HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Abhisit Vejjajiva elected new prime minister

Thailand’s new PM: highly educated, honest but can he calm political storms?

British ambassador opens Pattaya consulate

Naklua market spruced up

Karaoke bar fire sends all scrambling

Email and Thai massage help stranded tourists

Beach Road brightens for Christmas

Green-hearted cyclists ride on

Snatch and run golf thief arrested

Foreigners charged with online child abuse

Icelander held on ya ba charge

Youth held after joy ride in a stolen car

Dane wrestles with robber

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Abhisit Vejjajiva elected new prime minister

By Ambika Ahuja
Associated Press
Parliament named opposition party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva as Thailand’s new prime minister Monday as supporters of the former government attempted to block the building following the vote.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)
Abhisit, who heads the Democrat Party, beat a loyalist of exiled former Prime Mininster Thaksin Shinawatra, in a tense 235-198 vote in the lower house of Parliament on Monday.
The vote comes after months of demonstrations that culminated late November with a weeklong takeover of Bangkok’s two airports.
About 1,200 police were deployed outside Parliament for the session Monday but could not prevent the eruption of protests as hundreds of pro-Thaksin supporters attempted to block the Parliament building Monday. After a fiery speech, a protest leader called on demonstrators to block the gates of the building and not let the MPs out. Police locked the doors from inside the building.
Democrat leader Abhisit told reporters Sunday that it was his party’s “responsibility to offer another choice for the country when the former government has failed.” He said his party would focus on national harmony and economic issues.
Thailand’s economy has taken a battering due to the global slowdown, a local climate of uncertainty and the seven-day stoppage of international flights that battered the country’s essential tourism industry and stranded upward of 300,000 travelers. Some economists are predicting Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy will slip into recession next year.

Thailand’s new PM: highly educated, honest but can he calm political storms?

By Denis D Gray
Associated Press
Abhisit Vejjajiva, a patrician 44-year-old with an Oxford education, became Thailand’s prime minister on Monday amid hopes that he can calm the political storms that have battered the country for the past three years.
But untested at the pinnacle of power and said to lack decisiveness, he could face one of the roughest rides in modern Thai history.
Abhisit, who heads the former opposition Democrat Party, defeated a loyalist of exiled but still powerful ex-Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a parliamentary vote. The parliamentary contest came in the wake of mass protests by anti-Thaksin forces that included a weeklong siege of Bangkok’s airports.
Now, Abhisit must try to neutralize Thaksin’s supporters, who have vowed to take to the streets themselves, grapple with a dramatic economic downturn and keep intact the fragile coalition of small parties that brought him to power.
“Abhisit is untested and that is both good and bad. He has a clean record. He is well-educated, eloquent and principled so the public will likely give him a chance,” says Panithan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.
But Panithan said Abhisit has yet to outline a bold solution to Thailand’s manifold problems.
“That is his weakness and that lack of decisiveness and clear political stance could turn against him very quickly,” he said. “It’s going to be among Thailand’s roughest premierships.”
Abhisit, who entered politics at the age of 27, lost his chance for the job in 2007, when the Democrats failed to win over the rural masses in general elections.
From a wealthy family of Thai-Chinese origin, Abhisit was born in England and educated at Eton and Oxford, where he earned an honors degree in philosophy, politics and economics. His first name means “privilege” in Thai and his friends call him by his foreign nickname, Mark.
He joined the country’s oldest party, the Democrats, in 1992 and became one of the youngest ever members of Parliament. He rose in the party ranks and in popularity, especially among the educated in Bangkok who took to his clean record, polite demeanor, articulate if somewhat bland speeches and movie-star looks.
Abhisit assumed the party’s leadership in 2005 and a year later the Democrats boycotted elections called by Thaksin, accusing the prime minister of calling the vote to divert public attention from scandals and corruption allegations against him.
Thaksin’s party won, but he was toppled in a military coup later that year. However, his allies remained strong and their new People Power Party defeated Abhisit’s Democrats in December 2007 elections.
During the ensuing political turmoil, the Democrat Party voiced support for the main anti-government movement, the People’s Alliance for Democracy, but held back from joining the sometimes-violent street demonstrations.
In recent years, the party has maintained its strongholds in Bangkok and southern Thailand but made little inroads into the populous, poor northeast, where elections are normally won or lost, often through massive vote-buying.
Many Thais, especially in the countryside, favor earthy, charismatic politicians. Abhisit, who counts “Myth of Sisyphus” by French existential novelist Albert Camus among his favorite books, lacks such grit.
Thaksin, by contrast, used to travel through the countryside, speaking the farmers’ language and listening to their hardships.
“It’s very difficult to imagine Abhisit in that same kind of performance with the same kind of results. He’s a rather cool character. Thaksin is hot and open,” said Chris Baker, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. “Of course he (Abhisit) can change. Power changes people enormously.”
The rural-urban divide, which in large measure led to the current crisis, was clearly evident in reactions to Abhisit’s victory.
“This is very bad for poor people. Abhisit was born with silver spoons and forks in his mouth. He knows nothing but wealth and privilege. How could he solve our problems?” said Chaiya Paitoonsiri, a taxi driver from the impoverished northeastern province of Maha Sarakam.
But a 26-year-old office worker in Bangkok, Nutta Tangtrakulchai, said, “It’s nice to have someone smart for a change. He is also an economist so he should be savvy about solving the country’s most important problem.”
Associated Press writers Ambika Ahuja and Mike Casey contributed to this report.

British ambassador opens Pattaya consulate

His Excellency Quinton Quayle, the British ambassador to Thailand and Laos, officially opened the British consulate here on December 15. It is located in Jomtien Soi 5, just a few doors from the immigration police bureau.

His Excellency Quinton Quayle (right), the British ambassador to Thailand and Laos, and Police Colonel Arnonnun Kamollut (left), superintendent of Pattaya Immigration cut the ribbon to officially open the British consulate in Pattaya.

In his speech the ambassador said that he personally had taken a keen interest in opening an office in the resort because the foreign office statistics showed that there was an urgent need for the expansion.
Guests of honour were Police Colonel Somnuk Changate, superintendent of Banglamung police station, and Police Colonel Arnonnun Kamollut, superintendent of Pattaya Immigration.
Also in attendance were elected members of Pattaya city council who deputised for Mayor Ittiphol Khunplome.
During the opening ceremonies, Ambassador Quayle announced a new leaflet has been written and issued by the British Embassy entitled, “Support for British nationals in Thailand”, providing details of the consular services offered by the British Embassy in Bangkok and advice on how to enjoy a safe and trouble free holiday in Thailand. Key issues include travel insurance and hospitalisation, lost passports, abuse of drugs and alcohol, crime, health and accidents.
The Pattaya consulate is staffed by Barry Kenyon, the honorary consul, and Sasamon Khempookeaw, the consular assistant. The opening hours of the consulate are weekdays 9 a.m. - 11.30 a.m. and the main functions of the office are notarial services, letters of guarantee and general guidance about the service in general. Appointments are not necessary.

His Excellency Quinton Quayle, Barry Kenyon and Sasamon Khempookeaw receive greetings and good wishes from Premprecha and Supanee Dibbayawan of Jural Law (above) and Pratheep and Tony Malhotra of the Pattaya Mail Media Group (below).

Naklua market spruced up

As many as 500 people take part in the Naklua market cleanup.

Pramote Channgam
The new Naklua market received a good clean-up on the occasion of HM the King’s birthday.
On December 3, Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay started the clean-up project that included 500 Pattaya city staffers, vendors in the market, Soi Post Office community members, Banglamung Hospital staff, and teachers and students from Pattaya School #3.
It was a good opportunity to pay respect to HM the King for his 81st birthday and to keep the area clean and hygienic.
Verawat said that the cleaning of the new market was beneficial to Naklua residents as well as shoppers.

Karaoke bar fire sends all scrambling

Boonlua Chatree
Foreign and Thai residents of a four-storied apartment building on Pattaya 2nd Road had to scramble for their lives when an empty Japanese karaoke on the lower floors burst into flames. No one was hurt.

A lone fireman stands at the door, resting whilst feeding in fire hose to his comrades inside.

At 4 pm on December 14, Pol. Lt-Col. Sanae Yodroongrueang was alerted about the fire at JJ karaoke in front of Royal Palace Hotel. The fire brigade, Pattaya rescue team, medics from Banglamung Hospital and Pattaya Memorial Hospital all rushed to the scene.
Fire engines took only 20 minutes to put out the fire. Investigation showed that fire started from an electricity control box and soon engulfed the floors in flames, luckily injuring no one.
Ashiko Shushiya, 32, Japanese caretaker of the shop, said that there were four karaoke rooms on the first floor, including electricity appliances such as four 40-inch televisions, four karaoke sound systems and other appliances. Damages to these are estimated at over 400,000 baht.
Sayan Dejkla, 23, an employee of the shop, said that the bar was run by a Japanese owner but the karaoke rooms were not yet opened for service.
He himself was asleep in rooms above with four friends when they were woken by “a very loud explosion” coming from downstairs.
He saw that the bar counter has burned and fire was rapidly spreading to the entire shop so he quickly ran off to raise the alarm.

Email and Thai massage help stranded tourists

Stranded tourists flock to the free internet service provided by PTT Public Company Limited at Utapao Airport during the recent crisis.

Patcharapol Panrak
The PTT Public Company Limited provided more than 30 computers with staff for tourists recently stranded at Utapao International Airport to freely contact their relatives and families on the Internet.
And to relieve the stress of their disrupted travel plans, the company also laid on traditional Thai massage during the wait for flights. Nong Nooch Tropical Garden also provided a free relax zone to relive stress as well.
Prapat Buata, manager of the Information Section at PTT, said on December 6 that company managing director Prasert Bunsamphan saw immediately the need for extra facilities for tourists to contact their homes via email as the airport had insufficient telephones.
So PTT mobilized their communication service team who also took along Thai traditional masseuses.
“The foreign tourists flocked to use the computers day and night to contact their relatives to inform them that they were safe and were being taken care of well in Thailand,” Prapat said.
“They mentioned things like free food, beverages and Thai traditional massages and praised our people for having very good spirit and for being a great help to foreigners who were inconvenienced.
“Thailand went through the airport crisis well and helped tourists because Thai people never had low morale or lacked a smile in this Land of Smiles,” he said.

Beach Road brightens for Christmas

Over a million Christmas lights illuminate Beach Road in front of the Royal Garden Plaza.

Vimolrat Singnikorn
The Royal Garden Plaza Pattaya seems determined to blaze away worries over the economic gloom, falling tourism and global warming by hanging out more than a million lights for the Christmas festival.
On December 8 the shopping center switched on its Christmas lights early with the help of Mayor Itthipol Khunplome.
Guests at the bright night included Niti Kongkrut, director of Tourism Authority of Thailand Region 3 (Pattaya), Deputy Mayor Verawat Khakhay, and Chanyuth Hengtrakul, former Chonburi Member of Parliament.
The guests were warmly welcomed by Satawat Laklaem, general manager of Royal Garden Plaza, and hotel staff.
“The lights are put up every year to make the city come alive despite the economic crisis. Half a million lights are put on the big Christmas tree alone and over a million lights are used the decorate the entire building,” Satawat said.
This puts away the darkness of the beach at night and the Plaza had arranged a Santa sleigh put in front for tourists to take pictures while celebrating the festival, he said.

Green-hearted cyclists ride on