News and Views - October 2007 "The shocking confession" - October 6, 2007 Many, many 2Bangkok readers have asked about this, so this is the explanation: PM Surayud has been using the Thai saying "jon glap jai" to admit he used his influence in the past to enrich himself. In English this is stated as "I have never claimed to be a perfect man and am only a reformed thief." This is an expression for a person to say when they have changed their mind to be a good person. For instance, when a "southern thief" (a southern separatist) is reformed and joins with the Thai government, he is said to be "jon glap jai" meaning he broke the rules in the past, but now he has changed or turned over a new leaf. PM Surayud is known to have two 40 million baht cars and a resort house illegally on public land in Khao Yai. This means he has used his influence as many Thai men do to reap financial benefits from his position. This type of this activity usually only becomes an issue when a "big man" gets into a position of power and others want to knock him out of his position. The Surayud/CNS junta thought they were immune from corruption attacks because they held power (in the same way Thaksin and his cronies acted with impunity when they were in power). However, a revolt from former anti-Thaksin allies appointed to anti-corruption groups has decimated the Surayud-led government in recent weeks. Surayud is doing damage control by trying to express to the public he has his flaws and is vulnerable, but is trying to do the right thing. We mention all this because it is not at all clear from the way the PM's statements are being reported in English that his statements are couched as a "jon glap jai" idiomatic phrase. The Nation, in particular, reports the PM's statement as if the PM is making a very peculiar admission by describing himself as a "former thief." Sonthi mum on future - The Nation, September 30, 2007 ...Regarding criticism that his estate might intrude into national parkland in Nakhon Ratchasima, he said the National Counter Corruption Commission had already released its findings on the case. "I have never claimed to be a perfect man and am only a reformed thief," he said, insisting that despite his flaws, he strives to do good deeds... Thai talk: PM's shocking confession: I used to be bad - The Nation, October 4, 2007 "I have said it before and I am saying it again: I am not a good man. I am only a repentant convert." ...Reporters at Government House just let PM Surayud Chulanont off the hook too easily. They should have squeezed a full confession from the premier. This must be the first time that the "reluctant, gentleman prime minister" even remotely suggested that he wasn't such a good man after all... A King Turns 80, Let the Party Begin - NYT, October, 2007 [Contains a good overview of coming events... Thanks to Dan for pointing this out.] Bangkok on CNN's Planet in Peril - October, 2007 Heading the Southeast Asia section: Southeast Asia is the center of the illegal animal trade. It is a multibillion–dollar business, and Bangkok, Thailand, appears to be at the hub of the black market. One trafficker there says profits are huge, at least double what he invests... The video on the Southeast Asia page also shows an interesting incident where an elephant unexpectedly grabs Jeff Corwin's arm in its mouth and flings him around... [Thanks to Loren for pointing this out.] Snow in Thailand - October 31, 2007 With temperatures in the far north dipping lower and lower, it is time once again to point out "The day it snowed in Thailand" Also: "Dynamic" or database-driven sites websites often clog search engines with garbage because of the automatic way they generate useless pages. Take for instance: Snow and Ski in Thailand which is auto generated by a skiing website CMS--all to generate the META content description: "Thailand Snow Ski Vacation Rentals." Tiny Thai, aged 11, has big future if she avoids Wie pitfalls - Independent, October, 2007 ...Her father, Somboon, certainly sounded like a man after B J Wie's heart, if not his business acumen, as he spoke enthusiastically of the professional future of his daughters. "I have a couple of future top 10 players here and I'm really proud," he said. The cynics will no doubt roll their eyes at his comments, particularly in the light of Wie's current plight. Last week, her coach David Leadbetter joined the queue to criticise her advisers – i.e. her parents – following a season in which her reputation plummeted as she missed a whole series of cuts and assembled a catalogue of controversy... Intelligence services tell Burmese media outlet to close temporarily as authorities allegedly plan crackdown on exile organisations - Mizzima/IFEX, October 26, 2007 Thai intelligence services told at least one Burmese media outlet based in Thailand to temporarily close its offices, allegedly because the Thai government is planning to launch a nation-wide crackdown on "illegal" Burmese groups based in Thailand. Informed sources told Mizzima that the offices of pro-democracy Burmese opposition groups in Thailand will be searched by security personnel as part of a nation-wide "operation" to be launched in early November 2007. The sources say that the measure follows the Burma military junta's claims that Thai-based organizations instigated or were helping recent anti-regime protesters in the neighbouring country. The Burmese regime has linked the monks leading the demonstrations in August and September with organisations based in the Thai border town of Mae Sot. Burmese Religion Minister Brig Gen Thura Myint Maung was quoted in the 25 October edition of the state-run newspaper as saying that "bogus monks" who are in contact with opposition groups based in Thailand had instigated the recent protests in Burma. Myint Maung, citing the names of monks who organized the protests, said, "All 15 monks have visited Mae Sot in Thailand and some of them have attended training courses in explosives and community organizing there." Thai cops hunt for dozens of paedophile suspects - Reuters, October 25, 2007 Thai police, who ended a global manhunt with the arrest of a Canadian paedophile suspect last week, are looking for dozens more foreign suspects, mostly Germans, who may be hiding in the country, a senior officer said... Police to announce paedophiles blacklist - The Nation, October 26, 2007 The Thai police will soon release to the public a list of 50 indicted Western paedophiles and their photographs that it has received from European police, Pol Maj-General Wimol Pao-insaid Friday. Canadian Christopher Paul Neil, who was arrested last week in Nakhon Ratchasima following a global manhunt, is ranked 13th on the list, said Wimol, commander of the force's Children, Juveniles and Women Division... Foreign teachers under scrutiny after Thai paedophile arrests - AFP, October 30, 2007 Thai authorities are conducting background checks on more than 1,000 foreigners working in Thailand after a spate of arrests for alleged child sex abuse, a senior officer said Wednesday... Bangkok's clandestine optical disc factory raided - Business of Cinema, October 29, 2007 ... Investigation Bureau (CIB) together with Motion Picture Association representatives, raided a clandestine optical disc factory in Meenburi, Bangkok... [They must mean "Minburi."] Territorial losses of Siam 1867-1909 - October 31, 2007 Interesting graphic from Wikipedia... Thai rice sales surging as India, Vietnam struggle - Reuters, October 29, 2007 Thai exporters will be making aggressive offers to sell their rice over the next few months on tightening world supplies, and a strengthening local currency is unlikely to discourage overseas sales... Bloody Clash at Sunday Market - The Nation, October 30, 2007 Sunday Market vendors resist demolition - Bangkok Post, October 31, 2007 (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) "Flying Pan" - October 30, 2007 Bangkok's air pollution slowly evaporating - AFP, October, 2007 ...The number of vehicles using natural gas in Bangkok is small but growing fast, having tripled to almost 20,000 in the past 18 months thanks to incentives that cut the cost of engine conversion, the Land Transport Department said. This has led to an explosion in natural gas consumption, up 71 percent last year to 93 million litres (24.5 million gallons). In the first seven months of this year, the total topped off at 110 million litres (29 million gallons)... Patong tunnel idea given fresh impetus - Phuket Gazette, October 30, 2007 The concept of building a tunnel between Kathu and Patong has been refloated and is being researched with an 80-million-baht feasibility study. Building the tunnel alone is already being estimated to cost as much as up to a billion baht... Vietnam named in globalisation index rankings - VN Economy, October 30, 2007 At Kearney consulting group and Foreign Policy Magazine have just released the “Globalisation Index 2007”. This is the seventh time this annual index has been released and the first time it has the name of Vietnam, at the 48th position among the total 72 countries and territories reviewed. ...Singapore continues to hold the top position, followed by Hong Kong, which overthrows Switzerland. Malaysia ranks 23rd, falling by four grades. The Philippines also drops by seven grades to 38th, due to the decrease of the foreign investment flow. Thailand’s position reduces by 8 grades to 53rd, lower than Vietnam though it was in the ranking list in the first year. The reason for its fall is political. Indonesia is even down by 9 grades, to rank 69th. Though this country doesn’t have especially weak points, it is poor in many globalisation factors, for example personal transfer, (68th), telephone traffic (67th), tourism (65th), and government transfer (67th). Japanese firms in Thailand targeted in scam - The Daily Yomiuri, October 31, 2007 An increasing number of fraud cases are targeting small and midsize Japanese food-related companies in Thailand... Thai Police Net More than 1,000 Migrants, many Burmese - The Irrawaddy, October 31, 2007 (Photo: Jokey) (Photo: Jokey) Driving safety bumper stickers - October, 2007 (Photo: Jokey) Photos from the annual Hindu festival on Silom Road - October 21, 2007 Earlier: 2005: Vegetarian Festival in Had Yai Earlier: 2005: Annual Hindu procession Giles lashes fellow academics in Chula’s Political Science Faculty: ‘Corrupt and disgusting’ - Prachatai, October, 2007 Leftover billboard - October 27, 2007 Here is a billboard leftover from the August referendum. It reads: First time in history - Go for the referendum on August 19, 2007 - Issued by the Office of the Prime Minister (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Video from CNN: Manhunt focuses on Thai resort - October 18, 2007 [Link works in IR only.] CNN's Matthew Chance reports on the police hunt for a suspected pedophile, now centered on a sex resort in Thailand... Pattaya's sex trades employs thousands of men and women... and children too... Neil was recognized the the owner of one of the Pattaya bars often used by foreign sex tourists... New details on charges against pedophile suspect - October 19, 2007 ..."Christopher was always friendly," a longtime guard at Neil's former Bangkok condominium told Chao. "He used to arrive in a taxi and walked hand in hand into the apartment with different boys."... Thai school apologizes for Nazi parade - Jewish Telegraphic Agency, October 15, 2007 A Thai school apologized to the Simon Wiesenthal Center for sponsoring a Nazi-themed parade. The Wisenthal Center in a news release said a group of students... Egat threatens to move coal plants to Laos - Bangkok Post, October 18, 2007 The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) plans to develop coal-fired power plants in neighbouring countries to serve Thailand's power demand unless local anti-coal activists stop protesting, says Egat governor Kraisi Karnasuta... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Who is this? - October, 2007 From a billboard on Ratchadapeisek Road: Find an answer to any labor-related question here. Labour Hot Line: 1546 Who is the man on the right? One reader thinks it is Sayan, a famous autistic comedian. Thailand of the 60's - October, 2007 Anthony writes: I am not sure you already gave the link to those pictures. Thailand of the 60's,some fantastic pictures: here, here, here, here and here. [There is something wrong with the last photo if you can guess what it is.] (Photo: Tomas) (Photo: Tomas) Airport Link takes shape - October 2, 2007 Tomas reports: Here some amazing shots as (the Airport Link span) crosses Ramkamhang Road (near the former Nasa Vegas Complex)... Stephff cartoon on Asia News - October 2, 2007 A Stephff cartoon is on the cover of the Asia News this month (right). Phuket crash analysis 'could take 3 years' - Bangkok Post, October 1, 2007 ...Aviation Department Director General Chaisak Angkasuwan said data decoded from the black boxes, sent to the US more than two weeks ago, had already reached Thailand but an analysis of the data will need at least six months to three years, depending on its complexity... (Photo: CB) More bike paths - October 2, 2007 CB reports: The mad bicycle lanes are back – this time on downtown Sukhumvit road. Shortly after they were first painted in, some local wit chalked in “for carts” in Thai at the edges of these new lanes, but today the official painters came back to stencil in icons of a pushbike every 50 meters just in case there is any doubt as to their intention. I have yet to see an actual live cyclist try to use them – a few passed by on the roadside without imagining they could really use the pavement. However locals are already using them as car parking spaces and a whole row of stalls has been set up across the cycle path at one point. Just like the ill-fated cycle paths on Narathiwat road, the path occasionally disappears for 30-40 meters when the going really gets tough, such as around police boxes... (Photo: Gigabyte) Earlier: Narathiwat Road bicycle paths (left) Thai confirms Pornsawan used ammonia! - PhilBoxing, October 1, 2007 A Thai national, who was present at the Donnie Nietes-Pornsawan Kratingdaenggym WBO bout last night, revealed in a post-fight interview that indeed, the erstwhile unbeaten Thai fighter used "Chai Che Chew" or better known as Ammonia to help revive him in the crucial moments of the 12-round showdown... Bounty for 'gangster' monkeys in Cambodia - Australian Broadcasting Corporation, September 28, 2007 Cambodian police have put a $US250 ($283) bounty on the heads of several monkeys who have been terrorising tourists at a key temple in the capital and destroying nearby residents' laundry, officials said... Regional perspective: One year after September 19: bad casting - The Nation, September 17, 2007 ...Thailand is under a curse. We have tried to do good things in bad times and bad things in good times. The outcome is obvious. There is no paradigm shift - only a new vicious circle is in the offing. Contrasts Myanmar's Minorities Face Persecution - AP, October 4, 2007 ...The Karen, the Shan and other minority groups who live along the Myanmar-Thai border have been attacked, raped and killed by government soldiers. Their thatched-roofed, bamboo homes have been torched. Men have been seized into forced labor for the army, while women, children and the elderly either hide out in nearby jungles until the soldiers leave or flee over the mountains to crowded, makeshift refugee camps... The Sukhothai Bangkok launches New Mercedes-Benz Limousine Fleet - ASIA Travel Tips, October 4, 2007 The Sukhothai Bangkok hotel is now offering guests a brand new fleet of Mercedes-Benz S320 CDI, managed by a team of specially trained drivers... The Man Who Scared a Shark to Death (and other true tales of drunken debauchery) - October 6, 2007 A new book by Noel Boivin and Christopher Lombardo - The Shark Book blog - Buy the book Ambush suspect now in Thailand? - Sun Star, October 2, 2007 After formal charges of murder and frustrated murder were filed in court against the Mondias in Pulupandan for the controversial May 30 ambush of Mayor Magdaleno Peña, talks then milled around Bacolod City that the principal accused, Sammy Mondia, is no longer in Bacolod but in Thailand... "The Nation: The website without a clue." - FriskoDude, September 29, 2007 Marking Time in Thailand - Washington Post, October 2, 2007 ...Kraisak Choonhavan, a Thai senator until last year's military coup d'etat, said Thais cringe when they hear Western leaders say Burma's repressive military government previously had not generated high-level attention because it did not create a security problem beyond its borders. Viewed from Thailand, he said, Burma's junta, in power for more than 40 years, and the recurring explosions of violence it has engendered are clearly risks because of the number of people fleeing here for safety. "For us, it is indeed a security problem," he said... In Thailand the shy get their condoms at the bank - Reuters, October 2, 2007 ...Despite Bangkok's reputation as one of the world's sex industry centers, Thailand is a generally conservative country... "HIV/AIDS is returning to Thailand since the government awareness campaign started 20 years ago has fizzled out," said a bank spokesman who declined to be identified. "We want the teenagers to be aware of the problem..." Thai cabinet approves 56 bln baht Bangkok railway construction - Forbes, October 2, 2007 ...The new SkyTrain line will connect Bangkok's sprawling weekend market to the southwest of the capital and is expected to start operations in 2012. Bangkok existing mass transit system has only three lines -- two above ground, and one underground -- totalling 75 kilometers (47 miles) of tracks. Together the three lines carry almost 630,000 passengers a day. A Thumbnail History of Nana Plaza - nanajournals.blogspot.com, September 2, 2007 Special Branch bans Sulak book - The Nation, October 4, 2007 Well-known social critic Sulak Sivaraksa says he will petition both the United Nations and the National Human Rights Commission and file a case in the Administrative Court to challenge the police's decision to ban and confiscate one of his recent books, which touched on politics and the monarchy. "I can assure you that all that I wrote was true," Sulak told The Nation. "For three decades now, the authorities have not stopped harassing citizens and even [Prime Minister] Surayud [Chulanont] once remarked that police are like the mafia." Sulak said he received a Special Branch police notice on Tuesday ordering him to stop printing, selling and disseminating the book "A Quarter of a Century of Thai Politics: A Thorn-filled Path", published by Song Siam publishing house... Thailand launches "No belly for Thais" campaigns - TNA, October 9, 2007 Thailand's Public Health Ministry in cooperation with other eight organisations has launched 'No Belly' campaigns after Thailand ranked fifth among the Asia-Pacific countries where the citizenry is defined as being overweight... Amendment bills to increase penalties on lese majeste cases withdrawn - The Nation, October 9, 2007 ...Pornphet Wichitcholchai, the NLA member, who proposed the bills, said he withdrew them after receiving a phone call from a privy counicllor, saying the Privy Council did not agree with the amendments. The amendments seek to insert a clause in Article 112 of the criminal law that covers offences against the monarchy institution to include offences against representatives of the King and the King's sons and daughters. This is after news of this new law spread around the world on Monday: Thailand plans tougher lese majeste law - Reuters, October 8, 2007 4000 baht annual fee for Thai Amex card? - October 10, 2007 If you have a Thai-isssued American Express card, you recently received a letter praising your "incredible total" of points earned on the card and reminding you that you have "enjoyed unmatched privileges" over the last year. Finally you are "invited" to keep the card for another year for a "nominal fee of Baht 4,000." This fee represents almost a doubling of the fee over the previous year. However, Amex is ready for the backlash. Anyone who complains or threatens to cancel the card is routed to a special agent to calm them down and offer them 13,500 Thai Airways points or a 4,000 baht voucher for Emporium/Paragon/Central if they pay the fee and stay with Amex. "Drag only!!" - October 10, 2007 (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Being Indian in Bangkok - Hindustan Times, October, 2007 ...He told me how Thais are the most ‘non-confrontationist’ people in the world. You’ll never see — or hear — people fighting on the streets, or anywhere else for that matter unless it was their bedrooms. He talked about his workplace. “You know how it’s like with us Indians, we get stressed about everything, so initially it was a problem with our Thai employees.” What did they do? “They quit. Simple. They can’t handle tension.” He also told me how being a sex worker there is a way of life. “Like being an engineer or a doctor.” You are looked upon as being a driver of the high-noon sector of sex tourism in the booming Thai economy. Traffic is chaotic, but you don’t hear a single honk. Lane driving is so straight that you think of classroom geometry boxes. And if you are behind the wheel, you have to give way to pedestrians. But then, right of way is rarely used as you have to go up overhanging footbridges and then come down on the other side. Someone stopped me when I tried to dart across an almost empty road once. God, was I missing India!... Download Sulak's banned book (in Thai) - October 6, 2007 Also: Thai police ban, confiscate book on democracy, monarchy - Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA) Police suspect some Helsinki Thai massage parlours of procurement - Helsingin Sanomat, October 11, 2007 Thailand will send 800 troops to Darfur on peacekeeping mission - AP, October 9, 2007 Thailand will send 800 troops to Darfur to join a peacekeeping operation in the wartorn region of western Sudan by the end of the year, a government spokesman said Wednesday. Thailand's Cabinet approved a plan Tuesday to send one battalion of 800 troops on a one-year mission to the United Nations and African Union joint mission to Darfur by Dec. 31, said government spokesman Chaiya Yimwilai... A serious and sensitive issue - Bangkok Post, October 10, 2007 ...David Streckfuss, a Southeast Asia scholar who did a PhD on lese majeste and defamation in Thailand for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, wrote recently: ''Somehow, Thai society has dead-ended itself, unable to go forward or back, unable to even address the extremely problematic nature of this law. Thai society has narrowed its options, leaving a single unavoidable logic of suppression: the law protects the monarchy. Anyone who questions the law must not care about protecting the monarchy. Such a person must be disloyal to the monarchy, and must be suppressed.'' His Majesty the King has signalled that the lese majeste law troubles him. In his annual birthday speech in 2005, the King said: ''Actually, there should be criticism. And I am not afraid if someone criticises and points out to me where I went wrong. Because then I will know. If you say the King cannot be criticised, it means the King is not human.'' His Majesty went on to indicate that when people are jailed for lese majeste, he was ''in trouble'' and had to pardon them. Given the King's own words and example, as well as the troubling application of the current lese majeste law, it seems inappropriate for the government to consider extending the law further. Along with the proposed extension of the lese majeste law, the NLA member introduced a motion to ban media coverage of lese majeste cases--a stipulation that is particularly worrisome and unwarranted. Again, it was correct for the group to take it back. The proposal is not only seen as curtailing the public's right to know but also has the potential to be used for political retribution, since anyone accused of lese majeste could be tossed in jail in a secretive court hearing. Banning reporting on lese majeste cases will only further stifle the free speech environment, particularly because the new lese majeste law--just like the current one--will continue to be used for political ends unless another kind of amendment is made. In his article, Mr Streckfuss suggested a simple solution: add a key sentence to the Criminal Code that makes the use of the lese majeste law possible ''only by order of the King or with his consent''. This would take lese majeste out of the hands of those who simply want to use it for political gain. That would eliminate the controversy surrounding lese majeste, as everyone would know the King's position on the case. Any amendment that still allows anybody to sue anybody on the King's behalf does not address the root of the problem with lese majeste laws. Making them more expansive and the legal process more secretive is a step back for free speech and transparency. How Young Is too Young to Be a Prize Fighter? - The Business of Muay Thai Martial Arts in Thailand (print version without photos) - ABC News, October, 2007 ...Meanwhile, Nong Pet's situation worsens during the time Kellstein films her — she was forced to take an exhibition match in a brothel, accepting tips from Westerners. Although he wasn't sure about the long-term effects of Muay Thai on children, Kellstein ultimately found it to be an economic necessity. "I don't think we really understand it," he told Vargas. "We don't have poverty on that level." ...Regarding child labor, Mead stressed that in many countries it's unusual if children don't have to do serious work. "The idea that childhood is a time of play and of education is something that 200 years ago almost nobody in the world had," he said. Is it really just Western sensibilities that make Americans shocked to see young girls punching each other without head gear as adults bet on them? "We, Americans, we live in kind of a bubble-wrapped world and our kids live in a bubble-wrapped world," Mead said. "Life out there in much of the world has choices that we can hardly imagine. & Thailand has a very large commercial sex industry, so in that sense it's progress if girls are going to the fighting ring rather than the brothel. You have to hope that some years from now they won't be going to either one." For his part, Kellstein said he no longer gets angry about parents allowing their children to fight. "The thing I get angry about is that there is so much inequality in the world and that economic situations like this arise," he said. "These circumstances exist and we should think of ways to make it better for everyone. Not just in Thailand, but everywhere." Tips for capturing a publishable royal photograph - The Nation, October, 2007 # A photo of the royal person eating or drinking is prohibited. # Shoot a photo only at an eye-level angle. It's not possible to publish a royal photograph shot from a high angle because this is considered as defamation of royal honour. # It is prohibited to take royal photograph during movement from lower and higher ground, such as taking a stair step. # Only an SLR or film slide camera is allowed. Compact or digital cameras are prohibited for taking a royal photo due to their ease to edit for improper use. One more banned book: Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party - Prachatai, October 14, 2007 ...On October 10, Thai daily "Matichon" reported news of the ban order for the book in Thai translated from Chinese. The book criticises the Chinese Communist Party. A Thai 'Press Officer' empowered to act as government book censor comments that the text of the book directly attacks the Chinese government and may affect peaceful relations between Thailand and China. Therefore the Thai government issued its ban order on October 8 under Article 9 of the Printing Act of 1941 as "contrary to public order or good morals". Such an order may be issued by publication in the Government Gazette or any daily newspaper... King Power defies order to move outlets from airports - Bangkok Post, October 13, 2007 The Hunt for Ieng Sary in Thailand - source unknown, October 12, 2007 The Thai Embassy in Cambodia has said that the Thai Government will make efforts to hunt for, arrest, and send back to Cambodia suspected ex-Khmer Rouge [KR] leaders, who should be brought to trial at the KR Tribunal [KRT] if they flee to Thailand. A local news media quoted a Thai embassy letter as stating on 3 October that the Thai Government, too, had contributed $24,331 toward this tribunal. Therefore, it did not think that the suspects would possibly escape to Thailand. However, the Thai Government would not remain indifferent to this matter if it could actually happen. It would hunt for, arrest, and deport them to Cambodia. The first secretary of the Thai Embassy to Cambodia, Thitichai Sengpithak said he believed the possibility that the remaining suspects had fled to Thailand was very minimal, because the authorities were watching over them vigilantly. It should be pointed out that Ieng Sary, former foreign minister of the KR regime, who is likely to be a suspect of the KRT, is currently in Bangkok having a heart checkup. Thailand to build anti-AIDS, anti-bird flu drug factory - AHN, October 11, 2007 Dead Malaysian panther believed bound for Thai kitchens seized at border - AP, October 12, 2007 On YouTube: Jakrapop at the FCCT - October, 2007 Thaksin documentary to coincide with Thai campaign - Reuters, October 15, 2007 Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will distribute a documentary in Thailand of his life in exile and takeover of Manchester City football club ahead of December elections, his lawyer said on Monday... Telegraph gaffe - October 15, 2007 For the first day these article were online, the Telegraph had the first paragraph of the Rupert Brooke article (Letters reveal Rupert Brooke's doomed love) on the end of hospitalization article (Thailand's King Bhumibol admitted to hospital) creating an odd factoid many readers asked about. It was all a mistake and the Telegraph has now corrected the gaffe. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) "Police Day" - October 13, 2007 This billboard near Klong Toei reads: On October 13, Police Day - The Royal Thai Police invites you to participate in an oath-taking ceremony and an official march performed by police officials in occasion of the celebration of His Majesty the King's 80 th birthday. Information Department, the Royal Thai Police. The ceremony will start on 03:00 pm until 06:00 pm, at the Rajamangala National Stadium. [We are not sure, but we think the generals on the billboard are, (left to right): 1. Pol. Gen. Amnouy Phetsiri 2. Pol. Gen. Preophan Dhamapong 3. Pol. Gen. Piya Jiamchaisri 4. Pol. Gen. Sereepisuth Taemeeyaves 5. Pol. Gen. Suthep Dhamaraks 6. Pol. Gen. Nopadol Somboonsub 7. Pol. Gen. Wichean Potephosree] Ayutthaya might be removed from Unesco's World Heritage list - The Nation, October 17, 2007 ...Khaisri had received an initial report from the Fine Arts Department claiming the site, inscribed on Unesco's World Heritage List in December 1991, had problems with city planning that might lead to the site being removed from the list, the minister said. Ayutthaya was also deemed a world heritage with the most problems with land encroachments, which was now beyond Fine Arts Department officials' control, Khaisri said... Fine Arts Office 3 director Anek Sihamat said the site's inner area covering 1,800 rai - out of the total 6,000 rai where many of important historical places such as Wat Phra Sri Sanpetch and Wat Ratcha Burana were situated - now had people building structures over these ancient sites... "Dangerous man"? - October 17, 2007 From a Burmese email forward: Please becareful this man at singapore. He is myanmar army intelligent major and now at singapore. He take alot of photos at here. Please send this mail to all myanmese people at singapore. Photos: Here and here. Corrupt law enforcement, sex networks provide cover for pedophiles in Asia - AP, October 17, 2007 ..."This can be an open crime in Thailand when Western men are obviously in front of people carrying on in this way. It becomes normalized so they don't think they are doing anything wrong," Prober said... Some of their customers — mostly older men — commit their crimes with relative impunity, walking hand-in-hand with underage girls in Bangkok or with boys in a resort hotel on the Indonesian island of Bali... Outcry over Supreme Court building - The Nation, October 15, 2007 The Supreme Court Building has stood on Rattanakosin Island for several decades but not many people know the history behind its construction... [Is this the location?-> Google Earth Placemark] King of the White Elephant - October 24, 2007 On Wikipedia and on the essential WiseKwai... Thailand Prostitution Issue Visits Nebraska - Nebraska.tv, October, 2007 ...When asked if families like their children working in bars, Kamram had this surprising response: "Yes, to support the family, and maybe can marry with a foreign husband," she said... Babcock & Brown to buy toll road stake in Thailand - Bloomberg, October 22, 2007 ...Babcock plans to buy a stake as large as 33 percent for A$130 million ($115 million), subject to agreement of Don Muang's shareholders, the Sydney-based company said in a statement today... Bangkok has that sinking feeling - Yahoo, October 20, 2007 [Thanks to John for pointing this out.] D'oh! - October 23, 2007 Thanks to the many readers who pointed out the following: The big front-page story for Chulalongkorn Day today, "Siam in Europe," incorrectly lists the date of Rama V's death as November 23, 1910. It should be October; That's why TODAY is Chulalongkorn Day. Don’t commend theft of AIDS' drug patents - The Hill, October 18, 2007 Imagine if Congress sponsored a resolution praising a foreign government — which recently seized power in a military coup — for stealing from U.S. companies and deliberately undermining the fight against AIDS. Amazingly, that’s exactly what’s happening. The military government of Thailand, which came to power in a coup last September, is actively stealing patented medicine from the very companies that have developed the leading cures for AIDS... Never mind the fact that manufacturing the drugs actually costs more than buying them through legal channels — or accepting them for free. Clearly, this decision was about enriching cronies in the GPO, not helping Thai AIDS patients... Let's promote the great Indic civilisation - Times of India, October 21, 2007 ...To Son Sann, a venerable figure already in his late 70s, Cambodia was an Indic civilisation being overrun by the forces of a Sinic state, and he was bewildered that India, the fount of his country’s heritage, should sympathise with a people as distinctly un-Indian as the Vietnamese. Given that Vietnam’s invasion had put an end to the blood-soaked terror of the rule of the Khmer Rouge, i was more inclined to see the choice politically than in terms of civilisational heritage. But Son Sann’s words stayed with me... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Above: Site of the incident taken at 13:09, about 40 minutes after the accident. 1 killed, 5 injured in ride accident at Siam Park - The Nation, October 23, 2007 One woman was killed and five other people were injured when two boats of the Indiana Log ride at Siam Park collided following, causing one to fall out of its way... Anniversary of the Tak Bai incident - October 25, 2007 Today is the third anniversary of the Tak Bai incident (on Wikipedia). Also: The Tak Bai VCDs and other news from the time including the nationwide address by then PM Thaksin (right) as well as Thaksin's condemnation of the Bangkok Post for damaging Thailand's international reputation over its reporting of the event and its aftermath. Painting insulting to monks axed - The Nation, October 24, 2007 ..."Doo Phra" (watch amulet or watch monk) depicts monks in a crowd watching a Buddha amulet, a practise deemed improper for Buddhist monks. ...Earlier this month, Anuphong Chanthorn's "Bhikku sandarn kar" painting incurred the wrath of monks when it won the National Art Competition organised by Silapakorn University. The painting depicts monks with pointed lips like a raven's beak, which prompted monks to form an alliance to protect Buddhism and lash out against offending artists. The alliance recently filed a criminal lawsuit against Silapakorn University for defaming Buddhism... From CIA Jails, Inmates Fade Into Obscurity - Dozens of 'Ghost Prisoners' Not Publicly Accounted For - Washington Post, October 27, 2007 ...One of them, Abdallah al-Sadeq, was apprehended in a covert CIA operation in Thailand in the spring of 2004, according to Noman Benotman, a former member of the Libyan militant network... Hue attracts swarms of Thai tourists - VietNamNet Bridge, October 28, 2007 ...On October 23, Hue welcomed nearly 6,000 Thai visitors, most of whom arrived by land caravan tours on the Trans-Asia Highway through the Lao Bao Border Gate in Quang Tri province...