Thailand
Get flash to fully experience Pearltrees
Red Shirt supporters join 2nd anniversary of protest at Ratchaprasong | Pattaya Daily News
BANGKOK, May 19 -- Red shirt supporters started gathering at Ratchaprasong intersection to join activities organized by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) -- the red shirt movement -- to mark the second anniversary of the 2010 protest against the previous Abhisit Vejjajiva-led administration. Rachadamri road was closed from Ratchaprasong intersection to Pratunam and a stage was constructed similar to the Red Shirt protest in 2010. Robert Amsterdam, the Canadian lawyer for fugitive ousted ex-premier Thaksin and the UDD, was to deliver a brief on the development of the lawsuit asking the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to investigate alleged crimes against humanity during 2010′s April-May clashes between Red Shirt protesters and government’s security forces last year.
Is Thailand Facing a Coup? | ASEAN Beat
Recent international media attention related to Thailand has been (quite reasonably) focused on the tragic story of Ampon Tangnoppakul , also known as “Ar Kong,” an elderly grandfather who had been sentenced to twenty years in prison for allegedly sending text messages defaming the monarchy. This despite the fact that he had no previous political experience, and the state couldn’t even prove he had actually sent the messages, but instead simply applied the standard that he could not disprove he sent them – obviously not a reasonable standard of proof in a democracy . Sick with cancer and other ailments, and separated from his entire family, Ampon died in jail earlier this week.Bird flu feared in Ang Thong
Hundreds and possibly thousands of open-billed storks have died mysteriously in Ang Thong, triggering fear of a new outbreak of bird flu. The birds were found dead in open ground behind a deserted factory by the side of the Chamlong-Nong Jik road in tambon Chamlong in Sawangha district after residents noticed that the animals looked drowsy and lay around on the ground, causing a bad stench in the air, the kamnan of Chamlong, Suebsak Waewkaew, said. Residents alerted authorities who inspect the site twice and then went away, Mr Suebsak said. He demanded the authorities collect samples of the birds’ remains and move quickly to identify the cause of the mass deaths as residents living nearby were worried that bird flu might be involved. Suthee Srisuwan, head of the provincial natural resources and environment office, said he had instructed experts to launch an investigation into the incident.
Malaysian PM : Political solution needed in Thailand’s Deep South | Asian Correspondent
After the car bomb in Yala that killed 11 and the car bomb in Hat Yai that killed – the later is of particular importance to the Malaysians as 1 Malaysian died and 11 were injured – the Malaysian PM has commented. Bernama : The prime minister said Malaysia would continue to assist Thailand, its neighbour, in seeking a political solution in the interest of the well-being of the people in southern Thailand. Najib was speaking to Malaysian journalists at Nanning Airport at the end of his one-day working visit here before returning to Kuala Lumpur. Violence and unrest have plagued southern Thailand for several years.
Insurgents' Bombs in Thailand: Bigger and Deadlier - NYTimes.com
HONG KONG — A string of orchestrated explosions rocked southern Thailand over the weekend, killing 14 people, injuring 340 and raising fears of larger and deadlier bombs being used by suspected Muslim insurgents. One attack came just before noon on Saturday at a busy shopping and dining area in the city of Yala, the capital of Thailand’s southernmost province: After a large truck bomb exploded, a car bomb went off 20 minutes later as onlookers gathered and rescue personnel began to arrive. The twin blasts accounted for 11 of the 14 fatalities. “This is the worst attack in the past few years,” Col. Pramote Promin, deputy spokesman of a regional security agency, told The Associated Press.
Earlier today there was a car bomb in Yala province, one of the 3 provinces in the Deep South which has seen a large upsurge in violence since 2004, that has killed at least 10 (as blogged about here ). Around the same time, there was also an explosion at a hotel and shopping complex in Hat Yai (the largest city is in Songkhla province which is also in the Deep South, but has seen significantly less violence). Initially, the authorities stated it was unrelated to the car bomb in Yala and it a gas leak. However, now we have had a concession that it was a car bomb. The Bangkok Post : A car bomb is believed to have caused the fire that killed five people at a Hat Yai hotel and sent more than 300 to hospital on Saturday.
2nd car bomb kills 5 more in southern Thailand UPDATE: One Malaysian tourist among the fatalities | Asian Correspondent
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
BBC News - The Thai dogs that escaped the dinner plate
Thai police arrest Norwegian in girlfriend’s death | Asian Correspondent
BANGKOK (AP) — Police in Thailand say they have arrested a Norwegian businessman who admitted killing his Thai girlfriend and keeping her rotting body hidden in his luxurious villa for two and a half years. Police Col. Sirisak Wasasiri said Thursday that 50-year-old Norwegian Stein Havard Dokset confessed late Wednesday to killing the woman by pushing her down the stairs after an argument at his beachside home on the resort island of Phuket.
Surachai convicted for lese majeste - The Nation
The court sentenced him to serve a total of 7.5 years in jail for three counts of lese majeste. Red Siam Group leader Surachai's original sentencing was 15 years but the court cited his confession as grounds for leniency to halve his jail term. Earlier Surachai vowed to begin a hunger strike if he is not moved to the new detention centre for political prisoners in Bangkok’s Lak Si district. His wife, Pranee, quoted Surachai, 69, as saying he was disheartened by the fact that he and another red shirt lese majeste detainee, Somyos Prueksakasem-suk, were not regarded as political prisoners. Forty-seven red shirts sentenced for crimes related to the April-May 2010 clashes were moved to the new detention centre on Tuesday.
ThaiLandPlus | Facebook
นิทัศน์ ภู่วัฒนกุล อธิบดีกรมทรัพยากรธรณี กล่าวว่า การจัดการแร่ในประเทศไทย มีกฎหมายรองรับคือ พ.ร.บ.เหมืองแร่ มาตรา 6 ทวิ เมื่อใครจะเข้าไปกระทำการเกี่ยวกับแร่ต้องมีการขออนุญาตและต้องประกาศในราชกิจจานุเบกษาก่อน การขุดแร่จึงจะสามารถทำได้Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat on Friday rejected the claims of red-shirt co-leader Jatuporn Prompan that the military is planning another takeover, insisting that there will not be another coup. Asked whether Mr Jatuporn's comments could affect national security and lead to mass street protests by the red-shirts, the minister said the media should not give importance to this issue. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung (left) and Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat ACM Sukumpol said he was certain the coup rumour stoked by Pheu Thai list-MP Jatuporn would not have any effect on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said there will be no coup because army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha had repeatedly affirmed that no-one had any thought of staging a military takeover.
Chalerm, Sukhumpol: No coup | Bangkok Post: news
วันนี้อ่านบทความออนไลน์ชื่อ ′ความเป็นไทย+ความเป็นคน′ โดย เกษียร เตชะพีระ หนังสือพิมพ์มติชนรายวัน ฉบับประจำวันที่ 3 กุมภาพันธ์ 2555 แล้วประทับใจบทกวีเก่า ขอคัดลอกบทกวีเหล่านั้น มาไว้เพื่ออ่านย้อนรำลึกเองอีกครั้งค่ะ ความเป็นไทยที่ประดิษฐ์สร้างด้วยบทกวีของจิตร ภูมิศักดิ์ (พ.ศ. 2473-2509) โดยเฉพาะระหว่างที่เขาถูกอำนาจปฏิวัติอาญาสิทธิ์ของจอมพลสฤษดิ์ ธนะรัชต์ จับติดคุก ขังลืมด้วยข้อหาคอมมิวนิสต์อยู่กับเพื่อนร่วมชะตากรรมกว่า 300 คน ณ คุกลาดยาวหลังรัฐประหาร 20 ตุลาคม พ.ศ. 2501 จนได้รับการปล่อยตัวพ้นข้อหาเมื่อเดือนธันวาคม พ.ศ.2507 ช่วง หลังจอมพลสฤษดิ์ถึงแก่กรรมด้วยโรคตับแข็งปลายปี พ.ศ.2506 บรรยากาศการเมืองผ่อนคลายลง มีการเปิดโปงทรัพย์สินที่ร่ำรวยผิดปกติของท่านจอมพลผู้รักและรับผิดชอบชาติ แต่เพียงผู้เดียวถึงกว่า 2,800 ล้านบาท จังหวะนั้นเอง จิตรได้ลอบส่งบทกวีชุด “โคลงสรรเสริญเกียรติ กรุงเทพมหานครยุคไทยพัฒนา” ภายใต้นามปากกา “กวีการเมือง” จากคุกไปลงหนังสือพิมพ์ประชาธิปไตยซึ่งมี ล้วน ควันธรรม เป็นผู้คุมคอลัมน์ และได้ทยอยตีพิมพ์ระหว่างเดือน มิ.ย.-ก.ค.2507
We are Thai. #ThailandOnly : Moui.Net – Written from heart
PAD leaders call for power seizure - The Nation
The Nation January 20, 2012 5:38 pm PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul, speaking via a telephone call from China, said the military should stage a coup in cooperation with the people in order to wrestle a complete control of the country from Thaksin. "If the PAD is to make a move once again, this time will not just confine to street protesting but a complete seizure of power," he said, pledging a make-or break struggle. PAD co-leader Bhipop Thongchai said the PAD-led movement did not wane in the past six year but stood ready to step out and fight against the domination of rogue capitalists over the political system.Boss of PC Air hires transgender cabin crew and says he wants Thailand to give more rights to 'members of the third sex' Her eyelashes, and her stockinged legs, are long enough to warrant a double-take from passengers on board. It may seem a form of harassment to others, but Thai flight attendant Punthakarn Sringern, 25, relishes the attention. Sringern – or Mew, as she likes to be called – is one of four "ladyboys" working for PC Air, the first Thai airline to employ transgender people.
Flying the flag for ladyboys: Thai airline takes on transgender flight attendants | World news | guardian.co.uk
High-speed pile-up brings Phuket traffic to standstill The multiple-car pile-up brought traffic on Chao Fa West Road, one of Phuket's main traffic arteries to the south of the island, to a standstill. Key govt figures head to far South Key government figures head to the deep South this weekend on a mission to tackle the region's unrest and restore confidence among investors, tourists and residents.