Bangkok Library Digital library and information center for Bangkok, Thailand

The BMA has recently imposed stiff penalties for mahouts (elephant handlers) who bring their beasts into Bangkok and tourists who feed the animals. The regulation, which was passed on June 22, appears to be working as there are no elephants to be seen on the streets of Bangkok.

The regulation states that violators (including handlers and anyone who feeds the animals) will be subject to a six-month jail term or a 10,000 baht fine.

Elephants were until recently a common sight in Bangkok where their handlers would pester tourists to pay to feed the animals. Welfare of the animals was frequently neglected and they presented a constant danger to pedestrians and passing traffic.

The Democrat Party and its executives are facing a renewed crisis as prosecutors push to dissolve the party and ban its executives who held positions in 2004 and 2005.

Deputy Attorney-General Waiyawut Lortrakul said yesterday that prosecutors had finished drafting the recommendation and sent a 100-page document to the Attorney-General for approval. If no changes are suggested, the recommendation will be presented to the Constitution Court today.

Yellow shirt leaders and supporters are facing charges for the unlawful occupation of Government House and seizure of two Bangkok airports in 2008. The NPP's secretary-general, Suriyasai Katasila, has cried foul, claiming the actions of the PAD and yellow shirt supporters to be completely different to those of the red shirt movement, which he believes had supported armed militants.

Dutch journalist Michel Maas says that he was shot by the Thai army while reporting on the red shirt demonstrations.

In an interview with the IPI (International Press Institute), Michel Maas says that he has no doubt that he was shot by the Thai army.

I have no doubt whatsoever that it was the Thai army that shot me. No one else was shooting, as far as I could tell. The army had snipers on the ‘Skytrain’ over our heads, and soldiers in the Park just in front of us, covering the entire front line area. And troops were advancing from the direction from where I was shot.

Russian composer Pletnev continues to protest his innocence against the child rape charges laid against him, saying the matter was a “set up”. Pletnev also claimed that: “A big company wants to present me as a criminal, which I am not.” He did not elaborate any further about this claim, fueling further speculation that Pletnev will try to find ways of having the rape charges dropped by making a payment to corrupt officials or the family of the child.

Thai police have dismissed rumours that police were demanding money to drop the Mikhail Pletnev child rape case; however, rumours still abound that a financial settlement will be offered to the parents of the boy to drop the charges. If a settlement is not available, it seems incredible that Pletnev will voluntarily return to Thailand where if guilty he faces up to twenty years in prison.

An article on Tambon Blogspot raised our attention to the start of the Population and Housing Census (Thailand) 2010. According to a linked article on NNT (the Government Public Relations Website), information gathering should be completed within four months. Analysis and summary reports should be available within six months.

A government phone-in has attracted about 60,000 calls, more than 80% being complaints and suggestions for the government to follow.

60,000 calls to govt phone-in

* Published: 8/07/2010 at 02:45 PM
* Online news: Breakingnews

The "6 Days, 63 Million Opinions" phone-in received about 60,000 calls, about 1,500 criticising the government, Prime Minister's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey said on Thursday.

Supermarket chain Carrefour has denied that stores in Malaysia and Singapore will close following reports that it would shut down its operations in South East Asian markets.

KUALA LUMPUR — French supermarket giant Carrefour has denied that its stores in Malaysia and Singapore will close following reports that it would shut down its Southeast Asian outlets.
On Tuesday, produce industry website Fruit Net said the supermarket chain planned to sell its interests in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand in a deal worth up to 1.0 billion dollars.

A world-renowned Russian conductor and composer has been charged with raping a 14-year-old boy in Thailand.

Mr. Pletnev, 53, was arrested in Pattaya, a seaside resort east of Bangkok. The coastal city is a popular destination for many nationalities including Russian tourists and expatriates. It has a thriving sex industry driven by overseas visitors and the domestic market, and is widely regarded as the sex capital of Thailand and south-east Asia.