BANGKOK: -- More than 1,000 taxi operators brought their vehicles to have their meters reset after the approved increase in fares was published in the Royal Gazette Wednesday.

The Department of Land Transport works together with Mahanakorn University of Technology on the resetting of the meters.

According to the university dean Sujet Chantarang, it takes about half an hour for the setting, with the price of 200 baht.

NONG KHAI: -- The State Railway of Thailand on Friday successfully completed a first test run of train service linking Nong Khai to Vientiane, Laos.

The 3.5-kilometer railway is expected to inaugurate the international service in August. The inauguration service will be presided over by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

Thai and Lao authorities plan test-run services twice per day until July 15. The train fares will range from Bt50 to Bt20 per passenger.

-- The Nation 2008-07-04

BANGKOK: -- An employee bus slammed into two shop houses in Bangkok early Friday morning after the bus driver collapsed behind the wheel.

Nobody was injured in accident at the mouth of Soi Sriway 2 of Nakhon Chaisri Road in Dusit district. But the driver, Prasit Boonnone, 49, died of his chronic illness on the way to Wachira Hospital.

Police said the accident happened at about 5:45 am. Police quoted eyewitnesses as saying that the bus was appearing as if it was slowing down to park on the roadside but it instead slammed into the a foods and gas shop which are located next to each other.

The two shops were badly damaged, police said.

-- The Nation 2008-07-04

(BangkokPost.com) - The Supreme Court did not allow ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra to leave Thailand for China and England at the end of last month, saying there were not enough reasons for him to go on the trips.

Mr Thaksin is facing trial over his wife's purchase of 33 rai of land in the Ratchadapisek area from the Financial Institutions Development Fund (FIDF) under the Bank of Thailand. He was accused of abusing his position as prime minister by helping Khunying Potjaman get a heavy discount for the land purchase.

The ex-premier asked the court for a permission to travel to China and England on June 27, but judges said that the court is working on the case during this period and would like to question more witnesses and look into more evidence.

Thus he was not allowed to travel during this time.

Jul 03, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - The Criminal Court will rule on alleged tax evasion case involving wife of ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, her step-brother and her secretary on July 31.

Mr Thaksin's wife Khunying Potjaman, her step-brother Bannapot Damapong and her secretary Karnchanapa Honghern were charged by the Office of the Attorney-General with conspiring to evade taxes amounting to 546.12 million baht in the 1997 transfer of shares worth 738 million baht in Shinawatra Computer and Communication Co.

The ruling will be handed down at 9am.

The court said both sides must appear at the court on that day to hear the ruling in person.

Jul 04, 2008

(BangkokPost.com) - Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej claimed Thursday there are efforts trying to remove him from post by circulating negative rumours about him.

Mr Samak said he has heard a rumour that he would be arrested at the Suvarnabhumi airport after returning from Brunei, and insisted that it was just rumour.

He also mentioned allegation that he breaches constitution by hosting a cooking show on commercial television as one of those efforts.

Mr Samak was currently on a formal visit to China, and was scheduled to fly to Brunei around noon on Thursday local time.

Jul 03, 2008

Today is the last day of the Assets Examination Committee's term, but tomorrow the Supreme Court begins the trial of the first case investigated by the agency.

Out of the 14 cases the AEC has investigated, the Ratchadaphisek land deal is the first to have successfully been brought before the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders. The Attorney-General submitted it to the court on June 21 last year.

Other cases submitted to the court include the allegedly illegal introduction of two-and-three-digit lotteries, alleged irregularities in the government's rubber sapling project, and the case of Exim Bank's loans to Burma.

The AEC is quietly confident that the evidence in the Ratchadaphisek land case will convict former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

The court will start hearing the case tomorrow and the AEC will be summoned to give testimony on July 29. The two sides will each field 22 individual witnesses. Examination of additional witnesses starts on September 2.

Expats can apply for credit cards

But Thai banks set guidelines on minimum local work experience and monthly income for foreign customers wishing to use plastic

This is the second in a series about financial products for expats gathered by The Nation. Having previously covered procedures for opening deposit accounts for foreigners, this is about credit-card applications.

For a credit-card application, each card issuer requires a work permit and passport from foreign applicants.

For expats, domestically issued credit cards will allow you to receive benefits from regular retail promotions, lucky prize draws, discounts and loyalty programmes. By using local cards, foreigners can also save by not having to pay the foreign-exchange fee charged when using foreign-issued credit cards in Thailand.

However, each bank has different conditions for credit-card applications.

BANGKOK: -- Visiting Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim on Wednesday pledged that his government would continue to assist Thailand in solving the continuing violence which has rocked Thailand's Muslim-majority South more than four years, said Thai Deputy Prime Minister/Education Minister Somchai Wongsawat.

Mr Somchai said the assurance was made during his 45-minute meeting with the Malaysian foreign minister who is making a three-day introductory visit to Thailand, beginning Tuesday.

The two neighbouring countries are members of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Thanking Malaysia for being a good neighbour and sharing a common border with Thailand, Mr Somchai said the Thai government's policy is for peace, because if a neighbour has a problem, the countries cannot live in peace.

BANGKOK: -- Consumer prices hit a 10-year high of 8.9 per cent last month, heightening anticipation the monetary authorities will soon take interest rates off cruise control and shift up a gear to dampen inflation expectations.

The Commerce Ministry said escalating oil prices helped push last month's inflation up to a level not seen since June 1998. With the world oil price pegged to soar to US$150 (Bt5,000) per barrel, the ministry has revised its oil-price base for inflation calculations from $105 a barrel to between $120 and $125.

"The ministry expects the average oil price will be $142 a barrel in the remaining months, which would drive inflation to 7 per cent for the year," deputy permanent secretary Pairoa Sudsawarng said yesterday.

Inflation in the first half shot up to 6.3 per cent, exceeding the ministry's whole-year target of 5.5 per cent.

BANGKOK: -- Three low-cost airlines - Nok Air, One-Two-Go and Thai AirAsia - have cut and rescheduled flights in response to record-high jet fuel prices.

Effective yesterday, Nok Air cut three domestic routes - Bangkok-Chiang Rai, Bangkok-Ubon Ratchathani and Bangkok-Krabi. It is also considering reducing its 21 flights a week to Phuket.

Affected travellers are being transferred to Thai Airways International and Thai AirAsia.

The domestic route changes followed the cancellation of its international Bangkok-Bangalore and Bangkok-Hanoi flights.

"We're losing money," an airline representative said, who declined to confirm if losses were as high as Bt1 billion as had been reported. The reports have fuelled expectations that the airline would be shut down soon.

Police have found gambling bets worth well over Bt500 million placed on the recent Euro 2008 football tournament.

So far, after arresting 1,098 gamblers and bookmakers, police have located only Bt931,496 in cash.

"Gamblers can now put their bets online," Royal Thai Police deputy spokesman MajGeneral Ruangsak Jaritek said yesterday.

Euro 2008, which lasted nearly one month, ended early on Monday.

Ruangsak said the number of arrests made during the tournament was higher than for any other football competition. He thanked people for giving tipsoff to police.

Ruangsak urged indebted football gamblers to come forward if they have received threats from gambling operators.

BANGKOK: -- Navy chief Adminral Sathirapan Keyanont on Tuesday played down a claim about a possible plot to assassinate former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, saying it was good for a laugh.

Sathirapan was reacting to comments by retired supreme commander General Chaisit Shinawatra who claimed last weekend Thaksin's opponents might have put out a contract.

He said the matter did not warrant any consideration.

-- The Nation 2008-07-01

A British Columbia teacher who admitted he sexually abused a 13-year-old boy in Thailand and photographed the offence will be sentenced Aug. 15, a Bangkok court announced Monday.

Christopher Paul Neil of Maple Ridge, B.C., who worked as a teacher in different parts of Asia before his arrest last October, pleaded guilty in May to sexually abusing the Thai teen and faces up to 10 years in prison.

The 33-year-old Neil admitted through a translator that he took the photos, but said he did not post the pictures online.

He pleaded not guilty in early June to similar charges involving the teen's brother, who was nine years old at the time of the alleged offence. He faces up to 20 years in that case, which goes to trial on Oct. 7.

BANGKOK: -- Several major airlines including Thai Airways International are cutting long-haul flights into Thailand next year in line with a forecast 12-per-cent drop in the number of inbound tourists, said the Association of Thai Travel Agents.

ATTA president Apichart Sankary said that although the Tourism Authority of Thailand targets 17 million visitors next year, only 15 million may arrive.

Starting from today, THAI will suspend its New York-Bangkok service. The company has also reduced flight frequencies, re-routed flights with particular impact on its US operations and introduced other cost-cutting measures.

"Other airlines such as Lufthansa are also considering reducing long-haul flights between Thailand and Europe," said Apichart.

Thailand is expected to miss this year's visitor target of 15.7 million. ATTA, which encompasses inbound travel agencies, expects the number to reach only 15 million.

BANGKOK: -- About one fifth of Bangkok's taxis had to stay idle Monday after many service stations ran out of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

"There's nothing to fill these taxis' tanks," Siam Taxi Cooperative president Witoon Naewpanich said.

Taxi drivers complained that the sudden shortage had hit them at a time when they usually got more passengers than usual because of the payday period.

Speaking to a traffic radio station, a taxi driver lamented yesterday that his cab was running out of the LPG.

"Please help me find a station that sells LPG. Paying for expensive LPG is better than not having LPG to fill up my cab," he said.

BANGKOK: -- A No-140 air-conditioned bus developed a brake malfunction and slammed into another bus, causing a pileup of 13 vehicles.

The accident happened at 8 am at the Phetchaburi exit.

Somboon Wiangsamut, 28, the drive of the No-140 bus said he was driving at a normal speed when he was approaching the exit where many cars were stopped in traffic light.

He said he tried to put a brake on but the brake system malfunctioned so he slammed into the back of No-139 bus, which crashed into vehicles ahead of it.

But nobody was injured in the 13-vehicle pileup.

-- The Nation 2008-06-30

BANGKOK: -- Commerce Ministry permanent secretary Siripol Yodmuangcharoen Sunday said he received a report from the Internal Trade Department that some operators had been hoarding the LPG ahead of the price hike.

"Such hoarding is illegal," Siripol said, "We will take harsh actions against the offenders".

If convicted, the offenders face up to seven years in jail and/or a maximum fine of Bt140,000.

-- The Nation 2008-06-30

The Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has survived a vote of no confidence in parliament. A motion introduced by the opposition Democrats was defeated by 280 votes out of 470. The result was expected, as the governing coalition holds a two-thirds parliamentary majority.

But the government's performance was harshly criticised by deputies in a debate lasting several days, and some ministers now risk losing their jobs. The result of this vote was hardly surprising, as the government’s coalition partners were unlikely to abandon it just four months into the new administration.

But the week-long proceedings leading up to this vote were publicly broadcast.

The party which did so well in last December’s elections is now looking battle-scarred and weary after a very public dressing-down in parliament by the main opposition. Samak defended himself with characteristic bravado - but he may yet have to sack some of his ministers, and his own political future is unclear.

Commerce and Deputy Prime Minister Mingkwan Saengsuwan has been heavily criticised by the opposition Democrat Party in the third day of the parliamentary censure debate for his failure to solve Thailand's rice and fertiliser pricing challenges.

Democrat MP Trairong Suwanakhiri took the stage to blame Mingkwan for causing confusion among farmers in his attempted intervention in rice prices.

He said that while the Finance Ministry and the Bank of Thailand rushed to cope with rising inflation, the Commerce Minister had attempted to solve the problem of the poor prices realised by the nation's rice farmers by intervening in the market mechanism.

The minister-initiated scheme to bring packed rice for sale at discount prices in department stores and his repeated projections for the upward trend of rice prices had made farmers feel confused and affected market prices.