News and Views - March 2008 The Politics of Practical Nostalgia - Newsweek, March 29, 2008 [Thaksin, along with three other Asian leaders, makes the cover of the Asian version of Newsweek under the headline "The New Pragmatists."] ...A successful economic answer to the pressures of globalization was central to Thaksin's rise and helps explain his return. During his five-year term the economy boomed, rural growth spiked and Thailand became the only country in Asia to narrow its rich-poor gap. His Thai Rak Thai party gained popularity by spending heavily on infrastructure and the poor, including village-level development programs and nearly free health care, yet keeping Thailand open to foreign investors and aggressively promoting trade. Then came the junta, which managed in a few short months to scare off foreign investors and alienate rural Thais by advocating quasi-Buddhist "efficiency economics" that emphasized stability over growth... (Photo: 2Bangkok.com) Marilyn and Madonna billboard - March 24, 2008 It reads: Hair sparks life. The product is Sunsilk shampoo. On the left is Thai movie star Patchara or Um. Bangkok's Lebua Hotel and Rasri Bualert: Another Day, Another Controversy - FriskoDude, March 29, 2008 Foreign husbands fuel Isan economy - Bangkok Post, April 1, 2008 ...Unlike in the past when the villagers lived in Thai-style wooden houses or in small shacks, the village of 720 households today is congested with luxurious houses, some worth as much as 30 million baht... "ADVICES FOR TOURISTS" - March 27, 2008 An anguished English classic--and in the form of a 2.15MB graphic! Please noted that Thailand has beautiful cultures such as Sawasdee (Thai greeting) and Respect elderly act. and Wear safety chute while boarding the ship. Outsourced passports netting govt. profits, risking national security - Washington Times, March 26, 2008 [Thanks to Eric for pointing this out.] ...After the computer chips are inserted into the back cover of the passports in Europe, the blank covers are shipped to a factory in Ayutthaya, Thailand, north of Bangkok, to be fitted with a wire Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, antenna. The blank passports eventually are transported to Washington for final binding, according to the documents and interviews. The stop in Thailand raises its own security concerns. The Southeast Asian country has battled social instability and terror threats. Anti-government groups backed by Islamists, including al Qaeda, have carried out attacks in southern Thailand and the Thai military took over in a coup in September 2006... Congress, watchdog probe passport security - Washington Times, March 27, 2008 ...The Times reported yesterday that the GPO chose two European computer chip makers over U.S. manufacturers to make tens of millions of electronic passports. The passports are being assembled in Thailand by one company that was a victim of Chinese economic espionage. "If true, these allegations raised in today"s press reports are extremely serious not only to the integrity of our e-Passport program, but also to our national security," said Mr. Dingell, chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. ...One of the companies involved in passport production in Thailand, Smartrac, charged in a court filing in the Netherlands last year that its technology was stolen by China... The Thai company that makes US passports: Smartrac They also have this domain--www.smartrac.co.th--but it seems only to be used for email. Smartrac, issuing inlays, opening fourth factory in Thailand - Contactless News, November 29, 2006 Smartrac, a provider of inlays for electronic passports, has obtained a major order to supply several million ePassport inlays for the new U.S. passports, Security Document World reports. Since 2004, Smartrac has been a certified supplier for the U.S. ePassport program, and produces one million inlays a month. In order to meet the increasing worldwide demand for high security inlays Smartrac is planning to open a fourth factory at the company’s location in Thailand as early as January 2007. Thai exec challenged: Show proof - Inquirer, March, 2008 ...Trying to beat a Thai newspaper report that he only finished secondary school, Sutha Chansaeng, the Thai minister of social development and human security, claimed to have a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the Republican College in Quezon City. ... The blog www.oknation.net/blog/thaibaan, posted by a Thai with the pen name “siewthaibaan,” pointed out that the word “Republican” had been misspelled and appeared as “Rupublucan” in the transcript. The blogger also asked why the date on the recommendation for graduation submitted to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) was dated Jan. 10, 2008, when Changsaeng was supposed to have graduated 24 years before... Panic grips Asian rice trade after India’s move - The Statesman, March 29, 2008 ...Faced with rising rice prices in the international market and unprecedented price volatility, Asia's rice exporters, with the sole exception of Thailand, have responded by imposing export bans while importers are seeking ways to increase stocks and reduce consumption... Samak retaliates against Thai Post - The Nation, March 29, 2008 Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej Sunday hit back at Thai Post for criticising his market visit in Singapore. Samak said he had three free hours during his recent visit to Singapore so he decided to visit a market there... Thai activists, parents urge end to underage castrations - AFP, March 27, 2008 ...Many clinics require parental approval before performing castrations on minors, but Nathee said some parents have agreed to the procedure only after their children threatened to commit suicide... Rabies stats - Bangkok Post, March 27, 2008 ...20 people died of rabies in the whole country in 2007, compared with 22 and 20 in 2006 and 2005, respectively. In 1995, 74 Thais died of rabies. Each year, about one million Thais are bitten by dogs, and the government spends more than one billion baht each year to give them medical treatment. The number of people who receive treatment for rabies is increasing every year, he added... Prem denies his involvement in the 2006 coup - The Nation, March 27, 2008 (Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Signs from the north - March, 2008 It reads: Application for candidacy in local election of Mae Hong Son Provincial Administration Organization between March 17 and 21, 2008 from 8.30am to 4.30pm at Mae Hong Son Public Hall. For more information, please contact 0-5361-4508 (Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Signs from the north - March, 2008 It reads: Umlohtai Village, Moo 5, Mae Suad Sub-District, Sobmei District, Mae Hong Son Province. Everybody is welcome. Rules of the Village 1. Improper use of electricity for fishing is prohibited 2. Improper use of explosives for fishing is prohibited 3. Improper use of poison for fishing is prohibited Those who violate the rules will face a maximum fine of 10,000 baht. (Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Signs from the north - March, 2008 It reads: Catching of all kinds of aquatic and land animals is prohibited. Violators will face a maximum fine of 5,000 baht. Shock over tourist murders - Bangkok Post, March 23, 2008 ...Mr Weerasak was in Phuket earlier this week to hand out whistles tourists could blow to get people's attention if they are being attacked. Before the month is out, the Tourist Police Division hopes to be able to distribute the whistles along with some 100,000 copies of a revised version of its safety pamphlets targetting foreign female holidaymakers. An important piece of advice will be added to the pamphlets, warning bikini-clad female sunbathers to be mindful of where they are going on the beaches. Women tourists are urged to wear a whistle when they stroll along a beach and not to wear a swimsuit which reveals too much. World's worst intersections - darkroastedblend.com, March, 2008 [Thanks to Steve for pointing this out.] China section of Kunming-Bangkok highway completed - Xinhua, March 21, 2008 The opening of the Chinese section will reduce the travel time from Kunming to Bangkok by half, to about 20 hours... Grace in the Gospel: Thai Christian Dance - Lausanne World Pulse, March, 2008 ...Thai dance is particularly suitable for worship because of the graceful, non-suggestive movements... To use Thai dance, drama and music, it was necessary to redeem this art in order to convey the gospel... As Christians, the students and faculty wanted to worship and be protected by the Holy Spirit. Before every performance they lifted their hands in a prayerful wai as they had been trained; however, the prayer was changed to thank God for their teachers and the art... New police motorcycles - March 23, 2008 Left: The new "Boxer" police motorcycles... in 2007 there was an unprecedented spending on new vehicles for the police including motorcycles, van and paddy wagons for every district in the country. 'Mu Ham' in trouble again on the roads - Bangkok Post, March 21, 2008 ...He told traffic police who responded that he knew high-ranking police officers. The man is a nephew of retired assistant police chief Pol Lt-Gen Ukrit Patchimsawat. Later, his father, Mr Kan-anek, arrived and agreed to pay the bus driver 2,000 baht for repairs. Mr Kanpithak is free on bail of a million baht after driving his Mercedes into a crowd at a bus stop in July last year, killing one and injuring several others... Enormous cost of railway overhaul just not worth it - The Nation, March 24, 2008 Most elegant proposed skyscrapers - darkroastedblend.com, March, 2008 Human Right Watch wants Thai Govt to prosecute soldiers for mistreatment - Bernama, March 26, 2008 Prosecuting soldiers for mistreatment of people in the restive southern Thai can actually help calm the situation and rebuild trust with the Muslim community, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today... A trip on a steam train in Thailand - March 26, 2008 Today marked the anniversary of the opening of the first public railway in Thailand on 26th March 1896 that went from Bangkok to Ayutthaya. The State Railway of Thailand organized their annual trip for steam train enthusiasts today. Loco engine number 824 led the way this morning as it departed Hua Lamphong Station. Loco engine number 953 took the lead for the return trip in the evening. Total train journey was just over two hours with stops at six stations along the way... What countries get media coverage - observatoiredesmedias.com, March 24, 2008 Big island resident fatally shot In Thailand - KITV.com, March 24, 2008 Thailand's misuse of 'compulsory licensing' allowed corrupt officials to steal millions - Belleville News Democrat, March 24, 2008 When it comes to public health, Thailand's former government leaders would like the world to think that they're a collection of 21st-century Robin Hoods. ...The literally billions of dollars in free medicines and development projects pouring into sub-Saharan Africa don't come for free. Those must be funded by sales from the developed world and, at least in part, from countries like Thailand that can afford to pay some small part of the cost of innovation - even if not at the same scale countries in the U.S. and Europe can afford... Village Barefoot MBA program - March 27, 2008 "Int'l community supports China's handling of Lhasa riots" - Xinhua, March 22, 2008 More countries around the world have thrown their support behind the Chinese government in its handling of the recent riots in Lhasa, capital city of China's Tibet Autonomous Region... [Thanks to Nils for pointing this out. He also comments, "Good to see that major world powers and upholders of human rights such as Mauritius, Madagascar, Burundi, Sudan, Cyprus, Albania, Montenegro, Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda are throwing their support behind China."] Ang Thong province spooked by mass cat deaths - PRD, March 24, 2008 The Plain of Jars: bombs and mystery in Laos - darkroastedblend.com, March, 2008 "Jirapat T." - March 24, 2008 Interesting Keith Haring-inspired shop sign at the Jewelry Trade Center. (Photo: Rose) Friday wreck - March 21, 2008 Thai Olympic torchbearer withdraws in protest - USA Today, March 23, 2008 ...Narisa Chakrabongse, one of the country's six torchbearers, all of whom are environmental activists — said in an open letter she decided against taking part in the relay to "send a strong message to China that the world community could not accept its actions..." For the honor of the Senate - translated and summarized from Thai Rath editorial, March 17, 2008 It could be said that both elected senators and nominated senators have successfully passed the first real test of their new positions - as Prasopsuk Boondet has just been voted the Speaker of Thailand’s Senate. Before the vote took place, it was widely rumored that some senators had been bribed to vote for a certain candidate for the Speaker position. One elected senator has recently admitted that he received a call from a former member of parliament - and that the ex-MP promised to do him some favors if he would vote for a certain candidate. It is highly suspicious that so few in the Senate have shown much interest in this case. Furthermore, few senators seem particularly eager to find out if there is any truth in the matter. The rumor appears not to be entirely groundless, as at least one other senator has claimed that someone tried to bribe him over the selection of the Speaker. If this rumor is confirmed to be true, it should be treated as a criminal act. Will our new senators - who have just vowed to uphold the honor of the senate - be prepared to let this criminality go without taking any further action? A stain on the senate - The Nation, March 20, 2008 ...At the meeting to elect the Speaker, some senators spoke out about what they claimed to be an attempt to buy their support for a particular candidate. There were allegations of Bt1- million for each vote by a senator, in addition to a Mercedes-Benz car, and a monthly payment for the rest of their term... Canadian gets 3-1/2 yrs in Thai jail for cult murder - Reuters, March 20, 2008 A Canadian woman was sentenced to 3-1/2 years in a Thai jail on Thursday for killing her American partner, who claimed be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and faced a spate of fraud charges in Hawaii... A tale of two newspapers Officers close to junta on way out and allies of Thakin back in - The Nation, March 20, 2008 ...Many officers seen as close to the junta were kicked upstairs to fill ceremonial positions while those seen as close to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra returned to key assignments... Reshuffle spares coup officers - PM tries to win over military against Thaksin - Bangkok Post, March 21, 2008 ...Thaksin and officers from Class 10 of the pre-cadet school loyal to him, who wanted Gen Pornchai Karnlert to be reinstated to the army. The general was moved to the defence permanent secretary's office after the coup... Earlier: 'A tale of two newspapers' archives - compares how news sources report the same stories Bangkok Tailors dump the dollar for the Euro - iTravelnet, March 19, 2008 Luxury Bangkok hotel combines lavish meal with 'poverty tour' - IHT, March 20, 2008 ...There is one twist. Before dinner, guests will be jetted to a poor village in northern Thailand to spend the afternoon soaking up the sights of poverty. The dinner and full-day excursion will cost the hotel $300,000... Burmese friends of Thailand - The Irrawaddy, March, 2008 ...Thailand also has many friends in Burma, who would welcome an opportunity to enter into a normal relationship with their neighbor. But these friends are not the generals who made such a favorable impression on Samak during his one-day trip to Naypyidaw. Thailand’s real friends in Burma are the dissidents locked up in prisons, hiding in the jungle or fleeing the latest crackdown. These are the people who can foresee the day when Thailand and Burma will embrace each other as equals, as neighbors who can relate to each other as one democracy to another. Burmese balk at immutable constitution - The Irrawaddy, March, 2008 Pepper Spray ads from Lowe Bangkok, Thailand - AdLand, March 20, 2008 Orchid species now extinct in Burma - The Irrawaddy, March 20, 2008 ...The Rainbow Orchid (Paphiopedilum wardii) and the Hirsute Paphiopedilum (Paphiopedilum villosum) were first discovered in the valleys of Putao and Nagmung in northern Kachin State some 20 years ago... New species photo roundup - Cryptomundo, March 20th, 2008 Thai army to introduce 'third category' for transsexuals - AFP, March, 2006 AFC gives Thailand a warning - Bangkok Post, March 19, 2008 ...The AFC officials were not satisfied with four points--the number of spectators was too low and the clubs did not have enough income from tickets, the clubs did not have good organisation and had financial problems, the marketing did not meet AFC's standards, and no clubs were registered as professional teams... FORENSICS INSTITUTE - Porntip: Any delay and I'll quit - Bangkok Post, March 20, 2008 ...In an interview with the Bangkok Post, she said some people might try to block her from taking the position just as they did previously. ''Actually, I did not want the job. But I had to wait for a long time because I wanted to prove that I am innocent and all the charges against me were a fabrication,'' she said. ...The absence of a full-time head at the CIFS has significantly affected the institute's work and the morale of staff, who missed the chance of getting a 30% share of the director's bonus. Plan to end slums on state land - Bangkok Post, March 20, 2008 Hollywood production relocates from China to Thailand - AP, March 18, 2008 U.S. movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is moving the filming of his new movie "Shanghai" to Thailand and England after being blocked from shooting in China, a Hollywood trade publication reported Wednesday... Thai visitors to get whistles in case of emergencies - Kitchener/Waterloo Record, March 18, 2008 Two days after a Swedish woman was stabbed to death while taking a daytime walk on the Thai island of Phuket, the country's tourism department said it will hand out whistles to female tourists. The whistles, to be sounded in case of an emergency, are part of a campaign to increase security at the popular tourist destination... Where Bush is beloved - Berkshire Eagle, March 18, 2008 ...George W. Bush's Iraq adventure had already turned into the costly beyond belief nightmare that Bush's own National Intelligence Estimate had forecast. Yet I met Czechs who admired Bush enormously for toppling the tyrant Saddam Hussein. They had lived under Soviet domination for nearly half a century, knew what tyranny was like, and they weren't all that interested in weighing the costs for getting out from under it. So I should not have been stunned to come to Myanmar — or Burma, as the ruling junta's pro-democracy opponents call it — and discover a pained, impoverished nation of Bush-lovers... Sanctions on Myanmar may take sparkle out of Thai jewellery - AFP, March 17, 2008 In Laos, prized elephants are in decline - AP, March, 2008 ..."The situation will become very dramatic in about 10 years if nothing changes," says Sebastien Duffillot, co-founder of France-based ElefantAsia. At their current rate of decline, Laos' wild elephants could be extinct within 50 years, he warns. Domesticated elephants number about 570, a 20 percent drop over the last decade. In all, the World Wide Fund for Nature estimates, as few as 25,000 wild and 15,000 captive Asian elephants may be left. A century ago, Thailand alone harbored some 100,000... Officials tried to force arms dealer Bout to US: lawyer - AFP, March 17, 2008 ...Yan Dasgupta, one of three Russian lawyers representing Bout, said that after Bout's arrest on March 6 at a five-star Bangkok hotel, US and Thai officials tried to verbally and physically force him onto a plane. "Some governmental officials at the moment of his detention tried to actually send him to United States without following proper extradition procedure prescribed by the law," Dasgupta said. "He was doing everything in his power including physical resistance not to fly to the US," he told reporters in Bangkok... Samak praises Myanmar as peaceful and orderly - Gulf Times, March 16, 2008 Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej yesterday praised Myanmar – deemed a pariah state by most western democracies – as a peaceful and orderly country with a military leader who is a good Buddhist who prays every morning... Guidelines for the government's next 'war on drugs' campaign - The Nation, March 17, 2008 ...First, policy-makers should not get involved in incitement to murder. When announcing the policy to governors and police chiefs in 2003, Thaksin referred to the results already achieved in two trial provinces: "Sometimes people were shot dead and had their assets seized as well. I think we have to be equally ruthless. If drug traders don't stop, there is a chance they will be dealt with in every way, both life and limb." He continued, "With the traders, you must use hammer and fist, that is, act decisively and without mercy. If some drug traders die, it will be a common thing." Seven weeks later, when over a thousand had already died, Thaksin repeated that drug dealers had only two choices - to go to jail or their own funerals... Censorship 'Syndromes' and silence - The Nation, March 17, 2008 Acclaimed but banned, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's 'Sang Sattawat' will screen in Thailand with black frames to replace the parts the censors cut ...With the election of a new government and a new film law on the books, Apichatpong said he submitted his film to the censors again, hoping they would view it differently. The censors asked that two more scenes be excised. "I was wrong. It's worse than the first time, but it was still worth the effort. I learned that the problem with the new film law is not the law itself, but the people who will be enforcing it," he says... The world's dirtiest cities - Forbes, March 14, 2008 To see which cities in the world were dirtiest, we turned to Mercer Human Resource Consulting's 2007 Health and Sanitation Rankings. As part of their 2007 Quality of Life Report, they ranked 215 cities worldwide based on levels of air pollution, waste management, water potability, hospital services, medical supplies and the presence of infectious disease... [Bangkok is not mentioned in the publicly accessible cities.] Thailand's telegram service will close in May - Bangkok Post, March 15, 2008 Samyan revived - Bangkok Post, March 13, 2008 ...University's property redevelopment excises one of the last relics of the 1997 financial crash, writes Anchalee Kongrut For almost a decade, an unfinished concrete structure at Samyan intersection has served as a bleak reminder of the economic malady of 1997 - the so-called "tom yam kung disease". The structure, belonging to Chulalongkorn University, was one of the 508 incomplete buildings abandoned by over-extended developers as overwhelming bad debt in the real estate sector sparked an economic crisis which spread throughout the region... Chiang Mai on MapJack - March 15, 2008 Select "Chiang Mai" from the drop down on the left. [Thanks to Marc for pointing this out.] Foreign backpackers deny they're bed bug spreaders - Bangkok Post, March 15, 2008 ...Sawittee Malaipan, an entomologist at Kasetsart University, said some foreigners, including refugees and tourists, did not like to take baths and so they attracted the insects. Noppadon rejects sanctions, Burmese to 'vote no' - Bangkok Post, March 14, 2008 Thailand opposes the western sanctions on neighbouring Burma and will help to prop the Burmese military junta's planned constitutional referendum in May, Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama said on Friday. "Thailand disagrees with sanctions," said Mr Noppadon before he took off with Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej for a quick, official visit to Burma. Mr Noppadon's statement put the Thai government firmly against Burmese activists who announced a "Vote No" campaign for the referendum... Thai jasmine rice free of GMOS, says foreign trade chief - Asia Pulse, March 13, 2008 Foreign Trade Department Director-General Apiradee Tantraporn on Thursday denied a report that some of the country's trademark Thai jasmine rice is produced based on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), saying the report is totally groundless... Thailand's head of disaster alert center quits, citing lack of government support - Bangkok Post, March 13, 2008 ...Smith Thammasaroj, chairman of the National Disaster Warning Center, said he stepped down because the government failed to make his ad-hoc agency more effective by granting it legal status as an independent body. "We have no power to hire people, to give our employees any security, buy necessary equipment or make any decision at all," he said. "Disaster prevention work requires flexibility and efficiency..." 14 years in Thai jail, then whipped in Singapore - Bangkok Post, March 14, 2008 A man who spent 14 years in a Thai prison on a murder conviction was sentenced by a Singapore court to another 30 months in jail and six... Thai young people are Asia's biggest gamers - Bangkok Post, March 14, 2008 Thai youths are the third most avid, spending three hours and 30 minutes a day on IM, according to the rankings in The Business Times... UN expert slams India, Cambodia, Thailand over sex tourism - AFP, March 14, 2008 India, Cambodia and Thailand are not doing enough to protect children against the risks associated with sex tourism for fear of damaging their economies, a UN human rights expert charged on Friday... Petite Thai action star plans to take on the world - AFP, March 13, 2008 She may be small and weigh not much more than a drink of water, but tiny Thai martial arts star Yanin "Jeeja" Vismitananda is proving that petite packages can still pack a punch... Trying to honor Asians who died building Burma-Thailand rail in WWII - IHT, March 12, 2008 [Thanks to Danny for pointing this out.] ...In 1990, a Thai charitable organization, hearing from a Kanchanaburi resident about the possibility of a mass grave,  partly dug up the area where the lime and banana trees stand today. Using a backhoe, a piece of equipment usually reserved for construction, not a historical excavation, the crew found more than 500 skeletons. After an inspection crew arrived from the Australian Embassy to ascertain that they were not former Allied soldiers, the charitable group brought the bones to a crematorium in Bangkok and incinerated them. This angered Worawut, who persuaded the governor of Kanchanaburi to allow him to examine the excavated site. He unsuccessfully pleaded with officials that the mass grave be made into a museum and memorial to the Asian laborers. "They never answered me," Worawut said. With no funding available he removed 33 skeletons he had unearthed and filled in the hole. "I believe there are still more bodies there - a lot," he said. "But nobody wants do anything about it." He handed over the skeletons to the historical department of Kanchanaburi Province for safekeeping. In February, Worawut, accompanied by a reporter, returned to the department to inquire about what had happened to the laborers' skeletons. He was greeted by Pichit Rongrithikrai, one of the managers of the department, who said the bones had been discarded three or four years before because workers and visitors complained of an odor. "There was a stale smell," Pichit said. The bones, he said, were buried not far from the compost heap by a maintenance worker. The anonymity of those discarded bones is in stark contrast to the neat rows of graves in the Allied war cemeteries in Kanchanaburi, described in a stone carving as the "perpetual resting place of the sailors, soldiers and airmen who are honoured here." Or as the mother of F. Buckland, a British soldier who died in June 1945, only two months before the end of the war, had inscribed on his headstone: "Sleep on, my beloved son, your memory will always remain." Singapore terror scare cover-up claim - SMH, March 7, 2008 An Australian aboard a plane intercepted by fighter jets in Singapore says the dramatic incident was the result of lies told by someone in Thailand angry at being denied a bribe... Bangkok feast to go ahead despite chefs' moral protest - AFP, March, 2008 ...Lebua hotels and resorts intends to fly 50 of its top-spending guests to an elephant camp in one of Thailand's poorest regions on April 5 to show them how the other half lives, before returning to Bangkok for a 300,000-dollar meal. But the Michelin-starred chefs who were meant to prepare the feast -- Jean-Michel Lorain, Michel Trama and Alain Soliveres -- balked when they heard no money would be donated to charity, and pulled out... Thailand’s 'war on drugs' - International Harm Reduction Association and Human Rights Watch briefing paper - HRW, March, 2008 ...In recent weeks, the government of Thailand has publicly threatened the resumption of killings. On 20 February, Interior Minister, Chalerm Yubamrung, told parliament that "… For drug dealers if they do not want to die, they had better quit staying on that road... drugs suppression in my time as Interior Minister will follow the approach of [former Prime Minister] Thaksin. If that will lead to 3,000-4,000 deaths of those who break the law, then so be it. That has to be done ... For those of you from the opposition party, I will say you care more about human rights than drug problems in Thailand." Since this statement by the Interior Minister, Human Rights Watch is aware of at least four killings of alleged drug traffickers across Thailand — two in Chiang Mai, one in Kalasin, and one in Krabi... Man's death in Thailand probed - The Northern Echo, March 12, 2008 Detectives in Thailand have launched a murder investigation after a man from the North-East was found dead. Retired ICI worker Ivor Chandler, who is from the Skelton area of east Cleveland, died in the Phetchabun region of Thailand last Thursday. It is believed Mr Chandler, who was in his 50s, was in the country on one of his regular trips to visit his girlfriend... Soldiers are exercising, no concern for their presence in Bangkok - The Nation, March 11, 2008 Army to exercise in the capital - Bangkok Post, March 11, 2008 Compulsory licensing gets the go-ahead - TNA, March 10, 2008 In an about-turn on the controversial compulsory licensing (CL) issue, Thai Public Health Minister said the CL enforcement on four key cancer drugs would continue to allow poor patients access to the life-saving drugs... Thailand: End official cover-up in lawyer’s ‘disappearance’ - Human Rights Watch, March 11, 2008 Four Years On, Continued Impunity Fuels Cycle of Abuse and More ‘Disappearances’ On the fourth anniversary of the enforced disappearance and presumed murder of prominent Muslim human rights lawyer Somchai Neelappaijit, the new Thai government should ensure that the police officers responsible for this crime are finally brought to justice, Human Rights Watch said today... Muslim anti-Denmark demonstration In Bangkok Wednesday - ScandAsia, March 12, 2008 A group of Muslims, who call themselves Muslims for Peace, are preparing a demonstration in Bangkok on Wednesday the 12th of March... (Source: chomartwork) Pop art - March 7, 2008 A basement gallery in the Jewelry Trade Center on Silom Road has an interesting selection of Thai pop art. Even more interesting are the websites of the artists displaying at the show: CMPuck - chomartwork - Pekko - Creative Buffalo - Deeper than Words - LenArai - 8e88 - Nokhook Design 'King and I' version passes the Thai culture test; keeps lush music, great acting - The Herald-Sun, March 6, 2008 [Login with BugMeNot] When she learned that the Tony award-winning "The King and I" is banned in Thailand because of its perceived racist and inaccurate portrayal of King Mongkut and Thai culture, theater instructor Hope Hynes had to rethink her choice for this year's musical at East... To restore as much accuracy as possible, given the script, Hynes brought in Songphan Choemprayong, a doctoral student at UNC, to serve as dramaturg and to work with students so that their physical actions, such as bowing, and their costuming would honor Thai culture... NottheNation: Crown Property Bureau Razes Suan Lum Under New “Profit Insufficiency Theory" ...“Obviously we’re delighted that the Crown Property Bureau is following the noble and wise Profit-Insufficiency Theory,” said Central Pattana president Kobchai Chirathivat. “We at Central Pattana have been advocates of it for years. Making money is what matters, and having more money makes you better than those who don’t. This is the heart of Thai culture and the CPB exemplifies it better than anyone...” Thailand's rich history of flyweight heroes continues - Bangkok Post, March 1, 2008 Thailand has produced many outstanding world flyweight boxing champions, starting with that great pugilist, the late Pone Kingpetch who won the World Boxing Council flyweight title in Bangkok... Thailand-Laos rail service begins in late April - TNA, March 1, 2008 Rail service between Thailand and neighbouring Laos will start late this April... Goodbye to the butterflies - The Irrawaddy, March, 2008 ...A Burmese Forest Ministry report in 1982 listed around 100 species of butterfly on Mount Popa. This number had dropped to 60 when Mount Popa’s Environment and Wild Animals Conservation Department conducted a survey in 2000. Seven years later, researchers found only 32—and no Shwe Hnget Taung... Steam trains in Thailand 02 - Thai Blogs, March 2, 2008 Thailand prime minister references moving out of gambling dark ages - Casino Gambling Web, March 2, 2008 ..."When gambling is legalized, there will be no longer the need for police to act on gambling dens," he said. There is no timetable for the legalization of gambling. Sundaravej did mention that Thailand would be following the models of Malaysia, Shanghai, Macau, and Singapore. Thailand, Laos crisis: Samak helps bloody attacks on Hmong - RushPRnews.com (press release), March 1, 2008 ...Samak’s appears timed to a renewed military offensive by Lao and Vietnamese military forces massing in key strategic regions of Laos. Samak’s visit occurs at a time when main ground force army units and special forces of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (LPDR) and the Peoples Army of Socialist Vietnam (PASV) are intensifying offensive military operations and ethnic cleansing attacks against Lao-Hmong civilians and unarmed, dissident and opposition groups in Laos. In some parts of Laos, insolated pockets of lightly armed Laotian and Hmong opposition groups, with an anemic defensive capabilities, are also under heavy attack... Khun Prem orders newspapers to criticise me: Thaksin - The Nation, March 10, 2008 [Not sure why The Nation is featuring this old clip.] Overcrowding in Thai prisons - Thai Blogs, March 9, 2008 Thai monks told to behave on networking web sites - Reuters, March 3, 2008 Thai officials urged Buddhist monks on Tuesday to avoid using social networking Web sites to woo women after an advocacy group found some monks were doing just that... Thailand in Our Dumb World: The Onion's Atlas of The Planet Earth, 73rd Edition - March 7, 2008 From Kxan: "In order to produce the most comprehensive book about the Earth ever created, The Onion fearlessly sent journalists to the darkest, most dangerous parts of the Internet," Onion editor-in-chief Scott Dikkers said. "Only The Onion is brave enough to reveal that the Ukraine is the bridebasket of Europe, that Thailand is where a kid can be a kid-prostitute, and that Iran is a possible, likely threat to the free world, maybe." Also: Thailand - "1440-1939, The people of Thailand call their country by the wrong name for nearly 500 years" [Does anyone have a copy of this book???] US may apply trade sanctions to Thailand for intellectual piracy - Asia Pulse, March 5, 2008 The United States might place Thailand on its "priority foreign country" (PFC) list for persistent intellectual property infringements and subject the kingdom to certain trade sanctions, Director-General of the Intellectual Property Department Puangrat Assawapisit said on Wednesday... 'Merchant of Death' arrested in Bangkok - The Nation, March 6, 2008 More on Viktor Anatolyevich Bout Thai court orders Bangkok night bazaar closed - Reuters, March 4, 2008 ...Last year, the CPB signed a long-term lease on a large chunk of the site with mall developer Central Pattana, which may build Bangkok's tallest building as well a hotel and a shopping mall, according to Thai newspaper reports. Other developments, including an embassy row, were being considered as well... (Photo: Steve) Fire - March 4, 2008 Steve reports: Just over a year after the fire at the foot of the Mega Bridge there was a fire in another shanty area close to the slip road to the bridge.  We heard the fire trucks scream down Rama III as they sped to fight the blaze - it took them just 15 minutes to bring the blaze under control... (Photo: Steve) Conservation crusader - Bangkok Post, March 2, 2008 Sumet Jumsai's campaign to save historic Thailand started in the '60s, and continues to this day. ...The year 1970 saw another landmark in the history of the conservation movement. Sumet, together with more than 100 students from Chulalongkorn University, organised the first cultural protest march against the demolition of Bang Khun Phrom Palace, which was to be replaced by the Bank of Thailand headquarters. The demonstration was successful, and to this day, from Krung Thong Bridge, one can easily see the splendid baroque and rococo architecture of the palace... Company executives jailed 120,945 years each for public fraud - The Nation, March 4, 2008 ...The court was told that the defendants had conspired to fraud 24,189 people thus initially sentenced the second, forth and fifth defendants to a 120,945-year imprisonment each and acquitted the first and third defendants due to lack of convincing evidence against them. The court then lowered that punishment for the punished defendants to a 20-year jail term each... 666 km to Bangkok - March 4, 2008 Just a sign for the "Numbers of the Beast" collection... (Photo: Graham) (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Above: Forest fire danger levels - Low - Medium - High - Very High - Mae Sariang’s forest fire control unit Mae Hong Son forest fire signs - March 11, 2008 Sadortu reports: Forest fire during the dry season is from late January to early May. Mae Hong Son is in a dry season. Leaves are falling off trees. Gardeners and farmers were cutting and trimming their plants. Some even burned their plantations, believing that is the way to grow new plants. This is why there is fog in the province. (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Above: Forest devastated, the land turns sere, rivers run dry. To report a forest fire, call 081-9524183, 089-2669247. (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Above: Report a roadside fire, call 053-682193, 053-618110 - Arson is a crime with jail punishment. Mae Sariang highway unit in Mae Hong Son. (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Above: To report illegal logging, hunting, wild animal trading, a forest fire, a stray elephant, a bird flu outbreak, or a natural disaster, call 1362 at any time. Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Above: Thai people, let’s help prevent forest fires. To report a forest fire, please call 081-9524183, 089-2669247. Forest Fire Control Unit, Mae Sariang 3. (Photo: Sadortu for 2Bangkok.com) Above: Forest fires affects the community. Please help prevent forest fires to save the forest. Forest Fire Control Unit, Mae Sariang 3.