Official taxi stand

One could blame the global economic recession or point the finger at the political mess for the decline in tourism, but actually one needs look no further than the arrival hall at Suvarnabhumi Airport to see what really turns off most tourists.

Yes, I'm talking about airport taxis.

Bring this topic up the next time you're having a conversation and see if it ever comes to an end.

Somebody in your group will have either been bombarded by an illegal front-man or woman for a taxi mafia; experienced a driver who refuses to use the metre or been dumped when the driver finds a passenger headed for Pattaya or another destination for which they can get a handsome fare.

Even getting a taxi from an official stand does not ensure good service.

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Good-natured supporters of Thaksin Shinawatra flocked to Rajamangala National Stadium and kicked off a pro-government rally hours early on Saturday, with no signs of trouble despite a police and army security alert just in case.

The highlight at 8pm is to be a videophone call from the lightning rod ex-premier. Thaksin is scheduled to speak through a telephone hookup to supporters in the stadium, which has 60,000 seats and could overflow. It will be his first address to Thailand since he was convicted of corruption last month.

Organiser Veera Musikapong, a veteran politician, said he expects a crowd of 100,000 to pack the stadium to demand democracy by peaceful means. Supporters were seen coming from the provinces, particularly from the North and Northeast, where Thaksin's support is strongest.

Jatuporn Phromphan, one of the UDD organisers, said Thaksin will be talking about the benefits of a democratic system and how the coup has thwarted that. This demonstration will be a peaceful show of force by those who support Thaksin and those who support democratic values in Thailand,

Concern about what Thaksin will say is widespread.

The top video in Thailand is a grainy 30-minute short starring... well, that is the question. He is a slightly built older man driving around young women, and he bears a striking resemblance to the prime minister.

The 25-minute, must-see video was viewed more than 261,000 times in less than 24 hours after it was posted on the Manager website at about 8pm on Wednesday, and there were reportedly hundreds of thousands of "clicks" on other websites where it was being featured.

With rumours flying around that the scandalous footage would soon be pulled from cyber space, some people hurriedly burned it onto CDs and spread them around.

The footage, shot by an unknown cameraman between March 22 and 27 this year, has become the talk of the town - probably because the man in it looks very much like the embattled Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, a brother-in-law of Thaksin Shinawatra.

The clip is presented in four parts. The first, taken on March 22, shows the man picking up a woman in her 20s, in front of a convenience store, in his red Mercedes.

The couple have dinner at a restaurant serving southern-style Thai dishes, giving more fuel to those who believe the man is Somchai, who is a native of Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The second part features the same man driving a BMW to a love motel after picking up another woman from a house on March 24.

In the third part, the man, who is wearing eyeglasses, is shown parking his white Lexus SUV at a restaurant where he has lunch with his wife, according to a female narrator who called the man the target.

The wife in the footage looks like Thaksin's younger sister, Yaowapa.

The final part was taken on March 27 when the target picked up a woman at the Justice Ministry on Chaengwattana road for lunch, and then went to HomePro department store where they bought a refrigerator.

According to the Manager website, the video clip has been shown on the internet since early this week.

When asked about the unusual footage yesterday, Somchai - who drives a Lexus SUV, a Mercedes and a BMW - refused to comment.

Hundreds of anti-government protesters rallied in Bangkok Thursday, hours after a bomb injured ten people and heightened fears that political tensions in Thailand were again spiraling towards violence.

Ten volunteer security guards for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) were hurt when a small bomb was tossed into their protest camp near the regional UN headquarters in Bangkok.

A grenade was also thrown at a judge's house and a man was found shot dead near the protest site where PAD supporters have been holding rallies since late May in an effort to bring down the government.

Captain Pompetch Chotklang of Bangkok's police said two PAD supporters were in a critical condition after the attack near the UN office, carried out before dawn by two unidentified people on a motorcycle.

PAD supporters have been occupying the grounds of the prime minister's offices in Bangkok's historic district since late August. It was the smaller, original protest camp at an intersection called Makawan Bridge near the UN regional headquarters that was attacked on Thursday.

The PAD immediately blamed government supporters for the blast, which came less than a month after bloody street battles between protesters and police left two people dead and nearly 500 others injured.

In a separate incident, someone hurled a grenade at the home of Constitutional Court judge Jaran Pakditanakul, causing no injuries.

Meanwhile up to 1,000 PAD protesters set up steel barricades and stopped traffic outside the British embassy to demand Thaksin's extradition.

About 120 police with shields stood guard, but the crowd -- as usual swaddled in yellow t-shirts to show their loyalty to the Thai monarchy -- appeared calm and relaxed, witnesses said.

After handing over a letter urging Britain not to grant Thaksin political asylum and to send him home, they began to a march through a key tourist area.

Anti-government People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) co-leader Chamlong Srimuang said bloodshed might be unavoidable.

The pro-government camp, led by former deputy national police chief General Salang Bunnag, yesterday said it would start blocking the supply of logistics for PAD inside Government House on Monday.

This camp hopes to be joined by more supporters if they can hold on until next Saturday, when convicted ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra may address a major rally in Bangkok from his exile near London.

Social critic Prawase Wasi reminded the opposing sides they might trigger violence if one tried to dislodge the other from Government House.

Meanwhile, Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa said the country would plunge deeper into animosity and face greater economic damage if there were more bloody clashes.

Anti-coup protesters led by the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship have signalled their support for a Salang-led attempt to drive out the PAD from Government House.

Despite widespread rumours of another military coup, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat has left the country on a trip to Beijing, apparently confident that that it is only idle speculation.

The rumours have been intensifying since army chief Gen Anupong Paojinda went on national television last week to urge Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to resign over the violent suppression of People's Alliance for Democracy protesters by police on Oct 7. He was accompanied by the chiefs of the navy, air force and police force.

Somchai refuses to resign.

Right now, people fear there may be another coup, said Chulalongkorn University political analyst Panitan Wattanayagorn on Thursday.

Relations between the military leaders and Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat have soured. I think that under such circumstances everything seems to point to a coup.

It is only a matter of time.

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Thailand will ask Britain to extradite the deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra after he was convicted in a corruption trial in Bangkok and sentenced to two years imprisonment.

The guilty verdict was the first against the country's former leader since he was ousted in a military coup two years ago after being accused of corruption and abuse of power.

In delivering the verdict the judge, Tonglor Chomngarm, said: The defendant is a leader of government and should have acted with a good example to others, so the court decided not to suspend the sentence and decided to jail him for two years.

Seksan Bangsombun, the chief prosecutor for the case, said: The prosecutors will soon make a copy of the court verdict and pass it on to Britain to quickly extradite him.

The case revolved around a conflict of interest in a 2003 land deal. While Thaksin was in office his wife, Pojaman, bought a large chunk of prime Bangkok real estate from a government body for around £11 million – one third of its market value.

Pojaman was acquitted on the grounds that she was not a member of the government, so not subject to ethics rules.

The couple skipped bail and fled to Britain in August, where they have been reported to have been seeking asylum.

Thaksin remains widely popular among the country's rural poor, who dominate the electorate, who say his policies for cheap loans and cheap health care helped improve their lives.

But he is despised by many in the urban middle class who were appalled by his alleged corruption and by powerful figures in the army and palace who saw him as a threat to their traditional power and interests.

Bad cops make great movie villains. Fascistic, violent, greedy, tear gas-firing, all-round filthy policemen have long been a rich source of cinematic evil - they're the ultimate symbol of corruption and power abuse. Even though good cops often emerge from the slime-infested precinct to destroy the rotten seeds - from Al Pacino's legendary Serpico to Russell Crowe in American Gangster - watching dirty, thuggish cops at work is both sad and satisfying since we know that it's partly based on reality. We're fired up seeing crooked cops because we know they really exist, because we know the movies are exposing something no authority would want to admit.

Except in Thai movies. It's so strange - counter-intuitive, even - that Thai films and TV dramas hardly feature bad-cop characters. While the whole world from Hollywood to Korea enjoys portraying dishonest cops (and having them brutally killed at the climax) Thai audiences never have the luxury of seeing vile sergeants beating up suspects or using Chinese-made tear gas canisters as if they were anti-terrorist RPGs. If cinema could function as a form of social catharsis - we vent our anger at the bad cops on screen so our off-screen anger at them would abate - then Siamese movies still have a gaping hole to fill.

Deprived of that outlet, maybe that's why we're so ready to express our mistrust of the police when occasion arises. The popular verdict after Oct 7 is that the cops were possessed by Dirty Harry or Rambo (Part III, to be precise) since they blew off the protesters' limbs like crazy kids on video games. The running emotion preceded the probe to clarify the truth of those charges; sure enough, the police still have to explain themselves since their duty is to protect the citizens, not to harm them, but the outpouring of blame testifies to our fundamental suspicion against this supposedly respected institution.

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The discovery of a box jellyfish, one of the most poisonous in the world, in Thai waters has prompted the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to set up a team to study its origin and behaviour to prevent attacks.

Somchai Bussarawit, the chief of the museum and aquarium at the Phuket Marine Biological Centre, said there has never been any reports of this type of box jellyfish being found in Thai waters before.

We are not sure whether it is a primitive species living here or a foreign species. We have no information. That is why we have to set up a team to investigate it, he said. Experts in Australia and Japan would be asked to assist the study.

So far two deaths have been attributed to the jellyfish. The first case happened in 2002 at Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province and the latest in April at Koh Lanta in Krabi province.

The decision to study the box jellyfish came after the son of an Australian journalist was stung while swimming at Koh Mak in Trat province early this year.

The injured Australian returned to Thailand and alerted the Public Health and Tourism and Sports ministries about box jellyfish found in Thailand. He realised there were no measures or knowledge about first-aid for people stung by box jellyfish.

Vinegar is the best first-aid solution to reduce the pain from a jellyfish sting before the victim is sent to hospital, he said. Water should not be used as it only increases the pain.

Resorts and hotels should have vinegar in their emergency kits, he suggested.

Update: Official Warning

29th October 2008:

The Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) has issued an official warning following the collection of almost 40 box jellyfish in a trap in shallow waters off Ao Nambor, on Phuket’s east coast.

A high-level of melamine contamination has been found in non-sweet condensed milk under the brand Mali, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to urgently order the manufacturer to recall the product from local markets.

The latest lab test showed the product was tainted with the chemical at a level of 92.82 milligrammes per kilogramme, which far exceeds the official safe limit of 2.5mg/kg.

The samples were taken from 150,000 cans of condensed milk produced with an expiry date of Jan 16 next year, said FDA secretary-general Pipat Yingseree: The agency has ordered the manufacturer, Thai Dairy Industry Co, retailers and health officials to pull this product lot from the shelves because such high levels of melamine contamination can be lethal to consumers.

Melamine is a chemical used in pesticide and plastics. If added to substandard raw milk, it raises the nitrogen level, giving a false high-protein reading.

The company management would face either a 20,000-baht fine or two-year jail term for manufacturing and distributing chemically contaminated products which could be lethal to consumers, according to the FDA chief.

The melamine-tainted milk is known to have killed at least four babies, made about 54,000 ill and left 13,000 hospitalised with kidney problems across China.

Thai and Cambodian troops have exchanged gunfire along a disputed section of their border.

The exchange, near the ancient Preah Vihear temple complex, prompted Thailand to urge its nationals to leave Cambodia.

Both countries claim they own the area around the temple, which recently became a Unesco World Heritage site.

Officials from both countries have said the other side fired first.

There were reported to be exchanges of small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades.

A Cambodian defence ministry official said at least 10 Thai soldiers had been captured.

A Thai army spokesman said one Cambodian soldier was killed and four Thais wounded.

A Cambodian army official told the Associated Press news agency that the fighting had now stopped and commanders from both sides were trying to negotiate a ceasefire.

After the fighting broke out, Thailand alerted air force jets and readied transport planes to evacuate Thai nationals from Cambodia.

Cambodia's military says that Thai troops have pulled back from a disputed border zone after its prime minister issued an ultimatum.

There was no immediate Thai confirmation of the reports which came shortly before the Cambodian deadline was due to expire.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had warned of a potential battle zone.

Earlier, Thai Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat reportedly said that troops would not leave the area.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen had given Thailand until noon (0500 GMT) to pull out its troops but did not say what would be the consequences of failing to do so.

Cambodian army commander Brig Gen Yim Pin later said that all Thai troops had retreated and were about 1km (half a mile) from the contested territory. He told the Associated Press that the tense situation [had] now eased.

The stand-off between the two countries centres on 4.6 sq km (1.8 square miles) of scrub near the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple, which sits on a jungle-clad escarpment dividing the countries.

An international court awarded the temple to Cambodia in 1962, but land surrounding it remains the subject of rival territorial claims.

The two sides have already held several rounds of talks on the issue, but failed to reach agreement.

About 10,000 government supporters in red shirts joined a United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) gathering on Saturday to preview a three-day rally against the People's Alliance for Democracy.

Former PM's Office minister Jakrapob Penkair joined several key figures from the ruling People Power party at the assembly, held at Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province. The venue was packed with people wearing red shirts.

It was the first gathering of government supporters since the Sept 2 clash between the pro- and anti-government camps on Ratchadamnoen Avenue, which left one UDD member dead and more than 40 people from both sides injured.

Jakrapob, a key member of the UDD, announced his return to the pro-government movement on the stage after keeping a low profile since he resigned as PM's Office minister in May: I am back. I've closely monitored the political situation and have come to the conclusion that we are now living in a society where a prime minister can be punished for hosting a cooking show, while rebels can walk free.

Jakrapob said that the UDD would act peacefully and avoid violent confrontations with other groups. Major activities include a three-day rally at Sanam Luang, starting Sunday.

What happened on 7/10/2008?

There's fascinating piece of photojournalism about last Tuesday tear gas dispersal of the PAD protestors in Bangkok resulted in deaths and many injuries

See What happened on 7/10/2008? from prachatai.com

Welcome tourists!

Thailand is a resilient society, Prime Minister and Defence Minister Somchai Wongsawat assured the Bangkok diplomatic corps Wednesday in the wake of a bloodbath that claimed two lives, injured 437 and forced the premier to make a helicopter getaway.

We will resolve domestic problems through the democratic process, Somchai told a gathering of about 80 foreign diplomats who had been called to the Foreign Ministry for a briefing on Tuesday's bloody showdown between police and followers of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), deemed the worst street fighting witnessed in the capital since May 1992.

Thailand is a resilient society and has been able to weather political storms in the past with great strength, said Somchai. He assured the diplomatic corps that Thailand would continue to welcome foreign investments and tourists and was determined to boost the domestic economy.

Re-open Soi 6!

A suspected car bomb has killed one person in Bangkok, as tensions rise in the long-standing political crisis.

The device went off close to where police and anti-government protesters clashed earlier on Tuesday. It is unclear if the incidents are related.

The police had earlier fired tear gas to disperse a demonstration by thousands of anti-government protesters in Bangkok.

Dozens of people were injured as police intervened in the dawn protest in front of parliame

Deputy PM Chavalit Yongchaiyudh said he was resigning over the clashes, in which about 100 people were injured.

The protesters have now regrouped and are thought to be trying to prevent some lawmakers leaving parliament.

Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat reportedly managed to leave by climbing through a barbed wire fence at the back of the building, before being flown to safety.

Somchai said on Tuesday that he was not considering imposing a state of emergency in Bangkok.

A survey from the Thai Culture Ministry revealed that children spent around 2 hours a day playing computer games. About 80% of them choose the combat-style, action-packed games, some of which come with graphic and violent images. The addiction can affect their personality as they become more prone to bursts of anger and violence. Without proper guidance, some are unable to distinguish between fantasy and the real world.

But why do children prefer to spend hours and hours playing these games? A survey conducted last year showed that:

• 79% of youngsters said they became addicted to computer games to relieve stress
• 68% said they were lonely
• 21% cent said that they wanted to improve the computer skills
• 18% said they wanted to meet new friends in cyberspace.

[So 80% of Thai youngsters suffer from stress? Strange that no youngsters play games simply because they are fun]

Now that the youngsters have told us about their problems, it's time for the adults to step in to help them. The adults should provide them with better and constructive recreation activities to help them deal with stress. Constructive activities such as sports or music for instance can also help them develop their thinking and personalities during their formative years.

Police in Thailand say they have arrested a key organiser of mass anti-government protests in Bangkok.

Chamlong Srimuang was detained after leaving the prime ministerial compound, where he and thousands of supporters have been barricaded since late August. Chamlong was arrested as he arrived at a polling station to cast his vote in Bangkok's mayoral elections.

He is one of nine protest leaders accused of illegal assembly and inciting unrest.

Another protest organiser, Chaiwat Sinsuwong, was detained on Friday as he left the compound.

A police spokesman told the Associated Press that the authorities were preparing to arrest all the protest leaders at the appropriate time and place.

Cambodia protested to Thailand on Saturday about Friday's border shooting incident, which was the first clash between the two countries in the more than two-month-long border dispute.

On Oct. 3, 2008, at 15:30, a group of Thai soldiers entered Cambodian territory in the area of Phnom Trap and fired gunshots from M.79 at the Cambodian troops stationed at Veal Intry area on Phnom Trap hill side, located approximately 2,000 meters to the west of Keo Sikha Kiri Svara pagoda (in the area of Preah Vihear Temple), said Cambodia's Foreign Ministry in a letter to the Thaiembassy which was obtained by Xinhua.

The shooting resulted in the injury of one Cambodian soldier from Brigade No 43, the letter said, adding that Cambodian troops returned fire in self defense, which was followed by a brief exchange of gunfire between the sides.

The Royal Government of Cambodia considers the above act by Thai soldiers as a serious armed provocation, contrary to the commitment to exercise utmost restraint made during the Meetings of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries on July 28, 2008 at Siem Reap, Cambodia, the letter said.

An American tourist was badly beaten in Pattaya late Thursday night after he allegedly refused to pay Bt170 for a bottle of beer.

Dennis Greenwood suffered swollen face and a serious wound on his head. Several of his teeth were also knocked off.

He was admitted to the Pattaya Memorial Hospital at 12:30 am Friday.

His girlfriend, Suparp Mahasen, told police that the owner of a bar on Soi 16 off the Walking Street of South Pattaya and an employee beat up Greenwood.

She said the bar owner alleged that Greenwood refused to pay for a bottle of beer priced Bt170 but the tourist argued that he was overcharged.

Police are said to be interviewing the bar owner and victim.

The bar was identified by the Thai language report of the Nation newspaper as the Cherry Girl Beer Bar.

Public Health Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung yesterday launched his killjoy campaign to ban alcohol sales on public holidays.

Drinking leads to crime and road accidents, resulting in death and injuries, Chalerm said, citing a 2006 report that 31% or 16 million, of the population were drinkers. Nine million of them drink alcohol on a regular basis.

He assigned the Disease Control Department to consider invoking Article 28 of the Alcohol Beverage Control Act of 2008, which prohibits the sale of alcohol on days designated by ministerial regulations.

The regulation should be issued in one month and include public holidays such as New Year's Day, Songkran and religious holidays, Chalerm said.

Dr Saman Futrakul, head of the department's tobacco and alcohol consumption control group, said the regulation had been drafted and submitted to deputy permanent secretary Paijit Warachit.

After getting the National Alcohol Consumption Control Committee's approval, the regulation would need to get Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's sign off and then it would be published in the Royal Gazette for implementation.

Violators would face up to six months in jail and/or up to a Bt10,000 fine.

The regulation would also prohibit liquor sales outside of 11am-2pm and 5pm - midnight every day, except by those with the authority's permission.

A new immigration card will be introduced for use by those going in and out of Thailand by the end of this year, said Immigration Police chief, Pol Lt-Gen Chatchawan Suksomchit.

Holders of the Immigration Card will include those who travel in and out of the country three to five times in a year, regardless of their nationality.

The Immigration Card holders, Thai and foreign alike, will bypass normal procedures of the Immigration Police which include scanning for criminal suspects or those on the police and immigration Watch List.

Instead, the Immigration Card holders will have the privileges to go through fast passage at airports, the Immigration Police chief said.

The Immigration Card, which will be issued to travellers by the end of this year, at the height of the tourist season, was part of the efforts to promote tourism and investment in the country.