long live coyote dancing...alive and well and kicking in Pattaya

One can only presume that bars don't count as 'commercial''

From The Nation

Ayutthaya authorities and the provincial culture office have eliminated "coyote dancers" from commercial promotions and events.

Provincial culture office chief Niphon Thoopboocha said the agreement was vital to the tourism industry. The province is home to many historic sites and World Heritage locations. Business owners and event organisers had cooperated, he said.

Girls dancing in provocative outfits had become widespread in Ayutthaya. The office took action after several complaints, especially over dancing at marketplaces.

The Culture Ministry's Cultural Watchdog Centre director Ladda Tangsupachai said it had registered 1,341 young dancers. Most had obtained work.

Coyote dancing all but evaporated on holy days and at temples after a campaign late last year.

Buri Ram, Loei, Phetchaburi, Ubon Ratchathani, Kamphaeng Phet, Chiang Rai, Trat, Lamphun, Chon Buri (including Pattaya) and Uttaradit are now coyote dance-free.

 
Airlines oppose split operations at two airports

From the Bangkok Post

Representatives of international airlines are meeting today in Bangkok after they threatened to halt flights to Thailand rather than move back to the old Don Muang airport.

Board of Airline Representatives president Brian Sinclair-Thompson, speaking for more than 60 carriers, told the media on Friday night: Some members are going to review their commitment to continue their services from Thailand if they are forced to split operations to serve two airports.

The statement forces a standoff between the airlines who insist on staying at Suvarnabhumi Airport on one hand, and the government which wants to increase flights at Don Muang and repair problem-plagued Suvarnabhumi.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has announced he will personally take over the handling of problems related to Suvarnabhumi.

On March 25, a total of only 71 flights are to begin using Don Muang. They include all flights by budget airlines Nok Air and One Two Go, and a handful of Thai Airways domestic flights

 
But then is ticked off by prudes

Based on an article from Canada.com

A young actress' skimpy dress has sparked a national outcry in Thailand, fuelling debate in opinion pages and chat rooms and earning her a public reprimand.

The black dress in question was long, body-hugging and split from Chotiros Suriyawong's cleavage to her hip by an eight-centimetre wide slit held together by thin strips of fabric. Chotiros, a 22-year-old liberal arts major at Thammasat University, one of the country's most respected academic institutions, wore it at the Feb. 9 Golden Swan awards ceremony, Thailand's equivalent of the Oscars.

For Chotiros, a relative unknown with mainly small roles in low-budget films, the little black dress brought unwelcome as well as welcome attention.

She was reprimanded by her production company and ordered by her prudish university to do community 15 days of community service and make a public apology for her attire.

The Culture Ministry also weighed in, calling Chotiros' choice of dress "very inappropriate" and the wrong message for a public role model to send to young Thais.

University officials summoned Chotiros on Thursday to mete out disciplinary action, but determined that suspension or dismissal was too severe.

Chotiros' film production company has edited out her role in one of its upcoming movies: I don't want my actresses to dress that way, Somsak Techaratanaprasert, president & prude of the Sahamongkol film production house said: We are not a porn production house and it goes against Thai culture.

 
8pm curfews. What is going on here?

From Phuket Gazette

The Police have been ordered to crack down on alien laborers using mobile phones or found on the streets after 8 pm, Phuket Vice-Governor Vorapot Rattasima said this morning.

At a meeting at Provincial Hall, V/Gov Worapot said that he had received reports that alien laborers were leaving their registered place of abode after 8 pm and freely using mobile phones, both of which were prohibited by provincial order in December.

I have met with traffic police and told them to arrest any alien laborers they find on the streets after 8 pm. I would also like the media to look out for and report any violators, he said.

 
Who will run scaled down Elite Card programme

From the Bangkok Post

The much-criticised Thailand Elite Card programme will be overhauled to do away with the existing system of distributors and country partners, the Tourism Authority of Thailand board said yesterday.

However, the programme will not be scrapped as it could play a significant role in attracting quality foreign tourists to Thailand, TAT officials said.

In addition, scrapping the programme could expose the government to lawsuits by existing holders of million-baht lifetime memberships.

Tourism and Sport Minister Suvit Yodmani, who chairs the TAT board, said that Thailand Privilege Card Co (TPC), the state-owned company that was set up to run the programme, needed to have a much clearer goal to attract affluent tourists as well as foreign investment.

The committee recommended scrapping arrangements with four distributors and 17 country partners and making the TAT the core marketing arm for the programme. It also suggested that the company receive no more money from taxpayers.

The proposal also calls for deep cuts in new membership fees to between 50,000 and 60,000 baht from one million baht, Suvit said. The cheaper memberships would mean vastly reduced privileges.

The original programme, a pet project of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, offered holders a wide range of perks, including preferential visas and fast-track immigration clearance, access to concierge and call-centre facilities and discounts at many tourist venues, including hotels, golf clubs and spas. Thaksin had originally hoped to attract as many as one million Elite Card holders by 2008 but the programme currently has fewer than 2,000 members.

 
Bangkok police dream up a curfew

Based on an article from the Bangkok Post

Police are to put a damper on the spirit of Valentine's Day with a 10pm curfew on teens under 18 to ensure they go home early and do not fall prey to sexual temptation.

Police will patrol ''risk areas'' where teenage lovers may be tempted to share moments of tender intimacy tomorrow night.

Teenagers under 18 years old must return home before 10pm, the deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, Kamol Kaewsuwan, said. Risk areas include shopping malls, public parks, pubs and discos, places where youngsters enjoy hanging out and partying. These places tended to encourage romantic passion, he said.

Youngsters still out after 10pm will be arrested and given a warning, and their parents will be summoned to the police station and informed of their child's supposed misconduct.

'We are serious about inspecting those areas all day and all night,' Kamol said: Love is beautiful. But it's not necessary to end up having sex.

Thai/Farang company Full board meeting

EU objects to Thailand's new foreign company rules

From News.com.au

Thailand's trading partners have formally objected to the military-installed Government's plans to expand its definition of a foreign company. They claim the proposed changes would violate Bangkok's World Trade Organisation commitments.

In a letter sent on Friday, the European Union urged Thai authorities to reconsider a proposal to use voting rights to determine whether a company is "Thai" or "foreign" - a change diplomats say would force many existing foreign investors to reduce their holdings in their Thai subsidiaries.

The EU letter says the proposed changes to the Foreign Business Act contravene Thailand's past promise in international trade agreements to look only at nominal shareholding levels to decide whether a company is entitled to "national treatment", or be viewed as a Thai company.

The US, Japan, Switzerland, and Canada have sent, or are expected to send in the coming days, letters expressing similar concerns.

Thailand has made commitments under the general agreement on trade in services to afford foreign enterprises national treatment without any limitations other than those on equity or share ownership, an EU diplomat said: The fact that they now want to add a new limitation, based on voting rights, is a new condition. But you cannot freely add a new condition.

 
Not a sensible thing to do

From Channel 4

A Swiss man will go on trial in Thailand next month facing 75 years in jail for defacing images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej during a drunken spree on the revered monarch's birthday, officials said.

The trial of Oliver Rudolf Jufer charged with five separate acts of lese majeste, would start on March 12 in the northern city of Chiang Mai where he lived, they said.

Police would seek consecutive jail terms for Jufer on each count carrying jail terms of between three and 15 years after he daubed the portraits of the king, whom many Thais regards as semi-divine, with black paint.

This is a delicate issue and we don't want the public to know much about it, Chiang Mai chief prosecutor Manoon Moongpanchon said, declining to give more details.

Jufer has been in jail since he was arrested in December.

 
Don Muang to re-open as an international airport

From the Bangkok Post

The cabinet have approved the plan for two international airports in Bangkok, giving second life to the 93-year-old airport at Don Muang which was closed last year, supposedly forever, to make way for modern, expensive, but profoundly damaged Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said the decision was made due to the problems at Suvarnabhumi. The $3.7 billion facility already needs massive repairs to taxiways and runways. It has a leaking roof, unattractive terminal, lack of signboards and toilets, poor lighting and faulty air-conditioning.

Most spectacularly, it is too small to serve Bangkok for much longer.

The number of passengers is also increasing at the Suvarnabhumi Airport. So we feel there is a need to have two international airports... We will make a final decision in two weeks' time, he told reporters after the Cabinet meeting.

The government had first suggested that domestic flights without international connections operate from Don Muang, but many airlines feared that lack of a transport link between the two airports could cause inconvenience for overseas-bound passengers flying in from the provinces.

Transport Minister Thira Haocharoen said the airport could be used within 45 days after a final decision was made, adding that renovation works were going on to re-open the Don Muang Airport which used to be an airfield for the Royal Thai Army and opened in 1914.

He said the government would let airlines decide if they want to return to the Don Muang, operate from both airports or maintain their current base at Suvarnabhumi.

 
Coming off worse in a dispute with Thai neighbours

From ScandAsia see full article

A Thai judge in the provincial court in Langsuan in Chumporn in Southern Thailand yesterday found James Christensen guilty of attempted arson against his Thai neighbor back in February last year and consequently sentenced him to 15 years in prison. In the same verdict, the judge then pardoned him of the last five years of the sentence, so James will now "only" have to spend ten years in prison.

The judge based his verdict of guilty on the fact that James had "admitted" that the gas tanks found at the neighbors farm, where a small fire had taken place, "could possibly be his" although he denied ever having carried them over there or intended to burn down the neighbor's farm. He had put them in front of his house because they were empty.

No witnesses could substantiate the neighbors claim that James Christensen had anything to do with the small fire that erupted at his place on 15 February 2005. The small fire was quickly put out by the fire brigade and damages were estimated at 54.000 Baht.

James Christensen's advisors, including the Danish consul in Bangkok, had all told him that the acquittal in the case was a mere formality. Therefore he had not used the opportunity to flee Thailand that was opened to him when he was released on a bail a few weeks ago posted by the mayor in the little town after Danish daily BT had revealed the bizarre case. Fleeing Thailand would of course have been illegal, but James had planned to leave for Denmark anyway immediately after the expected acquittal. Instead he was put right back behind bars.

He was shocked. We were surprised too, because we didn’t really think that there was any evidence to prove the accusations, Ulrik Sorensen, who is head of Denmark’s consular affairs in Bangkok, has told the Danish news agency Ritzau.

44 year-old James Christensen now intends to appeal the verdict to a higher court of law, but it can easily be another year and a half before such an appeal will be treated. In the meantime, he may again be released on bail, but the amount might be higher this time, and it is not certain if James' sister in Denmark will be able to raise the new amount, estimated to be around 80.000 Danish kroner.

The whole case started as a dispute between the Dane and his neighbor. James Christensen was feeding and taking in stray dogs at his rented house on a quiet street. As the cocks at a fighting cock farm 700 meters away started to disappear, James Christensen was blamed for not being able to control his dogs.

At first he agreed to pay compensation to the chicken farmer when ever a dead chickens were found in the area. The increasing amounts of money demanded by the farmer resulted in James Christensen filing a complaint with the local police. Then his dog started dying one by one by rat poison.

The fight peaked when the neighbor after the small fire at his farm reported the attempted arson to the police and the police consequently arrested James based on the neighbors accusations and the finding of gas tanks that might have belonged to James on the farm and footprints that they thought could match the tall Dane's.

 
Schools require background checks, degrees and low pay

From Pattaya Daily News

To obtain a work permit to work legally in Thailand for a year, one of the requirements is to have a university degree, which needless to say, few foreign aspirant teachers have.

Most of the reputable international schools recruit abroad, requiring high qualifications and experience, performing stringent background checks of their potential employees in the process. However, the vast majority of foreign teachers teach in local language schools or Thai government schools where screening and requirements are not so strict.

For foreign aspirant teachers, the base requirement is a TEFL certificate. Following attendance on TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) courses run by local providers, (some of which leave much to be desired), the aspirant teachers, only partly qualified, need to further obtain false degrees in order to satisfy local regulations, especially those to relating to work permits. These false degrees are most often obtained from such places as the Kao Sarn Road.

In order to correlate procedures and rectify current discrepancies, Pattaya Immigration set up a conference with the principals of international schools on 26th January.

Pattaya Immigration have especially requested the aid of the international schools in Chonburi Province to bring their recruitment procedures into line by checking on foreign teachers’ credentials with the supposed issuing authority.

At the conference, the Director, Police General Aithipol Aithisaranachai, advised the schools and other interested individuals on new screening methods, including recently amended accreditation procedures, outlined in the Thai Education Authority Regulation 606/2549 dated 8th September 2006, which was introduced on 1st October 2006.

On a recent check of credentials, 60 teachers from all Thai international schools nationwide were found to be in possession of false documentation, which is a deportable offence.

 
Some flights to be moved back to Don Muang whilst cracks are repaired

From the Bangkok Post

The Transport Ministry has agreed to move some domestic flights from Suvarnabhumi airport back to Don Muang to reduce congestion at the new airport, which requires space for repairs.

Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen said that the plan will go to the cabinet for approval next Tuesday. Relocation of flights, on a voluntary basis, would be 45-60 days after that.

The board of Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) on Jan 11 called for the reopening of Don Muang airport for domestic flights with no international connections. Adm Theera said cracked taxiways and runways, damaged airbridges and problems in the passenger terminal had caused congestion at Suvarnabhumi airport.

Civil Aviation Department director-general Chaisak Angsuwan said some facilities at the new airport needed partial closure for repairs. Neither he nor Adm Theera could say if Don Muang should return to active service permanently. That would depend on work at Suvarnabhumi.

Thai Airways International president Apinan Sumanaseni said it would assign part of its staff to Don Muang airport. Flights to Chiang Mai, Krabi and Phuket would be available at both airports and THAI would provide a passenger shuttle service.

In addition to operating problems at Suvarnabhumi, AoT board members and the ministry were upset about the use of shopping areas at the new airport. They believed King Power Group was breaching the concession agreement.

King Power Group chief executive officer Vichai Raksriaksorn said the contract provided for the development of 20,000 square metres. The company actually occupied 21,065 square metres.

IHis company was ready to remove any structures that obstruct passengers or AoT staff. Mr Vichai denied the company had paid an extra two billion baht to win the contract to control commercial areas at Suvarnabhumi. The money was included in the contracted return package for AoT, but had been offered in advance to show the firm's readiness, he said.

 
Newspaper office and hotel targeted

From the Bangkok Post

Two explosions occurred early on Tuesday morning along the main road in northern Bangkok. There were no casualties reported in the blasts near the Daily News newspaper and Rama Gardens Hotel Bangkok.

The blasts are suspected to be grenades, probably fired from a military-type grenade launcher from the Don Muang Tollway, which runs above the Viphavadee Rangsit road, where the explosions occurred.

One went off around 1 a.m. just in front of the Daily News newspaper building, which is about 200 metres back from the main roadway. It blew a hole about 30 cm (one foot) wide in the ground.

The second blast, not long after, occurred about 30 metres from the first, in the parking lot of the Rama Gardens Hotel. It blew out most of the lights in the parking area, and caused a foot-wide crack in a wall.

At both scenes, police found explosive debris, which they were analysing this morning. Officers and bomb squad members said they believed the explosives were projectile devices fired from a launcher on the Tollway.

The blasts bore little resemblance to the time bombs on New Year's Eve, but were likely to increase pressure on authorities to solve that dealing incident. The attacks this morning likely were by grenades. While they landed at public areas, they were fired at a time and place when both damage and casualties were likely to be light. In the event, they caused only superficial damage and no known casualties.

The Thai military and elite police forces have thousands of grenade launchers in their inventory.

The grenade launchers and rounds can be purchased reasonably easily on the weapons black market. Weapons and ammunition date back to the Vietnam war era, and have become common throughout Thailand and the region.

There seems to be few clues as to the perpetrators or their motives.

 
Government warn house owners via company to restructure

From the Bangkok Post

Foreign investors holding property through shell companies using Thai nominees have been warned to restructure their holdings or face prosecution.

Foreigners using shell companies to buy housing across the country are violating two laws. One, the Land Act that forbids foreigners from holding land and two, the Foreign Business Act by using nominee structures. I recommend that they restructure, Commerce Minister Krirk-krai Jirapaet told foreign journalists at a dinner talk on Friday.

Under Thai law, he pointed out, foreigners can only own land if they have businesses promoted by the Board of Investment, under the Industrial Estate Act or with written permission from the Interior Ministry.

Look around you _ all the land in Samui, Phuket and Koh Chang is in the hands of foreigners. They cannot take the land away but there's a sense of nationalism and therefore they should restructure, a combative Krirk-krai said in response to questions from foreigners.

The resort islands of Phuket and Samui have been the focus of foreign investors who have snapped up million-dollar villas as second or retirement homes, but the imminent changes to the Foreign Business Act have begun to keep investors, developers and buyers at bay.

It is expected that among those to be hurt the most by the new rules will be companies selling villas to foreign buyers, as any foreigner will need to set up a company with at least a 51% Thai shareholding. To comply with the amendments, companies will need to change from freehold to leasehold contracts.

Market experts believe the villa-for-sale market in resort destinations will suffer as a result.

Krirk-krai also said that the government would likely look at ways to plug the loopholes under which companies use Non Voting Depository Receipts (NVDRs) to circumvent FBA-mandated restrictions on foreign ownership: I will make sure that over the next three or four months we will plug this loophole.

Krirk-krai said the military-installed government was in a rush to resolve this issue because abuse of the laws was a key reason for the fall of the previous government: It's not that we are backtracking from globalisation and not welcoming foreign investors, but what we want is good quality investors, not just any investors. If the investors cannot observe one or two laws that are similar to those in other civilised countries, then we should not care about them.

 
FDA accept that they overstepped their authority

From the Bangkok Post

The Food and Drug Administration is finally backing off from banning all advertisements of alcoholic beverages. The FDA is properly accepting the verdict of the Council of State that the agency had no business meddling in this issue. To its credit, the FDA now says it will clear up the confusing paperwork and bow out of the controversy within a week or so. That puts matters back roughly where they were a few months ago. While it is not accepting the defeat gracefully, at least the FDA accepts it acted wrongly.

Those behind the campaign to ban liquor advertising obviously had ulterior motives. Their objective was not to stop advertisements by makers of beer, wine and liquor, but rather to set in motion a programme to ban sales of alcoholic drinks. Such a ban is no more necessary or admirable than the proposed, illegal ban on advertising which the prohibitionists almost attained.

The Sept 19 coup brought a new government, and Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla who quickly established his new priorities. Measures to control drinking would be enforced, he announced. In his speeches and interviews, he maintained his purpose was to reduce the number of deaths and health problems traceable to drinking alcohol.

Dr Mongkol was an early and enthusiastic supporter of the anti-advertising legislation. He took it to the cabinet, where wiser and cooler ministers asked for a ruling. Simply put, they wondered if the Public Health Ministry or its FDA had a role in regulating advertising in all facets.

At one point, Dr Mongkol said that not only did he have such power, but he would insist on using it no matter what government colleagues decided. He insisted on raising the age of legal drinking to 25, and it is debatable which decision was more poorly considered.

The Council of State has ruled that Dr Mongkol and his ministry must keep their hands off advertising. The minister has meanwhile wisely backed off his inappropriate campaign to raise the drinking age. Cooler heads have prevailed.

 
Martial law lifted in Bangkok and Pattaya

From the Bangkok Post

An end to martial law in 41 provinces was published in the Royal Gazette yesterday after it was royally endorsed by His Majesty the King. Bangkok and Pattaya are no longer under martial law.

According to the Royal Gazette, 35 of 76 provinces will remain under martial law. In some of those provinces, however, the law is only enforced in selected districts and tambons.

Martial law is still in effect across all of the provinces of Kamphaeng Phet, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Narathiwat, Buri Ram, Pattani, Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Yala, Roi Et, Loei, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Nong Bua Lamphu, Amnat Charoen, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani.

The provinces where the law remains in place in some districts and tambons are Kanchanaburi, Chanthaburi, Trat, Tak, Nan, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phayao, Phitsanulok, Phetchaburi, Ratchaburi, Ranong, Satun, Songkhla, Sa Kaew and Uttaradit.

Some of the provinces still under martial law are situated on the borders while a number of others were strongholds of the former ruling Thai Rak Thai party where opponents of the government and the CNS are reported to be active.

 
Flights diverted as cracked airport cannot cope with incoming traffic

From The Nation

Incoming flights were delayed at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday as its west runway was closed for repairs for two hours, while the transport minister admitted some airlines were afraid to use the new airport due to safety concerns.

While inspecting cracks on taxiways Transport Minister Theera Haocharoen said: This has started to affect the country's image and some airlines are afraid to use Suvarnabhumi due to safety fears.

Some flights had to circle the airport yesterday afternoon or land at U-Tapao military airfield near Pattaya for refuelling and temporary parking. The Tokyo-Manila-Bangkok Flight TG 621 landed at 6.45pm, two hours after its original landing schedule at 4.45pm.

A passenger on a domestic Thai Airways flight from Hat Yai, which landed at U-Tapao, said he was on the plane for an hour before the flight could return to Suvarnabhumi: Before getting to Suvarnabhumi, I was informed that my plane could not land due to the traffic jam and the captain made a detour to U-Tapao. My plane was the first to get there and during the hour I saw four or five more planes land.

Somchai Sawasdeepon, Airports of Thailand (AoT) senior executive vice president and Suvarnabhumi director, said the west runway was closed for repairs from 2pm to 4pm. This coincided with Theera's inspection of cracks on the taxiways. During his two-hour inspection accompanied by AoT chairman General Saprang Kalayanamitr, Theera admitted that 11 aero-bridges were sealed off due to subsidence on the taxiways.

In the first official admission of damage at the airport, Theera identified more than 100 points at 25 areas on taxiways and one point on the west runway where damage had occurred. Seven points on the taxiways had been repaired but subsidence had reoccurred after two weeks.

While admitting the airport needs swift repairs, Theera insisted that Suvarnabhumi would not be shut and Don Muang reopened. Cracks in the main runway could be repaired without shutting it down because they had occurred at the head of the runway, allowing jets enough space to land if work was underway, he said.

Theera said engineers and technicians had been asked to find "temporary" ways to fix the cracks within the next few weeks. In the next two weeks, an investigation committee chaired by Tortrakul Yomnag will start examining the ground underneath the airport, which is located in an area known as Cobra Swamp.

 
Popular Mango Sauce website takes a break

From Mango Sauce

Mango Sauce is on hiatus

Like an Internet El Nino, Google has inflicted a visitor-drought on Mango Sauce.

Consequently, I've decided to take a break so that I can start work on another website. If conditions improve, however, I'll resume posting here.

From very brief research, Google seems to have altered their search rankings to downgrade sites with sex related content. This has inevitably hit sites with good sexually related content. What's made things worse is that those awful directory sites that have nothing but links to other nonsense sites have risen in the rankings to fill the void.

Hopefully Google will see the error of their ways and restore precedence to sites with good content regardless of whether it is sex related or not.

 
Still just like their parents

From the Bangkok Post

A poll has found that Thai people in the Bangkok region think today's young people are disgracing the country with their dress and attitudes. They back government control of clothing and the media.

A significant portion of the Thai public believes young people's outrageous fashions, morally corrupt attitudes and lack of respect for elders are serious cultural problems for the country, the Suan Dusit poll reports.

In the poll, which surveyed 1,640 people in 13 provinces, most respondents wanted the Culture Ministry to regulate the dress code for youths, banning tank tops with spaghetti straps, ultra-short shorts and body-hugging student uniforms.

They also urged the state to ban the media from presenting images of young women in inappropriate clothing.

Emerging as second- and third-placed "social ills" of youths were declining moral standards, breeding corruption and a lack of gratitude and respect for elders.

Vira Rojpojchanarat, permanent-secretary for culture, said the ministry would use the poll as a guideline to prioritise tasks.

 
Just like their parents

From the The Nation

Young children and teenagers drink and smoke less but are more occupied in viewing pornography and gambling than a year ago, according to recent research.

The Child Watch 2005-2006 study, interviewed primary, high school and teenaged university students.

Compared to the previous annual study, pornographic media consumption, gambling, premature sex and teen pregnancies all increased among high-school and university students, Child Watch's research chief Amornwich Nakornthap said last week.

Amornwich said the viewing of porn on VCD, DVD, video and websites among high-school students had risen from 39% to 41% of the respondents. For teen university students, the incidence has risen from 30% to 33%.

As for gambling, mainly on soccer and lotteries, the incidence among high-school students has risen from 17% to 33% while the figure for university students is 24% in 2006, up from 20% the previous year.

The breakdown shows that on average they spend one hour daily chatting on the phone, another hour on the Net and e-mail, two hours listening to music from MP3 and CD players and watching movies on CDs and VCDs, and the rest playing computer games.

Some of the media content tends to be sexually oriented and violent. For example, films and TV soap operas often carry implicit sexual and violent messages.

About 30% of the children surveyed said they were into porn, while about 70% said they enjoyed watching violent films, Amornwich said.

Apinya Vejjayachai, a researcher, said authorities needed to take more action against the worrying trends among young children and teenagers.

For instance, the Information and Communications Technology Ministry recently shut down 15,000 porn and improper sex-related websites, while asking the public to help monitor inappropriate pages on the Net.

The Interior Ministry's Community Development Department recently started a specific database on children and youths - the country's first - in a pilot project implemented in conjunction with the United Nations Children's Fund.

 
Domestic airlines to move back to old airport

From the The Nation

Thai Airways International is moving all of its domestic routes, except those involving Phuket, Chiang Mai and Khon Kaen, to Don Muang airport once the Cabinet approves its reopening.

The move aims to save on operating costs, which are higher at the new Suvarnabhumi Airport. The flag carrier recently said the move to Suvarnabhumi had added Bt3.7 billion to its annual operating costs.

THAI president Apinan Sumanaseni said yesterday that only flights on three routes would be operated at Suvarnabhumi as they carry a large number of foreign passengers who are taking connecting flights to overseas destinations.

On Thursday, Airports of Thailand's (AOT) board approved in principle the reopening of the old airport following an outcry from low-cost airlines over the higher operating fees.

Yesterday, AOT informed the Stock Exchange of Thailand that its board had approved reopening the capital's old airport for domestic flights, a move that would reduce operating costs for budget airlines.

Deputy Transport Minister Sansern Wongcha-um said the reopening of Don Muang would relieve AOT from the future investment of Bt1.4 billion for the construction of a low-cost airline terminal. However, he is unsure whether the move will be permanent. The issue will be forwarded to the Cabinet for approval, possibly next week.

Low-cost carriers including Nok Air and One Two Go have shown interest in moving their operations to Don Muang airport. However, AirAsia wants to move both domestic and international routes back to the old airport.

Apinan said few passengers would be troubled by THAI's intended move. The airline will provide a shuttle-bus service serving the two airports.

 
Extolling the virtues of propaganda

From the Bangkok Post & The Nation

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont has advised Thai youths to refrain from sex until they are of an "appropriate age".

Surayud said Thai youths should make sure their lives were on the right track by choosing what they like to do, as that would bring more chances of success. And they should not follow the example of Western culture in all things, he said, especially sex.

He suggested young people should listen to their parents and that young men and women ought not to indulge in sex but wait until the "right" time. Social values differed in each different society, he said. Western culture did not greatly value the virtue of virginity.

Surayud also urged Thai boys to act like gentlemen and not take advantage of girls. He also advised youths to apply the King's self-sufficiency philosophy as a practical guide to living their lives, and follow this year's motto for Children's Day: To have virtue in the heart, practice self-sufficiency economy, and avoid vices.

Meanwhile the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security is set to embark on a five-year plan to free society from vice, especially gambling. Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham yesterday announced the plan which the ministry will jointly carry out with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation and the Morality Centre.

Each agency will spend a five million baht budget during the first phase of the plan, which focuses mainly on reducing gambling among young and poor people in five major provinces including Bangkok and Nakhon Ratchasima. The plan is aimed at cutting the number of gamblers by half.

Wallop Ploytubtim, permanent-secretary for social development and human security, said about two million youngsters drink or gamble: 'People spend so much on vice that the amount is said to be equal to the entire national budget.

 
Security stepped up

From VOA News

Security measures are being stepped up in Bangkok before an annual celebration this Saturday.

There are signs of stepped up security in Bangkok; the occasional armed soldier or security guard checking handbags at an entrance to the city's subway system, and clear plastic bags where there once were sturdy public trash bins.

Government officials say there are additional security measures throughout the city, including some that members of the public are not meant to notice.

The army has now put in personnel into over 300 locations around the metropolis to keep check on various movements, said Yongyuth Mayalarp, a spokesman for the Thai government. The army, as well as the police, are in full scale operation at the moment, looking after all the areas, in uniforms and out of uniforms.

In addition to plain-clothes security forces, the government is also planning to install 1,000 closed-circuit television cameras.

Security is going to be even tighter in the capital Saturday, January 13, for the annual Children's Day celebrations. It will be the city's first large-scale event since New Year's Eve. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the festivities in Bangkok.

Government buildings will be open to the public. But a Ministry of Education event will be held in a large fairground in central Bangkok and Yongyuth explains extra security measures will be in place: The Ministry of Education is arranging to have the equipment to detect explosive devices to be installed at entrances, and requesting families and children to enter the premises without carrying rucksacks or anything that may be difficult to inspect.

Meanwhile, the military government of Thailand has canceled the diplomatic passports of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife.

It has again told local media to censor its reporting. The latest warnings insist Thai media should not report on the movements or statements made by the now-exiled Thaksin.

Thai/Farang company Full board meeting

Farangs set to lose control of their companies

From The Nation

The Foreign companies, which have been using Thai nominees to circumvent ownership laws, will be forced to reduce their stakes and their voting rights within specified time limits when the amended Foreign Business Act becomes law.

The Cabinet have now approved a draft amendment to the Foreign Business Act.

The amendment aims to end the legal contention over allegations that Temasek Hold-ings of Singapore had relied on nominees to get around the Thai ownership law to take over Shin Corp.

The amendments require foreign business owners to reduce their voting rights to below 50% within one year. For shareholdings, if they own a stake in their own name that exceeds the limit, they have two years to reduce it. If the exceeded limit is held in the name of a Thai nominee, they have one year to reduce it.

Commerce Minister Krirk-krai Jirapaet said the new law would set a clearer definition on foreign corporate entities. Under the amendments, "foreign companies" are defined as those whose shareholding stakes or voting rights exceed 50%.

The Foreign Business Law covers three lists of business sectors. The most protective category is Annex 1, followed by Annex 2 and Annex 3.

• Annex 1 includes rice farming, forestry, agriculture and protected professions such as hairdressing.
• Annex 2 comprises national security-related sectors such as telecommunications, handicrafts, media, weaponry, ammunition, military equipment, the culture-related sector, environment, transportation, marine and air transport, domestic aviation, antique sales, salt farming and mining.
• Annex 3 includes rice milling, fisheries, forestry, accountancy services, the service business, legal service business, agriculture, engineering, and retail.

Companies operating in industries listed in Annex 3 of the law will be exempt from the rule. However, the retail law will soon be subject to a retail business law to be introduced in the near future.

The Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce on Monday warned the government to suspend the amendment saying members might withdraw their investments if the new law becomes more restrictive.

The old law imposes a maximum three-year jail sentence and Bt100,000 to B1 million in fines. But the new law would increase the fine from Bt500,000 to Bt5 million.

Asked if foreign investors would pull out, Krirk-krai said: It's their right to invest, but I believe that quality foreign investors will understand this issue.

The stock market tumbled 2.69%, with the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index losing 17.07 points to close at 616.75.

 
Military re-appear on the streets

The recent bombs seem to have triggered a chain of intrigue leading to quite unsettling possibilities of future incidents and instability. Yet there seems little informed opinion as to what exactly is going on. Lots on the TV being reported but little to glue all the events into a logical sequence.

Based on an article from the BBC

Thailand's army-installed prime minister has warned the public to brace themselves for similar attacks to the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok.

Surayud Chulanont made his warning in parliament, but did not give details of any specific threats. His government has hinted it believes politicians ousted in September's military coup may have been behind the bombings that killed three people.

Suspicion has also fallen on disaffected soldiers and police. Defence Minister Boonrawd Somtas said it was "highly likely" the attacks were carried out by "men in uniform": It's 90% sure that it is politically motivated, and only a handful of groups of people have the potential to mount these attacks.

Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, and another former prime minister, Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, have angrily denied any involvement in the blasts.

Security has been stepped up around transport hubs but the city is jittery - more than a thousand reports of suspicious packages and hoax warnings of bombs have been received by the authorities.

Rumours also swirled around Bangkok on Thursday of a possible counter-coup, but spokesmen for the military and government denied this.

There have been transfers of troops but it is for the purpose of providing security in Bangkok, military spokesman Col Sansern Chaengkamnerd told the AP news agency.

Surayud Chulanont, who was appointed interim prime minister after the 19 September coup, has vowed to catch those behind the bomb attacks. But he told the National Legislative Council: The public should be prepared to deal with this new kind of threat to our lives in the future.

He also ruled out a link to the conflict in the south, telling parliament that though tests showed the bombs were similar to those used in the insurgency, I can reassure you that they are not exactly the same. That is why we have concluded that the bombings had nothing to do with the south, and rather that the ill-intentioned perpetrators are in Bangkok.

 
8 bombs explode in Bangkok killing 2

Based on an article from the BBC

Two people were killed and about 30 were injured in bomb blasts in eight bomb blasts in Bangkok on New Year's eve

Eight of the injured were foreign including two British victims.

A first spate of six attacks took place at sites across the Thai capital during late afternoon local time as the streets were beginning to fill up. Two further blasts rocked the city centre just before midnight.

BBC correspondent Jonathan Head said many Thais suspected the attacks were the work of opponents of the current military government which forced Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra from office in September.

All New Year's Eve public celebrations were called off following the afternoon attacks.

The Foreign Office has set up two emergency telephone lines for those concerned about relatives in Bangkok. Dialling from the UK 0066 2305 8253 and 0066 2305 8229. (02305 8253 and 02305 8229 from Thailand

The latest Foreign Office Travel advice reads: A number of bombs exploded in Bangkok on 31 December 2006. There is a possibility of further attacks in coming days. British Citizens are advised not to travel within Bangkok unless absolutely necessary, until further notice.