News and Views - April 2008 (Photo: Natthida “Taow” Klangmontri) Ko Tao waterspout - April, 2008 Mark writes: I took these photos off Ko Tao Saturday morning... UPP seizes diesel in Thai-registered vehicle with five extra fuel tanks - Bernama, April 30, 2008 A team from Perlis Anti-Smuggling Unit (UPP) thwarted an attempt to smuggle diesel out of the country when they seized 1,000 litres diesel, worth RM1,580, from a Thai-registered vehicle which had been modified with five extra fuel tanks at Titi Tinggi here yesterday... Austrian incest dad vacationed in Thailand - CNN, April, 2008 "Authentic Bangkok Diet Pills from Thailand! BUY IT NOW!" - eBay, April, 2008 BMA hopes to construct world's tallest viewpoint tower - Bangkok Post, April 27, 2008 Thailand wants OPEC-like cartel for rice - Bernama, April 26, 2008 ...CP Group chairman, Dhanin Chearavanont, said Thailand, the world's biggest rice exporter, should approach three major rice-producing countries, namely China, Vietnam and India, to form the alliance similar to the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec)... Thai snowfall? - April 27, 2008 From Matichon: Doi Chang at Chaing Rai was whitened with small hail that looked like snow. The Metrological Department specified this is a natural phenomenal that occurs when hot weather meets with cold weather (photo from Prachachatturakit newspaper on April 26). Earlier: The day it snowed in Thailand in 1955 Is the temple of Buddha’s footprints the temple of doom? - Times Online, April 13, 2008 It’s a Buddhist temple that cares for dying Aids patients. It’s also a hugely successful money-making operation, attracting thousands of tourists with its displays of mummified corpses. So where does all that money go?... Satellite photos of Bangkok in 1997 and 2007 - EORC, April, 2008 Not the Nation: Lese-majeste law expanded to include lese-majeste accusations - April, 2008 [This has actually happened before...] (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Old police station - April 5, 2008 On the occasion of the resumption of the war on drugs, here is a very rare postcard showing a Thai police station (date unknown). There are many fascinating details including the uniforms, a two-tiered desk, and various implements throughout the station. Here is a hi-res version (1.1 MB) Tsunami postcard - April, 2008 Far from glossing over the tsunami tragedy on Phi Phi Island, here is a Phi Phi tsunami postcard... Falling City man severs spine in fall in Thailand - The Charleston Gazette, April 22, 2008 Briton killed after falling from 19th floor of Samut Prakan condominium - The Nation, March 6, 2008 South Korean student falls to death from hotel's 7th floor - The Nation, January 12, 2008 American falls to death from 18th floor of condo building- The Nation, January 14, 2008 Edmonton man unconscious in Thailand - Edmonton Sun, December 7, 2007 ...the hospital is charging $3,000 a day just for the use of the room... American tourist killed after falling down cliff on Phiphi Island - The Nation, December, 2007 Man falls to death from 64th floor of Bangkok condominium - The Nation, November 30, 2007 (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Long bed - April 24, 2008 An advertising sign for a Hyper K2900 pick-up: New pickup! with a long g g g g g g g bed, powerful engine and high loading campaign. It’s awesome, bro! [A Thai-style ghost measures the bed of the pickup with a very long arm.] Down but not out in Thailand - Manila Standard Today, April 23, 2008 The mother of a Briton who was forced to flee to Thailand from the Philippines with his Filipina girlfriend and child is pleading with the British... "Still life in moving vehicle" - April, 2008 Great photography from inside taxis... Interview with man facing lèse majesté charges for refusing to stand for Royal Anthem in cinema - Prachatai, April 21, 2008 ...What were your reasons for not standing up? If the law states that this is against the law, I will abide by the law, as the law has the real power over us. But I understand that it is not against the law, so I chose not to stand. According to some people, to stand up for the Royal Anthem may not be required by law, but it’s a tradition. Is this really a tradition? I remember reading an article, probably published on a website, that says previously the Royal Anthem used to be played after the movies finished, and no one bothered to stand, but just rushed out to go home... Historian tells how anthem custom began - Bangkok Post, April 23, 2008 Plea over man missing in Thailand - BBC, April 21, 2008 (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Police billboard - April 11, 2008 It reads: Complaint reception center, the Royal Thai Police - Being threatened, do not get justice? Inform drugs tips, vice, influences, crimes at PO Box 1234, Rongmuang, Bangkok 10000, E-mail: jaray@police.go.th, call center: 1194 MERIT-MAKING: A NEW GIMMICK AND GAME-PLAN - The Nation, April 22, 2008 ...There is one short cut - equally dangerous but tempting and less time-consuming: the same method that ousted him. Thaksin can do it with his unmatched war chest and power structure. It can be done because the stakes are high enough - freedom from legal troubles and possible imprisonment, not to mention the return of his Bt62 billion. Financing a putsch, greasing the hands of potential military commanders, offers a high degree of hope for success despite the great risks involved. The country would be like Burma for several months, but soon enough it should be restored to normal.  This is just a confirmation of the rumours of a coup several weeks ago. It is just a question of who will do it... Chiang Mai authorities to demolish non-Thai village within 30 days - Prachatai, April 21, 2008 Stolen torch of Christopher Benjakul is returned - The Nation, April 21, 2008 An Olympic torch that was snatched from a runner on Saturday is found left in front of the National Olympic Office on Monday. Somebody grabbed the torch from the hand of Christopher Benjakul, a runner, after he passed the flames to next runner during the torch relay run on Saturday. The torch was found on Monday in front of the National Olympic Office on Monday. Christopher gets his torch back - The Nation, April 22, 2008 ..."Khun Christopher assumed that his torch was snatched because he did not know that it was our officials who took the torch and kept it for him," Jaruk said. The torch has been returned to Christopher. However, it is still unclear as to why it took the committee three days to set the record straight... A trip to Dream World - Theme Park Review, April, 2008 Policeman submit more evidence for lèse majesté charge against BBC reporter: ‘This is a conspiracy' - Prachatai, April 20, 2008 Fury as drug smuggler freed from Thai jail is caught with heroin - Sunday Mail, April 20, 2008 A prisoner freed from a 100-year jail sentence for drug trafficking in Thailand after a massive campaign has been caught with heroin... Sanctions undercut opportunity in Myanmar - Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 16, 2008 ...Some of my CEO colleagues and I believe sanctions are a policy gone bust. The people of Myanmar love America. Little groups like ours lift their hopes. Mackay's Moral: Unwise sanctions can undercut a forest of opportunity. Rule of Lords: Thailand’s army not better than Burma’s - April 17, 2008 ...“When Thailand held its election, their government distributed the constitution free of charge to every household and let Thai citizens and the media discuss it freely,” U Thein Nyunt, a spokesperson for the National League for Democracy, said in a radio interview. Thein Nyunt evidently knows nothing about how the draft charter in Thailand was disseminated as part of a Yes vote agenda under strict military control, how the outcome was rigged by the threat of “anything goes” if a No vote succeeded, or how opponents to the draft were denied public space. Yet his willingness to make ill-informed comments about government in Thailand is a regrettably common feature of talk among Burma’s political activists... Girly Berry band too sexy for Anusorn - Bangkok Post, April 17, 2008 ...Culture Minister Anusorn Wongwan expressed disappointment with the teenage girl band yesterday and threatened to ''blacklist'' them. ...The ministry considers tank tops and miniskirts too sexually arousing when soaked in water... Police ask for Thai ID volunteers - BBC News, April 16, 2008 The Thai community in the South West is being asked to volunteer for police ID video parades... Three new species of snouted beetle found in Thailand - Bernama, April 15, 2008 Rare turtle found in Vietnam - AP, April 16, 2008 Cambodia protects endangered bird - AP, April 17, 2008 ...The Bengal Florican, known in Cambodia as "the whispering bird," is remarkable for a male mating display that amounts to a dance competition to attract a mate. Since 2005, a rush to turn grasslands into large-scale rice farms has gobbled up one-third of the Bengal Florican's habitat in Cambodia, threatening the critically endangered bird with extinction... Thai-ing the mortality knot - Weekend America, April 10, 2008 [Don't miss the many opinionated comments at the bottom using terms like "power dynamics" and "gender roles."] ...I called my dad a few hours before he left for Thailand, to see what was compelling him to do what, in my mind, looked like a modern twist on the mail-order bride. Last fall, my father turned 60 just days after his own father died. I knew that was tough for him -- maybe it had something to do with this trip. "Yes, absolutely. It was a tough birthday," says my dad over the phone... On the forum: Lonely Planet controversy Lonely Planet rejects fabrication claim - AP, April 14, 2008 [This sounds like the writer in question is just generating free publicity for his new book...] Lost: 200,000 tonnes of rice - Bangkok Post, April, 2008 ...Ms Benjamas said a total of 200,000 tonnes of rice is missing from warehouses nationwide. Damages were estimated at approximately 3.2 billion baht, about US$101.1 million... My Thai Girl and I - April, 2008 New book by Andrew Hicks: My Thai Girl and I Myanmar enjoys rare freedom - Dawn Sun, April 13, 2008 Young women in miniskirts walked down the street, catching the eye of punks with red and blue hair, as Myanmar let loose for an annual festival on Sunday when the military allowed a tiny breath of freedom. The Thingyan water festival — marking the Buddhist new year also being celebrated this week across Thailand, Cambodia and Laos — is the only time of year when the ruling junta allows people to assemble freely... Poll: Adultery main cause of family break-ups in Thai society; politicos poor role models - TNA, April 13, 2008 Adultery is the major cause for family break-ups and divorce in Thai society, according to a new survey conducted by Assumption University's ABAC Poll... Thailand must ratify the international criminal court now - The Nation, April 14, 2008 Thailand must ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) without delay. ...All the past unsound arguments surrounding the monarchy related to the ICC have been proven false. Countries with similar institutions have ratified the ICC including Britain (2001), Japan (2007) and Cambodia (2002). Their consciences were clear and they realised that their monarchies would never engage in crimes against humanity, or issue a command for others to do so. It is that simple... Fading Smiles: One third of Thailand's gays now threatened by HIV - Emediawire (press release), April 15, 2008 The Thai Ministry of Public Health has just released figures detailing the dramatic rise of HIV infection among MSM (men who have sex with men). Estimated at 28% in 2005, that number has increased to an all-time high of just under 31% in 2007... Thailand drops Bout charges - The Moscow Times, April 10, 2008 Thai police dropped charges Wednesday against Russian citizen Viktor Bout, who is accused of being one of the world's most prolific black market arms dealers, saying they would proceed with hearings to extradite him to the United States... Thailand’s creaking health system - American.com, April 9, 2008 The government’s lack of spending on healthcare is a scandal—but abusing intellectual property rights won’t help... Effect of the Bangkok bust - NST, April, 2008 ...Despite the severity of the offence in the Bangkok bust, the traders who pleaded guilty were let off with a mere 10,000 baht (RM1,000) fine. This was a mere slap in the wrist considering that some RM320,000 worth of shahtoosh shawls seized and over one thousand endangered antelopes were slaughtered. “It’s not good, but at least the offenders had to go on trial and all the shahtoosh shawls were seized,” says Galster, who was speaking at the network’s second workshop in Kuala Lumpur early this year... Lady-boys report for duty at Sattahip Navel Base - Pattaya Mail, April 9, 2008 Hot air in Bangkok - Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2008 After five days of contentious discussions in Bangkok, governments from nearly 200 countries last week agreed to an agenda for further talks to forge a new United Nations global warming agreement. One sticking point has been developing nations' insistence that industrialized countries should take the first steps in reducing emissions and should help finance reductions in developing countries. But this represents a serious misreading of the underlying economic situation... Thailand: Police officer files complaint alleging BBC reporter insulted King - Sin Chew Jit Poh, April 8, 2008 ...Wattanasak said he submitted as evidence an audiotape and a DVD of a 13 Dec 2007 event at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand that Head moderated. Four scholars--three from Thai universities and one from the United States--were on the panel. Wattanasak last month also filed a lese majeste complaint against Jakrapob Penkair, a minister attached to the prime minister's office. His complaint was based on remarks Jakrapob allegedly made at an August 2007 press conference when he was part of a group opposed to the military-installed government then in power... BBC man accused - Bangkok Post, April 9, 2008 ...Pol Lt-Col Wattanasak Mungkandee of the Phahon Yothin police station said he filed a complaint against British reporter Jonathan Head in connection with remarks he allegedly made when moderating a panel discussion at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Dec 13 entitled "Coup, Capital and Crown"... Thai couple faces lèse majesté charges for not standing for royal anthem in cinema - Prachatai, April 9, 2008 ...On September 20, 2007, Chotisak and his friend went to a cinema in Central World shopping complex in downtown Bangkok. They were urged by Navamintr to stand up for the royal anthem which precedes every movie shown in Thailand's cinemas, and they had a heated argument with the man. They claimed that they were physically abused. Afterwards they filed complaints at Pathumwan police station against Navamintr for verbal and physical abuse, damage to personal property and coercion, while Navamintr filed a lèse majesté complaint against them... Landfill fire now in fifth day - Bangkok Post, April 8, 2008 Thai farmers guard rice harvests - AlJazeeraEnglish, April 6, 2008 [Thanks to Jason for pointing this out.] Kayan 'Giraffe Women' trapped in Thailand by tourist trade - Times Online, April, 2008 Elephant paints self portrait - April, 2008 [Thanks to Mick for pointing this out. Is it true?] Eddy writes: Regarding your article about elephant painting it's portrait, It was real I was there 2 years ago. It's an elephant show located in Chiang Mai, Thailand up on Doi Sutap mountain. You can google "Chiang Mai elephant camp" Thailand's wealthy untouchables - BBC, April 7, 2008 ...Thailand has one of the most unequal distributions of wealth anywhere on the planet, despite some recent improvements. And that yawning gap between rich and poor is most openly on view in Bangkok, where ostentatious displays of wealth are commonplace alongside the grinding poverty experienced by millions of migrant workers who have come from the countryside. ... She has yet to receive any compensation from the Pachimsawas family - she has asked for 7m baht ($222,000; £111,000) but is likely to get less, perhaps even less than the list price of the Mercedes-Benz that crushed her mother. "The damage is done," she told me. "I forgive him. I don't want to destroy his future, I don't want him to be jailed. I don't want bad karma." Tragic death fuels acrimony - Bangkok Post, April 6, 2008 More than 200 women, half walking and half running, shouting "Allah Akbar" - God is Great - all the way, made the journey from Kotor village in Narathiwat province's Rueso district to Rueso hospital, a distance of about two kilometres, to receive the lifeless body of their revered religious leader, Yapa Kaseng. Imam Kaseng had been arrested on March 19 and detained at the 39th Special Taskforce Unit at Wat Suan Tham in Reuso. He was found dead on March 21... At the imam's home, they did not bathe the body before burial. In Islamic belief, not bathing the body signifies that the deceased died in the service of Allah. Those preparing the body saw bruises that reached from his face to his toes. Though it is not the common practice, many took photos because of the highly suspicious circumstances, to use as evidence to back up their claims that the imam was beaten and tortured before his death... "A transvestite reports for a military conscription"- The Nation, April 4, 2008 Don't miss this great photo: A transvestite reports for a military conscription in Songkhla’s Sabayoi district Monday. Usually, conscription officials disqualified transvestites for military conscription. Mr "Happy Toilet" Wan - The Nation, April 4, 2008 The Public Health Ministry Friday appointed Wan Yoobamrung "Mr Happy Toilet" to promote a campaign for clean public toilets. "I dreamt when I was a child that if I ever worked here at the Public Health Ministry I would make all the toilets in the country flush toilets," Wan says. Missing foreigners in Thailand - Khao San Road, April 8, 2008 New site for parliament proposed - join the queue - Bangkok Post, April 4, 2008 Monkey on a mini motorcycle - April, 2008 "Rain will fall throughout Thailand" - April 8, 2008 Left: Tim sends this odd ad in from The Nation on March 21, 2008. ROBERT WEISSMAN: Thailand's ill see benefits from 'compulsory licensing' -BND, April 4, 2008 ...Untruthfully, Pipes says Thai patients have not seen benefits as a result. In fact, the Thai compulsory licenses have lowered the price of an important HIV/AIDS drug (brand name: Kaletra) by about three-quarters, enabling the government to triple the number of people receiving this life-saving treatment. More will go on the treatment as need grows and generic competition continues to reduce prices. The generic version of a heart-disease drug (brand-name: Plavix) is one-seventieth the cost of the brand-name product, which will enable the government to offer the drug in the public health system. Previously, it has been unavailable... Black screen speaks volumes about thai censorship - The Nation, April 5, 2008 ...To the cultural authorities, the removal of the six scenes means they have done their job and that the morality of Thai filmgoers is still intact. ...This time round he hopes the audience when seeing the silent, scratched and black frames - the longest censored scene running for seven minutes - will learn a great deal. ...The absence of picture and sound may be the best part of "Sang Sattawat" and when you really watch the silent black screen, ask yourself: "Do I deserve this version?" Whatever your answer, the cultural authorities believe you do. Plus forced to scrap top floors - 11 buildings violate height restrictions - Bangkok Post, April 3, 2008 ...Plus Property Co, a subsidiary of Sansiri Plc, will remove the top floors at 11 of its Condo One low-rise condominiums to comply with city building limits. Chief executive Mayta Chanchamcharat said the company would also refund down payments to any unsatisfied buyers. The renovation and redesign could cost the company up to 400 million baht. As a result, Plus had no choice but to remove a floor. It has already sent letters to the affected customers. On the ninth floors, the company will remove walls and roofs and create closed-dock floors. It will then revise the exterior decoration and apply insulation and waterproofing to prevent heat and water from leaking into the units on the eighth floors. ...Two buildings at The Plus Sathon-Narathiwat site will be able to keep their top floors but at other sites the developer will have to give up a total of 171 units. ''The ninth floors are not allowed for anything, even a garden. We have to close the stairs to the ninth floors as well,'' Mr Mayta said. By law, a building's height is measured from the ground level of the ground floor to the ceiling of the top floor. Anything higher cannot be used for any purpose... 58 years ago: The return of the King - Time, April 3, 1950 ...Siam's virtues and defects were still largely its own, not a bastard product of two civilizations. Phumiphon's never-never land was a land of what-might-have-been, a jewel of (almost) unblemished Easternism shining on the junk heap of the wrecked empires. Like a jewel, Siam was temptingly easy to pick up. The Communist imperialists who had taken China might turn Siam's way any time. ...Signs of the new Westernization are everywhere. The front platforms of the streetcars are adorned with Coca-Cola signs, beneath which yellow-robed monks ride lest they be contaminated by the presence of women inside the cars. Every tenth shop on New Street (one of the oldest thoroughfares) seems to be an X-ray shop. The Siamese are the most X-raying people in the world. They go to a doctor, then rush to have an X-ray to see if the doctor guessed right. ...Then the King of Siam will rise and give his first royal command: "Trust me and be at ease." (from Anake Nawigamune's A Century of Thai Graphic Design) Rice - April 12, 2008 1930s-era poster - It reads: Fate of millions of starving people worldwide is in the hands of Thai farmers. - Thailand [in red] - Thais are Buddhist. We will never let people in the world die from starvation and hunger. The more rice you grow – the higher sales you get. From NottheNation: Cheap farangs suffer as rice prices climb [Includes a photo of the notorious farang beggar.] ...John is not alone. Cheap farangs all over Bangkok are erupting in anger at the price increases, claiming that food vendors are simply trying to pull a fast one on old whitey. ...“Not every farang is sipping cocktails at Vertigo, and I think that Thais need to hear that as well,” said Stevenson. “Sure we might make double, triple or quadruple what Thai make for the same amount of work, but our traveling and living costs are much higher. Thais don’t need serviced apartments, laundry service, pools, fitness rooms and UBC. We do. And those things cost money.” New energy drink: Thaksin... fight! - Matichon, April 11, 2008 Right: Ad for the new Thaksin-themed drink from Sunspark Company. It reads: Give moral support - Give.. Thaksin Soo [Thaksin, fight] At the bottom: Don't give moral support more than two bottles per day. Boys will be girls - If they're from Bangkok - Derby Evening Telegraph, April, 2008 ...Organisers insist it is sexy not sexual, exotic not erotic - and is inspired by the bright lights of Las Vegas rather than the back streets of Bangkok. "The Lady Boys are reviving an ancient tradition which existed for centuries in Thailand," says the show's PR manager Tony Wilkie-Millar... PM hints at an early poll after charter rewrite - The Nation, April 24, 2008 Spokesman: Samak misquoted on House dissolution - Bangkok Post, April 24, 2008 Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej did not say that he will dissolve parliament after the constitution is amended, deputy spokesman of Prime Minister's Office Nuttawut Saikua said Thursday... Manchester City news Eriksson: I'm getting the boot Eriksson to be sacked by Man City Gallagher slams 'ludicrous' Sven decision Save Sven Goran Eriksson from the sack Petition “Power-Crazy Thaksin” - Man City, Didn't We Tell You So? My Bangkok taxi drink-drive shame, by Stephen Hendry - Daily Record, April 30, 2008 Snooker star Stephen Hendry drunkenly drove a taxi along one of the most dangerous city roads in the world. The Scot admitted he bribed a cabbie in Bangkok to let him get behind the wheel... Prince Phillip quote map - May, 2008 The Duke accepts a conservation award in Thailand with his own unique style: "Your country is one of the most notorious centres of trading in endangered species in the world." Purple line draws mega-firms - The Nation, May 3, 2008 Lonely Planet founder defends Myanmar guidebook amid criticism that tourism aids junta - Sin Chew Jit Poh, April 30, 2008 Shrimp industry blasted for "modern-day slavery" - Reuters, April 24, 2008 ...In Thailand, workers in shrimp-processing factories earned about $4.60 a day for a six-day work week. Child labour and forced labour were often the norm, the Solidarity Centre said. The Thai shrimp industry saw abuse by brokers and smugglers of migrant workers, mostly those fleeing repression and economic ruin in military-run Myanmar but also workers from Thailand's poorer neighbours Laos and Cambodia, it said... The full report is here. Not an April Fool's Day joke apparently: Girl band to front Culture Ministry campaign to dress modestly - for Thai new year - Sin Chew Jit Poh, April 1, 2008 Karun jump-kicks at Somkiart in parliament - The Nation, April 2, 2008 [Just a note that this is the colorful Karun Hosakul. Once a Chart Thai city councilor in Don Muang, he suddenly defected to Thai Rak Thai during the heyday of the TRT eating up other party members. Once he was running for a Don Muang MP seat, it was revealed that he had bought his vocational school certificate (the equivalent of a high school degree) and this fact invalidated bachelor's degree he later earned that qualified him to run as an MP. The Election Commission disqualified him as a candidate for this deceit.] Also: Fit of fury (Photo: Alexander) Photos of the Bangkok torch run - April 19, 2008 (Photo: Alexander) (Photo: Alexander) Thai security keeps torch protests in check - CNN, April 19, 2008 A reader mentions: Not mentioned in the story is that pro-Chinese demonstrators vastly outnumbered pro-Tibet ones and that when someone tried to unfurl Tibetan flags, Chinese officials ripped them out of the protester's hands; that was reported on BBC Television. Police threaten to arrest Olympic protesters - The Nation, April 17, 2008 Those who disrupt the Olympic torch run in Bangkok Saturday will be unconditionally arrested and charged with causing public disturbance, police spokesman Pol Lt General Watcharaphol Prasarnratchakij said Thursday. Foreign protestors will have their rights for immediate residence and their future entry in Thailand revoked, and those with also Thai nationality will have it revoked permanently. ...Free Tibet Network member Pokpong Lawansiri disagrees with the stance against pro-Tibet protests. "Under the Constitution, an individual - local or foreigner - has the right to rally for a cause," he says. "Peaceful rally should be allowed"... (Photo: Greg) Above and below: Greg sends these photos from Wong Wien Odeon and notes: Strange feeling - it's the first time in my life that any government has stopped me from doing something that's supposed to be a guarantee under a 'democracy'... another nail in the coffin for democracy in Thailand, I guess. (Photo: Greg) Cruise of Thailand's cultural heritage -- Olympic torch relay route in Bangkok - Xinhua, April 17, 2008 The designed route of the April 19 Olympic torch relay in Bangkok embodies Thailand's traditional culture and history... Thailand sets flexible route to ensure security for Olympic torch run - AP, April 17, 2008 ...They also said they were prepared to shorten or change the torch relay route if protesters threaten to cause chaos, as they have in other cities... Thai CSOs organise Tibet torch protest to highlight China’s human rights abuses - ForumAsia, April 12, 2008 ...The Free Tibet Network and a coalition of Thai civil-society organisations are urging people to join a “No Torch in Tibet” march in Bangkok on April 19 in protest against the Chinese government’s refusal to stop the Olympic torch relay through Tibet in June, a land still awash in the blood spilled in China’s recent crackdown. And a map of the route is here. From NoTorch: Preparatory meeting to prepare for the protest of the Olympic torch relay Free Tibet Network, together with Thai Labour Campaign, Social Critic Group - Chulalongkorn University, Workers Democracy Group, Social Democracy Study Group - Thammasat University, Young People for Democracy - Thailand, would like to invite all student activists, NGO activists, and peace-lovers to join the preparatory meeting to prepare for the protest of the Olympic torch relay (which is set to be held on Saturday 19 April). The meeting will be held at the Students Christian Center (SCC) near Rajathewi BTS Station at Thursday 17 April 2008, at 7.00 pm. For more information, please contact 086 603 8844, 081 176 3110 and http://notorch.blogspot.com/ Thailand assures smooth passages for olympic torch relay - Bernama, April 11, 2008 The Thai government, which will conduct the Olympic torch relay next week, believes there will be no violent protests over China's crackdown in Tibet as had happened in some other cities, Thailand's news agency TNA reported... (Billboard for the San Francisco protest) Will there be protest in Bangkok? - April 9, 2008 The torch comes to Bangkok on April 19... The Official Website of the Torch Relay Torch in Bangkok section of the Official Olympics site Thailand pledges to ensure smooth torch run in capital Submit your best wishes for the torch relay Reporters without Borders Olympic campaign Left: Official logo Right: One of several protest logos for the games And on this page, a photo of Thailand's "Grand Palace?" Suthinee notes: Actually the wat in that picture is in Phrae Province Amphur Denchai.