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Who's really in charge here?

Quiet PM seen as taking orders from Thaksin, overshadowed by Chalerm, while reds wait in the wings
A Thai newspaper article has described Thailand as a "Land of Three Prime Ministers", referring to Yingluck Shinawatra, her brother-in-exile Thaksin and Chalerm Yoobamrung. The trio form a unique political bunch - a woman who is never really in control, a man who has long been uncontrollable, and another man who's threatening to get out of control
http://www.nation...65038.html


Flood woes spread to Pattaya; evacuations in Krabi, the south

Resort 'waistdeep' in water after two days of heavy rain; death toll hits 80
Heavy flooding spread to new areas of the country amid heavy rain over the weekend, with the seaside town of Pattaya in the East the latest hit, and largescale evacuations were ordered in Krabi and neighbouring provinces in the South.

Waisthigh flooding in many areas of North and South Pattaya in Chon Buri province followed two days and two nights of heavy rain, while Central Pattaya was inundated. Relief operations and water drainage were underway, but no casualties were reported.

Five of Chanthaburi's 10 districts were flooded, with an estimated 5,000 residents affected, while warnings of possible landslides in hilly areas were maintained.
http://www.nation...65006.html


Yingluck's drive to 'reduce drugs scourge by 80%'

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday launched a comprehensive campaign against the drug scourge called the Force of the Land, aiming to reduce the problem by 80 per cent within a year by getting state agencies to work together systematically.
Yingluck said statistics showed that the country had 490,000 illegal drug users in 2007 and their population had tripled within four years. Drug abuse has spread to 60,000 of the country's 80,000 villages.

The sustained anti-narcotics drive also aims to treat or rehabilitate over 400,000 drug abusers.

The Yingluck government would adopt the six-point anti-drug agenda of her brother Thaksin's administration:

ท Zoning the country to get officials to focus on their responsible areas.

ท Assigning officials to have joint responsibility.

ท Centralising information about traders and drug-risk groups at the district and provincial level to the country level.

ท Identifying 300,000 drug abusers who can be rehabilitated.
http://www.nation...65007.html