Coss
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Posts posted by Coss
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If I could find the USA thread I'd use it.
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This is akin to "Don't beat the shit out of your wife" and to reinforce this message we're going to beat the shit out of you.
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University hazing gets stern new punishment in military-ruled Thailand
In this Sept. 14, 2015 photo, students from Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University crawl on their stomachs through muddy jungle paths as part of an exercise designed to "break down their ego (and) humiliate them" at a military boot camp ordered as punishment for a hazing incident in Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand. In military-ruled Thailand there is a new method for teaching discipline known as "attitude adjustment," which until now has been used to silence government critics. But there are signs that the mentality of military rule is creeping into civilian issues - like college discipline. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit) (The Associated Press)
BANGKOK – At a military facility outside Bangkok, a drill sergeant barks orders at a group of film students learning the hard way that creative license has its limits in Thailand.
"You are here to learn discipline," the officer shouted. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir!" shouted back the group of 53 aspiring artists — boys with shaggy hair, girls with tattoos and yoga pants.
"Discipline means respecting the rules and regulations," he told them. "If you misbehave, you must be punished."
In military-ruled Thailand, this is how university hazing is handled. The offense: a video posted online that showed a half-dozen fully clothed freshman doing an erotic couples dance as upperclassmen cheered. Social media dubbed it a "love-making dance." The punishment: three days of boot camp for a new type of disciplinary punishment known as "attitude adjustment."
The military junta that seized power over a year ago pioneered the idea of "attitude adjustment" as a technique to silence critics. The junta summons politicians and others who voice dissent to military bases where they are typically incarcerated several days, interrogated and made to "confess" to their transgressions and sign a contract to not repeat them — a practice that has been widely criticized by human rights groups.
Now there are signs that the mentality of military rule is being applied to civilian issues — like college discipline.
For the students from the film school of Bangkok's Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, a three-day boot camp included reprimands, public humiliation and a grueling endurance test.
"We're not telling our film students don't make creative films, but in Thailand there are social limits. They need to be creative within the limits," said Chin Tangtarntana, a lecturer in cinematography and one of several professors who chaperoned the 3-day session last month that included silent meals and group lodging on a barrack floor lined with mattresses. "We have to reset their clocks. That's why we're here, to rewind. We're saying, 'Go back. Start over. OK, now be creative.'"
After a 2-hour bus drive northeast of the capital to the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy, a 33-square-kilometer (20-square-mile) facility surrounded by mountains, the students' cellphones were confiscated to ensure no outside communication and primarily to prevent more videos, Chin said.
"The activities that will take place here will be good for you, and help you to become civilized people. Do you understand?" the drill sergeant, Sgt. Maj. Kongsak Klaeiklang, asked rhetorically. He led what he called an "ice-breaking" session that bore close resemblance to hazing: An overweight female student was singled out as a "hippopotamus" as others were told to "dance like hippos." Team games ended with the losers ordered to "walk like elephants," bent over in a human chain, clutching each other's hands between legs.
Then they were driven to a steamy, mosquito-infested jungle. Under a steady rainfall, the students were put through a different type of hazing.
Loud bangs exploded in the distance, and the students were ordered to run.
"Faster! Just keep breathing, you won't die," shouted Kongsak, after one student nearly fainted and was allowed to sit on the sidelines. He then ordered them to "DROP!" and crawl on their stomachs through muddy puddles and at one point to hurdle a barricade of fire.
"The idea is to break them down. Break down their ego. Humiliate them. And then we build them back up," Kongsak said, as soldiers led small groups on an arduous 5-kilometer (3-mile) jungle trek that included scaling rope ladders and balancing on swinging logs to cross a river.
The boot camp incident sparked little public uproar in a country where the education system has always had a militaristic streak — public schools have mandatory uniforms, hair must be kept short and some teachers still wield bamboo canes to enforce discipline through secondary school. Problem teens in violent high-school gangs have been sent to boot camps in the past.
But using the military to punish university hazing is a new approach, which commentators say sends a chilling message that the military is needed to solve society's problems even at institutions of higher learning.
"This order to the students to report to a military base is at least as inappropriate as the hazing incident," the Bangkok Post said in a recent editorial on the subject. The university "lost a little public respect with the hazing violation. It continues to lose even more respect with its reaction."
The very same university was also home to last year's infamous hazing ritual, which involved upperclassmen dripping hot candle wax on incoming freshman and burning the arms of several students. But in that case where bodily harm was actually caused nobody was punished, the editorial noted.
Critics say the hazing case highlights a trend toward militarization of Thai society under the junta, where those in charge don't believe that "attitude adjustment" will actually brainwash people — but the aim is to intimidate and discourage the outspoken from speaking out.
The former army chief who led the coup, Prayuth Chan-ocha, and is now serving as interim leader has launched a crackdown on dissent and has blocked public discussions about democracy. He regularly lashes out at those who question his authority and warns the public to stop asking for elections, which he says won't be held until 2017.
Hundreds of politicians, journalists, professors and other critics have been hauled in for "attitude adjustment" in the name of maintaining peace and order.
"People who say bad things and cause harm with their words, should they say those things?" Prayuth said to reporters last month, defending the latest round of political detentions that included a three-day incarceration of a prominent journalist, Pravit Rojanaphruk, and two politicians. "You cannot oppose me. No one will let you to do that."
Social commentator Sanitsuda Ekachai called it a sign of the times that the rector of a university chose to resort to military-style "attitude adjustment."
"When someone in his position believes that militarism is the answer ... it explains why the military still retains a strong grip on society," Sanitsuda wrote in a column for The Bangkok Post. In a separate column, she wrote that educators who rely on military discipline are sending a stifling message: "Those who resist will be punished. The country is heading full force toward being a military state."
Whether or not attitude adjustment works on students appears to depend on the individual.
An exhausted freshman, Natdanai Kedsanga, 20, ended the first day of boot camp with a realization.
"We were having too much fun, that was the problem," said about the video in which he was one of the dancers. "Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't appropriate."
Pongpat Puchiangdang, a university senior, said the attitude adjustment had taught him a lesson — if you want to do something socially unacceptable just don't share it on social media.
"Stuff like this happens everywhere at all schools, and sometimes it's even worse. They just don't post it online (Finally someone has worked it out! If you don't want people to see it, don't post it! Next they'll start valuing privacy!)," said Pongpat, a 22-year-old aspiring cameraman. "I don't think making that video was wrong. It's a good memory. We just shouldn't have publicized it."
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Twists and Turns in Thailand's Bombing Case
Thai authorities claim progress, but many observers are dubious.
By Joshua Kurlantzick
More than a month after the deadly bombing at central Bangkok’s Erawan shrine, the Thai authorities have made two arrests in the case, and issued at least seventeen arrest warrants overall. On Monday, the Thai police announced that one of the men in custody was the person caught on closed circuit television on the day of the bombing in August—the man who appeared to be leaving a bomb at the shrine. But some Thai commentators remain doubtful that the government has gotten closer to actually solving the case.
The lack of trust that the Thai authorities have arrested the actual perpetrators stems from several factors. First, in recent years the Thai police and security forces have demonstrated a pattern of problematic investigations of major crimes, whether the 2006 New Year’s Eve bombings in Bangkok, or the 2014 Koh Tao murder case, in which two foreign tourists were killed on the resort island. In the Koh Tao case, the police initially announced that two indigent Burmese migrants, who are now on trial, confessed to the crime, but the two later recanted their confession and claimed that they only confessed after being tortured. They are now standing trial, but there are significant amounts of evidence that call their guilt into question. Most recently, Thailand’s most prominent forensics investigator announced that DNA on the Koh Tao murder weapon does not match the DNA of the accused migrants. According to Time, “The [Koh Tao] prosecution’s case rests on DNA samples found on [one tourist’s] body that investigators say match the defendants. Defense lawyers had asked for the samples to be retested but police said the evidence had been ‘used up.’â€
As commentator Saksith Saiyasombut notes, the Thai police also continue to use methods that seem, at the least, outdated. They continue to have people arrested for crimes appear in public to “re-enact†the alleged criminal acts. In early September, Thai police led one of the Erawan suspects, Yusufu Mierili, around central Bangkok, where he went through the steps he supposedly took on the bombing day, with reporters there to cover the re-enactment. Such re-enactments, one would think, would make it more difficult for the alleged criminals to have a fair trial, though what they say at the re-enactment is theoretically not usable in court. In addition, Saksith notes, re-enactments do not further the investigation, and at times they have led to mobs of people attacking the suspect right after the re-enactment.
The Thai police also sometimes receive large, publicly announced, rewards when they apparently make breakthroughs in cases, an unusual practice in law enforcement. In the bombing case, the Thai police already have twice announced that they will be keeping two rewards. The first reward, as the Associated Press reported, was originally “offered to the public for tips leading to the arrest of suspects†but police gave it to themselves. Then, earlier this week Thailand’s police chiefs announced the police were awarding themselves a second reward, essentially for making substantial progress in the investigation. The police chiefs brandished thick stacks of cash for the media earlier this week to demonstrate how much money they were getting.
Third, there have been a range of inconsistencies in the statements of the people arrested, and in the statements of Thai authorities about those arrested and about the reasons for the attack. The Thai government has at times suggested the bombers acted to avenge a crackdown on their human trafficking network, to take revenge for Thailand’s deportation of a group of Uighurs back to China in July, to strike a blow for the insurgents fighting the Thai government in the deep south, or even for reasons related to Thailand’s domestic politics. At various times in the investigation, government officials have said that one of the men in custody, Adem Karadag, was not the man who planted the bomb; now, government officials say he is. The government also has tried to implicate a range of other suspects in the bombing, mostly local opponents of the military regime.
Finally, more than a year in the Thai junta’s rule, the level of popular distrust in the government generally has risen; this distrust carries over to the government’s handling of the bombing case. Opaque policymaking and crackdowns on dissent remain the norm. Earlier this month, prominent journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk, an outspoken critic of military rule, was taken to a Thai army base for an “attitude adjustment†in a tiny cell. After his stay at the army base, he quit his job at The Nation, a prominent Thai paper, apparently under pressure from some of his colleagues.
http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/twists-and-turns-in-thailands-bombing-case/
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This from a nation where reading George Orwell in public can get you arrested...
A move to integrate state information databases into one data network is underway to spur national development and manage security more efficiently, the just-retired secretary-general of the National Security Council Anusit Kunakorn has said.
He revealed this during an interview on NOW channel's "the 26th Hour''.
An "electronic superhighway network" formally known as the Government Information Network (GIN) - or Super GIN - has been established to help the government boost economic growth, assist with natural disasters, tackle illegal trade, criminal activity and manage security issues, said Anusit, who retired at the end of last month.
GIN is the initiative of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. "The PM believes integrating the country's databases will benefit not only the government but also the public, business or the private sector that can utilise this information sharing system,'' he said.
According to a February 8 resolution by the Prayut Cabinet, the PM chairs a committee to implement this project. Deputy Premier Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also Defence Minister, oversees the project and Anusit was made secretary of the committee.
Prayut wanted the Information Communications and Technology Ministry to be the main agency to pool information from various ministries, Anusit said.
At this stage, information from different ministries is linked manually, such as databases of the Revenue Department, Department of Provincial Administration, which is in charge of civil registration, the Royal Thai Police, and the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (NCB). Many databases could not be linked yet, he said.
But critics have questioned if this sharing of information, which includes civil registration databases, will intrude into individuals' privacy. Many people may not want their financial information or criminal records to be shared or known just via a single check.
Presently the Civil Registration keeps fingerprint records of each individual (their right and left thumbs). Those without thumbs have prints of their index, middle, ring and little fingers kept respectively.
What critics fear is that this project could be geared toward having all 10 fingerprints kept and even DNA collected and stored. But Anusit said: "To collect and keep DNA information, a new law would have to be passed."
He argued that having complete identity records for people would be useful for many incidents, such as natural disasters.
"People should not think that having 10 fingerprints make them look like criminals. For the country to move ahead people should think out of the box and we must adjust ourselves with the times. People have nothing to lose in having their 10 fingerprints kept in databases,'' Anusit said.
"People who do nothing wrong do not have to worry. If you are not criminals but decent people who earn your livelihood honestly, or officials who are not corrupt, I believe you would not reject this system because all parties will benefit. Checks enabled by this system create transparency,'' he said.
Benefits from the project would be huge, Anusit said. For instance, people could get new national ID cards faster, officials could check if ID cards were falsified or if criminals had used ID cards of people who had died or held several ID cards. Officials could check if migrants, hilltribe or ethnic minority people - who do not own national ID cards but are given different types of cards - hold only one correct ID card. They could be checked more easily if they illegally enter the country or engage in illegal activity. Landowners could check their ownership of land title deeds, and people may be able to find the whereabouts of missing family members.
"Bank accounts, debts, credit cards can also be checked through this information sharing system,'' he said.
The private sector can link databases with those of civil registration. This would enable companies to access information on applicants such as their authentic ID cards. They could also link to databases of the Labour Ministry, which would help them get information such as where applicants worked before.
When the Asean Economic Community starts next year, surveillance information systems and information sharing would be useful for immigration issues such as when people cross borders.
"Immigration officials would have criminal records or blacklists of the NCB or the Corrections Department. Criminals fleeing the country would find it much harder. The integrated system will be like you see in foreign movies, you key in ID numbers and you will know that person's criminal record," he said.
To help boost security in the restive South, security officials could link the Land Transport Department's car registration information with Internet protocol (IP) by smart phones to check on cars. "The public also benefits from this information system if they encounter car thefts,'' he said.
Anusit said the PM had long pushed for this project before the 17 August bomb attacks in Bangkok took place. If security databases were fully integrated, police investigations would be easier.
"We would have had information about bomb parts because there have been patterns of bombs around the world. If the public does not have a negative attitude, they would enjoy greater security with this integrated system that can be efficiently managed and updated,'' he said.
The ICT Ministry will design the system to identify the level of confidentiality in order to determine what information should be shared with various state agencies, or what data the private sector or the public can access, Anusit said.
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Public urged to monitor the Koh Tao murder trial by Burmese investigators
KOH SAMUI: -- Zaw Lin and Wei Phyo, the two men who stand accused of the murders in Koh Tao last September, are innocent and should be cleared of all charges according to a team of investigators representing the Burmese Government who spoke to reporters in Rangoon on Thursday. During the press interview the team urged the public to monitor the case as it continues on the 10th and 11 of this month, on what are due to be the final hearing dates.
Burmese investigation teamThe two Burmese men are accused of the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, and the murder of David Miller, backpackers who travelled separately to the island last year. The gruesome murders have cast a shadow over the island and raised questions about tourist safety in Thailand and well as migrant worker issues.
The accused, who initially confessed to the crimes, later retracted their confessions saying they were tortured into admitting involvement in the crime. Htoo Chit, a migrant rights advocate who has been leading the investigation team formed by the Burmese Embassy in Thailand said the evidence presented during the case was overwhelmingly in favor of the defendants and that the Thai justice system should declare them innocent. “At first, they confessed because they were tortured and threatened in police custody, but they told us everything because they trust us,†Htoo Chit said. “I believe they are innocent and will be free soon, but we must monitor [the decision of the court] and whether they are acquitted.†He went on to explain that one of the most crucial pieces of evidence was the DNA testing administered by the Thai investigators that has come under increasing scrutiny. He says that DNA testing typically takes around 20 days where the tests in this case took only three days. Furthermore Thai forensic pathologist Dr. Pornthip Rojanasunan, who was called by the defense testified that the assumed murder weapon, a garden hoe, did not show any trace of the DNA of either defendants.
Those close to the case believe the two migrant workers are being used as scapegoats in a trial that has been riddled with ambiguity and accusations of foul play. During the proceedings the translator hired to assist with investigation was revealed to be a Rohingya Muslim who was fluent in neither Thai nor the defendants native Arakanese.
Yesterday (October 2nd) marked one year in jail for the two 22 year old defendants who maintain all they did on the night of the horrific murders was play guitar on the beach close to where the crimes took place and have told members of their support group that they had no knowledge of either victim prior to the news they had been murdered the following day, had no motive for hurting anybody on an island they rely on to earn money to provide for their families and pray for justice for the families of the victims. The two, who face the death penalty if found guilty of the crimes, have remained calm during the trial during which they have received support from their mothers, both widows, who have travelled to the island to support their sons. Neither of the accused have a history of any criminal activity.
-- Samui Times 2015-10-03
via ThaiVisa
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The Great Martian War 1913 - 1917 - 2013 - Well told docco - I liked it.
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Panthongtae ready to hand over the 7-million baht cash reward
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s only son, Panthongtae, is ready to hand over the 7-million baht reward that he earlier promised to give to the police if they manage to arrest the Erawan Shrine bomber.
An informed source said that Panthongtae planned to visit the National Police Office on Friday to hand over the cash reward to the national police chief, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaichinda, to be distributed to the officers responsible for resolving the case.
However, Pol Gen Chakthip would not be available and the plan was called off.
Earlier, Panthongtae posted a message in his Facebook page on August 21 saying that Thaksin had endorsed the promised cash reward but it should be divided into two portions – one portion of two million baht to be given to those who gave the tips leading to the arrest of the suspected bomber and the other portion, five million baht, are to be shared out among police officers responsible for investigating the case.
One of the two suspects held in police custody, Adem Karadag, confessed to the police on September 23 that he was the yellow-shirted bomber wanted by the police.
http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/panthongtae-ready-to-hand-over-the-7-million-baht-cash-reward
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It might just be me, but put a pair of thick rimmed glasses on this bloke and I reckon he looks a bit more like the yellow t'shirted bomber, in stature and 'ranginess' than the one they're accusing now. JMHO
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New police chief orders extensive dragnet for Aod, the key link to political motive in deadly bombing
in General
New police chief orders extensive dragnet for Aod, the key link to political motive in deadly bombing.
Thai police are now seeking help from Interpol, and using diplomatic channels to help in the hunting for and the extradition of the 15 suspects in the deadly bomb attack at Erawan Shrine which killed 20 people and injured over 120 others on August 17.
Among the 15 fugitive suspect are two Thais, Mrs Wanna Suansom, whose Thai passport has been revoked already, as she was said to be living with her Turkish husband in Turkey, and Yongyut Pobkaew, alias ‘Aod’ Payungwong, a former guard of the redshirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD).
The rest are foreigners.
The new commissioner of the Royal Thai Police Pol Gen Chakthip Chaichinda today ordered police investigators to hunt down Aod as he is a key suspect in the bombing conspiracy.
He ordered police to comb two places in Chonburi and Ayutthaya where Aod was believed to be still hiding.
He was confident that the police would get him very soon.
Aod is the key link into several bombing incidents in the country during anti-government protests a few year ago, notably the Samarn mansion bomb explosion that killed four persons in 2010 and Minburi bomb explosion that killed two persons last year.
In the two explosions, materials used in making the bombs were same as the materials used in the bombing at Erawan shrine and Sathorn pier. This finding prompted the police investigators to believe political motive was behind.
An investigative team today prepared a set of photographs of Aod to be verified by his aged mother who is at present in an old people’s home in Bang Lamung district in Chonburi province.
The investigative team has also ascertained that Aod was married but apparently his wife has passed away.
They however had a female child together. They have also managed to discover that he has in the past been charged with 9 offences which include violation of the 2010 State of Emergency Decree after becoming involved with the UDD.
On top of this, police investigators are also in the process of coordinating with the military and the Corrections Department for more information on the man.
They are also trying to get in touch with his bondsman as on every occasion that he has been arrested, the bondsman always state that Aod was staying at a house in Sena district in Ayutthaya province.
Initial inquiries have found that the home is question houses no less than 27 individuals. Authorities are preparing to send a team to the house to make a physical inspection.
The manhunt for Aod who is among the 15 wanted suspects have become an urgent matter and authorities throughout the nation have been put on high alert.
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Many abductions/disappearances in Laos, I doubt the same as Yimsiam friend.
I am in agreement with you about Sombath, but YimSiam's friend was another, I was referring to. I am sorry if my posts were confusing.
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Whilst probably unrelated to the Murders of the two British Tourists, it would be interesting to know where the son of the local "powerful family" is at the moment.
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Teen's plea for Wellington dad Andrew Missen, missing in Thailand
Andrew Missen hasn't been heard from in 10 days.
The teen daughter of a Wellington man missing in Thailand is pleading for help to find him.
Andrew Missen, a designer who has created furniture for iconic Wellington eateries, failed to return to New Zealand after a trip to the Thai island of Ko Samui.
His family hasn't heard from him for more than 10 days.
His 15-year-old daughter, Teal Edwards-Missen, has made a public plea for information on Facebook:
"My dad, Andrew Missen, has gone missing in Ko Samui an island off Bangkok in Thailand. No one in our family has heard from him in over 10 days," she wrote.
"He's supposed to have arrived back in New Zealand but he never arrived at the airport in Thailand. Attached is a photo of him, please please please share this for me, he's my best friend and we're all so worried."
The status has been shared more than 380 times.
A woman who answered the phone at Missen's Newtown shop, Nidus Furniture, on Tuesday night was desperate for information on his whereabouts.
"To be honest, right now I'm just waiting for a call from him."
Ko Samui Tourist Police were unable to provide any details overnight.
A spokewoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said locating missing persons overseas was primarily a police matter and family inquiries should be referred to them.
Missen is well-known in design circles for his steelwork and furniture, which feature at Maranui Cafe, Chow, Deluxe and Hummingbird.
He has also designed chairs, tables and fittings for chef Al Brown's restaurants, including Depot in Auckland.
Missen's website says he is based in the Wellington suburb of Newtown, and lives with his daughter Teal and his dog Honey.
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Air 2015 - adequate telling of two blokes stuck in an underground people storage unit after 'the nuclear holocaust'. Worth a watch.
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The coffee, there's apparently only two export licenses allowed for coffee, patronage and nepotism rules
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Bangkok blast: Thailand's police say they consider case solved, receive cash awards again!
The Thai national police chief Somyot Pumpanmuang holding up a reward before a news conference about the Bangkok blast which killed 20 people, including foreigners, at the Royal Thai Police headquarters in central Bangkok, Thailand, on Sept 28, 2015. The reward of fat wads of cash in front of journalists was the second time ‘’award’’ money has been given to police teams working on the case.PHOTO: REUTERS
Thailand's police have said they consider the Erawan Shrine blast case solved, as they awarded themselves with cash, but will continue to investigate a potential domestic political angle to the bomb blast that killed 20 people on Aug 17 at the popular shrine in Bangkok.
At a press conference in Bangkok on Monday (Sept 28), Thai police chief Somyot Poompunmuang, who is serving his last days in office before retiring, reiterated that the bomb attack was revenge by a gang that was smuggling ethnic Uighurs out of China and had been damaged by a police crackdown.
But he said one of two Thai suspects in the case had also been involved in a bomb blast at an apartment in Nontahaburi on the outskirts of Bangkok in 2010.
"We have yet to establish these (political) links. It might have been a contract crime. A group might have hired another already bent on taking revenge to commit the crime, so both got what they wanted," he said.
The police have also again been awarded fat wads of cash in front of journalists for their efforts.
The 3 million baht (S$118,410) reward comprised donations from private businessmen as well as Gen Somyot's personal money, the chief said.
It was the second time "award" money has been given to police teams working on the case.
The Aug 17 rush-hour blast at the heart of downtown Bangkok was the deadliest in memory in Thailand, killing 20 people, including 12 foreigners.
The police have issued at least 17 arrest warrants, including for Chinese and Pakistani nationals, and have two people in custody.
Over the weekend, they said one of them, a foreigner whose nationality is still unclear but whose name has been given as Adem Karadag or Bilal Mohammed, had confessed to actually planting the bomb at the Erawan Shrine.
The blast at the apartment in Nonthaburi in October 2010 killed four people, including a man called Samai Wongsuwan, probably while he was assembling a bomb, the police said at the time.
Last year, the police arrested a Thai woman allegedly linked to the Nonthaburi case.
At the time, the government blamed the Nonthaburi blast on the "red shirts" who earlier that year, after months of protests against the government of then Premier Abhisit Vejjajiva, had been cowed by an army crackdown.
The red shirts, of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship, were aligned with former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who had been kicked out of of office by the military in 2006 on the back of royalist street protests against his rule.
The violence of the summer of 2010, which saw red shirts battling troops across central Bangkok, left over 90 dead - mostly civilian protesters.
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Entirely expected, now it's 2.1 million Audi cars, http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=11520636
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Therein the utility of flying below the radar.
Without delving too much into the specifics, there is room for change there, but as with most large shifts, it'll take a generation.
There seem to be three strains of people, the "old school" who set it all up, the "middle" who want it all, but have no historical authority, and the "new" who've been educated abroad. These are also distributed in some random way across three power bases, being Military, Police and Political.
The mix is volatile, but except for occasional vanishings and transport accidents, even 'sudden onset illness', the whole kit and caboodle seems to be moving in the right direction, slowly. Just my opinion.
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Yeah, that's true - the Chinese are always lurking just around the next corner...
I suppose I mean I love their frequent uselessness, some of the charming incompetence, which I came to know about 15 years ago, working briefly in the north. But also had a friend 'disappeared' in the classic sense, most likely due to a conflict between plantation business, Chinese interests, and ostensibly govt-supported conservation efforts. So, I've seen the dark side - don't mean to be unconditional in my love - for anyone, ever... except Mom.
I may have heard of whom you speak, your friend I mean. Luang Namtha or thereabouts ?
You are right about the Chinese also. And "frequent uselessness, some of the charming incompetence" is entertaining and endearing.
A friend on this board, introduced me to, and we had lunch with, a chap who has similarly vanished.
So as I say, I keep my head below the radar, and I've been tested on many occasions. Usually when drinking with folk from various govt depts, my political opinions are sought, and needless to say, I always support the efforts of the Govt in whatever subject is raised. The vanished, are never mentioned.
I married a lass, with some high powered cousins, this may have not hindered my marriage paperwork, but I've not seen any influence for me or my immediate family. It would be easy to assume that all is well. But then I wouldn't have a brain.
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Definitely a Tuesday movie, Wednesday is nipple whitening day, Monday navigating back to reality. Tuesday, Wednesday no haircut day.
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" but I cannot put much faith in their capacity for reliable analysis."
or any analysis in my opinion.
I love Laos, but that's coloured very strongly with an understanding that education, democracy, human rights, all that sort of stuff, does not apply.
If your head is below the radar, the people are warm, loving, simple, generous and fair. As soon as you raise your nose, to sniff the money stream, that flows strongly through the government and military et al, you start to play with the most corrupt, scum sucking bastards there are on the planet.
It's a tribute to the village mode of society that most Lao are beautiful people.
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The Zero Theorem 2013 - Terry Gilliam - good movie that doesn't quite gel - worth a watch
Cop Car 2015 - simple plot - very good acting - well worth a watch - Kevin Bacon.
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Just in case you though it was only the Thais I enjoy slagging...
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The offering of online football wagering will not encourage more local people to become gambling addicts, a senior Lao government official has stated.
Deputy Minister of Finance Mr Sila Viengkeo made the comment yesterday while responding to a question raised by a villager from Dongdok village in Vientiane's Xaythany district through the National Assembly hotline.
The villager said the legal online football service has caused great harms to students who lost their money which also led to social ills.
Mr Sila said the online football wagering launched six months ago by the Lao Development Lottery State Enterprise has been approved by the Ministry of Finance.
He cited that the ministry approved this project after discovering that illegal football wagering was widespread in major towns in Laos and the football wagering aims to create options for people to spend some of their money for lucky draws and relaxed wagering instead of risking their cash with illegal activities.
Mr Sila said that the online football service will also generate revenue for the government.
“I dismiss the claim raised by the villager. I don't think that the online football wagering will encourage more people to gamble as our ministry has regulated their business operation,†he said.
He explained that the Lao Development Lottery State Enterprise has been told to sell not more than 1 million kip per person per day and the punters need to be 18 years of age or older.
“The online football wagering is a pilot project and we will review the effectiveness of the project for the 2015-16 fiscal year. If the project results are negative we may order it to shut down, but if it proves positive we may further approve it to expand,†he said.
Lao Development Lottery State Enterprise also announced the football lottery service has given the opportunity for gamblers to legally forecast and bet on winners of football matches.
Football matches of all the famous leagues across the globe were includ ed in the new online gambling system. During the world cup, the punters in Laos moved to use the online gambling system.
Gamblers are required to set up an online account with the enterprise to enable them to perform online gambling.
Those winning a bet will receive money through the account, while losers will have their available balance decreased after paying online.
Mr Sila said Laos earns more than 60 billion kip annually through the lottery profit tax. The revenue generated from the lottery is a lot but he did not have the exact figure with him.
The Lao Development Lottery State Enterprise has branches in Vientiane and the provinces to offer the lottery service for punters.
However members of the public are very concerned that more products and more dates of issuing lottery could cause greater damage to young people.
They also urged relevant authorities to ensure a transparent process of issuing the lottery which should be broadcast live on Lao TV.
http://www.vientianetimes.org.la
Mr Sila Viengkeo, a very rich man...
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In USA, car makers do bother working up a special set of specs for California, where the environmental laws are more strict than the rest of the country. It wouldn't surprise me if they do the same in other areas where the laws are different.
I'm not so sure, a quick search of Mr Google reveals 77 VW dealers in California and about 20 in NZ, our market is smaller than you think.
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I think I've said before, the Thai (and other) police often get the right man, despite the evidence being insufficient or wrong.
Not the way justice should be done, but effective.
However, then we see problematic cases like the Koh Tao murders which point to nothing but a lack of credibility in the Police.
'made In Germany' Lies In The 'gutter' After Volkswagen Caught Cheating
in Non-Thailand News
Posted
So not only has NZ sold exactly the same cars, but they's quarantined them, to stop the dodgy software getting out and infecting other cars/people/native wild life
http://www.driven.co.nz/news/news/vw-scandal-vehicles-quarantined-in-nz/?ref=NZHNetwork
VW scandal: Vehicles quarantined in NZ
BY MATHEW DEARNALEY, NZ HERALD • 05/10/2015
Volkswagen's New Zealand division has quarantined 36 new vehicles with emissions-cheating diesel engines, but acknowledges there are likely to be hundreds more on our roads.
General manager Tom Ruddenklau says the company has halted the sale of 21 Tiguan SUVs and 15 Caddy vans, and is confident they are the only new VW vehicles in this country to have been caught up in the global scandal engulfing the German car-maker.
"Just to be on the safe side, we've isolated those from being sold until we've got a remedy - it's just something that's the responsible thing to do," he said this afternoon.
But he disclosed that there are likely to be hundreds of VW diesels of both those models and some others sold over several years in New Zealand fitted with the same four-cylinder EA 189 engine, although he was unable to identify those at this stage.
Smaller numbers of Audi and Skoda vehicles with the same engines were also likely to be affected.
Mr Ruddenklau said he hoped to have a definitive list from Germany by Monday night or Tuesday morning of the other models, to be able to notify owners and offer them a fix when one became available.
The company also intended setting up a website during the week on which owners could enter their vehicle chassis numbers, rather than wait for the company to reach them.
"Because what we are finding is customers with petrol engines for example are calling us and asking is their vehicle involved in this - and we are going: No, it's only diesel."
Neither were VW Tourags with their V6 diesel engines affected.
When the scandal first blew up, Mr Ruddenklau said New Zealand was not directly affected, as VWs on our roads were imported from the European Union market "and those cars are not involved in this emission-associated recall programme..."
His comment followed the United States Environmental Protection Agency's revelation on September 21 that it had found "defeat device" software on diesel cars which could suppress nitrogen oxide emission levels during tests, only for those to soar by up to 40 times the permitted level in everyday use.
Mr Ruddenklau told the Herald today he initially thought the problem was confined to the US market "but then the next day it transpired it was probably a little bit bigger than that."
He noted that New Zealand did not require emissions tests for nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, and did not have a standard for those.
"But emissions are emissions, and even if we don't test for them here, they are important and we can't be irresponsible or complacent over it." he said.
"At the centre of this is a bit of a trust issue - there's been some dishonest behaviour from VW in Germany and that behaviour is not acceptable."
A statistic analysis by the Associated Press news agency estimates that VW's pollution-control chicanery has not just been victimless tinkering, but is likely to be killing between five and 20 people a year in the United States, from excessive emissions of smog-forming nitrogen oxides.