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[All of them were killed in front of the village headman's house in Yaha district.

At least three gunmen were involved in the shooting and they sprayed dozens of bullets with M-16 and AK47 assault rifles on the three villagers, police said.]

www.bangkokpost.com/...gunmen-kill-3-in-yala - Preview

insurgency

"A car bomb exploded Friday outside a crowded restaurant in Yala, killing one border policeman and wounding 12 others"

nationmultimedia.com/...ls-one-and-injures-many-others - Preview

insurgency

"An army spokesman says 10 people have been killed and at least 25 wounded in two days of attacks in insurgency-plagued southern Thailand."

www.independent.co.uk/...southern-thailand-1781028.html - Preview

insurgency

[Constitution Court judge Jarun Pukditanakul has opposed an Interior Ministry plan to allow cockfighting to be held twice a week instead of every Sunday.

The plan had been greeted with enthusiasm by owners of cockfighting arenas in the provinces.

Interior Minister Chavarat Charnvirakul signed a new ministerial regulation on cockfighting and fish fighting on Aug6. The regulation was published in the Royal Gazette on Aug 31.
...
But Mr Jarun yesterday said government leaders were duty-bound to encourage people to pursue decent careers and activities and should be trying their best to curb vice and unsavoury activities.]

BP: Perhaps, Mr Jarun should run for office.

www.bangkokpost.com/...fighting-plan-ruffles-feathers - Preview

judiciary

[Thailand’s benchmark SET Index has gained 45 percent this year, set for its best annual performance since 2003 after a 48 percent slump last year.]

www.bloomberg.com/...news - Preview

economy

[The amount of bad debt at Thai commercial banks will swell to 10 percent of total lending by the end of this year, from 7-8 percent in the first half, due to the weak economy, Fitch Ratings said on Monday.
...
Fitch projected Thailand's economy would contract 3.1 percent this year and grow 3.0 percent in 2010, boosted by a recovery in exports.]

BP: Should also note that bank stocks are up significantly this year though based on expectations of the stimulus.

www.reuters.com/...idUSBKK32044520090831 - Preview

economy

[Thailand's reputation as a Southeast Asian country with strong anti-smoking laws faces a direct challenge from the tobacco multinational companies that are due to gather in the Thai capital in November for a major industry congress and exhibition.
...The role of The Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, a government body that enjoys nearly 75% of the cigarette market share locally, is also being called into question. It is a major backer of the November trade fair. ]

BP: Thailand had very-strict anti-smoking laws.

www.atimes.com/...KH29Ae01.html - Preview

[A member of Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist militant group based in the southern Philippines, was recently arrested by Malaysian police while trying to enter southern Thailand, says Rohan Gunaratna, a regional terrorism expert at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. And Thai police have arrested Malaysian members of the Jemaah Islamiyah regional terrorism network, including one who attempted to kill a policeman, he says.

"Jemaah Islamiyah and the Abu Sayyaf group are very keen to assist" in southern Thailand, Mr. Gunaratna says.]

BP: This was more likely to provide training or to seek refuge than to control the violence. One needs to be careful on what one calls "links", but again you can't deny there are connections and relationships which exist.

online.wsj.com/...SB125140818212164809.html - Preview

insurgency

[Insurgents from the Pattani United Liberation Organisation and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Coordinate trained in bomb-making overseas have infiltrated the South in preparation for a major strike, an intelligence source says.
...
Insurgents from the Pattani United Liberation Organisation and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional Coordinate trained in bomb-making overseas have infiltrated the South in preparation for a major strike, an intelligence source says.]

BP: Not sure about the PULO part, but the overseas training is very likely true. Yes, bomb-making guides exist on the internet, but 50 kg bombs are much easier to learn from an expert.

www.bangkokpost.com/...bels-cross-in-for-major-strike - Preview

insurgency

[Continuing political confrontations and escalating violence in the southernmost provinces have dampened Thailand's investment climate and could jeopardise the government's attempts to revive the Thai economy, said the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce.
...
Continuing political confrontations and escalating violence in the southernmost provinces have dampened Thailand's investment climate and could jeopardise the government's attempts to revive the Thai economy, said the Australian-Thai Chamber of Commerce.]

BP: Interesting that the Deep South plays a role

www.bangkokpost.com/...stralian-sentiment-in-thailand - Preview

insurgency economy

[A source in a security agency, referring to the recording that was almost certainly faked, said: 'It is a classic 'third hand' action meant to spark violence.'

The recording has found its way onto the Internet. One website that posted it has been closed down by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, as the authorities tried to trace the tape's origin. ]

BP: also see the expert opinion on the tape.

www.straitstimes.com/...STIStory_422819.html - Preview

[Till last year, the rice fields near this village that sits in the midst of a rubber plantation had remained abandoned. It was neglect that is easily explained: a steady rise in the price of rubber had been more enticing to the villagers.]

BP: Story on female Muslims in the South and working.

www.ipsnews.net/news.asp - Preview

insurgency

[A filmmaking couple devised an intricate system of bribes to Thai officials in order to land lucrative projects such as the Bangkok International Film Festival, a federal prosecutor said Wednesday during opening statements of their trial.

Gerald and Patricia Green created shell companies and paid off the former governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Juthamas Siriwan, by transferring money into bank accounts of Juthamas' daughter and a friend so they would be awarded business contracts, said Jonathan Lopez, a senior trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice.]

BP: The trial begins. Interesting defence strategy of admitting payments, but saying they were for consulting.

www.google.com/...hcNvT9LeiWV3X2nZzWBYAD9AAT6V00 - Preview

[Kim Eng raised its year-end target for the SET to 750 from 700, George Huebsch, Kim Eng’s head of research, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. The measure yesterday climbed 1.3 percent to close at 653.20 and was little changed at 653.15 as of 12:10 p.m. in Bangkok.

“Thailand’s weathered the economic slowdown extremely well,” Huebsch said. “Earnings should improve further over the next several quarters with the economic recovery.” ]

BP: As article also notes, the SET has gone up significantly this year. If the SET continues to rise then for those in Thailand who have stocks will likely feel wealthy and start spending more (that is of course only paper wealth), but the effect will be to increase consumption.

www.bloomberg.com/...news - Preview

economy

[Fugitive suspect Jakrapob Penkair has lectured his red-shirt co-leaders for falling under an illusion that they could reinstall ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra in power via the pardon petition.

In his article "Thaksin returning home?" published on Tuesday by Naew Ruam Red weekly magazine, Jakrapob reminded the co-leaders for misleading the red shirts to harbour a false hope.]

BP: Wasn't the point of the petition to show popular Thaksin was?

www.nationmultimedia.com/...politics_30110601.php - Preview

UDD

[Gross domestic product fell 4.9 percent in the second quarter from a year earlier, after contracting 7.1 percent in the previous three months, the government said today. The median estimate of 12 economists in a Bloomberg survey was for a 5.1 percent decline.

“Economic growth will be much stronger in the second half as all indicators have shown impressive improvement,” said Voravan Taraphum, managing director of BBL Asset Management Co., which oversees about 170 billion baht ($5 billion) of assets. “The export slump has eased as several manufacturers have boosted their production.” ]

www.bloomberg.com/...news - Preview

economy

[Shares in Shin, valued at $2.1 billion on the Thai bourse, ended 0.9 percent higher at 23.00 baht after touching a 12-month high of 23.30 baht earlier. The overall Thai stock market was 1.3 percent higher.

The current value of Shin shares is under half the price Temasek paid, 49.25 baht, in January 2006.[

www.reuters.com/...idUSBKK50684220090824 - Preview

[Insurgents detonated a bomb hidden in a car park near a restaurant here, injuring 26 people who were having lunch, police said.

The attack occurred at the Suan Kluay Restaurant on Thammawithi Road in Narathiwat's city centre at 1:30 pm.

Police believed the bomb hidden in a pick-up truck, which was parked outside the restaurant, weighed about 50 kilogrammes.]

nationmultimedia.com/...-in-Narathiwat-car-bomb-attack - Preview

insurgency

["It can be a source of concern ahead," said Euben Paracuelles, an economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland. "Our clients are starting to ask again about politics."

So far this year, the market toll from political unrest is minimal. The baht has gained 2.32 percent against the dollar, the second-best performer among Asian currencies after Indonesia's rupiah. The benchmark stock index is up 42.3 percent, turning around from a 47.6 percent fall last year.

Foreign investors, net sellers of Thai stocks in January and February, turned net buyers between March and July.

And in what some see as a vote of foreign confidence, Thailand received net foreign direct investment of $25.2 billion in three years to 2008, lower only than Singapore's $35.3 billion and far more than Indonesia's $6.5 billion and the Philippines' $3.5 billion, according to data compiled by HSBC.]

BP: Long, interesting article showing some mixed signals about the economy.

in.reuters.com/...idINIndia-41914620090823 - Preview

economy

[Insurgents detonated a bomb to ambush a team of assistant district chief of Yaha district and defence volunteers Saturday afternoon, killing three of them and injuring four others.]

BP: This is the second big attack today. There was another one in Narathiwat (should also be in the same post)

www.nationmultimedia.com/...-injured-in-bombing-ambush-in- - Preview

insurgency