ไทย is for `Thailand' * Published: 25/03/2010 at 03:52 AM * Online news: Local News

NEW YORK – Thailand is among four countries and two territories which have won preliminary approval to have Internet addresses written entirely in their native scripts as early as July.

However, proposals for Internet addresses that would say "China" and "Taiwan" in Chinese will require a few more months of technical review. The delay is not over political disputes, but rather because the Chinese language can be written in two ways - using simplified and traditional scripts. Rules are being developed to make sure that addresses in either script go to the same Web sites.

Since their creation in the 1980s, Internet domain names such as those that end in ".com" have been limited to 37 characters: the 10 numerals, the hyphen and the 26 letters in the Latin alphabet used in English. Technical tricks have been used to allow portions of the Internet address to use other scripts, but until now, the suffix had to use those 37 characters.

With the addition of non-Latin suffixes, Internet users with little or no knowledge of English would no longer have to type Latin characters to access Web pages targeting Chinese, Arabic and other speakers.

In January, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) paved the way for an entire domain name to appear in Cyrillic for Russia and Arabic for Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Added to the list this week are suffixes in Chinese for Hong Kong; Sinhalese and Tamil for Sri Lanka; Thai for Thailand and Arabic for Qatar, Tunisia and the Palestinian territories.

Hong Kong, a territory of China, didn't have to go through a further review as China and Taiwan did because "Hong Kong" appears the same in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

House boycott fails badly Puea Thai MPs 'strike' over heavy security * Published: 25/03/2010 at 12:00 AM * Newspaper section: News

The opposition Puea Thai Party's attempt to derail a session of the House has ended in futility after coalition MPs managed to push through three key pieces of legislation.
ngered by the heavy deployment of troops and barricades, more than 100 Puea Thai MPs boycotted the session yesterday and some stood in front of a main security checkpoint blocking access to the building.

The blockade held up the meeting for a while before it was eventually convened. The Puea Thai MPs dispersed after learning House Speaker Chai Chidchob had begun the meeting.

Despite the boycott, it was the first time in weeks that a House session had a quorum.

In a smooth two-hour session with 245 MPs present, including two from the opposition, the House passed three draft bills - on forming a body governing telecommunications and radio and television broadcasting, on land appropriation for an expressway construction project and on the setting up of a national farmers' council.

"Three draft bills are fine," said Mr Chai, who raised three fingers and drew laughter from the chamber as he brought the session to a close.

The House is expected to convene again today amid tight security.

Hundreds of police and troops are being deployed with barbed wire fencing, concrete barriers and trucks placed around the compound.

The heightened security follows two grenade attacks at the Public Health Ministry on Tuesday where a cabinet meeting was held.

There is also concern that red shirt demonstrators camping out at Phan Fa Bridge might seize the compound and cause a repetition of the Oct 7, 2008, violent confrontation in which two people died and scores were injured.

Puea Thai MPs have filed a complaint against Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban and Mr Chai in connection with the heavy military presence.

In their complaint with the Crime Suppression Division, they said the layers of barricades had prevented them from entering the parliament compound and deprived them of their freedom to do their jobs properly.

They are expected to boycott today's meeting of the House as well.

A group of coalition MPs plan a counter move by seeking the impeachment of Puea Thai MPs who obstructed others from entering parliament.

The coalition MPs are also considering filing a complaint with police against the opposition MPs who blocked access to the parliament entrance.

Mr Abhisit yesterday denied accusations the government had violated the MPs' rights, saying the security measures were to ensure smooth and safe legislative work in parliament.

He said as long as the red shirt leaders continued to make threats against cabinet ministers, the government was required to consider and take the security measures it deemed appropriate.

"We will get things back to normal this week. The cabinet meetings and parliament meetings should proceed unhindered."

Mr Abhisit said he was concerned about Deputy House Speaker Apiwan Wiriyachai's address to the red shirts' rally. He said Mr Apiwan's remarks indicated a dissolution of the House was not the red shirts' ultimate goal.

Mr Apiwan called on the prime minister to hold talks with Privy Council president Prem Tinsulanonda to find a solution to the political impasse.

"There is an indication that it is not going to end [with a dissolution of the House]. Their demand goes from one to another. First they want to talk to the prime minister only. Now they want to involve the privy council president. What next?

"If we are to have talks, we have to be clear about what we are going to talk about," the prime minister said.

NGOs call for delay on Cambodia graft debate

Rights groups in Cambodia say an anti-corruption law that parliament will debate this week, won't stop graft the problem.A coalition representing about 245 local non-governmental organisations told a news conference the debate on the anti-graft law should be delayed for a month so the public could be consulted.The groups want the assets of state officials to be declared publicly and protection for people who report corruption The President of rights group Licadho, Pung Chhiv Kek, says if witnesses can't have protection, then no one is going to come forward and report problems.A Cambodian government spokesman, rejected the criticism saying the anti-corruption law will make the country an equitable society. The main opposition Sam Rainsy Party joined the civil society groups in asking for a delay to the parliamentary debate.

Shinawatras flee country before rally

Members of Thaksin Shinawatra's immediate family have left or are leaving the country ahead of this weekend's rally by supporters of the fugitive former prime minister.

Thaksin's former wife Potjaman na Pombejra and their son Panthongtae Shinawatra left for Hong Kong on Monday while their two daughters Ms Pinthongta and Ms Paethongtan fly out today for Berlin.
A source from the Puea Thai Party said yesterday the trips were organised in the expectation that there could be unrest at the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship protest at the weekend. There were also concerns they might be taken hostage if the situation turned violent.
The UDD is hoping to attract one million red shirts to the demonstration but security authorities say they may be over-estimating.
Army chief Anupong Paojinda is confident the Internal Security Act, which was endorsed by the government yesterday and transfers the role of maintaining law and order from the police to the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), will be adequate to deal with the rally without recourse to emergency rule.
Gen Anupong said there was no need at this stage to fall back on the Executive Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations, which gives officers more sweeping powers to deal with protesters.
The internal security law will cover all areas of Bangkok, all districts of Nonthaburi and 21 other districts in Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon from tomorrow until March 23.
Isoc, chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, will meet today to find ways to coordinate efforts to handle the rally.
The prime minister said the government would not use force to quell the demonstration. But he ruled out dissolving parliament, saying this option would not put an end to the problem.
Mr Abhisit urged supporters of Thaksin to rethink their ideas now that Khunying Potjaman and her children would not be in the country during the rally. He said red shirt supporters should now realise that while they are fighting hard for the interests of the Shinawatra family, the Shinawatras were living in the lap of luxury. It was irresponsible to leave their supporters in the lurch.
In addition to the ISA, the cabinet has also decided to place 17 other laws under the authority of Isoc instead of the usual agencies. They include laws on disaster prevention, medical emergencies, road traffic, water transport and radio operations.
Puea Thai MP for Samut Prakan Pracha Prasopdee said the government plan to impose the ISA would not discourage pro-Thaksin supporters upcountry who have vowed to go ahead with their demonstration in the capital.
At least 100,000 people will travel to Bangkok from the Northeast, according to UDD co-leader Nisit Sinthuprai, a former MP for Roi Et.
The People's Alliance for Democracy stressed yesterday that its members would not counter the UDD rally. But the PAD would stay alert and wait for orders from its leaders for future moves, it said in a statement.
Deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau Piya Uthayo said at least 8,000 city police, including 41 crowd control units, would be on standby to support security operations.
Ayutthaya police chief Jaruwat Waisaya said he had received reports that the UDD planned to use at least 120 boats to carry red shirt supporters from Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, and Nonthaburi provinces along the Chao Phraya River to Bangkok. They would disembark at the Tha Phra Chan pier, Pol Maj Gen Jaruwat said.
He said boat skippers could face legal action if the boats carried too many passengers.