News and Views - June 2007 (Photo: Monkey for 2Bangkok.com) Chiang Mai Mayor election campaign - June 20, 2007 Monkey reports: The Chiang Mai mayor election campaign is heating up. The election is scheduled for June 24, 2007. Candidates are Bunlert Buranupakorn, former Chiang Mai Mayor, and Dr. Duantemduang Na Chiangmai. Election campaign posters at Chiang Mai canal, Ta Pae Gate, Suan Dok Gate and many more places have gained much interest from the locals. (Photo: Monkey for 2Bangkok.com) (Photo: Monkey for 2Bangkok.com) Latvia to Fight 'Baltic Bangkok' Image - World Hum, June 26, 2007 Cheap flights and men on “stag nights” have threatened to turn Riga, Latvia into a destination most noted for pubs, clubs, strip bars and a growing sex industry—a “Baltic Bangkok,” if you will... Oman's Arabian Oryx Sanctuary: first site ever to be deleted from UNESCO's World Heritage List - UNSECO, June 28, 2007 ...The World Heritage Committee deleted the property because of Oman's decision to reduce the size of the protected area by 90%, in contravention of the Operational Guidelines of the Convention. This was seen by the Committee as destroying the outstanding universal value of the site which was inscribed in 1994... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Signs - June 30, 2007 The top sign reads: Strict discipline of traffic to reduce accidents - [If you] do not wear a helmet [you] will be arrested and fined - Metropolitan Police Bureau - General Information Bureau, Royal Thai Police Everest Base Camp in Tibet: The Himalayan Bangkok? - World Hum, June, 2007 ...“Prostitutes and pimps openly propositioned Western mountaineers, and Tibetan pony carts, like colorful, miniature stagecoaches, offered rides to the monastery at nearby Rongbuk. Doctors told me that in addition to the traditional frostbite and altitude sickness, they now treat plenty of venereal diseases and wounds from base-camp brawls.” Outside magazine just called the base camp on the Nepal side of Everest “the Himalayan version of Burning Man.” This base camp sounds more like the Himalayan version of Bangkok. Thai stranded in Nigeria - June 30, 2007 A reader reports on the results of a phishing incident: [Name withheld] received an email supposedly from Hotmail asking her to go to a web page to update her account information. She followed the link in the email and the next thing she knew all of her contacts were receiving emails from her account saying that she was stuck in Nigeria and needed money to get home. I responded to the email that I received and was given details on how to transfer the money... Subject: Emergency Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 How are you today? I went to Nigeria yesterday for a program called (Empowering students to handle conflicts and promote peace in West Africa).And I have gotten my self stranded here because my wallet is missing and my ATM card and other valuable things like my I.D card is missing along with the wallet. I needed to pay for my hotel fee but do not have anything on me right now,please I want you to help and send about $3500 to help me pay some bills here and get my flight ticket back and I will return the money back as soon as I get to back to Thailand by Monday Morning. Please I need to hear from you soon so that I will send you the information you will be sending the money to me through MoneyGram.but the problem is that i have gone to the MoneyGram outlet here where i was told that i can't used my international passport to get the money pick up because is one of their rules here so i decided to used a good friend of mine here who is a professor of the university of Lagos here by the name Prof Mustafa Farooq so please you will be sending the money to he information to help me get the money picked up in MoneyGram here Please be rest assured that I will pay back as soon as i arrive New Thailand by Monday Morning,And please understand that your help is much needed right now because am very stranded now. Waiting to hear from you. Thanks for the effort regards, [Name withheld] Subject: Re: Emergency Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2007 Let me know how to help. Terry Subject: Emergency Date: Fri Jun 29 10:30:25 2007 Thanks for the care and concern, Please you can send the money through Prof Mustafa's information below Name: Mustafa Farooq Address: 25 King Ade Street Lagos,Nigeria,23401 Please used the text Question and Answer below Text Question: Who is the Receiver? Text Answer: Prof Mustafa Please it will be proper you scan and send me the MoneyGram Transfer Receipt used in sending the money as to take it along when going to pick up the money, Please note the hotel management is making me uncomfortable because i have not paid my hotel bills, Please make sure the money is been sent today and i promise to return as soon as return to Thailand. Waiting to hear from you. Take care, Thanks for the effort regards, [Name withheld] "Women need to cast off symbols of repression" "Some feminists need to lighten up a little" - June 21, 2007 Funny series of letters in The Nation... 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Sign in the south - June 26, 2007 It reads: We, the people of Thailand, love peace and love each other - Tambon Ta Madua Municipality - Municipality League Foundation of Thailand [Songkhla] Thailand, Ghana and the Military “Coup Trap” - The Globalist, December 5, 2005 [Interesting reading considering recent history...] Koh Chang postcard from 1905 - June 27, 2007 A thread on this is here. Population trends in the central plain of Thailand up to 1990 - Chao Phraya Delta Research, June, 2007 Backed into a corner, Thailand's action is justified - SciDev.net, June 25, 2007 Drug company Abbott Laboratories has backed Thailand into a corner over the pricing of an HIV/AIDS drug, argue Paul Cawthorne and colleagues in this Lancet Infectious Diseases editorial. Abbott, say the authors, ignored requests to make a newer version of the second-line drug lopinavir-ritonavir available and affordable in Thailand, despite the drug's advantages for tropical countries — no need for refrigeration, no food restrictions and a lower pill requirement... Menace of the dangling dolls - The Nation, June 25, 2007 ...No drivers have been arrested for hanging dolls so far, he said. Motorist Sanchakorn Trachu, 24, said the transport office's action was against an individual's rights and he did not believe doll-hanging caused accidents. "Hanging cute dolls reduces motorists' stress," he said, warning that if arrests were made over this, local youngsters might protest. Another Chiang Mai motorist, Natthanan Wongleukiart, 24, voiced a similar view and urged the authority to do something more productive, such as cracking down on cars playing loud music and drivers using mobile phones or dodging vehicle tax. Steve at Bangkwang: A Thai prison blog - June 26, 2007 Kiwi arrested at demo in Cambodia - TVNZ, June 19, 2007 A New Zealander has been arrested in Cambodia, for demonstrating in support of two men convicted of murder. Cambodian police detained eight Westerners on Tuesday for protesting for the release of two men whom human rights campaigners say were framed for the 2004 murder of a prominent union leader... Pictures of insanely complex intersections - dailycognition.com, June 21, 2007 Rail Tickets Run Scarce in Rangoon - The Irrawaddy, June 20 , 2007 (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Low visibility - June 25, 2007 Example of a typical right-hand turn onto Surawong Road. Songkhla Lake basin planning case study - June 25, 2007 This is quite a few years old, but interesting... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) The stuffed-animal-hanging-under-the-car craze - June 18, 2007Weird article - June 19, 2007 From Sense taps new BTS link: ...The entrance to the soi was colourless, save for an unshaven man who was lying on the kerb. Motorcycle taxi drivers chatted, ignoring him altogether. One assumes he must have been breathing, or some effort would have been made to remove the body. But the sight of drunks lying in a stupor are not exclusive to Soi 68, as they can be found in just about every Bangkok soi. In most cases such nuisances would be carried off to avoid offending tourists and more civil folk... Plan to take over Laos - Operation Popcorn: A Comprehensive Plan of Action - June 17, 2007 Vietnam bans herbal medicine advertised as AIDS cure - Deutsche Presse Agentur, June 13, 2007 Warin – fortune-teller of CNS period - translated and summarized from Thai Rath, June 12, 2007 Warin Buawiratlert (45) is a well-known fortune-teller in Chiang Mai Province. The columnist said we did not know much about Warin. Some people say he was a big businessman who once was an electric car distributor and has been a fortune-teller for more than ten years. Some say he was a teacher in Amphur Chiang Dao of Chiang Mai Province. Some people believe he once died, resurrected and became a psychic. A man familiar to Warin said the fortune-teller usually does meditation in the woods. Warin told him that he sometimes met hermits in the woods. Warin set up a astrological school named Baan Sukhito a few years ago. Even his students do not know which god he uses as a medium. Some people say he uses Garuda, which is the official seal of the government, as a medium. Some believe Warin does not use Garuda, but a god called Tawaran. It does not matter which god he uses as a medium. Warin is a highly honorable fortune-teller. A great number of businessmen ask him for advice about how to cope with problems. Four years ago Warin said Gen. Chaisit Shinawatra and Gen. Sonthi Boonyaratglin would be promoted to army chief. And the prophecy was right. Rumor has it that Gen. Sonthi went to see the fortune-teller twice before he staged a coup against Thaksin Shinawatra on September 19, 2006. Warin recently said Thailand will have a new prime minister in two months. It is said that Gen. Sonthi might be the next premier. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) "My Deduction" - June 14, 2007 Latest in a series of odd signs at Silom Complex... Man In Thailand selling last private island in San Francisco Bay - FoxReno, June, 2007 ...A Bangkok gem dealer and attorney, David Glickman, wants ten million dollars for the 5.8 acre, uninhabited island in the shadow of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge... US Army flagged by Thailand - Bangkok Post, June 20, 2007 US federal prosecutors say US flags for American military uniforms were made in Thailand but labelled "Made in USA" by the American company with the contract... Moritz Embroidery Works on the web - Sheen Ray Embroidery information page and samples Dynamite Warrior - June 22, 2007 Wise Kwai writes: Just a comment on Asian cinema and cuteness, I thought you might like to know that one Thai film is showing in the New York Asian Film Festival. It's the quite enjoyable Dynamite Warrior, or Kon Fai Bin, which was released late last year in Thailand. The festival had earlier reported it was going to show both The Bodyguard (2004) and The Bodyguard 2 (2006) - both starring TV comedian Mum Jokmok - but those films didn't materialize for some reason... A hide-and-seek nightlife in Tokyo - New York Times, June 20, 2007 ...It was a cramped space, with a few older men sitting at a thatched bamboo bar. The hostess pointed to a ladder and up we climbed into an even smaller room, furnished with nothing but a straw mat, a few cushions and a low table. A kimono clown doll and a dusty wooden guitar hung on the wall — boho signs, Chris pointed out, of the Ben Harper-listening, yoga-taking skater set who have adopted this as their unofficial, VIP-only clubhouse that fits about four. A very elite club by the size of things... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Follow the rules - June 23, 2007 It reads: Follow traffic rules to prevent accidents - Drink driving will face jail or fines - Police Municipality Command - Information Department, Royal Thai Police (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Facial Feminization - June 23, 2007 Due to popular demand: At left is the other advertisement from a plastic surgery clinic on Suthisarn Road. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Carabao Live in Sweden - June 23, 2007 Mike points out: Carabao Live in Sweden Stockholm (here and here). Asian Cinema, Swimming in Crime and Cuteness - New York Times, June 16, 2007 Thai amulet website - June 19, 2007 From a spam we received: A new Thai Amulet Website located at http://www.thaifowang.com is presented in the earlier of this month. We provide all the information about the Thai Amulet and Talisman which is Hot! in Thailand. We also have our authorized agent in Singapore, the address is hereunder. ThaiFoWang Authorized Agent: Singapore: ThaiFoHang 149 Rochor Rd. #B1-13 FuLuShou Complex Singapore. HP: 9756 9891 Pgr: 9603 0234 Stormwater drains: GHMC to follow Bangkok model - Siasat Daily, June 17, 2007 ...technical expertise of Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, to mimic a Bangkok model of stormwater drain (SWD) network in the State capital... Capital city risks becoming 'Baltic Bangkok,' - MSNBC, June 18, 2007 Latvia's capital risks becoming a "Baltic Bangkok" and local girls need to be steered away from one night stands with tourists, organizers of a media... Teaching in Thailand on a tourist visa - ABS-CBN, June 11, 2007 ...He said the fact that Filipino teachers in Thailand were once employed as teachers in the Philippines provides them with an edge over the other teachers there. “They could not cope with the actual teaching problems and the demand of the work in terms of teacher-learner relations,” Danny said, adding there is also “our deep-seated values of patience, perseverance, loyalty, hard work, resiliency, flexibility, malleability even.” Besides, Danny said, being a teacher in Thailand is different from being one in the Philippines. In Thai schools, there is almost no extra paperwork unlike in the Philippines “where teaching jobs would kill you with tons and tons of paperwork that are not really very important.” Danny also said that, “We come here (Thailand) to teach and not as tourists. The whites (Caucasians) come here and go for the teaching job just so they could earn for their stay and adventures.” He said Caucasians do not even understand or simply refuse to understand the reason why one has to stay in the workplace from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.when you only have a class at 11 a.m. or at 2 p.m... State Tower off limits to BBL - Bangkok Post, June 9, 2007 Bangkok Bank is unable to seize State Tower to repay debt owed by businesswoman Rasri Bualert as the luxury condominium and hotel is currently under Bankruptcy Court protection... Bangkok Bank filed suit in 1999 against Mrs Rasri, Gen Prathuang Wongchan, Anand Chanthrakul, Gen Sawat Phatchuenjai, Kongchai Bualert, Sanguansri Dejpornthewan, Parichart Puchatham, D Five and Charoen West Enterprise. The bank sought repayment of 9.7 billion baht owed by D Five and its guarantors... Commentary: Thailand's real enemy is insincerity - UPI, June 7, 2007 Few newspapers in Thailand nowadays report or comment with any sincerity. Whereas the previous decade saw a dramatic rise in their assertiveness, the bullying and goading tactics of the Thaksin Shinawatra government encouraged renewed self-censorship. Among those writers and publishers that resisted Thaksin, many have since been shameless cheerleaders for the junta that pushed him out last September. Alternative opinions, occasionally entertained, give the illusion of continued debate; they are greatly outnumbered by narrow reporting and uncritical commentary. Yet even against this backdrop, the response to the May 30 ruling was a new low... Instead, what happened was that a tribunal appointed by the military regime under its interim constitution was given the role of pretending to decide on something that was already settled from the moment that the army took power, applying a law established under the abrogated constitution together with an order from the coup leader. The cynical use of senior judges to do a dirty job for which the generals did not want to be directly responsible was no triumph of justice: it was a travesty that will almost certainly cause lasting damage to public confidence in the country's entire judiciary... Thailand's in for a rough ride and even the king can't help - Vancouver Sun, June 11, 2007 [Another good example of a remote reporter who does not quite understand what is happening here. It contains this following misinterpretation: ] ...Disquiet among middle class, urban Thais at being put in the same political category as neighbouring Burma, also run by a junta, is beginning to spill out onto the streets... Baker Botts speaks up for Thaksin - June 14, 2007 ...Despite all of Dr. Thaksin's efforts, the junta is committed to finding means to circumvent any rule of law to persecute Dr. Thaksin, his family, his friends and his business activities. The junta's attacks on Dr. Thaksin amount to an arbitrary interference with his privacy and his family, his private property, his business interests as well as his honour and reputation which is abhorrent to principles of international justice... Also: USA for Innovation Government of Thailand battles AIDS epidemic - Online NewsHour, June 12, 2007 Thailand's growing AIDS epidemic has reached hundreds of thousands as the government tries to secure assistance. The NewsHour reports on AIDS in the Asian country and the efforts to reduce the disease and its stigma... Extra finger a disability, says railway school - Bangkok Post, June 12, 2007 Therdpong Kruaythong's ambition is to become a railway technician like his father. Now he is wondering why his minor physical abnormality is blocking that dream. The 20-year-old student passed the examinations to study at the Railway Technical School run by the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), but was disqualified by a medical team and selection committee because of a ''physical disability''... Veteran democracy fighters strongly deny backing Thaksin - Bangkok Post, June 12, 2007 Veteran democracy fighters joining anti-coup rallies are trying to distance themselves from misconceptions that they are supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They are pressing People's Television (PTV) executives and members of Mr Thaksin's now-defunct Thai Rak Thai party to make a major ''facelift'' to the demonstration, which many observers say now looks more like a pro-Thaksin rally than a protest for democracy... Youth sex and cultural bankruptcy - Bangkok Post, June 12, 2007 While military and government leaders try to identify the confusing and conflicting formulas to make peace with die-hard supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra and his cronies, somewhere in our spiritually empty cities a number of the relatively youthful Thais are busy undressing each another to prepare themselves for premature sexual relations. Although these experiences have proven to be heart-breaking for millions of our youth and their parents, nobody in high authority seems to know what to do to curb these activities... Thai visa prices hiked - Bangkok Recorder, June 8, 2007 The cost of Thai visas at embassies around the world may be increased after the Royal Thai Consulate in Dubai announced a price hike of 20 to 25 per cent... Birthplace of Jatukam fever does a thriving business - The Irrawaddy, June 8, 2007 This ancient city, which traces its present incarnation to the 13th Century, is possibly the biggest tourist destination in Thailand, at least for Thais... In a Thai border town, Burmese workers toil in penury - IHT, June 4, 2007 Mae Sot factories typically pay half the daily minimum wage for a 12-hour work shift... Thai boxer wins title, earns parole - AAP, June 5, 2007 A Thai boxer and convicted drugs dealer is to be released from prison three years early for winning the women's WBC light-flyweight title, her promoter said... Tycoon scolds pastor for aiding Thai vineyard staff - Stuff.co.nz, June 7, 2007 A Marlborough pastor claims he has been threatened by a millionaire grape-grower over his support of Thai vineyard workers complaining of exploitation... Pricey plot earmarked for city common - The Nation, June 6, 2007 Bangkok will have a new public park located on one of the most expensive pieces of land in the country that will host the historic Kanchanapisek and Songdham pavilions. To honour His Majesty the King and to provide more green space for Bangkok, the Crown Property Bureau has given a 20-rai land plot behind the Pathum Wanaram temple and the luxurious shopping malls Siam Paragon and CentralWorld to the government, said Aviruth Wongbuddhapitak, assistant director-general of the bureau... Mae Sot Metropolis Plan - The Irrawaddy, June 5, 2007 Thai authorities have unveiled an ambitious plan to develop Mae Sot, on the Thai-Burmese border, into a metropolis, which they say could make the riverside town a regional commercial hub and a major trading post on the road through Burma to India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan... "Presentation and talk on Aura Energy Fields" - June 7, 2007 [Thailand seems ripe for these kind of scams...] From a press release: Meeting on Friday, 8 June 2007 At the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel - Dr John Rogerson on ISIS Aura Energy Field Imaging (intra spectral imaging system) Date of function : Friday 8, June, 2007 Time of function : 16.00-17.00hrs Type of Function : Presentation and talk on Aura Energy Fields by Dr John Rogerson from UK, India Venue : Conference Room A, 9th Floor Background to John Rogerson, ISIS and MCP Energy Field Imaging Systems Dr John Rogerson DSc. (Bio Physics) is an advisor to the ICM (Institute of Complementary Medicine UK) co-founder of CHEFR UK Ltd (The Centre for Human Energy Field Research) and a Professor at the Zoroastrian College. He is an ambassador for World Peace and lecturers on complementary medicine. He specialises in studying 'energy and bio fields, and the efficacy of natural medicines.' He is a certified ISIS and PIP teacher trainer and has completed courses in EleCT, Specialised Kinesiology, Scenar, and is a BESTä System practitioner. He works in India with the UNESCO World Peace Centre at MIT College, The Zoroastrian College, Bharati Vidyapeeth University and in UK and with healthcare and charity organisations... More Thai smiles - June 7, 2007 Joel Barlow, author of "Enticing Siam" explains: Thai for smile is yim, with variants (yim-yaam, yim-raraeng, rawy yim, yim-yoh!, prai-yim, yim-kram, yim-prai, yim-ka-ria-ka-raad, yim-jaeng, yim pen, yim-yong, yim lamai, yim haeng-haeng, yim huei huei, om-yim - my dictionary with the most had 13, but that's 15.).  Lao and Pasa Neua (Kam Muang) have very similar words, I'm fairly sure.  But another way to count would be to include Thailand's many languages of over 100,000 speakers: Yawi (the Malay word would also be similar, I'm similarly sure), Karen, Mon, Burmese, Khmer, Mandarin, Teh-chiu Cantonese, Lahu (Musur), Lisu, Akha, Hmong and Yao (Iu-Mien) - making 13 entirely different words!  Lisu and Yao may have closer to 50,000 speakers each, but one can hardly count them oneself, and the government only reports how many are registered.  There are also Moken Sea-gypsies, Suai, Lawa, Kamu, Htin and Mlabri Pi'i Tong Luang People of the Yellow Leaves, Farang and Japanese, but well, never-mind that. Also: On the forum: Thai Language Urban Legend Earlier: Urban legend? - June 4, 2007 This page: But did you also know that Thailand... has the following factoid: (Did you know Thailand) Has 13 different words for smile? This sounds like an urban legend. Does anyone know? Pro-Thaksin websites to remain blocked for months to come - The Nation, June 2, 2007 ...If site content was deemed to "instigate conflict" or "cause political turbulence" they would be shut down... TRT to publish verdict in English for foreign organizations - TNA, June 2, 2007 Thai Democrat Party to woo Thaksin's rural base - Reuters, June 1, 2007 Demonstrators surround Manager Group's head office, injuring guard - The Nation, June 1, 2007 Shrinking Nation and Bangkok Post - June 1, 2007 Strangely enough, on the same day, both The Nation and Bangkok Post reduced the dimensions of their newspapers. For The Nation, the top to bottom dimensions are the same, but the width is reduced by 4 centimeters. New press, slimline look - Bangkok Post, June 1, 2007 ...I am delighted to welcome readers and advertisers to the new, slimline editions of Post Publishing's newspapers, Bangkok Post and Post Today. The slimmer newspapers are a more convenient size for readers, especially for those who read while travelling to work. They are made possible by Post Publishing's one billion baht investment in a new printing press and associated facilities on Bang Na-Trat Road... Coca powder blowing into Thailand - Bangkok Post, June 3, 2007 The impromptu survey bears out what police files have been confirming for some time: The smuggling and consumption of cocaine is on the rise in Thailand... A corrupting, cosmic crutch emerges In Thailand - Scoop, May 14, 2007 Burma-Siam-China Railway 1886 and 2007 - June 5, 2007 Bangkok Post, May 29, 2007 - Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, right, share a toast at the signing of a joint action plan for strategic cooperation at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing yesterday. Gen Surayud is on a two-day official visit to China. Topics on the agenda include building a railway line to link China's southern Yunnan province with Chiang Khong district in Chiang Rai province, via Ban Houei Sai in Laos. Chris notes: By coincidence I came across this fascinating map of the proposed Burma-Siam-China railway of 1886 on the same day that this news article was published. That’s 120 years later. The map has some interesting political elements as well. Ocean One, Eco Fabulous In Thailand - Luxist, June, 2007 The Ocean One Tower planned for Pattaya, Thailand will not just be the tallest building in Thailand, it will also be eco-friendly...