Dozens killed in Thai plane crash

More than 70 people are reported dead after a budget airliner crashed as it tried to land in heavy rain at the resort city of Phuket in southern Thailand on Sunday, officials said.
The plane — carrying 123 passengers, a number of them foreigners — broke apart and burst into flames after hitting the runway.
Flight OG 269, operated by the One-Two-Go airline, was landing after a flight from the capital, Bangkok. One-Two-Go is owned by Orient-Thai Airlines.
Worapot Ratthaseema, the deputy governor of Phuket Island, said 74 people had been confirmed dead and 42 were in hospital. He said 14 passengers were missing.
Canadian, 23, survives with minor injuries
A young Canadian woman, Mildred Anne Furlong of Prince George, B.C., was among the survivors taken to Bangkok Phuket Hospital, said a spokesman for the facility, Narong Budsaracha.
Furlong, 23, said she escaped through a window that had been kicked out by another passenger. She suffered minor injuries, including cuts and a sprained back, and could be released within the next couple of days, Budsaracha said.
Other foreigners at the hospital include Britons, Germans, Iranians, Israelis, at least one Australian and an Irish passenger. Five of the survivors were listed in critical condition, Budsaracha said.
Media reports said the plane crashed into the side of the hill in pouring rain, around 3:40 p.m. local time.
"The airplane is completely destroyed and inflamed," Maj. Gen. Deecha Butnamphet, police chief in Phuket, told local television station TITV.
"The visibility was poor as the pilot attempted to land. He decided to make a go-around but the plane lost balance and crashed. It was torn into two parts," said Chaisak Angsuwan, director general of the Air Transport Authority of Thailand.
CBC reporter Michael McAuliffe said the pilot radioed the control tower for permission to circle around again and was given permission to do that, but the plane crashed as it tried to pull out of the landing.
An Irish survivor, identified as Sean, told of being badly burned on his arms, legs and back as he escaped the flames. Speaking to TITV from a local hospital, he said he knew something was wrong before the attempted landing.
"You could tell when it was landing it was in trouble,'' he said. "It was making a noise, this bang.''

Canadian woman survives with minor injuries
Last Updated: Sunday, September 16, 2007 12:02 PM ET
CBC News

Thaksin money 'clean' says Harris

Last Updated: Sunday, 24 June 2007, 10:21 GMT 11:21 UK

The man who brokered former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra's £81.6m takeover bid for Manchester City insists the deal is completely above board.
Thailand authorities are set to investigate the source of the funds behind Thaksin's offer.
But Keith Harris, executive chairman of Seymour Pierce Investment Bank, told BBC Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "The money to buy Man City is clean.
"It has been legitimately and transparently transferred to the UK."
Thaksin, who lodged a formal offer for City on 21 June, is facing corruption charges in Thailand over a property deal and has had £830m of his assets frozen.
And Thailand's finance minister Chalongphob Sussangkarn says there is also a 'mystery' over how Thaksin has funded his bid for City.

While he was prime minister, Thaksin was required by law to declare all his assets and, according to Chalongphob, he did not declare any foreign assets.
"So this money which would be used for Manchester City is still a mystery to Thailand," Chalongphob said.
"I am sure Thailand's Asset Examination Commission will look at the source of these funds and try to see whether they are legal funds that were taken out or by other means.
"If the deal for City goes ahead and the money paid they will try to look at it. We don't know yet how he is going to finance it. We won't know until the deal is finalised."
Harris is adamant the charges facing Thaksin in Thailand will have no bearing on his bid for the Premier League club.
"The charges levelled against him are politically motivated by a military government that is unelected.
"He was the Prime Minister there and was exceptionally popular. He was also a successful businessman.
"A number of bank accounts in Thailand, some personal and some corporate, have been frozen.
"But the money that has been used to finance the takeover and which will then be used to invest in the club is in English bank accounts and beyond their reach."

Thaksin charged with corruption

POSTED: 0940 GMT (1740 HKT), June 21, 2007

BANGKOK, Thailand (Reuters) -- Thai state prosecutors formally charged ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra with "official misconduct" on Thursday relating to his wife's purchase of a prime piece of Bangkok real estate, a court official said.
The filing at the Supreme Court is the first formal legal action taken against Thaksin since he was ousted in a September coup by generals accusing him of running a corrupt government.
A panel of nine judges is expected to rule on July 10 whether to proceed with the charges, summarized as "misconduct of a government official and violation of a ban on state officials being party to transactions involving public interests."
Thaksin, who has been exile in London since the coup, would have to appear to answer the charges if the court decided to try the case, court official Seksan Bangsomboon told reporters.
If convicted, Thaksin could face up to 10 years in jail and a 60,000 baht fine, he added.
The charges stem from a ruling by an Asset Examination Committee (AEC) set up after the coup that Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, broke anti-graft laws preventing politicians in office doing business deals with state agencies.
Pojaman bought the land for 772 million baht ($22.3 million) from a unit of the Bank of Thailand in a 2003 auction, while Thaksin was in the middle of his first term, in which other bidders dropped out.
The AEC wants the court to annul the deal, return the land to the central bank and confiscate the money involved.
Thaksin and his wife have denied the charges.
Thai Justice Ministry investigators earlier this week ordered the billionaire former telecoms tycoon to return by June 29 to face charges of concealing assets.
Army-appointed Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said Thaksin's safety would be assured, although coup leader and army chief Sonthi Boonyaratglin has said he could be an assassination target.
Bangkok lawyer Noppadon Pattama said in a statement Thaksin was still considering whether to return to Thailand.
Last week, the AEC froze $1.5 billion in Thaksin family bank accounts, alleging he had accumulated unusual amounts of wealth during his premiership between 2001 and 2006.

Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Flash floods in Thailand by Tomasz Schafernaker

Rescue workers searched for survivors on Sunday, after a flash flood killed at least 35 holidaymakers bathing in waterfalls in the southern Thai province of Trang yesterday.

A torrent of water poured over the waterfalls on a southern Thai mountain, packed with picnickers and swimmers celebrating the country’s New Year.

The flash floods, triggered by heavy rains, swept over the two waterfalls in the Bantad Hill Range, south of Bangkok. Most of those who died were hit by rocks after they fell in the force of the water and dozens of people are still missing, according to officials.

The area was particularly crowded because of the five-day Songkran holiday weekend celebrating Buddhist New Year, when Thais traditionally head home or into the countryside for some of the hottest days of the year.

The floods were caused by three consecutive days of rain that raced down the steep Bantad mountain range. The Meteorological Department issued a warning for more possible flash floods in the area on Sunday, due to continuing rain.

What next for Thaksin Shinawatra?

Last Updated: Monday, 25 September 2006, 09:25 GMT 10:25 UK

For a man so unused to defeat, Thailand's ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra must be bewildered by how quickly he lost power.
On Tuesday, having flown to New York to deliver a speech to the UN, he instead received news that he had been overthrown in a military coup.
He initially phoned a Thai television station to declare a state of emergency, but was cut off by military censors after 10 minutes.
His speech to the General Assembly, scheduled for Wednesday, was brought forward to Tuesday evening before being cancelled altogether.
While in the US, with telephone links affected, Mr Thaksin was reported to have been able to do little but watch events unfold on a TV set in his room at the plush Grand Hyatt hotel.
UK ties
The billionaire businessman-turned-politician flew into London on Wednesday, arriving at Gatwick Airport on a Thai Airways flight.
He emerged from an apartment block in central London on Thursday morning to dozens of reporters and photographers but said only that he was going to buy groceries.
It would be difficult to Thaksin to come back quickly, but there's always a possibility he'll return one day
Dr Pasuk PongpaijitrThai political economist
Shortly before, a statement from his office said Mr Thaksin "as of now will take a deserved rest".
It went on to say that he planned "to work on research, on development and possible charitable work for Thailand".
No decision has yet been made about his charitable work, according to his chief policy adviser Pansak Vinyaratn, but it will be "something like development of the economy".
"You have to think what is the most effective charitable work," Mr Pansak was quoted by the International Herald Tribune as saying. "Something like development of the economy. Not rocket science."
Mr Thaksin has a property in London, and a daughter studying in the British capital, but it is thought he may only remain in the city for a few more days.
"We won't just stay in London. We will probably go to Europe to have a rest," Mr Pansak said.
Mr Thaksin's wife reportedly flew to London on 25 September. It is not known where his son and other daughter are.
Family wealth
Thailand's coup leader, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, has said Mr Thaksin may return to the country but warned that he could face criminal charges.
He refused to be drawn on whether the military would seize Mr Thaksin's considerable assets in Thailand, saying only: "Everything will comply with the law. Anybody who has committed a wrongdoing must be held responsible."
The sale of Mr Thaksin's stake in the telecoms firm he founded, Shin Corp, to Singapore investors at the beginning of the year led to the current political crisis.
Many Thais were enraged that the family had sold off a national asset, and had not paid tax on the $1.9bn deal.
But while support for him has dropped in Thailand's urban areas, Mr Thaksin retains support in the countryside.
Thai political economist Dr Pasuk Pongpaijitr says it may be difficult for the ousted leader to return in the short term, "but there's always a possibility he'll return one day".
"Having a lot of money means he definitely has options," she adds.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Thaksin, who has played such a big part in both the political and business life of Thailand, will settle for a life in exile.

Thai bombs raise political stakes

By Kate McGeown BBC News, Bangkok

When tanks rolled onto the streets of Bangkok in September, launching a military coup, crowds of well-wishers came to greet them.
Coup leader General Sonthi Boonyaratglin said the armed forces would restore stability, and the Thai people - after months of political tension - appeared willing to forego democracy to let the situation calm down.
But four months on, the outlook seems much less rosy for the military rulers and their government.
Markets are jittery, violence in the mainly Muslim south continues unabated, and a series of deadly explosions across the capital on New Year's Eve has raised new questions about the new administation's grip on power.
Many Thais have been left feeling that their country is less stable than before the military intervened.
"The government is on very shaky ground right now," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Chulalongkorn University.

Successes and failures
Even when he took office in October, replacing the ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont must have known that a Herculean task lay ahead.
Security has now become the most important issue for the government
Pasuk Pongpaijitr
His government said it would restore democracy as soon as possible, tackle the escalating violence in the south, and fight the corruption that lay at the root of popular anger against the previous administration.
On the first of these, at least, it can point to some progress.
The government wants a new constitution drawn up before democracy can be restored, and a special drafting assembly is now in place, which should mean the constitution is ready in about six months' time.
Barring further major incidents like the New Year's Eve bombs, elections could still take place by the end of 2007 - a slightly longer time-frame than the 12 months the interim government originally stated, but not so long as to cause people to lose confidence in them, according to Pasuk Pongpaijitr, the author of several books on Thai politics.
Compared to the Thaksin government, General Surayud has been far more active in trying to tackle violence in the south, which is widely blamed on an Islamic insurgency. He has visited the region and offered to negotiate with the rebels, something his predecessor never did.
But these efforts do not seem to have made any difference on the ground, where the bombings and drive-by shootings continue almost daily.

Gen Surayud's record in office has been mixed
"Policy-wise, this government has done the right thing in the south, but implementing the policies they have come up with is another thing," said security analyst Panitan Wattanayagorn.
The government has also had several other failures - notably in its efforts to pin definite charges on Mr Thaksin and his close allies.
Having said one of the main reasons for the coup was to curtail top-level corruption and abuse of power, the new administration is under pressure to find definite evidence to back these claims.
"It's obviously very damaging that they haven't found anything," said Prof Thitinan.
Another error came in mid-December, when the central bank announced plans to limit the amount of money that could be withdrawn by investors, causing a 15% plunge in the stock market.
The plan was partially rescinded, which lessened the blow, but as Dr Panitan says: "The damage had already been done, not only to the economy but also to the reputation of the government."
This damaged reputation is easy to see from recent opinion polls, which show shrinking support for Mr Surayud's government.
The Thai media is also becoming more critical, having at first spoken about the new administration in glowing terms. The press recently claimed that Mr Surayud's private estate encroached on national parkland, and lambasted Gen Sonthi, a Muslim, for having two wives.

'Out of control'
But all these problems pale into insignificance when compared with the bomb attacks on New Year's Eve, which left three people dead.
Part of the reason this is so serious is that it comes at a time of great transition
Thitinan Pongsudhirak, Chulalongkorn University
"Security has now become the most important issue for the government," said Dr Pasuk.
Not only must the military try to prevent further attacks, it must also address the fact that a group exists which wants to destabilize the country, and is willing and able to kill to achieve that aim.
Despite pinning the blame on politicians who have lost power - which obviously points to members of Mr Thaksin's regime - the authorities have little evidence to back up these claims and Thailand is full of speculation as to who the culprits might be.
"The situation could well spiral out of control," warned Prof Thitinan, saying that one of the main worries he has is the timing of this crisis.
"Part of the reason this is so serious is that it comes at a time of great transition," said Prof Thitinan.
Thailand's beloved King Bhumibol Adulyadej has been on the throne for 60 years, surviving 17 coups and countless political dramas.
He is now 79 years old, and any decline in his health would leave his people without the one constant they have always taken for granted through all the past upheavals.
The Thai press is awash with rumours about people in the high echelons of both military and civilian society jockeying for power, and according to Prof Thitinan, "competing forces are currently positioning themselves for the future."
The stakes were high when the military decided to overthrow Mr Thaksin.
But now it seems the stakes for this interim administration have just got even higher.

Country profile: Thailand

Thailand is a country of mountains, tropical rainforests and flat plains. Religion, the monarchy and the military have helped to shape its society and politics.
For many years agriculture was the main employer. But from the 1980s a thriving, rapidly-growing economy attracted large numbers of Thais to the expanding industrial and services sectors.

OVERVIEW

The bubble burst in 1997 with the south-east Asian financial crisis. Stock and property prices plummeted, dragging down the currency and leading to bankruptcies, recession and unemployment.
The government of the time - under Chuan Leekpai - worked with the IMF to reform the battered economy.
But the 1997 experience caused many Thais to regard international finance with deep distrust. Mr Chuan lost the 2001 elections to an opponent who promised to help people with their daily difficulties.

Cranes ply the skyline in the congested capital, BangkokBangkok expanded rapidly with the influx of workers during the boom years. It is one of Asia's most vibrant, and heavily-congested, cities.
The large-scale sex industry which flourishes in Bangkok contributed to the incidence of HIV infection - a major concern for the Thai government. Thailand has taken the lead in the region in distributing cheaper generic drugs for Aids sufferers and awareness campaigns are credited with reducing the number of new infections.
Thailand has a minority Muslim population, concentrated in its southern provinces. A decades-old separatist struggle in the region - which abated in the 1980s - flared again in 2004. The violence, mostly targeting members of Thailand's majority Buddhist population, has claimed more than 1,500 lives.

Though its recent governments have been civilian and democratically-elected, Thailand has seen turbulent times. The military governed, on and off, between 1947 and 1992 - a period characterised by coups, coup attempts and popular protests.
Thai cuisine is known throughout the world for its use of hot, sweet and sour spices. Sculptures of the Buddha in sitting or reclining positions are also characteristic of Thailand, as is classical dance.