THE WEEK IN REVIEW
Deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Monday filed a defamation suit against People's Alliance for Democracy member Somkiat Pongpaiboon, demanding 100 million baht in damages plus 7.5% interest per year.
The Civil Court lawsuit accuses Mr Somkiat, a Democrat party MP, of slandering Mr Thaksin in speeches he made at PAD street protests.
Mr Thaksin said Mr Somkiat tarnished his and his family's reputation when accusing him of attempting to bring down the constitutional monarchy and tampering with the justice system to absolve himself of allegations of malfeasance.
The lawsuit also names ASTV Co and Thaiday.com.
Mr Thaksin also sought an injunction prohibiting Mr Somkiat from making false accusations and the two firms from broadcasting Mr Somkiat's comments.
The court ordered the defendants to counter the plaintiff's argument and accepted the defamation lawsuit for a hearing on Oct 27.
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'Sex bribe' professor fired in Ubon
A university professor has been dismissed for sexual misconduct in a high-profile case which has also resulted in police charges for the accused. Asst Prof Chakkarit Uttho was fired under an Ubon Rajathanee University order released on Tuesday.
Vice-rector Supachai Hathongkhum said a disciplinary investigation found that Mr Chakkarit, of the liberal arts faculty, sexually abused a 21-year-old female undergraduate, offering her good examination results if she allowed him to touch her.
In early July, the third-year student at the faculty of business administration, whose name was withheld, sought help from police, saying the 41-year-old lecturer had made an indecent approach.
Police suggested she pretend to accept the offer and use a video camera to record his behaviour at their next meeting.
When the lecturer called her again, she agreed to meet him at his office.
Video footage of the meeting showed Mr Chakkarit hugging the student and trying to sexually molest her.
He has been charged with sexual abuse.
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Phuket development shifts to private islands
Phuket's property development boom is expanding to four small nearby islands with total project investments of around 20 billion baht, says Risinee Sarikaputra, head of research at property consultant Colliers International Thailand.
"World celebrities, Hollywood stars and people in the ultra high-end segment love privacy and prefer buying a resort on a private island where no one can interfere with them.
That's why many property developers move to small islands," said Risinee.
She said the largest investment on Phuket's neighbouring islands is from the huge Indian conglomerate Tata Group's Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces on Koh Lone, located on southeastern Phuket near Chalong Bay, worth about 10 billion baht.
The second largest is an investment of Prime Minister Samak's nephew Dilokpol Sundaravej and a Canadian partner, who are developing Jumeirah Private Island Phuket, which is worth around six billion baht, on Koh Raet northeast of Phuket.
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New border talks on Monday
Cambodia has withdrawn its request for the United Nations Security Council to intervene in the border row with Thailand over the contested area near the Preah Vihear temple.
Phnom Penh's decision was announced after talks between Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and Cambodian Premier Hun Sen on Thursday.
The leaders agreed their foreign ministers should meet on Monday in Siem Reap in a new attempt to defuse the antagonism on the border between Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket and the Cambodian province of Preah Vihear, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungvat said.
The countries failed to reach any settlement at a top-level General Border Committee meeting in Sa Kaeo's Aranyaprathet district last Monday.
Both countries insist on sovereignty over the 4.6-square-kilometre area of the overlapping zone.
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PAD guard killed as 700 opponents storm rally
A People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) supporter was killed and 17 others injured Thursday when a large mob armed with knives and clubs attacked a PAD rally. The clash occurred at Nong Prachak Silapakhom public park in the municipal area, where around 150 PAD supporters were gathering.
About 700 anti-PAD demonstrators armed with machetes, axes, iron bars and wooden sticks stormed the rally site in the afternoon, attacking the PAD supporters and pulling down the stage.
The anti-PAD group was led by Uthai Saenkaew, brother of Deputy Agriculture Minister Theerachai Saenkaew, and Kwanchai Praipana. Mr Uthai allegedly urged his men to kill the PAD guards.
The attackers, in a group calling themselves Khon Rak Udon (We Love Udon), gathered at Thung Sri Muang before marching to Nong Prachak Silapakhom.
Following the attack on the PAD, they paraded around the town and walked back to Thung Sri Muang to celebrate.
The injured were sent to Udon Thani Hospital.
The man who died was a PAD security guard.
He had suffered an axe blow to the head, according to Veera Somkwamkid, a PAD coordinator.
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Castration no longer offered
Health authorities will take legal action against clinics providing commercial castration services after the Council of State ruled the surgery was unlawful and could cause health risks. Deputy director-general of the Health Service Support Department Wisist Tangnapakorn said Thursday the agency was investigating whether it could prosecute Thep Vejvisit, owner of Pratunam Kanpaet clinic, which offered castration surgery.
Chairman of the Medical Council of Thailand Somsak Lohlekha said the council will discuss if Dr Thep had violated medical ethics.
The Council of State on Wednesday ruled that testicle-removal surgery was illegal and immoral unless it was to treat a diagnosed medical problem.
Natee Teerarojjanapongs, the leader of the Gay Political Group of Thailand, expressed concern over a possible increase in illegal castrations, as many transvestites consider the operation to be of greater importance than any health complications as a result of it.
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INTERNATIONAL
Malaysia's Anwar vows to topple govt
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim on Monday vowed to topple the prime minister despite what he called attempts to "demonise and intimidate" him.
Anwar said allegations of sodomy levelled by a 23-year-old male aide showed he posed a threat to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front coalition, which has ruled Malaysia for more than 50 years.
"We are on track to take over the government.
We want to pursue this agenda for reform," Anwar told reporters.
"Clearly, I am a political threat."
Anwar spent a night in police cells after he was arrested on sodomy allegations he says the government fabricated to prevent him from seizing power.
Anwar's Keadilan party aims to establish a new coalition government by the end of the year, its information chief told AFP.
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Karadzic's capture signals big shift for Serbia
Just a few months ago, thugs outraged at Kosovo's independence set part of the US Embassy in Belgrade on fire, and ultranationalists prepared to seize power.
But last week's capture of genocide suspect Radovan Karadzic revealed an extraordinary turnaround for Serbia, and the prospect of yet another former communist country embedding itself in the West.
On the gritty streets of Belgrade, there was a palpable sense Wednesday that nationalism may finally be losing its iron grip on hearts and minds.
"It's a positive step. I think Serbia is going to move forward," said Sreten Tasic, a resident of the capital.
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Indian govt survives no-confidence vote
Amid uproarious scenes, India's government avoided collapse Tuesday when it won a perilously close vote of confidence in parliament. The win means India can now focus on pushing through a much-vaunted, long-delayed nuclear deal with the United States.
Had the government lost the vote, the world's biggest democracy would have faced early elections and the Indo-US nuclear deal would almost certainly have been canned.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Congress party-led coalition, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 275 votes in its favor and 256 against in the confidence motion, the parliamentary speaker Somnath Chatterjee announced late Tuesday. The vote followed a two-day parliamentary debate.
The vote of confidence, India's first in a decade, was prompted when the government's communist allies withdrew their support over the civilian nuclear deal, arguing that the pact made India a pawn of Washington. Their withdrawal left the government without a clear majority.
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Rice urges Asean to step up pressure on Burma
US States Secretary Condoleezza Rice on Thursday urged Asean to press Burma's junta towards political reform and a release of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
"The group deserves credit for facilitating international pledges to help Burma after Cyclone Nargis, but should use the momentum for the benefit of political change in the military-ruled country," said Ms Rice.
"Now the question is, given the slight opening that has been provided, is there a way to move Burma to a political track, as the roadmap goes nowhere?"
Ms Rice then asked: "Would it be possible for regional states and neighbours to press the regime to release Aung San Suu Kyi ...."
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Brad Pitt threatens legal action over photos
Lawyers for Brad Pitt threatened legal action on Thursday against news outlets if photos taken of the actor and his family at their French estate are published.
The images, Mr Pitt's lawyer contends, were "surreptitiously" taken by paparazzi with "highly powerful telephoto lenses," and, if published, would violate the star's privacy rights.
The photos show "Pitt and his family as they engaged in familial activities on private property," according to attorney Yael Holtkamp.
Mr Pitt, along with partner Angelina Jolie, is reportedly negotiating a multimillion-dollar deal for the first pictures of the couple's twins, born July 12 in France.
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EU tries to limit cruelty of seal hunts
The European Commission adopted proposals on Wednesday to ban the import of pelts from seals that have endured excessive suffering while being killed, risking possible trade conflicts with hunting nations. The EU's executive body said products from the 900,000 seals hunted each year should be accepted in the EU only with guarantees that the seal has been killed as humanely as possible. European environmentalists have demanded action after finding what they say is evidence that seals are often skinned while still conscious.
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