Somebody commented on a forum that Cobra Gold, the spring naval exercise that brings so many customers to Pattaya bars, may be a casualty. That would surely be a bigger financial hit than just $24m stated.

From the BBC

The United States has imposed sanctions against Thailand in response to the military coup which ousted civilian Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
The move involves cutting off $24m (£12.8m) in military assistance, according to the US state department.

The US has urged the ruling generals to call elections as soon as possible.

Last week's coup has been widely welcomed in Thailand, but it has been condemned by most Western governments as a step backwards.

State department spokesman Sean McCormack said the aid cut involved military education and training, peacekeeping operations and counter-terrorism. Funding for humanitarian purposes would however continue, he said.

The United States continues to urge a rapid return to democratic rule and early elections in Thailand, said McCormack, adding that funds would be reinstated once an elected government was in office.

From The Nation

The United States expressed unease over reports that a former army chief had been chosen to run Thailand's government after the military coup.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack withheld formal comment on the reports that Thailand's ruling junta had selected retired general Surayud Chulanont to replace Thaksin pending confirmation of the appointment.

But certainly somebody with close ties to the military is going to have to at least overcome the perception that they are maintaining a close relationship with the military and may be not acting in defense of Thai democracy, McCormack said.

The junta pledged to appoint a new premier within two weeks to guide Thailand towards elections in October 2007.

State-run Thai radio and other media reported Friday that the military had chosen Surayud, an advisor to the king, as prime minister and that the appointment would be announced on Sunday. But a military source in Bangkok challenged the report, saying Surayud had turned down the job.

Another possible prime ministerial candidate was former World Trade Organization chief and current head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development, Supachai Panitchpakdi.

The salary requirements have actually eased off a little but the liquidity requirements on companies sound very onerous. And surely the removal of one man companies for agents and consultants will hit hard.

From Thai Visa

New changes for the Extension of stay based on Business for Oct 1st 2006.

You must now have a work permit to apply (Before you could just show the receipt from the Labor dept to apply for the extension of stay based on business)

The Thai business must have registered paid up capital of no less than 2 million Baht.

The business must have income to pay for all foreign employee salaries, including fringe benefits in the next accounting year.

The net equity on the balance sheet, must be not less than one million Baht.

No more one Thai employee ratio for a Consultant or Agent with the extension of stay based on business. This now requires 4 Thai employees per foreigner. The only categories that are allowed the ratio of one Thai employee for one foreigner are a Representative Office of an International Trade Office, Regional Office and Branch office of an International Company.

New salary requirements for the extension of stay based on Business starting Oct 1st, 2006:

• 50,000 Baht/month Europe, Australia, Canada, Japan, USA
• 45,000 Baht/month South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong
• 35,000 Baht/month Other Asian Countries not listed, South America, East Europe, Central America, Mexico, Turkey, Russia, South Africa
• 25,000 Baht/month Africa, Cambodia, Burma, Laos, Vietnam

From The Nation

The Immigration Bureau plans to install fingerprint identification equipment at Suvarnabhumi Airport within the next two months.

The new equipment is part of a global trend among international airports to utilise biometric scanning technology for supposed security and efficiency purposes.

Immigration procedures at Suvarnabhumi are very fast. It takes only 20 seconds for the average passenger. It will be even faster when we finish installing the fingerprint identification units, said Police Lieutenant General Suwat Tumrongsriskul, Immigration Bureau Commissioner..

In addition to fingerprint scanning equipment, immigration police plan to install additional electronic passport control technology, which they hope will also be in place before the end of November.

For arriving flights, the Immigration Bureau has requested that airlines submit a passenger manifest before a plane arrives, again for security and efficiency purposes. Police can scrutinise the data and, therefore, accelerate procedures before passengers even reach immigration booths.

From Mainichi

Bangkok's new international airport officially opened Thursday with all commercial airlines transferring operations to the sleek new hub.

Flights stopped landing at the old Don Muang airport after midnight Wednesday. The full transfer of passenger flights from Don Muang to the airy, expansive Suvarnabhumi Airport was completed at 3 a.m. Thursday, more than four decades after the project was originally conceived in 1960.

The transition went smoothly, aside from some delays in delivering baggage.

Built on an area known as "Cobra Swamp," the construction of Suvarnabhumi was blighted by everything from corruption scandals and a deadly fire to the military coup that ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Thaksin, who turned up the pressure to complete the airport, built in four and a half years, all during his time in office, heralded Suvarnabhumi as one of his administration's crowning achievements.

By 9 a.m., well over 100 flights had landed and taken off at Suvarnabhumi.

Airport staff said heavy rain delayed the overnight transfer of equipment from the old airport, slowing the movement of luggage from the planes to arriving passengers.

There were complaints about a lack of seating in the check-in hall, and not enough toilets. The bathroom is too small. We had to queue, said Alex Chia, a tourist flying home to Malaysia.

Suvarnabhumi, a name conferred by the Thai king pronounced "sue-wanna-poom," which means "Golden Land", is a little over 30 kilometers (about 20 miles) east of Bangkok in a 563,000-square-meter (6 million-square-foot) H-shaped building.

A 28-kilometer (17-mile) rail link under construction will connect the airport with mass transit trains in central Bangkok and is scheduled for completion in November 2007.

From The Times

Thailand's self-appointed military rulers arrested their opponents, banned political meetings and prohibited television stations from broadcasting viewer opinion yesterday, as the newly formed junta consolidated the success of Tuesday’s lightning coup.

Despite its insistence that it would hand over power to a civilian prime minister within a fortnight, the “Council for Democratic Reform under Constitutional Monarchy” is permitting no expressions of opposition to its authority. By yesterday all media organisations that formerly supported the democratically elected Government of Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed Prime Minister, had been suppressed or converted to the junta’s cause.

Broadcasts on foreign satellite television were jammed repeatedly whenever Thaksin appeared in news reports. US diplomats in Bangkok interviewed staff of the BBC and CNN yesterday in preparation for a formal complaint about the interference.

General Sondhi summoned newspaper editors and television managers to spell out the new conditions under which they can operate — reporting of “public opinion” is discouraged, including live interviews, phone ins and text messages from viewers that Thai television stations display in the form of a “ticker” at the bottom of screens.

The council asks for co-operation from all types of media and media operators, as well as reporters, to report their stories accurately and constructively in order swiftly to restore normality to the country, an official announcement said.

At least eight supporters of Thaksin were in detention under martial law ordinances that allow detainees to be held for a week without charge. They include the manager of a pro-Thaksin national television station, an outspoken columnist and the former Deputy Prime Minister, Chitchai Wannasathit, who was described as having accepted an invitation to remain indefinitely inside army headquarters in Bangkok.

The two latest detainees were the Cabinet ministers Newin Chidchob and Yongyuth Tiyapairat, who obeyed a summons to present themselves to the army at noon yesterday, having gone into hiding after the coup 36 hours earlier.

From the Bangkok Post

The Council for Democratic Reform (CDR) announced His Majesty the King's endorsement of General Sonthi Boonyaratkalin as its leader yesterday in what was seen as confirmation that the council had the situation under control.

The council made the announcement several hours after Gen Sonthi appeared on television with the rest of the council members to affirm that the utmost effort would be made to return sovereignty to the people as soon as possible.

During the press conference, Gen Sonthi promised to usher in an interim civilian government within the next two weeks. In that time, the council would draft an administrative charter to accommodate the formation of the new interim government, which will spend up to a year penning a new constitution for political reform.

Once the new constitution is in place, the general election will be called, he added.

From the BBC

Thai military leaders have begun consolidating their hold on power after staging a coup while Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was abroad.

Martial law has been declared, with large gatherings of people and critical news reporting banned.

Thaksin's deputy and chief aide, Chidchai Vanasathidya, has been taken into army custody.

Army chief General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said in a TV address that the coup was necessary to unite the country.  The military had no intention of holding onto power, he added.

The coup leaders have announced that regional army commanders will take charge of areas outside the capital, Bangkok. They have also ordered provincial governors and heads of government agencies to report to them.

The country's stock market, banks and schools will be closed on Wednesday, which has been declared a public holiday.

BBC World, CNN and other international TV news channels have been taken off the air, but Thai stations have now resumed near normal programme schedules.

Sonthi made a brief address while flanked by the heads of the three services and the police, and backed by giant portraits of the king and queen. He said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's policies had created serious divisions: We have seized power. The constitution, the senate, the house of representatives, the cabinet and the constitutional court have all been terminated. We agreed that the caretaker prime minister has caused an unprecedented rift in society, widespread corruption, nepotism, and interfered in independent agencies, crippling them so they cannot function.

From the BBC

A faction of the Thai military led by the army chief says it has overthrown Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Tanks surrounded the prime minister's offices and soldiers took them over, though it seems no shots were fired.

After announcing they had suspended parliament and the constitution, coup leaders went to meet the king.

A spokesman for Thaksin, who is at the UN in New York, insisted the coup "could not succeed", and that the government was still in control. The spokesman said it had not been decided when the prime minister would return home from the UN.

However, in a broadcast on all Thai television channels the leadership of the armed forces said it had taken control of Bangkok, suspended the constitution and parliament, declared nationwide martial law and ordered all troops to return to their bases.

We ask for the co-operation of the public and ask your pardon for the inconvenience, the announcement said. Retired Lieutenant-General Prapart Sakuntanak said the seizure would be temporary and power "\returned to the people"\ soon.

Declaring themselves the "Council of Political Reform", the rebels said they were led by sacked military commander General Sonthi Boonyaratglin and declared loyalty to the king.

However, the BBC's Kate McGeown in Bangkok says King Bhumibol is held in high esteem by all Thais, and the declaration of loyalty does not necessarily imply that he backs the takeover attempt.

Our correspondent says low-level rumours of a possible coup have been circulating for weeks. There has been pressure growing on the prime minister to resign, including from groups close to King Bhumibol, following a political impasse in which April's general election was declared invalid, says the BBC's correspondent Jonathan Head in Bangkok. But it had been thought that Thailand was making progress towards holding another election later in the year, our correspondent says.

Witnesses said several hundred troops were posted at key points around Bangkok, including at government installations and major intersections.

BBC World, CNN and other international news channels were taken off the air, and Thai stations played out images of the royal family and patriotic songs.

At the United Nations, where the annual General Assembly is under way, it was announced that the agenda had been changed to allow Thaksin to address it in the coming hours.

From Khao San Road

On Saturday night Sabah Cafe & Cinema had a semi-formal visit from Immigration Police Major Suppachai Paladech, Inspector of the Immigration Detention Centre and Secretary to the Commissioner of Immigration; technically the second in command at Immigration. The intended purpose of the visit was to clear up some rumors and allay fears that many long term 'tourists' are having regarding the implementation of updated immigration regulations on the 1st October 2006.

It is obvious that the present border runners will change into visa runners to other countries. What are the Department of Immigration's thoughts on this? From October 1st you can travel to the border and re-enter 3 times using the system of waiver of a visa. After that, if you get a single entry tourist visa from abroad you can stay here for 60 days, after that you can get a visa extension for 30 days, so it is already 6 months. Each time you leave the country you can come back with the visa extension again, so the tourist visa intervenes.

Question: So if we buy a tourist visa and extend it for 1 month can we leave buy another tourist visa and back, can we continue to do that?

Police Major Suppachai: Yes, you can do that. We don't want some people staying on visa extensions for ever. Some people stay for 10 years. The main thing at the moment is that now people that come to Thailand for 10 years are not getting screened. With the tourist visa the police now have a chance to check the people that are not on the blacklist. That is the main thing of this new law.

Question: When does the new rule effecting 90-day maximum wavered visas come into affect?

Police Major Suppachai: It means that the person who has been staying on visa extensions for years, you can depart. If your visa ends on the 30 September, you leave the country and come back on the 30th September, you still can use that 3 times. There was misinformation on the Internet, it doesn't count by stamps, it counts by days. This is very important, it counts by days not stamps. Yeah counts by days.

Question: This is going to effect the airlines. How is Immigration going to handle this? How does an airline know when a passenger comes to their stamp quota? The airline is responsible for their passenger?

Police Major Suppachai: Your question is a very good question. OK we know that from the first of October it counts from 90 days and the problems will come back. Many people will be stopped at the border, right. So within 90 days we will try to do something. Because we are thinking about the electronic visas. We will use that kind of visa where the airline will have to submit the name of the person to our office before to issue the ticket, similar system to the US. It needs at least 1 year.

We don't want people using that kind of system (visa waiver) to stay in our country forever, we have to use the tourist visa to intervene in that system to screen them, to screen the people who are staying in our country.

Question: We have heard that there will be a 3 month visa you can buy here in Bangkok. Is this a new rule, if so when is it in place, is it already in existence, can you explain?

Police Major Suppachai: It is not a new visa, it is a new regulation for foreigners who don't have a visa, but visa extension, it means you can apply for a non immigration type B and O at the Immigration Bureau.

Question: In Thailand right?

Police Major Suppachai: Yes. But it means that you have to have at least 3 weeks, I mean visa. It means when you come in right, you have 4 weeks. In the first week you have to contact immigration, in Bangkok in Suan Phlu and submit the papers that you want to change your visa. You have to have a visa. Before we could change the category of visa from tourist to non-immigrant, but this time we can issue the visa as well.

Based on an article from the BBC

A series of bombs have exploded in the southern Thai town of Hat Yai, in the province of Songkhla, killing at least two people and injuring dozens.

Thai media reported that the bombs, hidden in motorcycles, were triggered by mobile phones at 21:15 local time.

The bombs, two placed at separate department stores and a third near a hotel, exploded simultaneously.

Police and media reports suggested that at least 30 people were injured during the explosions, which took place in busy shopping districts in the city. Television pictures showed the Odean and Big C department stores on fire as rescue vehicles rushed to the scene.

The attacks came within hours of a peace rally staged by military forces in the south, where authorities said they hoped people would work with them to halt violence.

Almost 1,700 people have died since the Muslim insurgency began in the three southern-most Thai provinces of Pattani, Narathiwat and Yala in January 2004.

On a more positive note it sounds like the authorities have relented about letting taxis pick up at the terminals rather than making passengers get a shuttle bus to the transportation centre.

The new airport, Suvarnabhumi, has its soft opening today, but bosses must face some huge concerns - the main departure hall has only 100 seats and just four restrooms for men

The people behind the new airport love to boast about its numerous and impressive statistics and they have been doing so with some gusto for the past few weeks.

With the Bt150-billion airport's soft opening for some domestic flights by Thai Airways International starting this morning, here are some statistics that they don't want to boast about.

Question 1: How many toilets for men are there in the main departure hall, which is 444 metres long and about 50 metres wide.

The answer: there are 12 toilets and 16 urinals in four restrooms.

In the words of Deputy Prime Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, Suvarnabhumi is "one of the most modern airports in the world with multiple distinctive features".

With tens of thousands of people departing each day, one of those "distinctive features" is bound to be long queues at the restrooms.

Question 2: On that very same fourth floor, the only departure hall, how many seats are there for the public to rest their weary bones?

A couple of thousand would seem reasonable, you'd think. But if you said 100 you'd be spot on the money. Not bad for a place where thousands will congregate each hour. There are hardly any seats because passengers must stand, huffed an Airports of Thailand (AOT) information officer. We want them to check in quickly and get to the retail space.

A female Thai Airways ticket staffer complained: There are too few seats and too many shops. It's not like an airport but more like a shopping mall.

Land of goodbye smiles

Other news is that investment visas for those investing money in Thailand will be withdrawn on October 1st. After a brief scare, current 3 million baht investment visas can be renewed.

Update: It seems that the clock will now start counting from October so no-one will get refused entry until January 1st

Update: It has been reported that the Penang office will no longer issue any multiple entry tourist visas. Single entry tourist visas for 60 days are still being issued.

From Phuket Gazette

Phuket’s Immigration Chief has confirmed that Thailand will crack down on foreigners working illegally in the country by ending its policy of issuing an unlimited number of consecutive “visas on arrival” or "visa free entries" – ie those entries that allow the holder to stay a maximum of 15 or 30 days.

The crackdown is intended to stop foreigners – typically bar owners and other small businessmen without work permits – from using the visas to stay in the country indefinitely while working illegally.

Pol Col Bunphot Kongkrachan, Acting Superintendent of the Phuket Immigration Office, told the Gazette that from October 1 onward, Immigration checkpoints around the country will limit to three the number of consecutive visas on arrival they will grant a single visitor.

After the third consecutive visa on arrival has expired, the passport holder must leave the country and wait 90 days before being allowed back into Thailand on that type of visa.

The move effectively limits the length of stay for those entering the country with this visa class to 45 or 90 days.

The 41 countries whose citizens qualify for 15/30 day entries include Thailand’s top sources of tourists - almost all Western European countries, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Singapore and many more.

Col Bunphot said that all Immigration chiefs nationwide have been ordered to attend a meeting at Immigration headquarters in Bangkok on September 15, during which the new, stricter regulations will be explained in detail.

I will make a more detailed statement about the new situation within a week of returning from the meeting, he said.

Suwalai Pinpradab, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s South Region 4 Office in Phuket, downplayed the potential impact of the new rule on Phuket’s all-important tourism industry.

I don’t think it will affect tourism revenue in Phuket very much because foreign businessmen holding work permits will still be able to work. The only ones who will be affected will be people who are working illegally and prolonging their stays by making visa run after visa run, she said.

My concern is the coming high season. I sympathize with Immigration, which has too few officers. I am afraid that they will be swamped with work and that there will be a slowdown in service [at Immigration checkpoints], she said.

Umm... another measure that seems to be targeting the less affluent visitor, this time backpackers. I wonder how many 18-24 years old tourists will be put off along with their families or friends.

Of course the proposed 25 age limit may have a devastating effect on nightlife. Taking out the 18-24 years old would be horrendous. Perhaps we will see gogo-a-juice bars.

From The Nation

Under the new Alcohol Consumption Control bill, advertising, all forms of sales promotion activities, and the sale of alcohol to anyone under 25 could be banned.

Boonrawd Trading Co's marketing manager Chatchai Wiratyosin said the company had no problem with the increase in minimum drinking age or the restriction of sales channels: We have tried to point out the effects to the Public Health Ministry, which is the lawmaker, many times but our concerns have always been ignored.

However, Boonrawd Trading would send representatives to attend the public hearing on the 20th of this month to repeat its concerns, he said.

Chaipranin Visudhipol, president of the Advertising Association of Thailand and TBWA (Thailand) managing director, said if the objective of the law was to make the nation drink less, a total ban on advertising would not help. It can be seen that lao khao [white liquor] is the top-seller without any advertising. It is also the main kind of alcohol consumed by drivers who have road accidents.

Besides affecting the Bt1-billion advertising budget of alcohol companies each year, the new bill will have a great effect on many useful activities sponsored by alcohol companies, such as sports, Chaipranin said.

Recently, CP Seven Eleven Co pledged that the clause to ban alcohol promotions in shops that open more than 16 hours a day would severely affect its more than 3,000 branches that are open 24 hours.

Samarn Futrakul, from the Bureau of Non-Communicable Diseases, which oversees the drafting of the law, said enforcement of the bill would need time because it required approval from Parliament.

All sections of the bill could be revised after the hearing, Samarn said.

A more lucid confirmation of what will surely be a serious problem to many in Thailand

From Forbes

Land of goodbye smiles

Thailand will tighten entry regulations for tourists in a bid to crack down on illegal foreign workers, the Immigration Bureau said.

The move, which takes effect October 1, would affect tourists from 41 countries including Australia, the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and the US, said Suwat Thamrongsrisakul, the head of the bureau.

Currently, tourists from 41 countries can enter Thailand without visas and stay in the kingdom for up to 30 days.

They can extend their stay by checking out of the country, mainly by crossing the borders of neighboring Cambodia and Laos, and returning with new entry stamps.

'Under the current rules, people from those countries can stay in Thailand as long as they want. Some even stay here for one year,' another bureau official said.

The bureau had learned that a growing number of foreigners from the 41 countries worked illegally in Thailand, Suwat said, adding many were employed in bars and restaurants in the popular seaside resort of Pattaya, east of Bangkok.

'Tourists are taking advantage of the visa exemption law. Instead of sightseeing, they are doing business here,' Suwat said.

From October, tourists from the designated countries can still enter Thailand without visas and stay for up to 30 days, but their entry stamps will be renewable twice at most for a maximum stay of 90 days.

Tourists who stayed for 90 days must leave the kingdom for at least 90 days before being permitted to re-enter Thailand, Suwat said.

A confusing article that surely needs clarification about both details and whether it is imminent or just an idea.

There are actual about 40 countries (mostly Europe and North America) that classed as visa exempt and get a 30 day entry. Visa On Arrival applies to about 20 countries including India and China and they get a 15 day visa.

The article is not clear whether the renewals mentioned are at an immigration office or else on re-entry on a visa run to the border.

From the Bangkok Post

Land of goodbye smiles

Visa-on-arrival (VOA) regulations will be tightened for nationals of 41 countries to prevent abuse of the privilege and curb the rising number of illegal entries, according to the Immigration Police Bureau (IPB). Foreign nationals from those countries, including the US, China and India, will be able to stay longer but with fewer chances of renewing the VOA.

IPB commissioner Suwat Tumrongsiskul said nationals from those specific countries are currently allowed to remain in Thailand for 15 days maximum after the VOA is granted. The VOA is normally renewable once.

However, some foreigners including tourists ''tiptoe around the law'' by resorting to so-called visa runs to extend their stay. Most take a bus to a border, check out of the country and then return the same day to have the VOA renewed.

They repeat the practice as many times as they wish, affording them almost unlimited stay in the country. The policy is largely intended to serve tourism.

Pol Lt-Gen Suwat said the change of the VOA rules is in order.

In future, foreigners from those 41 countries will be able to stay in the country for 30 days from the first VOA stamp, which will be renewable twice at most, each time for a maximum of 30 days. In other words, a foreigner will be permitted to remain in Thailand for no longer than 90 days in total after three VOA stamps.

The commissioner said the current system is prone to abuse as many foreign nationals make numerous visa runs so they can stay on long term to do business. In some cases, they have gone unregulated, causing social problems.

Official figures showed that about 400,000 Chinese nationals were granted a VOA last year, and 18,000 of them have stayed behind.

Around 200,000 Indians made VOA visits last year and it was found that 16,000 of them have not left.

Pol Lt-Gen Suwat said the new VOA rules will be put into effect once approved by the Royal Thai Police Office.

Hopefully there will be a convenient passenger pick up/set down point for pre-booked taxis to Pattaya.

Letter in the Bangkok Post

No taxis for arrivals at new airport

It seems that passengers arriving at "Southeast Asia's newest hub" will be given the following transportation options to ease and whizz them into Bangkok:

1. Take a limousine which will cost, ooh, a thousand baht or so.
2. Jump on a train which is scheduled to depart, erm, sometime towards the end of next year.
3. Jump on a skytrain which is scheduled to depart, erm, in about four years.
4. Lug your bags onto a "courtesy bus" which, when it turns up and fills up with people, erm, in about 15 minutes probably, will shuttle passengers to a transport depot 3km (or is it 8km?) away. Only then will they be able to join the queue to get a regular taxi or a bus into the city.

So much for looking out for your taxi-driver friends, Mr Thaksin? So much for making Suvarnabhumi the accessible, affordable, Asian crossroads it's aspiring to be.

From The Telegraph

A Thai woman who ordered the murder of her former British husband and burnt his dismembered remains was jailed for life yesterday.

Pannada Laoruang, a former bar girl, paid three relatives and neighbours £2,700 to kill Toby Charnaud so she would inherit money through their son to cover her gambling debts, a court heard.

The three men, who were also jailed for life, ambushed Charnaud in March last year as he arrived to collect his son from his ex-wife's house.

They bludgeoned him to death before burning his body on a fire. Boontin Puipong, Sattri Sripatum, and Nipit Satabut were convicted of premeditated murder.

Sentencing Pannada, Judge Sarawut Busayanan said: Although she was not present at the killing, that does not mean she is not equally as guilty as the others.

Charnaud married Pannada in 1997. They divorced in 2004 after she ran up gambling debts that had to be paid from a school fees fund for their son, the court at Petchaburi heard.

From the Bangkok Post

Business Day has become the second English-language newspaper in Thailand to cease publication in less than a week. Publisher Chartchai Yenbamroong confirmed yesterday his newspaper will not publish after tomorrow.

Chartchai said he decided to ''suspend'' Business Day because he was tied up with other businesses. Sources said Business Day staff were told last week that from tomorrow they no longer had jobs. Business Day focused on local and international business news.

On Thursday, Thai Day, owned by Sondhi Limthongkul's Manager Group, also shut down.

From The Nation

The Criminal Court yesterday turned down a police request to issue arrest warrants against seven key members of the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government and breaking the law.

The court issued an order stating that the seven people, including Bangkok senator-elect Rosana Tositrakul, and PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila, were merely exercising their right to freedom of expression under Article 39 of the Constitution, and to hold a peaceful assembly, which was guaranteed by Article 44 of the 1997 charter.

The speech [by those charged by the police] is first and foremost made to demand Pol Col Thaksin Shinawatra to resign [as prime minister] ... There appears to be no intention to overthrow the law of the land nor the government by using force or to cause havoc and unrest amongst citizens, the court order said.

The two presiding judges also stated that peaceful protest was a constitutional right that could not be denied, especially when considering that the country was not in a state of emergency or war when the protests took place earlier this year.

The police, led by Maj-General Chatchawan Suksomjit, deputy commander of the Metropolitan Police, might now try to charge the seven with minor, non-criminal offences such as obstructing traffic, littering and using loudspeakers in public areas. However, Rosana and Nitikorn vowed to fight these charges as well, even though they merit only fines.

From The Nation

Over 20 banks hit by simultaneous blasts in Yala, Southern Thailand.

One person was killed and 24 injured yesterday as more than 20 small bombs exploded almost simultaneously inside commercial banks across the province, sending the entire security apparatus into a tailspin amid a growing fear that more such attacks are on the way.

Police detained five people in connection with the attacks and are carefully checking security cameras to try to identify more of the perpetrators. The five detained denied any connection with the bombings.

Bomb squads were sent racing back and forth across Yala amid fears more bombs were going to be detonated ahead of intelligence warnings that yesterday was tipped to be an especially violent day for the South.

Most if not all of the bombs exploded yesterday were small home-made devices of less than a kilogram.

One reason for the bombs being small in size may have to do with the fact that it's difficult to carry a big bomb into any bank. But overall, I think the aim was to discredit the government and create a psychological impact on the people's confidence in the authorities, said Pol Maj-General Thani Thawidsri, the deputy commissioner for the Police Ninth Region that oversees the seven southernmost provinces.

The bombs were set off in 22 of Yala's 30 bank branches, both in the provincial capital and outlying districts, at about 11.30am yesterday.

Most of the bombs were believed to have been triggered by time clocks, although in at least three locations, authorities found mobile-phone SIM cards attached to the explosive devices. All of the explosions took place in the banks' lobbies and many were set up in books which had portions of the pages cut out to provide a nook.

Although none of the bombs were packed with shrapnel, the blasts were powerful enough to shatter glass windows, rip through nearby walls and send chairs and tables in all directions.

A bomb at Kasikornbank in central Yala killed Major Suchart Srithong-on, a retired soldier who was in the lobby of the bank when the bomb went off.

Couldn't really make any sense about this article except that mobile call charges are on upward path.

From Pattaya City News

Bad news for mobile phone users, cost will increase to 6 Baht per minute

Atuek Asawanant, Vice President and Chief of Legal Management Committee clued-up that the Telecommunication Business Committees of True Corporation, is leading to announce the new phone rates and prepaid service charge for the Telecommunication Business.

Cabinet resolution declared that the service rate will increase from 6 , 9, 12, 16 up to 18 Baht possibly. Price will take effect upon the official announcement from the committee. As for now no definite date given, as to when is the official announcement.

From The Nation

Eight leading members of the People's Alliance for Democracy yesterday were targeted for arrest over their anti-government roles during months of mass rallies, but the Criminal Court declined to issue the warrants pending a hearing today.

Maj-General Chatchawal Suksomchit, deputy Metropolitan Police chief, was reported to have asked the court to issue arrest

Police claimed that the suspects tried to incite political upheaval after they held a series of rallies across the country, attacking the government and Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra with their allegations.

The PAD members are Suriyasai Katasila, Karun Sai-ngam, Rosana Tositrakul, Pian Yongnu, Suwit Watnu, Chaiwat Sinsuwong, Ouaychai Watha and Sirichai Mai-ngam.

The court said it had considered the police's request and decided to seek clarification today from Chatchawal on the justification for the request and charges against the PAD members before concluding if the arrests were warranted.

Suriyasai said police were serving the government in an attempt to stop a new round of the PAD movement before the election. He insisted that the PAD's activities were constitutional.

From The Nation

Air passengers will be asked to pay heavier departure taxes from early next year, Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) said.

The international departure tax would be increased by Bt200 to Bt700 and domestic passengers would incur a Bt100 fee, up from a current Bt50. The increase would be effective from February 1 .

AOT operates Suvarnabhumi Airport. It had planned to introduce the new taxes upon the opening of the new airport on September 28. Meanwhile, new landing fees levied on aircraft using the airport would be imposed from April 1, 2007. That is a six-month delay from the original schedule.

AOT said it was postponing the new fee to attract airlines to Suvarnabhumi. The new landing fee is a 15% increase on that charged at Don Muang airport.


AOT explained earlier that fees at Suvarnabhumi Airport needed to be raised due to the greater amenities and facilities that would be provided.

From the Bangkok Post

Thai/Farang company Full board meeting

The Securities and Exchange Commission plans a ''nominee-monitoring'' measure that will require any shareholder with more than 5% in a listed company to disclose its identity.

The current information disclosure rule applies to shareholders with stakes of more than 10% in a listed company, according to Chalee Chantanayingyong, a senior assistant secretary-general of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The change is a response to recent concerns raised about the use of nominees to hold shares in companies on behalf of foreign entities. Such holdings could result in foreign shareholding limits in certain business sectors being exceeded.

Chalee said the scrutiny of such holdings might take longer as regulators would need to consult with various parties about the possible impact. As part of the process, he said, the SEC was considering sending a circular to all brokers about two important practices: Know Your Customer (KYC) and Client Due Diligence (CDD).

He said brokers must acknowledge the actual identities of each customer as to who is the account owner and its background, and whether those customers are qualified to open accounts.

New business registration rules that took effect on Aug 15 require all new companies with foreign shareholdings of more than 40% to declare their sources of funds, in guidelines issued by the Commerce Ministry.

The change was aimed at guarding against possible problems arising from the use of nominee shareholders and increasing transparency in the corporate registration process.

The rule will also apply to new companies that are controlled by foreign entities, even if their direct shareholdings are less than 40%.

Shareholders must submit evidence of financing used to hold shares, including bank statements and other documents.

The authorities have taken a stricter line on the practice of nominee shareholders following the takeover of Shin Corp by Singapore's Temasek Holdings earlier this year.

A couple of ludicrous articles were published in the English speaking press today that are simply not worthy of repeat.

From Pattaya Daily News

It was disclosed that foreign criminals from Iran, Iraq, Columbia, Pakistan, Europe and other countries are using Pattaya and other locations in Thailand as a convenient hiding place for their whereabouts and activities.

News spread worldwide when the Immigration Officers were able to arrest John Mark Karr, the American school teacher for murder of little 6-yearold JonBenet Ramsey, child beauty queen of Colorado 10 years ago. Karr had traveled to Thailand and concealed himself in the Kingdom since 2005.

Although it is a sterling piece of work from the Immigration Department, questions linger on whether it’s time to be stricter on background checks on the passports of those criminals who disguise themselves as a tourist.

There then followed a discussion of using forged documents to assume the identities of Thais and a totally preposterous attempt to classify the criminal characteristics of people from various countries.

There is then an interesting description of the Subjugation Center at Banglamung Police Station:

The Subjugation Center had taken preventive measures by calling all upon the suspected foreigners who has history of illegal entry, or is suspected to be dealing in criminal activity to come to the Center to make a record for follow up.

The center has become especially strict with the tourist areas and hotels where many Americans reside. As for future preventive measures the Center will send out officers and plain-clothed police to patrol the area for security purposes. They will be vigilant on the movement of suspected groups.

The Center admitted that they could not attain a 100% prevention rate. Every week officers with foreign language capabilities are sent out to talk to the foreigners, providing them with cautionary information.

From the Bangkok Post

The Bangkok chipped in with an article, Thailand under a familiar glare, which jumped from frank discussions about Thai girls and prostitution on InternationalSexGuide.com straight into a long debate about child sex tourism. It would seem that the world's press consider the concept of adult sex tourism to be near impossible

From Phuket Gazette

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will postpone its scheduled doubling of entry fees at all national parks, scheduled to take effect from September 15, by more than a year

Phuket Tourist Association (PTA) Deputy Chairman Sarayuth Mallam explained that Natural Resources and Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat has agreed to postpone the fee hike, from 200 baht to 400 baht for foreigners, but added that it will now come into effect November 30 next year.

Earlier this month, some 500 tour operators rallied at the Tourism Authority of Thailand Office in Phuket to demand that the fee hike be scrapped altogether, or that at least their concerns be taken into account before any price increases went into effect.

Citing the effects of similar entry fee hikes imposed in the past, the tour operators said that doubling entry fees would damage their livelihoods by causing a decline in the number of tourists visiting the parks, especially foreigners.

Entry fees for Thais were also set to double from September 15, from 20 baht to 40 baht. The two-tier pricing system, under which visitors to Thailand pay ten times the fee for Thais, has itself long been an embarrassment for tour operators and others in the hospitality industry.

From the Bangkok Post

The dismissal of a senior army officer after the arrest of a man in connection with the discovery of explosive materials in a car parked near the residence of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday kicked off a fierce debate.

Many observers found it hard to believe Thaksin's contention that he had narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.

One reason for the scepticism is the connections of Gen Panlop Pinmanee, who Thaksin quickly sacked as deputy director of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc). The general is known to be close to Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang, a key leader of the People's Alliance for Democracy, which is campaigning to oust Thaksin.

Also working against Thaksin's assertion are the circumstances of the alleged plot.

A Daewoo Espero sedan carrying materials for a powerful bomb was stopped by police, who were alerted by Thaksin's security team, at the foot of the Bang Phlat flyover, which is near the caretaker prime minister's residence in Soi Charan Sanitwong 69.

A search found TNT and C-4 explosives, fertiliser mixed with diesel fuel, detonating cord, two sets of M-8 fuses, electrical circuits and bags of sand. But it wasn't wired up.

The driver, Thawatchai Klinchana, a lieutenant attached to Isoc, happened to be a former driver of Gen Panlop, who was promptly removed from Isoc.

Police and security authorities said the explosive materials, if set off, could have caused damage over a one-kilometre radius. They saw it as an attempt on the life of Thaksin.

Three theories gained currency.

• Drawing most subscribers was the possibility Thaksin set up the whole scenario to draw sympathy following the ugly incidents at Siam Paragon and CentralWorld shopping malls. The assaults on his opponents were bad publicity for Thai Rak Thai, and might even cost the party votes in the provinces. Presenting Thaksin as a victim would undo that and possibly attract extra votes.
• The second theory was that Gen Panlop was actually behind the alleged plot, which Gen Panlop himself described as flimsy, in order to discredit Thaksin.
• A third theory held that the incident was a bid to divert attention from critical issues such as Kularb Kaew, a nominee company being investigated over alleged violation of foreign shareholding laws involving the Temasek-Shin Corp deal.

The following story is being syndicated around the world's press today. No doubt it will cause some sort of "crack down' in the near future.

From Reuters

To the millions of holidaymakers who flock there every year, Thailand is the "Land of Smiles".

But behind the relentlessly promoted tourist image lies a darker reality in which legendary hospitality also extends to less savoury visitors -- from misfits and murderers, to perverts and paedophiles from across the globe.

John Mark Karr, the 41-year-old American accused of murdering child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, was just one of the thousands of foreigners with shady pasts enjoying the benefits of lax border controls and a corrupt police force.

People like him are dangerous, said Immigration Police chief Suwat Tumroungsiskul after Karr's arrest last week in Bangkok, where he had found work as a primary school teacher despite a U.S. charge in 2001 for possessing child pornography. We have criminals from all over the world running away from their home countries to look for teaching jobs in Thailand, Suwat said.

With official statistics on the extent of the problem hard to come by, crime reports in Thai papers reveal the tip of the iceberg -- the very few who fall foul of the law.

This month, an Australian paedophile was arrested near the Cambodian border. Before that, it was a Swiss. Other recent cases have involved a Danish biker gang busted for extortion, a Dutch underworld kingpin shot dead, a German wanted for a European security van heist and a Briton for murdering his fiancee by running her over with a car.

Towns such Pattaya on the eastern seaboard or the southwest island of Phuket are fast becoming Asia's "Costa del Crime" -- the nickname given in the 1980s to the Spanish Costa del Sol due to the presence of many high-profile British fugitives.

Drawn from as far afield as Western Europe, Russia and China by the widespread availability of false documents, as well as cheap sex and beer, such mafias exist in part because police look the other way if the price is right.

Although Thailand's reputation as sex capital of southeast Asia dates back to the era of the Vietnam War and U.S. soldiers seeking "rest and recreation", organised international crime is a more recent arrival.

With the economic boom of the early 1990s came an explosion in the number of foreign tourists -- around 12 million come each year now -- who provide ample cover for crooks either wanting to lie low or set up shop under a tropical sun.

It's very simple. This is a nice place to be and they like it as much as the rest of us, said Jens Toettrup, a police officer at the Danish embassy in Bangkok, who encouraged Thai police in the motorcycle gang bust.

No doubt this could have far reaching consequences for many more than just English teachers. There could be even more hurdles getting long stay visas and work permits.

From The Nation

Authorities concerned are believed to soon set a common standard for all local schools in recruiting teachers, including those of foreign origins, following a recent case in which an American teacher was arrested for an alleged murder of a six-year-old girl in the United States 10 years ago.

Deputy Secretary General to the Prime Minister Jakrapob Penkair said here Friday that he would meet secretary of the education minister next week to discuss standardized qualifications of all teachers in Thailand and criteria on teacher recruitments.

All teachers in Thailand must have the same career standard, no matter what nationalities they are. We must now be serious about that, noted Jakrapob, who is also secretary of Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai.

Surakiart, among other tasks, supervises the Ministry of Education: I'll discuss with the education minister's secretary on qualifications of teachers and tutors in Thailand, particularly those work for international schools, as well as criteria for screening their backgrounds and issuing work permits for them.

There have been thousands of foreigners working for local schools in Thailand, particularly international and language schools, a number of whom entered the kingdom as tourists with no work permits as professional teachers, according to Jakrapob.

This may give a few opportunities for doing business on the Internet whilst living in Thailand.

From Pattaya Secrets
Source: PayPal website

Beginning September 14, 2006, registered PayPal users in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Thailand will be able to receive funds into their PayPal accounts as well as withdraw them to a local bank account.

Paypal allows individuals and small businesses to accept credit card payments even though they have not got a full merchant account. It is not ideal though as they are  stroppy over the types of goods/services that can be sold using Paypal. They also seem to side with buyer and are quick to take back the cash if the buyer claims not to have received the goods (even if a fraudulent claim).

From Phuket Gazette

Some 500 tour operators staged a peaceful protest at the TAT Southern Region 4 Office to demand that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reconsider its plan to double entry fees for national parks with effect from September 15.

The protesters represented a variety of companies and tourism industry associations from Phuket, Phang Nga and Krabi provinces. Their main concern is that the scheduled entrance fee hike – from 200 baht to 400 baht for foreigners – will damage their livelihoods by causing a decline in the number of tourists using their services to visit the parks.

The entry fee for Thais will also double, from 20 baht to 40 baht.

From The Nation

There will be no illegal immigrants living or working in Thailand by the end of next year, caretaker deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya said recently.

He said a new, integrated national mechanism would be fully operational by then. Immigration police would lead 10 other government agencies responsible for national security and civilian intelligence services in stamping out illegal entry, unlawful employment, and human trafficking.

The Thaksin Shinawatra administration has made ending illegal immigration a priority.

Chidchai, a former police general, said Bt100 million would be spent on creating a database containing details of all foreigners entering, leaving and living and working in Thailand.

He said other measures needed to be adopted, such as the e-passport project and suppression of fake passports and travel documents.

The fine for illegal entry would be increased to Bt500, he added.

Immigration Bureau commander Pol Lt-General Suwat Thamrongsrisakul said he would ask for more staff. There are 3,800 immigration officers dealing with illegal immigrants that enter via more than 5,000 kilometres of border, he said.

From The Nation

Four passengers were injured when a homemade bomb exploded on a Bangkok bus Saturday night.

The time bomb detonated by a clock exploded on Bus No 95 at 10:40 am.

The bus was carrying about 20 passengers. Four passengers were slightly injured and  were discharged from hospital after treatment. One passenger suffered cuts on the left leg and suffered back injury from the blast impact.

The bus driver, Jittakorn Prajonghat told police that the bomb might be planted by four teenagers who got off the bus just a stop before the bomb exploded.

From The Telegraph

A British man was clubbed to death by his divorced Thai wife and her relatives and his body burned on a charcoal fire after an attempt to shoot him failed, a court in Thailand was told.

Toby Charnaud gave up farming in Wiltshire after marrying a Bangkok bar girl. But he was murdered for his assets after divorcing her and gaining custody of their son, Petchaburi Provinicial Court heard.

As his former wife, Pannada Laoruang and five of her male relatives and friends stood trial for murder, Charnaud's family, in a letter to the court, described their horror at the details of his last moments.

It is alleged that Charnaud, who owned two bars in the resort of Hua Hin, was lured to his former wife's village in the impoverished Yasothon province in north-east Thailand.

She rang him to say their son Daniel, who was visiting her, wanted to be collected. When he got there, the court has heard, relatives and friends of Pannada tried to kill him with a muzzle-loading hunting musket. The weapon jammed, so they, allegedly, clubbed him to death with an iron bar and wooden staves.

Charnaud's body was burned on a charcoal fire, then dismembered and distributed around the Kaeng Krajan National Park on the Thai-Burma border.

Charnaud's family became alarmed when they could not contact him by e-mail or telephone and hired a local private detective. Mobile phone records showed that Charnaud was at his former wife's home on the day he was murdered on March 27 last year. His remains were found two months later.

Laoruang, who reported him missing two days after the killing, denies premeditated murder. She has told the court she was at a market and returned to find his body.

Three men have admitted murder with provocation, saying Charnaud had interrupted them while they were drinking whisky. Two more deny murder, saying their only involvement was driving Charnaud's car after the killing.

The court heard that Laoruang promised three of the men - two nephews and a cousin - £2,700 to kill him.

The trial was adjourned until Sept 6.

Dry sounding news but could have serious consequences for many Farangs in business or those buying houses and property.

From the Bangkok Post

Thai/Farang company Full board meeting

New business registration rules will require all new companies with foreign shareholdings of more than 40% to declare their sources of funds, according to the Commerce Ministry.

The new policy, which will take effect on Aug 15, is aimed at guarding against the problems of nominee shareholders and increasing transparency in the corporate registration process.

Orajit Singkalavanich, the director-general of the ministry's Business Development Department, said the rule would also apply to new companies that are controlled by foreign entities, even if their direct shareholdings are less than 40%.

Shareholders must submit evidence of financing used to hold shares, including bank statements and other documents.

Authorities have taken a stricter line on the practice of nominee shareholders following the takeover of Shin Corporation by Singapore's Temasek Holdings earlier this year. Temasek effectively has full control of Shin through the use of nominee companies, such as Kularb Kaew, despite the fact that Thai law limits foreign ownership at 49%.

A recent land scandal on Koh Samui has also raised public questions over the use of nominee shareholders by foreigners to bypass property ownership limits.

Orajit said the department hoped the new rules would discourage the use of nominees by requiring Thai shareholders to prove that they are not acting as simple nominees on behalf of foreign buyers and have the financial means to actually hold shares: The department will examine all of those documents before giving approval. We have learned that Thais have acted as nominees for foreign investors to avoid compliance with the Foreign Business Law, which limited foreign stakes at 49%. Tighter requirements [for proving] one's financial status will help us sort out this problem.

Companies violating the rules would face dissolution. Complicit shareholders also could face fines of up to one million baht and/or jail terms of up to three years.

In the future, the Business Development Department plans to examine existing registered companies with foreign shareholders to determine whether they breach the new rules or not.

The department also wants to amend local laws to revise the definition of foreign businesses in order to cut down on existing loopholes.

From the Bangkok Post

Suvarnabhumi airport resembled a shopping and entertainment hub yesterday, throwing a fun fair extravaganza to welcome passengers of the first commercial test flights and airport visitors amid some infrastructural hiccups.

The airport opened its doors to the first commercial domestic test flights yesterday, starting with Thai Airways flight TG 1881 carrying passengers including caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was accompanied by many cabinet members.

More than 10,000 people packed the airport, drawn by heavily discounted merchandise on offer at shopping stalls contracted to operate in the airport.

Bank counters were opened for people to change their banknotes into smaller denominations, which came with a commemorative slip many kept as a memento of the first transaction they carried out at the airport.

The centre of attention was the King Power duty-free shop which registered brisk sales after slapping huge discounts on its merchandise.

Six local airlines conducted 21 flights in and out of Suvarnabhumi during the landing and other tests yesterday. The airlines were Thai Airways International, Bangkok Airways, Thai AirAsia, One-Two-Go Airlines, Nok Air and PB Air.

During Aug 1-Sept 15, the AoT will organise free guided tours around the airport with souvenirs to be given out every day. The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority will provide buses to take visitors to the airport from six different routes.

THAI also plans to conduct international test flights from Hong Kong and Singapore on Sept 1 ahead of the big opening day on September 28th.

From the Bangkok Post

Three election commissioners began serving their four-year jail sentences last night at the Bangkok Special Prison after the Appeals Court denied them bail in a conviction that cost them their legitimacy.

The Supreme Court will today begin a process to select five new election commissioners to organise the Oct 15 general election after the three were sentenced by the Criminal Court to jail for malfeasance in the organising of April 23 re-elections.

Pol Gen Wasana Permlap, Prinya Nakchudtree and Veerachai Naewboonnien tried in vain to protect their status as EC members after the Criminal Court found them guilty of malfeasance in connection with April 2 polls and subsequent elections.

The trio filed bail requests after hearing the sentence using their positions as surety.
Citing the mishandling of the elections and a possibility that they would again if they returned to work while the case was pending in the Appeals Court, the court rejected the bail requests.

The three convicted commissioners were then led to a detention room where they awaited the Appeals Court's ruling. The court stood by the lower court's decision on grounds that the three, if released, could inflict damage on the election process leading to a crisis.

After the bail rejection, the three were whisked away to a van which took them to the Bangkok Special Prison where they were to spend the night before the Supreme Court reconsiders their bail requests today.

Prinya, however, insisted he and his colleagues should be allowed to run the Oct 15 general election. We believe we acted in good faith. We didn't take sides with anyone. We're royally appointed and we will do our duty up until the last minute, said the convicted commissioner before he was denied bail.

The court found the election commissioners guilty of mishandling the last general election and by-elections and deprived them of their electoral rights. The Council of State also confirmed that the three had lost their legitimacy as EC members.

From the Bangkok Post

Come and upgrade your mobile Sim card free of charge at your operators' shops nationwide, starting from Sept 1 until Nov 30, or you won't be able to receive incoming calls.

If you haven't already received an SMS such as the one above, you will soon, as mobile-phone operators prepare to shift their customers into the world of 10-digit dialling.

All operators say they're ready to use the 10-digit system by Sept 1, the deadline set by the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC).

The switch to 10 digits from nine will require users to add an '8' in the middle of the existing two-digit prefix, followed by the existing seven-digit number, in order to make either a mobile-to-mobile or a mobile-to-fixed-line call. For example, numbers starting with 01, 09 and 02 will become 081, 089 and 082 respectively.

All new mobile subscribers, both prepaid and postpaid, after Sept 1, will automatically be on the 10-digit system with a new type of Sim card.

Everyone else will have to have their numbers and Sim cards adjusted, with a grace period until Nov 30, otherwise they cannot receive calls. The short message service (SMS) system will be fully switched over to 10 digits next March.

From the Bangkok Post

In what activists and academics call "a harsh violation of freedom," police are pushing forward the Eavesdropping Bill, citing the need to defuse the southern unrest, though enforcing it nationwide.

Under the draft, which goes to a public hearing on Friday, police and investigating officials, with the court's approval, can tap a phone and any other communications channel to obtain information to solve a criminal case.

Activists argue the scope of the bill is too wide and vaguely-defined. The law would push the country back to the dark ages, they said.

The 23-section bill sprung from difficulties in securing convictions against southern violence suspects, as witnesses were intimidated and reluctant to come forward, said Pol Col Wichai Ratanayot, deputy commander of the police Legal Affairs Division.

Last year, phone tapping was raised as a means to gather evidence to build a case, as allowed to some extent by the Narcotics Act, the Anti-Money Laundering Act and the Department of Special Investigation Act.

But the three acts do not cover security and cross-border crime. We want to extend eavesdropping to every serious case nationwide, said Wichai.

Under the draft, state officers can intercept all kind of communications from conventional modes such as letters and phones to infrared, internet and electro-magnetic media.

From the BBC

The Thai king has approved a decision to hold a re-run of the general election on 15 October, a government spokesman said.

Analysts were unsure whether the king would approve the new poll date because the courts are still considering legal cases relating to the April election.

Thaksin wanted a new poll in October, but he needed royal approval before the date was officially set. He has now got his wish. The revered Thai king reportedly signed the election decree on Thursday before going into hospital for back surgery.

The reason that the king signed the royal decree was because he would like to see the country return to normalcy soon, said government spokesman Surapong Suebwonglee.

But while the election date is now certain, little else is. Thailand's political system has been in limbo since the Constitutional Court annulled the poll in April because of the Democrat boycott.

Since then, claims and counter-claims have been filed in every direction, with both sides accusing the other of electoral malpractice.

The Democrats face charges relating to their decision to boycott the poll, while the ruling party Thai Rak Thai is accused of financing smaller parties in an effort to make the election appear more legitimate.

Both parties could technically be dissolved if these accusations are upheld.

While this is unlikely, correspondents say the case exemplifies just how complicated the situation has now become.

Meanwhile from The Nation

A leading social research centre said Thailand's population has grown by 300,000 people during the past year, reaching 62.5 million at present.

With a present birth rate of 0.6 per cent, Thailand's population has grown by 300,000 persons a year. It has predicted that the birth rate would regularly decline every year and would get to the same level as the death rate 15 years from now which would cause no change to the size of the country's population.

The study said after the year 2022, the population will begin to fall, as there will be a larger proportion of aging citizens compared to the population of infants. By then, the birth rate would gradually fall below zero percent.

The researchers also predicted that Thailand would have to import foreign workers in the future, as it would face a shortage of younger able-bodied workers.

They said the government needed to begin now to think of creating a welfare system to care for the country's growing older population in the future.

From The Nation

The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) yesterday announced a new round of its crusade against Thaksin Shinwatatra, calling a huge protest next Friday after an accusation that the caretaker Prime Minister was challenging the monarchy.

It's time to show our power to protect democracy, said PAD spokesman Suriyasai Katasila shortly after PAD leaders including Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuang reached consensus in a meeting yesterday.

The leaders had huddled earlier in the day to plan a response to recent Thaksin allegations of a plot to overthrow the government.

Thaksin launched a verbal attack last week on an anonymous individual he termed a person with clout beyond the Constitution. Many people assumed Thaksin was referring to the King: most revered person in the country, Suriyasai said.

Thaksin refuses to name the person, in spite of repeated calls from many to do so. The prime minister has since adapted his comments by referring to the person as the PAD, the news media or opposition parties, which has not eased tension, Suriyasai said.

We will rally on Government House to pressure Thaksin for an explanation of who this person is, he added.

D-day is Friday, July 14. The rally will start at Sanam Luang at 8am. Demonstrators will commence marching to Government House at 9am.

Suriyasai promised a peaceful demonstration. The group will decide on Friday how long the demonstrations will last.

From The Times

The Like other teachers in the southernmost provinces of Thailand, Somsak Tongsuwan always checks that he has his textbooks, Buddha amulet and government-issued pistol before he leaves home for the classroom.

Then he rides his motorcycle from his home to the Salani school, where he is headmaster, praying that rebels do not ambush him during the journey and shoot him in the back.

So many teachers have died in the insurgency-hit region that only the bravest remain in schools. There are no longer enough of them.

After training teachers in the use of firearms, posting armed guards at schools and pleading with them not to abandon their posts, the Government in Bangkok has had to come up with a desperate new plan — beam in lessons by satellite television.

Five hundred satellite dishes and thousands of television sets will be made available in schools for a distant-learning programme throughout the Muslim-dominated provinces of Yala, Pattani, and Narathiwat.

The scheme will minimise the exposure of educators to killers, although it may not do much for the education, which has suffered as pitiless violence has engulfed communities.

Like civil servants, policemen and others, teachers have been targeted because they are employees of a hated Government. Forty-six teachers have been among the more than 1,500 deaths since 2004 in a murder campaign carried out by shadowy gangs that are increasingly targeting civilians.

The kidnapping of teachers has become the latest terrorist tactic, often in retaliation after suspected insurgents are detained. If they survive, abducted teachers are often beaten. Last month a female art teacher suffered a fractured skull.

Many teachers, Buddhist and Muslim alike, have transferred to safer areas. Tongsuwan agonised over leaving but decided that his pupils needed him, although he acknowledged that he has had to put up with levels of stress he never expected.