Nyheter från thailändska tidningar (Jo-Be citerar nyheter på engelska)

[JBK.Ltd.]

Bombs kill 2, injure dozen in Narathiwat

Two people were killed and 13 injured in four explosions in Rangae district of Narathiwat province on Thursday night, police spokesman Prawut Thavornsiri said. Speaking on twitter, Pol Lt Gen Prawut said two bombs went off near Wat Sangkhasitthitharam. One was meant to lure authorities to the scene and the other was a motorcycle bomb.

Another explosion happened in front of the Tanyongmas cooperative and the fourth bomb blast was in front of a branch office of TOT Plc. All the bombing locations are in Tanyongmas sub-district.
Thai media reported that the bombings happened between 9pm and 9.20pm.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/security/697224/bombs-kill-2-injure-dozen-in-narathiwat.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Pattaya reels under floods
THE NATION September 17, 2015

THE severe flooding that has inundated Pattaya and much of Chon Buri's Bang Lamung district in the wake of tropical storm Vamco was made worse by encroachment of public canals and waterway banks, the deputy mayor of Pattaya said Thursday.

Weerawat Khakhai said the heavy rains in the low-lying seaside resort contributed to the unusual flooding, but it was exacerbated by encroachment on waterways and canals such as Klong Nok Yang, Klong Kratinglai and Klong Na Kleu, which prevented the water from draining into the sea.

Overnight rain in Pattaya triggered floods that inundated homes and resorts while roads in Bang Lamung were badly hit, especially sections of highway No 331.

Government Spokesman Maj-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had urged agencies to help affected people, especially those in Chon Buri as well as parts of the deeply flooded 7th motorway.

Tourism in Pattaya is expected to drop by 20-30 per cent this weekend due to the heavy rains, according to the Eastern Chapter of the Thai Hotels Association.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Aviation: Public warned not to release floating lanterns or flying objects
The Nation September 17, 2015

The Civil Aviation of Thailand Department is asking the public again not to release floating lanterns or homemade flying objects as they could be dangerous to aviation.

Director General Somchai Piputwat, said on Thursday that the floating objects are now being released into the air all year round. "Using the lanterns is no longer confined to ancient tradition as implemented in the northern region. They have been used as marketing gimmicks and in competitions across Thailand in recent years."

Inventors have improved the lanterns so that they are able to stay in the air for a longer period of time and reach a higher altitude. Somchai said they are sometimes seen floating in a plane's flight path. Chemicals used in making the lanterns could very well damage and compromise the safety of the an aircraft and passengers.

Somchai said since there are no laws governing such activities, revelers should be aware of the grave danger they represent and their potential to put at risk the lives of passengers on a plane. He called on revelers to be careful about where they release the lanterns.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Damage, floods as Vamco hits many parts of the Kingdom
THE NATION September 17, 2015 1:00 am

More than 10 small fishing boats capsized in Chon Buri

SOME 400 Thai and foreign tourists were stranded on Koh Lan in Chon Buri's Bang Lamung district yesterday afternoon due to two-metre-high waves and high winds in the Gulf of Thailand.

The wild conditions prompted the Regional Harbour Office in Pattaya and local agencies to dispatch four double-decker boats to bring the holidaymakers back to the mainland. As storm Vamco - later downgraded to a depression - brought gusty winds and heavy rain to many areas of Thailand, officials issued an order prohibiting public transport boats and small fishing vessels from sailing.

The order stranded 380 tourists on Koh Lan, trapped by high waves, and four boats were sent to collect them. Strong winds/waves damaged several anchorages at the Southern Pattaya Pier, worth millions of baht. The storm also ruined rafts used for parasailing, one kilometre off the Pattaya Bay.

In Chumphon's Pato district, heavy rain-induced forest floodwaters early yesterday poured into the Moo 4 village in Tambon Pak Song and damaged many houses. A 73-year-old man, Sunyong Chanthewee, was sleeping along with his two-year-old grandchild when the muddy torrents hit their home. They managed to flee unharmed, but the house of an assistant village headman, Payon Angkhapan, was hit by a falling tree.

Many other areas of Pato were also affected by flooding. Officials estimated thousands of households were affected and many roads were made impassable by floodwaters.

In Krabi province, stormy weather blew a 20-metre-tall tree on to a resident's house in Koh Lanta district. Homeowner Rophiya Raktua, 68, wasn't injured and officials provided help to repair the house. Khlong Tabprik in Muang district overflowed to flood two roads and farmlands.

Meanwhile, Chaiyaphum's Lam Pa Thao Dam reported that the storm brought enough rainfall to fill its 66-million cubic metres capacity. The dam had been reported to be holding only 35 per cent of capacity, causing fears of a lack of tap water for this northeastern province's economic zones.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

New Purple Line trains arrive
18 Sep 2015 at WRITER: AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK

A new Japanese-made carriage is unloaded at the Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri, Friday.
(Photo from the Mass Rapid Transit Authority)

Nine carriages that will form three trains on Bangkok's Purple Line
arrived from Japan on Friday for the new electric railway extension
scheduled to open next August.

Chula Sukmanop, director-general of the Marine Department, said the
new carriages arrived from Yokohama on the Thai-registered TMN
Progress vessel at Laem Chabang port in Chon Buri province at 9am
Friday.

Bangkok Metro Plc (BMCL), the system operator that holds the
concession from the state-run Mass Rapid Transit Authority, ordered
the trains from its supplier, a Marubeni-Toshiba joint venture.
The supplier had the trains produced at the plant of Japan Transport
Engineering Co (J-Trec) in Yokohama. The trains will be transported
to a depot at the Khlong Bang Phai station in Nonthaburi province.

BMCL has ordered a total of 21 trains comprising 63 carriages for
the Purple Line that stretches 23 kilometres from Bang Yai district
in Nonthaburi to Bang Sue district in Bangkok.

Test runs of the new line are expected to begin late this year and
service is scheduled to start in August 2016.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/698768/new-purple-line-trains-arrive.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Unhappy residents plant rice, bananas on potholed road
18 Sep 2015 WRITER: CHAKRAPAN NATHANRI

Teachers and students of Nong Lai School took part in the planting of rice, bananas and hyacinth
on the potholed road. (Photo by Chakrapan Nathanri)

Around 300 residents of tambon Khok Si of Khon Kaen’s Muang district
have planted rice and bananas in the burgeoning potholes of their
main road in a symbolic protest against the government’s failure to
repair it.

Adult residents, students and teachers in Ban Khok Pae gathered on
the road and planted fragrant and glutinous rice, banana trees and
some hyacinth in the numerous holes in the road's surface.
They said their complaints to the Damrongdhama centre, set up by the
junta government to solve people’s problems, had drawn no response.

Udom Molee, headman of Ban Khok Pae of tambon Khok Si, said the
six-kilometre road was built six years ago. It is the main commuting
route for four villages. The most damaged section was about two
kilometres long, between Nong Lai school and Ban Khok Pae, where there
were more than 50 potholes.

He said the Khon Kaen Provincial Administration Orgnisation (PAO) had
repaired the road early this year, but the surface started breaking up
again after only four days. People in the area have no choice but to
continue risking an accident by using the rough road.

They had submitted a requests for repairs to the Khok Si Tambon
Administration Organisation and the Khon Kaen PAO, and also asked the
province’s Damrongdhama Centre to convey word of their hardship to
to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

“This is our main road, used by several thousand people. Every day
300-400 vehicles travel this route, as it links to Sam Soong district
and Maha Sarakham’s Chiang Yuen district. No government agencies pay
any attention to the maintenance of the road,” he said.

Mr Udom said the earlier maintenance was done without following any
proper standard - just some road grading and then a thin layer of
asphalt, which quickly disappeared. In Ban Khok Pae alone, 1,109
villagers use this potholed road, which had dmaged to a large number
of vehicles.

The villagers hope the government will quickly allocate
a budget to build a concrete road and bring relief to residents of
the four villages.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/698712/unhappy-residents-plant-rice-bananas-on-potholed-road.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Some 4,000 families in Rayong hit by flash flooding
The Nation September 18, 2015 4:15 pm

The aerial view of the Rayong-Chanthaburi bypass road shows 50-80cm of flood level.

A kid sits on a cement block, putting his arm on a sign warning passers-by of floods.

A jeep is wading through a flooded street in Rayong.

A flash flood hit two tambon in Rayong's Mueang district late Thursday night, inundating some 4,000 houses, a senior official said.

Thirawat Sudsuk, assistant Rayong governor, said officials from agencies concerned rushed out to help the 4,000 families in Tambon Tabma and Tambon Nonepha.

Police said the floodwater inundated the houses and Wat Tabma and the 36th highway from an intersection to the temple. Police said some parts of the road were under 1.5-metre-deep water.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Police crackdown on Chiang Mai road violators paying off, say public
CHUTIMA INKAM
THE NATION September 18, 2015 1:00 am

ARRESTS RELATED to traffic violations are on the rise since Chiang Mai province implemented its "slow city" speed limit policy on March 1. And local people remain hopeful that their roads will become safer if the policy continues long term.

Pol Colonel Piyapan Pattarapongsin, superintendent of the Chiang Mai Traffic Police, said that though the policy covered the entire province, it would be particularly focused on Chiang Mai city.

He explained the policy - which set 10 municipality roads to carry a 40km/hour limit - was aimed to cut road accident fatalities by significantly lowering 10 main traffic offences. They were - riding motorcycles without a helmet; drunk driving; illegally modified vehicles; driving cars or motorcycles without a driver's licence; failing to wear a seatbelt while driving; speeding; running a red light or violating traffic signs; suddenly cutting in front of other vehicles; driving/riding against the traffic; and using a cellphone while driving.

So far, a total of 125,906 traffic violators were arrested for 10 main traffic offences. The most common charges were failure to wear a helmet - at 66,303 - and failing to show a driver's licence, at 29,794. Last year, a total of 130,993 traffic violators for all traffic offences were arrested.

This fiscal year's road accidents total 4,611 cases so far, compared to the previous year's 4,331. The death rate stands at 383 victims (compared to the previous year's 287) and the injury rate, 4,029 persons (compared to the previous year's 3,688). Nakornping Hospital director |Dr Thamrong Harnwong said the hospital's report on road accident death rate remained almost unchanged for now but he was confident future results would be better.

Thamrong said the policy raised public awareness about traffic accidents and encouraged drivers to be more disciplined while using the roads. He said the policy would help the hospital save money and personnel if police could enforce it for the long term.

Local Patlada Pattanodom said she was becoming more aware of speed limits while driving in the city and hoped the law is enforced on a long-term basis so roads can be made safer. Piyapan said that most accidents in Chiang Mai involved motorcycles because there were more than 2 million registered motorbikes. They often occurred on ring roads leading to other districts.

Besides the speed limit, police also set up checkpoints at almost every intersection to maintain motorists' law-abiding traffic behaviour and to look out for street racers and bag-snatching criminals, Piyapan said. Public feedback to the "slow city" policy and cooperation is good and has been a factor in helping to lower the accident rate, he said.

 

[Kun Song]

Du lägger fram mycket intressanta och läsvärda inlägg .

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Du lägger fram mycket intressanta och läsvärda inlägg .

Försöker mitt bästa och få TS:are intresserade av vad som händer i vårt älskade LOS, när det kommer till nyheter.
Naturligtvis så tar jag inget kred, för infon som kommer från thailändska tidningar..

( Förutom att "Gillar" knappen skulle användas mer av er andra TS:are) det gör att man försöker lite extra

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Tip nabs former teacher for abusing schoolgirls
18 Sep 2015 WRITER: WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM

A tip from the United States led to the arrest of Decha Pradit, this ex-primary school teacher for
taking and posting photos of girls on a paedophile website.

A former primary school teacher has been arrested on charges he abused 24 young
schoolgirls and exchanged photos of the sexual abuse on a paedophile website,
police said Thursday.

The crimes happened more than a decade ago. Decha Pradit was arrested at his
home in Uttaradit earlier this week and confessed to having sex with 24 young
schoolgirls between 2003 and 2005, according to the Anti-Human Trafficking
Division (AHTD).

The suspect was charged with committing sexually indecent acts against children
aged 15 and younger and with sexually abusing children aged 13 and under. Police
seized his notebook computer as evidence.
Pol Col Mana Kleepsattabut, the division deputy chief, said the suspect worked
as a teacher at a local primary school in Uttaradit's Muang district.

His arrest followed a tip-off by the US Department of Homeland Security which
discovered pictures of schoolgirls, most of them about eight to 12 years old,
on a paedophile website. The AHTD launched an investigation and determined that
Mr Decha had posted and circulated the pictures.

Police said the former teacher was partially captured in some of the pictures.
Even though his face was not shown, police were able to identify him through a
ring he regularly wears.

Mr Decha allegedly confessed to sexually abusing three or four girls at a time
at physical education camps held at the school. He would then post photos of
the abuse on the paedophile website. He was caught by the school and sacked.
It's not clear why neither the school nor parents reported him to police.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/697508/tip-nabs-former-teacher-for-abusing-schoolgirls.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

southern insurgency
Suspects nabbed over deadly bomb blasts in the South
WRITERS: Santhiti Khorjitmate, Narong Nuansakul
The Nation September 19, 2015

Bomb disposal officers yesterday examine the scene where a motorbike bomb was set off in the southern border province of Narathiwat on Thursday night that left three people dead and 14 others injured. A Persian cat was also a casualty.

TWO SUSPECTS have been detained at a military base in connection with multiple deadly bomb blasts that rocked the deep South on Thursday night, an informed source said yesterday.

The source said security officials raided a rented house in Tanyongmas Municipality and arrested the suspects.
"They are now being interrogated at the 45th Ranger Regiment," the source said. There were eight bomb attacks in Narathiwat's Rangae district between 7.20pm and 9.15pm on Thursday. One of the explosions caused three deaths and injured 13 others. The casualties included soldiers and civilians.

As of press time, nine victims remained in hospital. Representing Their Majesties the King and Queen, Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont yesterday visited five victims at Rangae Hospital and presented them with royal-granted relief items. The injured victims, who were no longer in critical condition, were grateful that Their Majesties always care about their subjects.

Colonel Pramote Prom-in, spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 Forward Command, expressed his condolences to the victims and their families. He said the Fourth Army Area chief had ordered the authorities to check recordings from all surveillance cameras in the area in an effort to find the culprits.

These attacks, he said, were clearly intended to cause unrest and casualties. Such incidents hurt tourism and the economy. "If you have any tips, please call 1341," he said.

Pramote said the authorities believed the bombers might be linked to the group that staged four explosions in the province's Rangae district on July 20. "For the July attacks, we have arrested six suspects," he said.

Colonel Pakdee Preechachon of Rangae Police Station also mentioned the possible link. "We will not disclose details now as that may affect efforts to track down the attackers," he said. Authorities said the motorcycle used in the fatal blast on Thursday night was stolen last week. The vehicle belonged to a 17-year-old female student who was shot dead on September 14.

"About 25 kilos of explosives were stuffed inside the petrol tank of the vehicle," an official disclosed. The wave of violence in Thailand's deep South has continued for about a decade, with bloody attacks taking place almost on a daily basis. Yesterday, an explosion hit a police patrol car on a road in Narathiwat but did not result in any casualties.

Pol Lieutenant Boonsanit Khiaopradit said he was driving to a court when a hidden bomb went off, causing damage to the vehicle.

A hole about a metre deep and 1.5 metres wide was found at the scene.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Deadlines set to tackle fishing and trafficking
The Nation September 19, 2015

Prayut wants anti-trafficking measures undertaken by same date the EU has agreed for 'solutions' to bring the fishing industry into line


THE GOVERNMENT has accelerated efforts to tackle illegal fishing and human-trafficking problems, with November 15 set as the deadline to meet crucial international requirements.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said yesterday additional amendments to the Fisheries Act would be enacted by mid-November so as to fully meet the international regulations on fishing as required by the European Union. The EU earlier issued a warning to Thailand to comply with its rules or face a ban on seafood exports worth billions of baht to its 28 member countries.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha also ordered authorities to finalise the country's 2015 report on anti-human trafficking measures by November 15 in a bid to show the international community the progress Thailand has achieved in preventing and solving human-trafficking problems.

Both issues damaged the country's reputation and would hit Thai exports if countries start imposing bans.

On the Fisheries Act, a source said the government may enact additional regulations with an executive decree after the latest amendments were already submitted to HM the King for royal endorsement.

Additional amendments are required after the EU suggested that measures already implemented by Thai authorities were not yet sufficient to meet international fishing rules.

The 28-country EU earlier slapped a yellow card on Thailand on grounds of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing activities, and gave the country until the end of October to solve the problems or else it could ban Thai seafood shipments.

EU agreed to November 15: Prawit

Prawit said the EU had agreed to the November 15 deadline on additional legal amendments and would send senior officials here from October 19-23 to inspect progress made by the authorities.

On the human-trafficking issue, Vichien Chao-walit, permanent secretary at the Social Development and Human Security ministry, said the premier had instructed officials to compile Thailand's annual report on the progress of its anti-human trafficking measures by November 15 as international agencies were closely watching the country's response to this issue.

Earlier, the US failed to upgrade Thailand's status in its 2015 report on Trafficking in Persons, better known as the TIP report, despite significant progress achieved by Thai authorities in tackling the trafficking of Rohingya migrants via Thailand.

Vichien said the premier had also ordered an amendment to the PM's Office regulations barring all government officials to use their status to pose bail for suspects arrested by police in human trafficking and other related offences.

The amendment will be effective around October 15. In addition, the premier has ordered authorities to review all previous human-trafficking cases and take legal action against wrongdoers. Vichien said the country's report on anti-human trafficking measures would have to be submitted to the Cabinet on a yearly basis, covering progress in various areas concerning anti-human trafficking policy.

The Thai report will also be sent to the US and other countries that pay close attention to this issue.

"This annual report will include all the measures we have taken over the past year in tackling this issue, for both Thai and international audiences. The premier also asked officials to ensure illegal labour is not used in the fishing industry," he said.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Ja! Jag vet att det ska handla om nyheter från LOS, men denna här nedanför är ju lite länkad till Asien så den får komma med...

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Galna namnen på utländska bolag i Kina
Stjärnhoppet och Dyrbara Häst. Kan du gissa vilka märkena är? Stora utländska bolag byter ofta namn på den kinesiska marknaden. Här är några fler exempel.

Av Erik Nilson
Igår 10.30

Bild 1 av 4

Foto: Gene J. Puskar/AP

Dryck
På engelska låter ofta de kinesiska varianterna av märkenas namn löjliga. Men det är viktigt att ha ett bra namn i Kina, det kan ge tur. Det kan vara svårt att få till det kinesiska namnet, eftersom mandarin är ett språk med många nyanser, som kan leda till besvärliga dubbla betydelser.

Öljätten Budweiser har ett väldigt högtravande namn, Hundred Prestige, eller Hundra Presitge på svenska. Coca-Cola har hittat helt rätt. De heter Kekou Kele, vilket betyder Utsökt Kul på svenska. Dessutom låter en del av ordet som det kinesiska ordet för törstig.

Bild 2 av 4

Foto: Frank Augstein/AP

Banker
Bankerna ska försöka attrahera rika kunder och därför ska namnet ge ett förmöget och framgångsrikt intryck. Goldman Sachs heter till exempel Gao Sheng, Väldigt Framgångsrikt. Den London-baserade banken HSBC heter Hui Feng, vilket ungefär betyder Samlat Överflöd.

En direktöversättning från HSBC, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, hade inte fungerat på kinesiska. Det hade låtit som vilken bank som helst istället för en global jätte, säger Vladimir Djurovic, vd på Labbrand som hjälper utländska företag hitta rätt namn i Kina, till CNN.

Bild 3 av 4

Foto: Mark Lennihan/AP

Mat
Internationella cafékedjan Starbucks har tagit ett ganska bokstavligt namn, Stjärnhoppet heter de på mandarin.

Den franska matvarukedjan Carrefour vill visa en konsumentvänlig image och heter Jia Le Fu, som betyder Lycklig Famlij på mandarin.

Bild 4 av 4

Foto: Magnus Hjalmarson Neideman

Övrigt
Enligt varumärkesexperten Vladimir Djurovic är det viktigt att ha ett namn på mandarin, eftersom det troligtvis är det namnet konsumenterna kommer ihåg, och inte originalet.

Skojätten Reebok heter Rui Bu, vilket ungefär betyder Snabba Steg och Nike kallar sig Nai Ke, som översätts till Uthållighet och Ihärdighet.

Tyska biltillverkaren BMW heter Dyrbara Häst.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Tourist swept away in river in Nakhon Nayok
The Nation September 21, 2015

A TOURIST has gone missing in a raging river at a famous attraction in Nakhon Nayok.

Phuwadej Sukha, 16, jumped into the water at Kaeng Samchan on Saturday ignorant of a warning by officials not to do so due to the fast water flow. The place is famous as a white-water rafting destination.

However, a recent storm increased the velocity of the water flow, and on Saturday officials warned tourists not to go into the water. Phuwadej arrived at the spot with eight friends. They saw him swept away and immediately called for help. As of press time, rescue workers were unable to find him.

Meanwhile, the situation in flood-hit Rayong is returning to normal with businesses removing sandbags and doing a clean-up ahead of reopening.

In Nong Mahat village in Rayong's Tambon Thabma, where several housing estates are located, some 5,800 families from 27 villages were affected by flooding although the water was subsiding yesterday. In Krungthai and Chokdee villages in Thabma and Tambon Noen Phra, villagers were cleaning their houses yesterday.

Chitchanok Somprasert, head of the Eighth Nakhon Ratchasima Irrigation Office, said weakening tropical storm Vamco created heavy rainfall throughout the Isaan region. Chitchanok said the rain had led to water-volume increases in five large reservoirs in the province - Lam Takong, Lam Phra Phloeng, Lum Sae, Mun Bon, and Lum Plai Mat.

He said the dams received 73.5 million cubic metres of water between last Monday and Saturday, with a total of 364.7 million cubic metres now in the dams, or 28 per cent of their total capacity. Almost seven cubic metres of water was used for water consumption each day, he said.

"The water we have right now is quite low comparing to last year, when 592.2 million cubic metres was held," he said, adding that the dams had a total capacity of 810 million cubic metres.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Reyes brothers in Ortega killing arrested in Thailand
Jaymee T. Gamil, Julliane Love De Jesus, Redempto D. Anda
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Asia News Network September 21, 2015

Former Palawan governor Joel T. Reyes and his brother Mario were arrested by the police in Phuket, Thailand, on Sunday, according to a police source.

The source, an official of Task Force Usig, the tracker group assigned to catch big fugitives, said the Reyes brothers had long been wanted for the slay of Palawan environmentalist and journalist Dr. Gerry Ortega. The task force was in close coordination with the Thai police who are holding the brothers for eventual deportation, the source added.

Another source said the PNP's Task Force Tugis went to Thailand last year to look for the Reyes brothers. The arrest of the Reyes brothers was relayed to the PNP by the Thailand embassy, the police source said. But a ranking police official privy to the operation told INQUIRER.net that Mario and Joel were arrested and held by immigration authorities for overstaying in Thailand.

In 2012, President Aquino offered a P2 million reward for the arrest of the "Big Five" including the Reyes brothers, Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, Globe Asiatique developer Delfin Lee and former Dinagat Island Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr. Four of the five high-profile fugitives have been arrested except for Ecleo.

The information was confirmed by the victim's wife, Patty Ortega, who told the Inquirer Monday that she had been officially advised by authorities of the arrest. She added however they have no information on the circumstances behind the arrest.

For her part, Ortega's daughter, Mica, told a radio interview that the family was initially "stunned" and could not believe the news. Mica added that they felt relief that justice could continue with the trial of the alleged masterminds.

Joel and his brother Mario, then the mayor of the town of Coron in Palawan, fled the country sometime in March 2012 several months after they were indicted by the Department of Justice in the Ortega murder and an arrest warrant was issued against them by the Palawan Regional Trial Court.

Ortega, a hard-hitting broadcaster and a known environmental crusader in Palawan, was shot dead by a lone assassin along the downtown area of this city on Jan. 24, 2011. The assassin, Marlon Recamata, was nabbed after a brief chase and later confessed to the crime at the Puerto Princesa police.

Recamata's arrest led to the arrest of several other suspects who pointed to the Reyes brothers as the masterminds in the slaying.

The Reyes brothers have been seeking to quash their arrest warrant before the Supreme Court and had managed to win an appeal in the Court of Appeals on their motion questioning the validity of the creation of a DOJ prosecutors' panel that indicted them for murder.

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Bus-stops not so 'friendly' for people with disabilities
Chutima Inkam, Visarut Sankham
The Nation September 21, 2015

But subway, rail services, skytrain generally seen as far better

MOST CITY BUS stops are not disability-friendly, adding to challenges that the physically handicapped have to overcome to lead a normal life. "Just 10 per cent of the capital's 770 bus stops are qualified under the Thailand Transport Portal Ministerial Regulation," Choomket Sawangjaroen, an academic at Thammasat University, told a seminar last week, citing survey findings.

The event was the first of a roundtable series organised by the Redemptorist Foundation for People with Disabilities and the National Elderly Council, which seeks to enhance the lives of the physically impaired. Under this initiative, seminars will be held monthly until February to push for the instalment of proper facilities for the physical-ly disadvantaged and senior citizens.

The first seminar focused on structural designs. It raised concerns about the overall image of Bangkok and perimeter rail transportation and accessibility. Guidelines were proposed to support safety, convenience and ease-of-use for the elderly and disabled on public transport. They hope air, land and rail transport facilities will become more "considerate" to people with special needs.

"The efforts are ongoing," he said. According to the survey of all rail-based transport systems, people were most satisfied with the subway run by the Mass Rapid Transit Authority. Their reasoning was that station staff take good care of them and are nice in trying to ensure they had a pleasant ride.

The subway also followed Transport Ministry regula-|tions and standards for toilets, parking lots, ramps, elevators, signage and information service points. Somchai Jeayakul, who has some physical issues, said he often uses the subway, Skytrain and Airport Rail Link and found them generally good. "Staff are always helpful," he said. "But the Phaya Thai station doesn't have elevators."

Even at stations equipped with elevators, regular passengers used them, making it harder for those who need help, he said. Chatree Yoddonpai, a representative of BTS, the Skytrain operator, said some stations still lacked lifts because his company had to negotiate with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and landowners for space to add the elevators.

"We have assigned our security guards to provide assistance and convenience at stations where elevators have not yet been installed," he said. Sarawut Eksuwan of the MRT said the agency had a plan to ensure that each subway station has two elevators. The Purple Line already has a platform lift for wheelchair users.

Manit Intharapim, a member of the foundation, said he had long studied the services and facilities for the physically challenged and the elderly. "It's going to be necessary to choose the facilities that are very safe too."

 

[EV]

Många skandinaviska företag har filial i Thailand.
Men norrmän är inte populär i Thailand som ledare .
Norska företag som etablera sig i Thailand bör anställa danskar eller svenskar som mellan ledare

 

[JBK.Ltd.]

Det var ju F--N att man skulle läsa det i en thaitidning...

Table for 4? McDonald's takes reservations in Sweden
Bangkok Post

STOCKHOLM - Fast-food giant McDonald's may be slowing down,
with the hamburger chain starting to take reservations and
providing table service at dinner time in a revolutionary
experiment in Sweden.

The Scandinavian country is the first place the US hamburger
king is testing this new way of serving customers. McDonald's
has 36,000 restaurants worldwide, but the testing of reserved
dining is taking place in just 31 Swedish outlets for a week
starting Friday.

Burger lovers can book a table online at a Swedish website
that offers that service for many restaurants
-- in many price ranges -- around the country. The McDonald's
customer will have to order at least two items from the menu
for one to four people.

The home of the Big Mac is testing reservations and table
service in a country that has been a difficult market.
McDonald's has faced fierce competition there from US rival
Burger King and Swedish chain Max.

But this latest experiment seems to undermine the whole idea
of fast food. "It's innovative but at the same time it's going
backwards in the world of the restaurant industry," where the
concept of fast food was invented in the 1950s,
said Nicolas Nouchi, analyst at CHD Expert.

"The boundaries are being erased. There is no longer a difference
between table service restaurants and fast-food restaurants, and
McDonald's has joined this movement," he added. McDonald's in its
statement did not specify the goals of the experiment in table
dining, but it has launched a major publicity campaign to let
Swedes know they make a reservation to dine on their Big Mac
and fries.