Kuthep said the authorities should investigate the election boycott by the two parties to determine whether they were guilty of electoral offences.

They should not be given funds normally allocated to support political parties, he said.

"We have evidence the two parties supported the mob that gathered to block candidates from small parties as they tried to register their candidacies ... and former Democrat MPs also joined the [anti-Thaksin] rallies," he said.  - The Nation.

Deadly quarrel: Woman falls to her death

A woman was suspected of jumping to her death from the eighth floor of an apartment in the Suan Luang district of Bangkok yesterday after having quarrelled with her boyfriend.

Police found the body of Siriwan Prachaibun, 26, a barmaid, on the ground near the entrance of River Pattanakarn House in Pattanakarn soi 40. Found beside her were a beer can and broken beer bottle.

Siriwan lived in the building with her boyfriend, Polasak Umaree, 41.

Police quoted one of her friends who lived next door as saying Siriwan and Polasak had a noisy quarrel late last night. Her friend then went to check her room and found Polasak standing outside. Polasak said Siriwan had locked herself inside and threatened to commit suicide. They tried to calm Siriwan down but failed to convince her to open the door, police said.

Her friend said she had series of quarrels with Polasak as he was a married man and did not have enough time for her. - The Nation.

South: Bt97m needed for teachers

A budget of Bt97 million will be needed to hire 1,660 temporary teachers in the three southernmost provinces after the end of the coming school semester in September, caretaker Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang said yesterday.

The money is required by the Office of Basic Education Commission (OBEC) because the customary budget for teachers had been cut by the Bureau of the Budget.

The planned recruitment of more temporary teachers needed for the coming semester had also been halted by the OBEC.

Chaturon was responding to an earlier meeting of 500 teachers working in seven districts in Narathiwat who called for permanent employment - or at least a regular budget allotment to hire them.

The 1,660 temporary teachers were hired last year to fill vacancies left by regular government teachers who transferred to other areas out of security fears following the violent insurgent attacks in the three provinces of Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani. - The Nation.