Anything & Everything About Thailand

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535 words
3 February 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: General News - Former Bangkok governor Samak Sundaravej has admitted to ordering 176 fire trucks from Austria for use by City Hall and accused his successor Apirak Kosayodhin of failing to cancel the contract upon detecting irregularities in the deal, the Bangkok Post reports.

The procurement hit the headlines after the Thai-language Daily News newspaper reported on Monday that the price of the trucks, at 6.8 million baht, including import tariffs, was three-times that of the locally-produced model. It was also found the trucks were made in Thailand, exported to Britain, acquired by the Australian firm and then shipped back to Thailand.

Mr Apirak, a Democrat deputy leader, said on Monday that the fire trucks, now stranded at Laem Chabang port with import duty of 1.2 billion baht due, were purchased during Mr Samak's tenure.

Mr Samak on January 31 admitted having initiated the purchase and continued with it until the contract signing with Austrian supplier Steyr Co. But he claimed Mr Apirak completed the purchase by ordering a letter of credit for the firm.

He asked why Mr Apirak did not call off the transaction and instead buy fire trucks from a Spanish firm when he learned the price quoted by Steyr Co was higher. The contract could have been cancelled at any time prior to the letter of credit being issued.

''I want the Department of Special Investigation to investigate Mr Apirak over this because the Democrats are trying to pass the responsibility to the government by citing barter trade,'' he said.

Former senator Dusit Siriwan alleged during on January 31's Samak-Dusit Kid Tam Wan television talk show that Mr Apirak negotiated with Steyr Co three times before the letter of credit was issued and that it was possible he had demanded something from the firm.

Mr Apirak declined to explain, saying he was tired of defending himself against the allegations on a daily basis.

Deputy city clerk Anant Siripassaraporn confirmed a contract for the 6.7-billion-baht purchase of 315 fire engines and 30 fire fighting boats was signed by Mr Samak with Steyr Co on Aug 27, 2004 and required a letter of credit within 30 days.

Mr Apirak tried to review the contract after complaints about its transparency, but the Interior Ministry told him the purchase could not be cancelled for fear of hurting Thai-Austrian bilateral ties.

The purchase was part of a Thai-Austrian agreement of understanding on disaster prevention cooperation, involving the barter trade of Austrian fire trucks for Thai boiled chicken.

Thai Rak Thai spokesman Sita Divari and deputy Democrat spokesman Yutthapong Charassathien took reporters to examine the fire trucks at Laem Chabang port on January 31.

Mr Sita said the trucks were made by Mitsubishi Motors Thailand and cost about 700,000 baht each here. They were equipped and sold by Steyr to the city for 5.8 million each. Similar locally made fire trucks cost less than two million baht.

Importation of the fire trucks contravened a cabinet resolution that locally made products be purchased, he said.

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543 words
3 February 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: General News - The Lawyers Council of Thailand and the Press Council of Thailand will jointly launch a book with complete details of the irregularities and impact of the tax-free 73-billion baht sell-off of Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings, the Bangkok Post reports.

The councils on January 31 issued a joint statement saying that Prime Minister Thaksin should not be exempt from paying tax because the transaction generated a huge amount of income and profits. Thus the premier must be taxed as stipulated in the Excise Tax Act.

''Apart from disclosing the malpractice [in the share sell-off], we also want the 'white book', which will be distributed nationwide, to be a reminder that people must monitor the government's performance more closely,'' said Dej-udom Krairit, the Lawyers Council president.

Legal experts, he added, suspected that besides the 49% Shin Corp stake owned by the Singaporean firm, foreigners might be holding the remaining 51% shares using Thai firms as their proxies.

If an investigation found that more than 49% of Shin Corp shares were owned by foreigners, the people involved in the stock transaction would have to face legal action, said Mr Dej-udom.

He also demanded relevant agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Revenue Department and the Anti-Money Laundering Office, check the backgrounds of all foreign investors who plan to invest in Thailand as part of measures to protect national assets from falling into foreigners' hands.

Pongsak Phayakkawichien, president of the Press Council of Thailand blasted the agencies involved for failing to investigate what he said was the dubious tax exemption in the Shin share transaction.

Meanwhile, academics and legal experts attending a forum on the Shin Corp sale scandal at Thammasat University, on January 31 questioned the political legitimacy of the premier, who they believed was the mastermind of the tax-free deal. They called on Temasek to clarify the procedure of the Shin Corp take-over.

The Shinawatra family's telecom company and its subsidiaries, including Advanced Info Service, Shin Satellite, and iTV, were now owned and controlled by Temasek; thus the firm should provide clarification of the transaction process and its plan for the frequency and satellite businesses, which were strictly preserved for Thai nationals, said Somkiat Tangkitvanich, a Thailand Research and Development Institute researcher.

''It is also questionable as to whether there was any other under-the-table deal between Temasek and the Shinawatra family to seal such a high-value transaction,'' Mr Somkiat said.

The long-term impact of the Shin-Temasek deal was that it set a bad precedent for foreign firms to ignore Thai laws, or find ways to evade regulations to reap the utmost business benefits, while Thai firms' morale in terms of paying taxes would be depleted, he said.

By clinching the Jan 23 deal, he said the premier sent the wrong signal to the Thai people that it was acceptable to be rich no matter what means were employed. The public and small-scale investors would lose faith in the ability of the SET and SEC to protect the public interest.

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358 words
3 February 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: Government and Politics - The secretary-general of the House of Representatives disclosed on Tuesday that 22 former MPs have yet to return their salaries worth totally Bt26.88 million after they were disqualified by the Election Commission on alleged vote buying or election frauds, The Nation reports.

Pithoon Pumhiran, the secretary-general, said his office had filed lawsuits with the Civil Court demanding the former MPs to return their salaries. The court is scheduled to consider the cases in October this year, he said.

Pithoon said Article 97 of the Constitution required those who are removed from office because of election cheating to return their salaries to the state.

He said former Chat Thai MP Chuwit Kamolvisit, who was disqualified on lacking 90-day membership before election day, did not have to return his salary because he had not cheated in the election. "But if Chuwit insists to return his salary, I will willingly accept it," Pithoon said.

According to Pithoon the former 22 MPs are:

1 Kannikar Thammakesorn (Bangkok-Thai Rak Thai)

2 Wicharn Minchaiyanan (Bangkok-Thai Rak Thai)

3 Oradee Sutthasri (Kalasin-Chat Thai)

4 Thawatchai Anapong (Chathaburi-Chat Pattana)

5 Mongkol Bupsiri (Nakhon Phanom-New Aspiration)

6 Pimpha Chanthaprasong (Nonthaburi-Thai Rak Thai)

7 Narongkorn Chawalsanti (Phetchabun-Thai Rak Thai)

8 Chaiwat Tinarat (Mahasarakham-Thai Rak Thai)

9 Lawal Tantikulapong (Mukdahan-Thai Rak Thai)

10 Kamol Jiraphanwanit (Lop Buri-Chat Thai)

11 Danairit Watcharaporn (Si Sa Ket-Thai Rak Thai)

12 Phayup Punket (Sing Buri-Thai Rak Thai)

13 Theeraphan Weerayuthwattana (Uthai Thani-Chat Thai)

14 Pracha Phothipipit (Kanchanaburi-Democrat)

15 Sirichai Chatchaipolrat (Khon Kaen-New Aspiration)

16 Wuthichai Kittithanesuan (Nakhon Nayok-Thai Rak Thai)

17 Punnawat Liangpongphan (Buri Ram-Democrat)

18 Prapas Weerasathian (Surin-New Aspiration)

19 Kriang Kaltinan (Ubol Ratchathani-New Aspiration)

20 Sakchai Jintavej (Ubol Ratchathani-Chat Thai)

21 Withaya Nanthupa (Ubol Ratchathani-Rassadorn)

22 Boonchong Veesommai (Si Sa Ket-Thai Rak Thai)

The secretary-general said since Boonchong had died, his office was demanding Boonchong's wife, Krongkan Veesommai, to return the salary on part of him.

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266 words
3 February 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: General News - The Cyber Cop radio show will kick off operations on February 1 aimed at cracking down on websites promoting pornography, The Nation reports.

PM's Office Minister Newin Chidchob announced on January 31 he would participate in the first episode on February 1. To be aired on FM105 between 3-5pm on weekdays, the show will serve as a channel for people to inform authorities of obscene websites, as well as offline vendors peddling sex movies.

Information on porn sites and obscene material in other media will be passed to police, who will then take legal action. The campaign will extend to offline promoters and sellers.

Newin warned operators of shopping malls to monitor their tenants because operators would be held responsible if police, following tip-offs, catch tenants distributing pornography on their premises.

Newin said he planned to ask the courts to hand down the harshest penalties to people convicted of selling obscene materials, a crime that carries a fine up to Bt3,000 and up to three years jail. He believed the culprits should receive prison sentences without suspension because pornography often led to other social problems.

In a related development, police on January 31 searched a house in Don Muang of the operator of www.pamvcd.com , who is accused of peddling VCD copies of a pornographic movie starring a lookalike of a popular female singer.

Webmaster Harirak Phewngam, 27, was taken into custody when police discovered 1,000 pornographic VCDs at the house. Eleven computers were seized as evidence.

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170 words
3 February 2006
Thai News Service
English

Section: General News - The Cabinet on January 31 approved a bill on labour protection to provide safeguards for employees, The Nation reports.

Key elements of the bill include:

- Employees can submit other assets instead of cash to their employers as a security deposit.

- A ban on sexual harassment.

- Working hours must not exceed eight hours a day, or 48 hours a week.

- Female employees can work in the exploration, excavation, separation, distillation and production of petroleum.

- Pregnant employees in administrative, finance and accounting divisions can work overtime for an overtime wage. They can choose whether to work overtime.

- Children aged below 18 years are prohibited from working in entertainment venues, slaughterhouses and casinos.

- If employers provide their employees with fewer holidays than required by law, they must pay holiday wages or overtime wages to the employees.

- If employers terminate employment, they must pay their employees for the annual holidays.

- Employers with more than 10 employees must report their status to the authorities.

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228 words
2 February 2006
12:16
Associated Press Newswires
English

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - An Australian man wanted for sexually abusing a young girl in Australia was arrested in northern Thailand on charges of attempting to rape a 2-year-old girl, police said Thursday.

Jason Daron Mizner, 31, was arrested Wednesday in the city of Chiang Mai after his Thai girlfriend informed police he had taken her daughter for an overnight trip Monday and that the child appeared to have been sexually violated. A medical examination of the child confirmed the suspicion, said police Col. Montree Sampunyanoud.

According to police, the couple was living together in the town of Mae Rim, near Chiang Mai, about 580 kilometers (360 miles) north of Bangkok, and Mizner told his girlfriend he wanted to spend the night at an apartment he maintained in Chiang Mai. He suggested he take the child with him so the two could become closer and she agreed, police said.

Mizner, from the eastern Australian state of Queensland, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of attempted rape of a minor and abducting the child from her mother, police said.

According to Montree, an Australian warrant was out for Mizner's arrest. He is wanted in Queensland for allegedly taking pornographic photos and molesting a 3-year-old girl, Montree said.

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156 words
2 February 2006
11:58
Reuters News
English

JOH AIRONG, Thailand, Feb 2 (Reuters) - A bomb-rigged truck exploded near a city hall in Thailand's restive largely Muslim south on Thursday, killing two of its passengers and wounding one, police said.

The bomb went off as the truck was entering the city hall compound in the violence-prone district of Joh Airong.

There was no immediate word on how the bomb was detonated.

The charred victims had not been identified, but they were believed to be village officials due to attend a monthly meeting with their bosses, police said.

Gun and bomb attacks have killed more than 1,100 people and become part of daily life in Thailand's three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat since violence flared in January 2004.

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729 words
2 February 2006
Bangkok Post
English

The International Buddhist Meditation Centre at Maha Chulalongkorn Buddhist University holds regular talks in English on aspects of Buddhism and the practice of meditation. They are usually held from 3 to 5pm on the second and fourth Saturday of the month in Room 105, Mahachula Building, Wat Mahadhat, Tha Phrachan (near Thammasat University). Admission is free and reservations are not required.

Daily meditation classes in English are also provided by the Meditation

Centre from 7 to 10am, 1 to 4pm and again from 6 to 8pm.

For more information, drop by the Vipassana Section in Room 106, Mahachula Building, email [email protected] or call 02-623-5881 (press 1) or 09-516-2854.

Benefit for cancer patient

The Gift of Life Foundation and Nat Studio invite you to give the gift of life to people suffering from potentially fatal blood disorders such as leukaemia,

thalassaemia and aplastic anaemia by attending a charity concert tomorrow February 3 evening in the small hall at the Thailand Cultural Centre.

The programme for ``Giving the Gift of Life with Love'' offers everything from classical favourites and vibrant jazz and blues numbers to modern pop songs. The concert will feature the talents of Rattana Wongsansern, Suvicharn Angkatawanich, Ruengkit Yongpiyakul and pianist/composer Nat Yontararak.

The curtain goes up at 7:30pm. Tickets cost 800 and 500 baht and are available from the Gift of Life Foundation

(02-930-4004) and Nat Studio (02-541-8664 or 02-541-8667). All proceeds will go towards paying for a bone-marrow

transplant for Kroong, a 21-year-old afflicted by lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes).

New play opens

Does the Almighty ever get desperate? Well, local theatre troupe 8x8 certainly seem to believe in the possibility. Using a variety of jokes and gags, the group's new play, Desperation of God, posits a complicated scenario regarding the issue of faith in a higher being.

The troupe is hoping to repeat the

success it had at last year's Bangkok Theatre Festival by staging this interesting story tomorrow, at 8pm, at Bangkok Theatre@metropolis. There will be further performances on Saturday and Sunday February 4 and 5 at 2pm and again at 7:30pm.

Tickets cost 500, 400 and 300 baht. Couples can reserve special double seats for 1,200 baht. For more information, call 01-623-2747.

Boosting family bonds

``Good Youngsters: Happy Society'', a programme of events intended to strengthen intra-family relationships, will be held at Wat Suan Kaew this Sunday February 5 from 7am to 6pm.

Activities will include a sermon by Phra Payom Kalayano, the highly respected abbot of this temple, plus workshops on meditation, voice training, origami no italics necessary (the Japanese art of folding paper to make decorative objects), drawing and painting. There will also be displays of aikido no italics necessary(the Japanese system of self-defence similar to judo) and Thai boxing plus a painting competition, a talk show and a concert featuring musicians signed to local record company RS.

The event is being organised by the Ministry of Social Development and

Human Security in cooperation with RS Pcl. For more details, call Yui on 01-815-1663 or Kai on 09-770-6113.

For mothers-to-be

HRH Princess Srirasmi has allowed a collection of photos of her recently born son, HRH Prince Dhipankara Rasmijoti, to be displayed at ``Thailand Baby Best Buy 2006'', an event which opens today February 2 in Hall C at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre and continues until Sunday evening. Over 350 companies will be manning booths offering different products for mothers-to-be and their offspring. The exhibition will also feature shopping opportunities for children, a kids' fashion show and the chance to win prizes in a ``Shopping Passport'' promotion.

For more information, call 02-689-2993.

Check out your future

Discovery Club is organising a class on astrology by Benja Supralerk this weekend which will serve as an introduction to the movement of the stars and the incredible role they play in determining our destiny.

``How Stars Affect Your Life'' will take place on Saturday 4 February, from 1pm to 3:30pm, on the 3rd floor of Siam Discovery Centre. Tickets cost 100 baht and are reserved exclusively for Discovery Club members.

For more information, call 02-658-0000.

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317 words
2 February 2006
09:14
English

TOP STORIES

- Pangthongtae and Pinthongta Shinawatra violated share disclosure rules regarding their indirect holdings in Shin Corp , according to the Securities and Exchange Commission (BANGKOK POST)

- Spokesman Suvarn Valaisathien, a tax and legal expert, said Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family abided by all laws and tax regulations relating to Ample Rich Investments Ltd and the sell-off of Shin Corp to Temasek Holdings (THE NATION)

- Some 140 academics and activists from leading universities nationwide issued an open letter demanding Thaksin resign over the controversial share sale of Shin Corp, the firm he founded and his family owned (THE NATION)

- The State Audit Commission unanimously backed the return of Jaruvan Maintaka to the position of auditor-general, signalling an end to the drawn-out controversy (BANGKOK POST)

BUSINESS

- Thaksin has ordered the Revenue Department to study special tax breaks for personal donations to charitable causes, particularly poverty reduction, Finance Minister Thanong Bidaya said (THE NATION)

- True Corp declared it was ready to encounter Singaporean Temasek's AIS and Norwegian Telenor's DTAC in the Thai telecoms market (BANGKOK POST)

- Somchainuk Engtrakul is likely to remain acting persident of Thai Ariways International PCL for at least six months after Kanok Abhiradee's departure if all four candidates fail to meet selection criteria, a Thai source said (THE NATION)

- A skills shortage in the Thai electronics and electrical industry has become a major concern for Japanese investors, Industry Minister Suriya Jungrunreangkit was told recently by top Japanese electronics firms (BANGKOK POST)

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372 words
2 February 2006
English

BANGKOK POST:

- New standards for electronic auctions for government procurement contracts will allow the public to criticise contract terms to help improve transparency and governance, according to Comptroller-General Boonsak Jiampreecha.

- The rapid growth of the Indian real estate market has shifted from large cities such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to smaller urban areas containing an average of seven million people each.

- Bank of Thailand Governor Pridiyathorn Devakul yesterday suggested lawmakers amend Finance Ministry rules which waive the capital gains tax on stock trades, in the wake of the historic 73.3-billion-baht tax-free sell-off by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's family members of Shin Corp shares.

THE NATION:

- Somchainuk Engtrakul is likely to remain acting president at Thai Airways International for at least six months after the departure of Kanok Abhiradee if all four internal candidates fail to meet the tough selection criteria, according to a source at the airline.

- The insurance industry needs about 10 years to gear up for intensified competition from foreign players before liberalisation under prospective free trade agreement with the US can go into effect, the Thai Life Assurance Association said yesterday.

- The Religious Affairs Department will encourage students nationwide to study Buddhist teachings at temples on Makha Puja Day in a bid to divert their attention from Valentines Day celebrations, said director-general Preecha Kanthiya yesterday.

- The escalating oil price is still the key factor keeping inflation high, with last months rate showing prices 5.9 per cent higher than January 2005.

- French-based Calyon Corp and Investment Bank is aiming at maintaining its Bangkok branchs No-1 position in Thailands syndicated-loan market.

- Thai Keha Credit Foncier still has a chance to be upgraded to a retail bank if the Bank of Thailand (BOT) concludes that it was not involved in the lending scandal of Secondary Mortgage Corporation (SMC).

- Thailands information and communications technology (ICT) market was worth Bt421 billion last year and is projected to grow more than 17 per cent this year to Bt493 billion, says a report from the Association of the Thai ICT Industry (ATCI) and the Software Promotion Agency.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 2 February 2006 :-

Toilets to be graded under new system

By Apinya Wipatayotin

In line with the Public Health Ministry's aim to have all public toilets meet its standards by 2008, plans are in place for an electronic system to be installed at petrol stations across the country to monitor sanitary standards.

Anuthin Charnveerakul, deputy minister for public health, said the Geographic Information System would provide a useful service for members of the public since they would be able to see how clean toilets were from information sent to display panels outside the stations by the GIS.

A pilot project for the hi-tech toilets will be introduced in petrol stations along four main roads - the Phetkasem Highway to the South, the Asia Highway to the North, the Friendship Highway to the northeast and the Sukhumvit Highway to the east coast. The country has 19,365 petrol stations nationwide.

''We plan to introduce the GIS to cover public toilets at other locations, such as those near tourist attractions, restaurants and hospitals,'' he said. ''But first we'll promote the idea at petrol stations.''

The ministry also signed a memorandum of understanding with six companies running petrol stations and the Energy Business Department to improve toilets at their stations before Songkran.

Yodphot Wongrukmit, senior vice- president of Bangchak, said the company had introduced a campaign to improve the sanitary levels at its stations since 2003, and the project had indirectly helped to increase revenue.

''We received some impressive feedback after introducing the plan and we believe an increase in sales may be directly related to our initiative,'' Mr Yodphot said.

Bangchak has 1,100 stations nationwide, 25% of them run by the company.

A survey by the Ministry of Public Health last year found 76% of public toilets along highways failed to meet its sanitary standards. It hopes to raise this to 90%.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from Bangkok Post dated Thursday 2 February 2006 :-

Gains keep Asia flying high as industry flags

By Boonsong Kositchotethana

Against the backdrop of a US-billion loss suffered by the world's airline industry last year, Asian carriers have outshone their US and European counterparts by posting a gain of .5 billion.

US airlines lost billion and European carriers made .3 billion last year, according to the latest study by the International Air Transport Association, which represents 265 airlines, which fly 94% of the world's scheduled air traffic.

Lower costs made Asian carriers more profitable, and they also operated a greater portion of long-haul international flights last year which offered higher yields, IA dhTA's Asia-Pacific communications manager Albert Tjoeng said yesterday.

In Asia, labour makes up about 20% of airlines' operating costs, compared with 30% in Europe and 38% in the US.

Another reason for the gains may be that there are fewer budget carriers in Asia at 6%, compared with 35% in Europe and 45% in the US.

Despite the high fuel prices that threaten the world's airline industry, IATA projected that carriers in the Asia-Pacific would raise profit to US$ two billion this year.

European airlines' profit would shrink -to 0 million and US carriers would face a .5 billion loss.

On the whole, the world's airline industry would probably lose less money this year - over US$ four billion - before getting into the black in 2007, said IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani.

Leg 3-Geneva-based IATA yesterday released figures which showed international passenger traffic grew by 7.6% in 2005, while international freight traffic increased 3.2%.

The industry is returning to a normal growth pattern after the shocks that began in 2001. Passenger traffic is growing at a slower rate than it was in 2004 when it was at 15.3%, but above the 6% rate experienced in the past.

Air freight, however, is growing at a low rate as a result of weaker demand from critical sectors such as IT and semiconductors, Mr Bisignani said.

Regionally, only Latin America (11.4%) and the Middle East (13.1%) reported dou dhble-digit passenger traffic growth in 2005.

Asian plane loads grew by 0.9% to 75.1% year-on-year, reflecting a restrained response to the modest 2005 growth rate.

Freight and passenger traffic are expected to grow in the 5-6% range during 2006 but the industry is projected to record another loss.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Thursday 2 February 2006 :-

'Bt 19m Jackpot winner' cries foul after ticket disqualified

A factory worker cried foul Thursday after the Government Lottery Office (GLO) refused to pay him Bt19 million for jackpot winning on grounds that the lottery agent did not report the sale of the winning ticket.

The worker, Norasing Decha who works at a f actory in Samut Sakhon?s Krathumban district, said he bought the ticket, whose serial number was found to match the jackpot number of the GLO, from a retailer near the plant.

But, he said, when he called the GLO, the office said the ticket sale was not reported back to the office by its authorized agent.

Norasing said the retailer affirmed him that the sale had been reported to the authorized agent.

He said he would sue for compensation from the authorized agent but the GLO should also take responsibility.

"It's not duty on party of buyers to check whether sales of ticket will be reported back to the GLO or not," he said bitterly.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Thursday 2 February 2006 :-

PM set to open Night Safari on Monday 6 February 2006

After being postponed many times since late last year, the controversial Chiang Mai Night Safari is to have its official grand opening on Monday.

Inauguration of the biggest night zoo in the country, if not in the world, will be chaired by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra during a mobile Cabinet meeting at the tourist attraction on Monday and Tuesday.

Plodprasop Suraswadi, director of the night safari, said he would propose the design of two related projects - an elephant park and a cultural theme park - to the Prime Minister at the inauguration.

The two new parks would be constructed on areas adjacent to the night safari, and the three projects, as well as other attractions to be built in the future, will be connected by monorail, Plodprasop said.

The elephant park - to be the biggest in the country - will be home to about 200 elephants, while a cultural theme park aims to rival the Hong Kong Disney-land which opened last September.

Plodprasop, who is also Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, said he wanted the Prime Minister to approve the design plans during the Cabinet mobile meeting.

He added that people were still welcome to visit the zoo on Monday and Tuesday despite the Cabinet meeting on the premises.

The Chiang Mai Night Safari will be the first part of the Bt 4 billion Chiang Mai mega project to be officially opened.

Plodprasop said more than 1.4 million people have taken advantage of a free entry promotion to visit the zoo since its unofficial opening late last year.

The promotion period finished recently and entry tickets now cost Bt 250 for Thai adults and Bt 125 for Thai children.

Foreign tourists now have to pay Bt 500 and Bt 300 for adults and children, respectively.

[KatoeyLover69]

Report from The Nation dated Thursday 2 February 2006 :-

Govt mulls longer maternity leave

The government is considering extending maternity leave for new mothers to up to one year from the current three months, Social Development and Human Security Minister Watana Muangsook said yesterday.

The plan to extend maternity leave was part of the government’s campaign to encourage breast-feeding, Watana said after a meeting on childhood development chaired by Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Watana also said it was important for infants from eight months to one year to remain close to their parents.

The ministry will propose extending the leave, but the additional nine months would be unpaid, Watana said. The extension would apply to government employees initially, he added.

His ministry would ask the private sector to help promote breast-feeding and provide convenient places for mothers to breast feed, Watana said.

The government would help boost children’s IQs by improving day-care facilities and providing toy libraries in each tambon for children in low-income families, he added.

His ministry also plans to work with universities to develop training courses and a licensing system for nannies, Watana said.

Piyanart Srivalo
The Nation