News and Views - February 2008 Samak becomes pale when shown his picture taken with Prapass - The Nation, February 22, 2008 (Photo: Manager) A white Thai wedding - Vietnam Net, February 24, 2008 Le Anh Dung reports on a wedding of white Thai ethnic people in Nam Giai commune, Que Phong district, the central province of Nghe An in photos... Marine major dismissed from service - Stars and Stripes, February 14, 2008 ...According to testimony Tuesday, Davis, a 26-year veteran who rose through the enlisted ranks, accepted a loan of 100,000 Thai baht (about $2,324) in May 2002 from a contractor who was also a family friend. The money was to help pay for Davis' wedding to a Thai woman in June 2002, and a deal was made to repay the loan by looking the other way when the contractor delivered less bottled water than ordered, according to court testimony... From NottheNation: ‘The Nation’ Hails History-Making Discovery of Incredible Program Called ‘Spell Check’ ...Group editor Pana Janviroj was fast to claim the news as a trailblazing moment in the history of journalism in the country. “The discovery of this program known as ‘spell check’ is the greatest breakthrough for English-language Thai media in the country since we discovered the thesaurus function in 2002,” he announced. ...The editor-in-chief of the new content-free paper ‘Daily Xpress,’ Tulsathit Taptim, said that the discovery of spell check would not impact the publication’s name. “The new generation of sophisticated readers is much too clever to care about spelling words correctly. For this segment it is important to have trendy misspellings that highlight hip letters, like the letter X in Xpress. Spell check, while obviously an exciting new technology, is more suited to the older generation of ‘Nation’ readers.” Info on banks in Thailand - February 28, 2008 We included this link only to point out the following immortal quote: Banking in Thailand is a relatively stress free practice... Bangkok motorists annoyed by mobile ads - Bangkok Post, February 26, 2008 ...The company has received numerous complaints from people who claimed the ads interfere with visibility and cause traffic jams, especially when they are parked illegally. ''Our mobile units stopped parking the trucks in improper areas such as on pavements and roadsides. We have already rented some parking spaces for our vehicles after paying fines for a month,'' said Kitichai Srijumroen, the CEO of Hello Bangkok. He claimed the vehicles had been parked illegally because the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) had not co-operated... Thai companies shun charities, outreach - Bangkok Post, February 26, 2008 Only 11% of Thai companies donate to charities, well under the global average of 65%, according to a new survey on corporate social responsibility by the consultancy Grant Thornton... Bangkok Critical Mass - February 27, 2008 Graeme notes: Thanks for the news. I check on it daily. I came across this from the Bangkok Hash House Bikers email group. Thought you would be interested. This Friday it seems the first Critical Mass will take place in Siam Square. Link here and here. DPB General Thai website - February 27, 2008 Odd animation on their Flash intro! Cartoon from The Irrawaddy: Thailand’s New ‘Good Neighbor’ Policy Palang Thai - February 29, 2008 Making clean, democratic, reliable, affordable energy happen in the Mekong Region and beyond... Thailand: New fear of illegal killings coincides with Thaksin's return - Amnesty International, February 27, 2008 More signs from Chiang Mai: "No highrises" - February 27, 2008 Sadortu reports: There is the proposed construction of a tall building that hides the view of Doi Sutep and many temples that are located at slope of the hill. This is the reason that we do not want to announce that we do not want the high building in Soi Umong, Chaing Mai. Right: Permit high building in the narrow street?     (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Left: Area of Mu 1, 8, 10, 14 is the controlled area for high buildings. So at present there is the announcement the area that prohibits high buildings is announced by the municipality. Below: Narrow street, seizing the car park, seizing the water, so how to survive together. We don't want the high building in Soi Wat Umong again. (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Construction - February 29, 2008 Unusual construction on the old MacKenna Theater site. Anyone know details of this development? Suspect in 1994 California murder returned from Thailand - San Jose Mercury News, February 27, 2008 ...Saner Wonggoun left his two children and fled to Thailand before he could be questioned in the death of his wife... Fossil remains of new primate species found - Bangkok Post, February 26, 2008 ...The newly discovered species is considered the smallest ancient primate, with a length of only 15 centimetres and weighing an estimated 500 grammes, team leader Yaowalak Chaimanee said. ''We have found four lower teeth, which helped us identify it as belonging to the family Sivaladapidae, which was found only in Asia _ mainly in China, Burma, India and Thailand _ from the mid-Eocene period [about 40 million years ago] until the lower Miocene [about eight million years ago],'' she said. ''With its small size, it would have probably have eaten insects and fruit.'' She said Siamoadapis maemohensis was a kind of Strepsirrhine. Lemurs and slow loris are believed to have developed from the species... In Thailand, all that glitters is probably not gold - Reuters, February 27, 2008 Thailand's sluggish economy and record gold prices have prompted many elderly Thais to cash in family heirlooms as they struggle to make ends meet... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Sunday morning at Chatuchak Park - February 17, 2008 Left and below: Police with a court order take away caged birds from a vendor's stall. These appeared to be the black crested birds often kept in the Deep South. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) A great smacking sound - Chang Noi, February 18, 2008 ...The inability to catch big businesses for profiting through conflict of interest is perhaps not so surprising. But the total failure to prosecute anyone for the massive mining of Suvarnabhumi Airport is gob-smacking. The case over the CTX scanners has dissolved into thin air, even though it was reported months ago that the US Department of Justice had provided the names of those involved. Khunying Jaruvarn estimated that contracts were padded by 40 percent on average, but not one case has been launched. It is well established that King Power occupied far more retail space than its contract allowed, blocked safety exists, built a whole building without permission and without rental, and prejudiced airport security. Yet all attempts to bring the company to justice have been sandbagged. If these massive bits of plundering are safe from the law, then more modest piracy should be fine... Oxfam urges Thailand to keep generic drugs programme - AFP, February 19, 2008 ..."We urge the government to listen to the poor people in Thailand," she said. Under the scheme, Thailand's previous military government issued so-called compulsory licences, which temporarily suspend patent protections for pricey medicines and allow production of cheaper and copycat versions. The move has angered Western drug giants, which called it an infringement on their intellectual property rights, but activists have hailed it, saying it was a "beacon" for other developing nations seeking cheaper medicines for the poor... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Interesting roof - February 23, 2008 Interesting roof in the Chatuchak area... 'Actors' in the House don't come cheap - Bangkok Post, February 22, 2008 ...Besides the monthly stipend of 62,000 baht per head, these men and women are also to enjoy an additional allowance of 42,330 baht, starting from the day they take the vow to fulfil their stomachs, oops, missions as our rightful representatives. Next, each MP can hire up to five assistants, each of whom will be paid 10,000 baht, as well as appoint a ''personal expert''--this one comes with a 20,000 baht-a-month price tag. In effect, we taxpayers have to foot basic monthly bills worth 174,330 baht for each MP. In a country where the daily minimum wage is still under 200 baht, the MPs' salary budget comes down to 83,678,400 baht for the whole assembly in one month, or 1,004,140,800 baht a year. That is not all. Our MPs can also enjoy free plane rides, or if they choose to travel by train or car, an extra per diem for a person who will chaperone them. There is also a health insurance package--that's another 20,000 baht per head per year. ...The hilarious point in the report came during the question and answer period. A few MPs apparently believed they deserved more. Led by the People Power party, they called for more money to hire more assistants and personal experts than the designated quota. And sir, we also want a personal chauffeur, too. And how about reimbursing other charges--say, for when we drive to an airport in another province? One in particular asked specifically for a refund for the petrol he had paid for on the first day he came to report at Parliament... Thailand threat to shoot 4000 in drug war - Telegraph, February 23, 2008 ...The interior minister Chalerm Yubamrung, said: "When we implement a policy that may bring 3,000 to 4,000 bodies, we will do it,"... Thailand's gay past - Bangkok Post, February 23, 2008 Mention homosexuality and many Thais will blame it on recent Western influences. Ask Varaporn Vichayarath what she thinks, however, and she would simply smile before providing a list of old temples with murals depicting same-sex courtship... Senior govertment officials must stop using private e-mail - TNA, Februsary 24, 2008 ...Sue Lo-utai, permanent secretary for ICT, said senior government officials with the rank of C-8 level and above must stop using privately-owned e-mail services, especially those operated by foreigners such as 'Yahoo' and 'Hotmail', as required by a resolution issued by the previous government December 18. ...Lower ranking government officials must also stop using private e-mail services within a year after the cabinet resolution, said Mr. Sue... Another Canadian dies in Thailand - Canada.com, February 21, 2008 A 20-year-old Victoria-area woman has died during a holiday in Thailand, the fifth incident of Canadians being injured or killed this year... Pirate movie burner lab raided in Bangkok - Business of cinema, February 21, 2008 Orange County man wanted for child porn found in Thailand - ABC Action News, February, 2008 [It seems the Thai police have learned their lesson--send the suspect back quietly--rather than have a Thai-style media circus to present their triumph in capturing the suspect.] ...After several years of searching for the suspect he was located in Thailand, where he was teaching at a school for boys. Mr. Betts was deported by Thailand Immigration and transported to Los Angeles where he was arrested and booked by Los Angeles County Officials. He is now awaiting extradition. Samak becomes pale when shown his picture taken with Prapass - The Nation, February 22, 2008 Thailand's 40 richest - Forbes, December 7, 2007 Jakrapob denies ordering withdrawal of Chirmsak's radio talk show - The Nation, February 15, 2008 PM's office minister Jakrapob Penkair Thursday denied he was behind the withdrawal of Chirmsak Pinthong from a radio talk show. Jakrapob said neither he nor anyone in the Cabinet ordered the production house Fatima to remove Chirmsak from the host programme. He said it was not government policy. "I can't leave this. I want to know who is behind the scene. I will tell the Public Relations Department chief to call the company [Fatima] to hold a press briefing to explain the case in order to prevent other matters that might be happen in the future," he said. He said there are 'invisible hands' who want to slander the government. Yesterday: Chirmsak stops hosting radio talk following threat - The Nation, February 14, 2008 ‘Rambo is hilarious’: military mouthpiece - The Irrawaddy, February 19, 2008 Kachins suspect Russian company drilling uranium - The Irrawaddy, February 19, 2008 ...The regime has been selling large mining concessions to selected companies in Hukawng Valley in Kachin State since 2002. The regime’s Ministry of Mining collects large signing-on fees for the concessions, as well as 35 to 50 percent tax on annual profits. Additional payments are rendered to the military’s top commander for the region and various township and local authorities, as well as the Minister of Mining himself.  Wikileaks.org shut down by California judge - February 19, 2008 Wikileaks' version of the story: Wikileaks Under Attack: California Court Wipes Wikileaks.org Out of Existence When the transparency group Wikileaks was censored in China last year, no-one was too surprised. After all, the Chinese government also censors the Paris based Reporters Sans Frontiers and New York Based Human Rights Watch. And when Wikileaks published the secret censorship lists of Thailand's military Junta, no-one was too surprised when people in that country had to go to extra lengths to read the site. But on Friday the 15th, February 2008, in the home of the free and the land of the brave, and a constitution which states "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press", the Wikileaks.org press was shutdown... This is the article that did it: Clouds on the Cayman tax heaven ...Wikileaks would like to encourage everyone out there to have a look at the information. We encourage anyone dealing with tax fraud and evasion and offshore/Swiss banking to review the material posted with us. This will make sure we can verify the relevance and validity of the material presented. Bank Julius Baer has decided to go for the next round in trying to silence Wikileaks. This will not happen and only proves that at least parts of the material hold valid information. The site is still available here and here and a list of domains that the site is still available under. A mirror for Thai national politics: The curious case of Pom Mahakan - UCLA, February, 2008 The so-called "Rattanakosin Island Project" is an attempt to recreate the old dynastic city of Bangkok as a national monument and enhanced tourist attraction.  It has become the site of protracted arguments about the role of the West in the formation of modern Thai culture and politics.  Within this area, the tiny Pom Mahakan community -- target for one of the first collective evictions of the project under a philosophy that prefers broad vistas and monumental spaces to the messiness of social life -- has become a surprisingly important focus for some of the principal strains of current Thai politics.  Its struggle to survive reveals many of the paradoxes, most notably the tension between egalitarianism and hierarchy and between a powerful assertion of community rights and the persistent emphasis on national unity, that infuse the present-day search for a collective Thai identity in the face of rapid global change... Memoirs of a boyhood among monsters - The Record, February 18, 2008 Stories told in the pages Rattana Pok's book chronicling his boyhood in Cambodia may be hard for most people to imagine... Equal rights and opportunities for men and women - Adhaalathu, February, 2008 [Nothing to do with Thailand, but interesting... Conservative perspective from a Maldives political party.] ...The solution to divorce and the resulting agony to women does not lie in women leaving the children at home and going for work. The causes of divorce are very well known to us. The first and major reason is that men and women are allowed to mix up freely. Husbands and wives have the opportunity to freely mix up with the opposite sex in their offices, at parties and other social and official functions. Husbands usually fall in love with other women, married or unmarried!... YouTube: 6 Oct 1976 - February 19, 2008 Thanks to Steve for pointing this out. And on Wikipedia. More criticism for the new government Clowns, cronies, dimwits crowd centre stage ...Hearing these Cabinet members' fancy ideas, such as planting eucalyptus trees in rice fields, selling unsalted fermented fish for better nutrition, setting aside traffic lanes for brats to enjoy motorbike races and, most recently, a plan to build a copy of the London Eye, one cannot help but be resigned to the fact that one has to suffer fools gladly at times... Samak swears he was not related to student massacre in 1976 Chalerm denies having conflicts with other PPP leaders Samak blows his top after questioned about press censorship following Oct 6 1976 event Student Massacre: Historians reject PM's 'distortions' From the city, via the jungle, to defeat:: the 6th Oct 1976 bloodbath and the CPT Carey spotted in Thai hideaway - ABC, February 16, 2008 Disgraced former footballer Wayne Carey has been spotted in Thailand just a day after being blasted for not appearing in a US court on assault charges... A tip for medical care in Bangkok - Stickman, February, 2008 SRT: The Maeklong line and Maeklong railway market - Australian Transport Discussion Board, February, 2008 [Thanks to Ric form pointing this out.] 'Red flag' Thailand, upset dad says - Kitchener/Waterloo Record, February 16, 2008 The father of a Canadian killed in Thailand last month wants stronger warnings issued about the Southeast Asian country in the wake of another violent attack this week... Thailand seeks to conclude Saudi blue diamond case - EARTHtimes, February 16, 2008 Thailand hopes to normalize diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia by concluding the Blue Diamond case, involving at least four unsolved murders of Saudi diplomats and millions of dollars'-worth of missing royal jewelry, state media said... "Squeezed in" subway ad angers passengers - Reuters, February 15, 2008 An advertisement on Beijing's subway proclaiming "Squeezed in?! Go and buy a car then!" has angered passengers who said it only encourages traffic jams, a state newspaper said Friday... Wikitravel Press launches first printed guidebooks - February 2008 From a press release we received: Wikitravel Press (www.wikitravelpress.com) announced the publication of their first titles, Wikitravel Chicago and Wikitravel Singapore.  The titles are the first in a series of printed guidebooks created using a revolutionary combination of Wiki technology coupled with on-demand printing. And tough words from the site front page: Wikitravel guidebooks - Written by fellow travelers Other guidebooks - Rushed together by hired hacks No warnings against travel in Thailand - Canada.com, February 14, 2008 No warnings have been issued against travelling to Thailand, even though a fourth Canadian has been shot there so far this year... COMMENTARY Samak's atonement - Bangkok Post, February 15, 2008 ...The official death toll for that day when heavily-armed Border Patrol Police and ideology-crazed paramilitary groups and militants brutally cracked down on protesting students holed up in Thammasat University is 46 killed. The award-winning photograph showing a man driving a stake into a dead body also shows that there were many more - at least four - blood-splattered corpses lying around in the vicinity. ...Prime Minister Samak has chosen not to consider any of the evidence, however. ..."No. For me, no deaths; one unlucky guy being beaten and being burned in Sanam Luang. Only one guy died that day," he told CNN correspondent Dan Rivers last weekend... What was Samak thinking? - Asia Sentinel, February, 2008 [Includes a slide show of photos from the massacre.] ...All in all, as Dan Rivers pointed out, officials acknowledged that 46 people died in the attack. Witnesses claim that hundreds died, although it's unclear if the truth will ever be known... Also: Thanom Kittikachorn on Wikipedia Also: Samak lectures reporters on how to do their job - The Nation, February 15, 2008 [You can almost feel the hostility. It is like the TRT days again...] Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on Friday got through his first formal press conference at Government House by rattling on for half an hour about questions posed by the local press... Also: Manager piles on as well showing photos of Samak sitting on a platform higher than a group of monks allegedly showing disrespect or pretension (in the same way these types of charges were leveled at Thaksin). Simpsons-themed Bangkok bar - February 15, 2008 From an email received: For any of you wondering how a seedy dive like Flaming Moe's has managed to stay open lo these many years despite the obvious shortcomings of its owner, I have your answer...and her name is Sar.  This Sunday, February 17th is the lovely and talented Sar's birthday.  If you're in town, we'd love to have you drop in and help us celebrate... Also: Censoring smoking on The Simpsons in Thailand Thailand attracts fugitives from U.S. - Detroit News, February 20, 2008 ...In downtown Bangkok, street vendors offer forged American driver's licenses for about $35. Medical clinics provide plastic surgery for a fraction of U.S. prices. The combination of lax law enforcement, easy hospitality and thousands of backwater towns has attracted a wide roster of fugitives to Thailand and other nations in Southeast Asia... Caveman - February 23, 2008 New cartoon from Thaihippy Will Sutham call Samak over Oct 6 truth? - The Nation, February 21, 2008 ...But Sutham Saengprathum remembers the incident as a black hole in Thai political history. He wrote in one of his personal journals:   "Just before I went to see the prime minister (MR Seni Pramoj) I was in Thammasat campus. The stage set up for public speeches was shot through with bullet holes. We had to evacuate ourselves to continue our activities under that stage. I was hugging my friends to say goodbye. But the scene I saw right then didn't allow me to make the decision to leave. What I saw was a male student in a pool of blood after being shot at right in the middle of the (football) field. A female student, probably a volunteer nurse, ran up to him to help carry him to the Accountancy faculty building. While she was struggling to walk him out of the firing zone, she was shot and killed right in front of where I was standing. A third friend who rushed up to them in the hope of helping them was also cut down by bullets. "The three of them laid dead right in the middle of the football field of Thammasat University. It's a picture that has stayed in my memory until today…" Anybody seriously interested in Thai political history would naturally be curious to know what Sutham today thinks of Prime Minister Samak's statement - repeated in his rebuttal against opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva's comment in Parliament on Monday - that only one person died in the October 6, 1976 crackdown. Would Sutham give PM Samak a call to clear things up, now that they belong to the same camp? Communist police ambush Thai firm - intellasia.net, February 6, 2008 [This is apparently an opposition news site--plainly evident from the selection of verbs in the list of featured stories: persecuted, loses, reneges, breaches, snub, breaks.] For a Thai zinc oxide company, venturing into Vietnam’s provincial backwater has proved fatal after being ambushed by the communist country’s economic police. After spending millions of dollars and years of setbacks and prolonged delays in setting up a zinc oxide factory in the poor and remote province of Bac Kan, production finally started in January 2007 at the Viet Thai Zinc Industry Joint Venture Co with output destined for export. But no sooner had the company finally had its very first consignment cleared by customs and sent to a warehouse in the port city of Hai Phong, the economic police swooped in and seized Viet Thai’s goods at the warehouse claiming “economic violations”... And an earlier claim: Vietnam loses former investment lustre to Thailand Who wrote "Gastronomy in Asia I"? - February 14, 2008 An odd blue banner is draped on a rooftop and is visible just north of where the expressway crosses Sukhumvit Road. It reads: "Who wrote gastronomy in Asia I?" Does anyone know what this refers to? (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) For whiter skin - February 16, 2008 It reads: Wish saying farewell to dull skin and brown spots was as easy as changing clothes? With the Vichy Bi-White Advanced collection, you will have glowing skin with less brown spots. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) It reads: You let me know "true love." Ponds Flawless Light knows "true love." Earlier: TV commercials: Getting your skin its whitest The closest man in Mahatma Gandhi's life arrives in Bangkok - Thai Indian, February 13, 2008 Top Myanmar rebel leader assassinated in Thailand: police - AFP, February 14, 2008 Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based news outlet run by exiled dissidents, said Pado Manh Sha was shot dead by two gunmen... Thailand nabs "ponytail bandit," US police say - The Nation, February 14, 2008 Family angry with consulate for not hiring guards for slain man's Thai funeral - Canwest News Service, February 13, 2008 Thai antiquities, resting uneasily - New York Times, February 17, 2008 ...He also cited a precedent established by a 2003 federal appellate court decision against the antiquities Frederick Schultz, which puts a burden on the foreign government to show that it enforces its own property statute. Imagine “you have this vast body of archaeological material over which another government has waved its wand and said it’s ours,” Mr. Urice said, “but they have not done anything more than that to protect it. Under those circumstances, there is an open question as to whether the U.S. would treat it as stolen.” As for the next steps in the federal investigation, Mr. Urice is not placing any bets. “The whole thing could be dropped altogether because of insufficient evidence or because they are feeling weak about their legal theories,” he said, “or this could move forward into an important, precedent-setting case.” The worst building in the history of mankind - Esquire, January 28, 2008, 6:57 AM [Thanks to Don for pointing this out.] It's the Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea, where the world's 22nd largest skyscraper has been vacant for two decades and is likely to stay that way ... forever... Thailand's tallest tower gets go-ahead - EARTHtimes, February 12, 2008 ...The beach-front residential condominium, is to be 91 storeys and 327 metres high, making it taller than Thailand's current tallest building, Bangkok's Baiyoke Tower II, which stands at 304 metres... Conservation group says its survey finds tiger skins, bones sold openly in Indonesia - Sin Chew Jit Poh, February 12, 2008 No sex on Valentine's, Thai police warn teens - Reuters, February 13, 2008 ...Thailand's moral guardians are taking action after an Assumption University poll showed 27 percent of 2,400 Bangkok teenagers surveyed said they might have sex on Wednesday. Despite Bangkok's reputation as one of the world's sex industry centres, predominately Buddhist Thailand is generally a conservative country... "Curve of 100 corpses" claims more victims in Thailand - Monsters and Critics, February, 2008 From the family of Leo Del Pinto - gunned down by police in Thailand - andrew-drummond.com, February 12, 2008 Thai liquor tycoon may take large chunk of Shin Corp. - Forbes, February, 2008 ...Singapore’s Business Times on Monday illustrated the frenzied attempts by Temasek to unload part of its Shin stake, citing an investment banking source as saying that it had approached even Thaksin, who is living in exile in London since being ousted by a military coup, for a possible sale, in addition to Charoen and other Thai tycoons such as agrobusiness magnate Dhanin. ...Charoen listed Thai Beverages on the Singapore exchange in May in 2006, months before Thaksin lost his premiership, prompted by a political campaign at home to thwart his listing an alcohol-producing business in a Buddhist country like Thailand. He was seen as a potential threat to Thaksin’s rule at the time. Buying a strategic stake from Temasek in Shin would serve as fitting payback for the troubles Charoen encountered at home two years ago. Police say 'ponytail bandit,' husband, have fled to Thailand - Austin American-Statesman, February, 2008 Police said that the woman known as the "ponytail bandit" and her husband have fled to Thailand after committing a series of bank robberies... Overseas & Oversexed - Financial Post, February 9, 2008 [Thanks to the dozens who quickly pointed this out.] ..."Then there are the guys who are old, fat and bald, without any prospects of attracting the attention of a smart, young, attractive Western woman, but discover that they can be attractive because of their affluence or visa status to a whole range of [Asian] women, and strike up a relationship with one of them, not realizing that in the eyes of their friends and other Asians, they look at best [like] fools and at worst predators," he adds... Agencies told to adjust Bkk subway plans - Bangkok Post, February 10, 2008 MP flown to Thailand by the taxpayer - Telegraph, February 10, 2008 More Thai goods on Carrefour shelves - Bangkok Post, February 11, 2008 ...Thailand has lost its market share on food products sent to Carrefour's global network in the past 2-3 years to the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, due mainly to higher prices... Britain kow tows to China as athletes are forced to sign no criticism contracts - Daily Mail, February 10, 2008 ...The BOA took the decision even though other countries – including the United States, Canada, Finland, and Australia – have pledged that their athletes would be free to speak about any issue concerning China. To date, only New Zealand and Belgium have banned their athletes from giving political opinions while competing at the Games... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Disney bus - February 10, 2008 It reads: I’m younger, so I should go first. Thai referee gets a beating by entire soccer team - Reuters, February 8, 2008 [Thanks to Morten for pointing this out.] Law Society warns Chalerm not to use summary executions in war on drug - The Nation, February 9, 2008 New Interior Minister apologizes for tainted past, swears to work justly - The Nation, February 8, 2008 ...Police Captain Chalerm said that his opportunity to assume the position of interior minister was a blessing that he would work to deserve... Thailand junta admits failure, ends its role - Gulf Times, February 7, 2008 Thailand’s military junta that staged a 2006 coup officially ended its role yesterday, admitting that it had failed in its political objectives and promising to avoid further coups... Thailand will not interfere in Myanmar - AP, February 7, 2008 Thailand's newly elected government will maintain a policy of noninterference in military-ruled Myanmar, the foreign minister said Thursday, adding that democracy and human rights are "domestic issues..." Wikipedia Islam Entry Is Criticized - NYT, February 5, 2008 An article about the Prophet Muhammad in the English-language Wikipedia has become the subject of an online protest in the last few weeks because of its representations of Muhammad, taken from medieval manuscripts... Tortured Arguments - Prachatai, February 8, 2008 [Could it be that Prachatai does not realize this article is a joke in the style of NottheNation?] ...A spokesperson from the Department of Labour pointed out that torture is an integral component of police and national security work and as such is exclusively reserved for Thais. "Foreigners can't expect to come to Thailand and just torture people,' said a Department spokesperson, "especially without a work permit. If they want people tortured, they should ask the relevant Thai authorities to do it for them.' When Prachatai took up the issue with the Special Interrogations Division of the National Police Office, an officer, requesting anonymity since he was not authorized to make official statements, said that there was no need for the CIA to conduct torture on Thai territory. "We have fully developed torture facilities in Thailand and can guarantee a first-class service.' He noted that waterboarding has long been part of the Thai security services' repertoire. "In fact, we could probably teach the CIA a thing or two,' he added... Broken hearted in a Thai retreat - Times Online, February, 2008 Thai embassy responds - Jakarta Post, February 10, 2008 ...The article's attempt to juxtapose Thaksin with the King is not only simply ludicrous but more importantly, highly insensitive to Thai people's feelings... Call for strict monitoring of 'love nests' for youngsters - Bangkok Post, February 7, 2008 [Don't miss this article...] ...'Authorities should strictly monitor and prevent premature sex in these locations throughout the year,'' she said. ''The sale of condoms at grocery stores also encourages sex among youngsters.'' Media hype surrounding Valentine's Day had encouraged teens to skip classes to engage in sexual activity, she said. Chronic failure in Thai police: HRW - The Nation, February 7, 2008 ...Police brutality and abuses have characterized government efforts to suppress drugs in Thailand in recent years. HRW documented extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations in the context of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's notorious "war on drugs" (see the report at http://hrw.org/reports/2004/thailand0704/). Despite the killing of more than 2,000 people, to date there have been no criminal prosecutions of the perpetrators, many of whom are believed to include police officers... Doing business with Myanmar - The Nelson Mail, February, 2008 ...Now, it is back in focus, in a very small way - at least in this country - after revelations that a state-owned business has enterprisingly landed a deal helping to build cellphone towers. Government broadcast and telecommunications business Kordia has almost completed an $80,000 deal with the pariah state's military rulers. National's foreign affairs spokesman Murray McCully suggests inconsistencies, given the Government's "tantrum" over Air New Zealand planes being chartered by Australia to carry Iraq-bound troops, and its imposing of some sanctions on Fiji after the latest military crackdown there... Insurgents say they received 100 baht to bomb soldiers - translated and summarized from Thai Rath, February 3, 2008 Pattani Provincial Police Station held a press conference at 11:00 am yesterday to announce their arrest of a suspected insurgent named as Ma-ae Kuli (32) - who already had an arrest warrant issued against him. Ma-ae was charged with bomb-attacking a group of soldiers in front of the Mosque in Yarang District’s Momawi Commune on January 18. The blast claimed a life of one soldier, and wounded two officers. The arrested insurgent admitted that he had carried out the attack in conjunction with five other insurgents: Isma-ae Pa-ohmani, Yako Ali, Abas Ali, Chugifli Vadeng and Isma-ae Kutae. Ma-ae named the person who detonated the bomb as Yako Ali - who died [of unspecified causes] on January 23. Isma-ae added that Yako had coerced him into carrying out insurgent activities with a promise that he would eventually receive a large sum of money for his activities. After they had carried out their bombing mission, Yako paid the six men only 100 baht each. Isma-ae also made a statement advised the four remaining bombers to report themselves to the police at the earliest opportunity. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Above: It reads: Everything is possible for anyone. Just give them a chance. Disabled angry over sterilisation - Sin Chew Jit Poh, February 5, 2008 Many physically disabled women have lost their chance to become mothers as, without their knowledge or even permission, they were subjected to sterilisation... Malaysian arrested for cheating Thai businessman - Malaysian National News Agency, February 6, 2008 TAT to update Wiki content on Thailand - Bangkok Post, February 5, 2008 ...The Wiki Mission for Thailand will attempt to involve travellers in improving and editing all of the information about Thailand on Wikipedia.org and Wikitravel.org.The TAT also aims to help members of the local travel and tourism industry by allowing them to post details of their travel products, deals and related information online... Thai coach takes swipe at FIFA over late suspensions - Guardian, February 6, 2008 ... "They have no accumulated yellow cards. Do you think it's fair? We submitted the list of players a month ago. Is this football or politics?"... Thai boy to receive surgery in Canberra - ABC Online, February 6, 2008 Top court rules Ultraman is not Thai - AFP, February 5, 2008 ...The judges found Sompote did not contribute any creativity to the Ultraman character when it was first created more than four decades ago, the official said... 13 mile long dragon - Wired Blog, February, 2008 Ruptures call safety of Internet cables into question - IHT, February 4, 2008 Four undersea communication cables have been cut in the past week, raising questions about the safety of the oceanic network that handles the bulk of the world's Internet and telephone traffic... Kuwait plans $85 billion 'City of Silk' - The Age, February 6, 2008 [Danny notes: Note the reference to a 1001 meter tower!] Laos: Poultry imports from Thailand banned - Sin Chew Jit Poh, February 4, 2008 Authorities announced a ban on all poultry products from Thailand last week, in the wake of the most recent outbreak of avian influenza in several countries in the region... Faceless bank robber in Bangkok - Pink Tentacle, February, 2008 As a commenter wrote: "Daft Punk?" New owner takes wheel of Micro Bus - Bangkok Post, February 5, 2008 Samak's plan to divert Mekong water panned - Isan scheme feasible, say experts, but costly - Bangkok Post, February 5, 2008 ...Under the plan, water from the Mekong river would be diverted through underground tunnels. Reservoirs would be built and water pipelines laid down to transport water to farmland. ...Montree Chantarawong, campaign coordinator of the Bangkok-based Towards Ecological Recovery and Regional Alliance (Terra), said the Samak government should learn from the previous Mekong-Chi-Mun water diversion project which aimed to divert water from the Mekong to the Chi and Mun rivers. The project was shelved as it caused widespread soil salination. The region has a vast area of salt deposits which would wreak havoc upon farmland in those areas near waterways or reservoirs... Autocratic States Stage Elections, Claim Legitimacy - Epoch Times, February, 2008 ...In 2007, countries like Bahrain, Jordan, Nigeria, Russia, and Thailand, are passing themselves off as "democratic" by merely holding a vote, while engaged in election fraud, severe repression, intimidation and violence against persons of opposition parties, and threats and harassment towards the press... Thailand vs A Sensational Foreign Media - Thai Blogs, February, 2008 [This is the full version of the article that appeared in The Nation over the weekend.] Yesterday: Is Thailand really so dangerous for foreigners? - The Statesman, February, 2008 New Thai PM to take defense minister's job to deter military coup - Sin Chew Jit Poh, February 3, 2008 Thailand's new prime minister said Sunday (3 Feb) that he will also become the defense minister in a soon-to-be unveiled Cabinet to deter the military from staging a coup against his government... Ruling on email gets a panning - The Nation, February 4, 2008 ...He said the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission had conducted a study last year and found that four out of every 10 government officials were using Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo in communicating official matters... Good articles from The Irrawaddy Burma’s censors are now also code-breakers Calls to reform exiled government grow Mon culture group replaced by junta thugs Junta censors news about free funeral services society New govt to extend mass-transit routes - The Nation, February 3, 2008 [Not much about the routes to be extended, but just a sign that mass transit will hopefully come back as a major subject in the new future.] Censored gag - February 2, 2008 Things censored on Thai TV include cigarette smoking, bare bottoms (even in cartoons), drug references, and weapons being held to a person's head. Occasionally the censors remove other things for obscure reasons. For the airing of the American Dad episode Black Mystery Month, True Visions cable TV completely removed the opening title newspaper gag for some reason. The uncensored version (left), reads "Iran changes flag to middle finger." The gag was completely edited out on Thai TV. It's snow joke for Thailand In Tokyo - Goal.com, February 2, 2008 The SE Asian nation arrived in Tokyo on Saturday night in conditions that couldn’t be further from the steamy heat of Bangkok. “There was a blizzard. There's snow on the ground so we're training indoors," team manager Kittirat Na Ranong told Reuters... Stacy alive in Thailand? - The Herald News, February 2, 2008 Joel Brodsky, Drew Peterson's lawyer, says he has three new photographs that show Stacy Peterson eating in the food court of a shopping mall in Thailand. Tom Dellaca, a retired police officer from Australia, took them, Brodsky said... Thank you - February 3, 2008 This hard-to-photograph billboard on the expressway entering Bangkok from Bang Na Trat features Democrat leader Aphisit and reads "Thank you all Thai people"--apparently for the Democrats' election victory in Bangkok. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Welcome to WAG-on-Sea! - Daily Mail, February 1, 2008 There are fish leaping out of the water in front of David and Victoria Beckham's tinted French windows. Nearby, the freshly raked sand on Michael Owen's private beach has not had a single footprint on it all morning, let alone a game of football... Samak allows PTV to broadcast Govt's policy announcement - The Nation, February 2, 2008 Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej Saturday gave tacit support to pro-Thaksin unlicensed satellite station, PTV, by allowing it to broadcast the House session when the government announces its policy statement... Earlier: PTV protests What's for lunch? Roast rat - In the countryside, large rodents have become a cash crop - Bangkok Post, February 2, 2008 ...Sompote Srikosamat, of Mahidol University's faculty of sciences, said the population of pig rats, or bandicoots in scientific jargon, in Suphan Buri had sharply increased due to the rapid expansion of paddy fields, which is an ideal food source for the rats... [So are these animals rodents or marsupial bandicoots?] Living under house arrest in Beijing - Guardian, February 1, 2008 Chinese state security police have arrested one of the country’s most prominent civil rights activists, Hu Jia. In a video diary, he recorded life under house arrest – and round-the-clock surveillance – with his wife, Zeng Jinyan... Thailand: Good riddance - Economist, January 24, 2008 [Thanks to Don for pointing this out.] The blundering soldiers who deposed Thailand's prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, in 2006 seem at last to have got something right. This week saw the restoration of an elected government following last month's election. Barring further mishap, the country seems back on the road to liberal multiparty democracy... Bangkok Dangerous skyline - January 24, 2008 Wise Kwai notes: Maybe other 2Bangkok readers can discern any Bangkok buildings on the new Bangkok Dangerous poster. I sure can't. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Mornings across from the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok - February 2, 2008 Better know to Westerners as Falun Gong. (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Ethnic anger on the rise in Malaysia - IHT, January 30, 2008 [Thanks to Danny for pointing this out.] Burmese women in Thai 'human zoo' - BBC, January 31, 2008 ...The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says that for the past two years, the Thai authorities have refused to allow a group of 20 Kayan to leave the country, despite firm offers to resettle them in Finland and New Zealand. The suspicion is that the women are being kept in Thailand because of the central role they play in the local tourism industry... Thailand's inflation probably rose to the highest in 17 months - Bloomberg, January 31, 2008 Bangkok's old style bicycle shop - TNA, January 31, 2008 Cabinet line-up looks dismal - The Nation, February 1, 2008 PPP revives Thaksin policies - Bangkok Post, January 31, 2008 ..."We have completed drafting the new government's policies and up to 90 per cent are those that were scrapped after Mr Thaksin's forced departure," said Mr Noppadon. "Some of these include the Small Medium Large village fund scheme (SML), the government (two- and three-digit) lottery and the CEO governor scheme..." "People Republic of Thailand" virus - Dream Infection, December 5, 2007 (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Thanks from the People Power Party - January 24, 2008 It reads: People Power Party thanks all the votes for Sutha Chansang, Mana Kongwuttipanya, Sawang Ruekjaran, and the Party. With so many Britons murdered in Thailand, why does our Government not warn of the dangers faced there? - Independent, January 12, 2008 ...Yet what also emerges from the death of Charnaud and many others is the fact that Thailand, despite its popularity with the British, is among the most dangerous places in the world for UK visitors – a fact that the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has been reluctant to publicise... Al-Qaeda funding behind southern insurgency: Govt spokesman - The Nation, January 18, 2007 PM: Al Qaeda not funding Muslim insurgents in deep South - TNA, January 18, 2007 A thread on this story is here. The Cyber World fire - January 10, 2008 All the best photos from SkyscraperCity Rental info for the project On the forum: Ratchada's Towering Inferno Q&A: Opening times of the Cambodian embassy in Bangkok on weekends - January 10, 2008 Proof that that no amount of internet technology will improve things if someone is not willing to answer a question.