Coss

I believe that one of the issues raised by the feminism of the 60s, 70s and 80s is that the pendulum was pushed too far in the favour of women, now the pendulum is starting to swing back and it will inevitably swing far back, in the male direction, but not quite as far. Eventually there will be an equilibrium, where the notion of equality, will be amended to one of equivalency and people will return, to concentrating on quality of life, rather than what they are missing out on, because some activist told them so.

They'll be lucky if they have a tourism industry after this. The (all that follows is assumed) 'Powerful' interests that are being protected will not have any profitable interests left to enrich themselves from, following the phenomenally massive negative publicity that this island is receiving courtesy of the corrupt and Keystone Cops like cadre of people who style themselves as police. So rather than efficiently disposing of the publicity problem by conducting a transparent and believable investigation that bolsters international confidence and thereto tourism confidence, they obviously prefer to kill their goose that lays the golden eggs.

I was nearly found found nude and dead on my bathroom floor a year or two ago. Had a shower whilst very inebriated, slipped and was lucky to survive with only a cracked rib. Could have easily been a cracked head. moral = don't shower alone when drunk

Good luck.

Best bike I ever had. Honda 750 Super Magna 86 or 87. One of those machines that they just got right. Not saying it's better than any other, but I'd prefer this over any other.

Copied from Source Universal doubts cloud ‘perfect’ Koh Tao murder investigation By Prae Sakaowan a... October 8, 2014 / 13:19 ICT For weeks popular speculation ran deep police that would finger Burmese migrant workers for the murder of two foreign tourists on Koh Tao, and when it came true on Friday, you could almost hear the groans. An investigation which came out of the gate “focusing on migrant laborers†before moving on to a British friend of the deceased and “especially Rohingya†and even influential “mafia figures†for a time, eventually came full circle to three migrant laborers implicated by no more than circumstantial evidence, an alleged DNA hit and a now-recanted confession. Along the way the investigation accumulated numerous accounts of witness torture, bribery, bizarre claims and threats. However, after so many missteps, questionable statements and by all appearances a totally shambolic investigation, there was one big problem for the police who’ve been under intense pressure to show results: No one bought it. Not the international audience; not the domestic audience. In fact so many voices of skepticism or downright disbelief have erupted since Friday that police Tuesday resorted to threatening prosecution of anyone who challenged their conclusions, saying they would charge dissenters with “insulting officials.†Indeed National police chief Somyot Poompanmoung on Tuesday described the work of investigators as “a perfect job.†Investigation dogged by contradictions and alleged misconduct Since the bodies of David Miller and Hannah Witheridge were found on the idyllic island last month, trying to keep apace of developments has been like managing schizophrenia. Just yesterday, Thai police announced that Burmese embassy officials were “satisfied†with their investigation. At the same time, reports filtered out from Burmese media that an embassy lawyer had in fact described it as a “set up†after the two men, Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Htun, revealed bruises they said came from torture and recanted their confessions. “They said they didn't do it, that the Thai police (along with their Burmese-Thai translator) beat them until they confessed to something they didn't do,†said Attorney Aung Myo Thant of the Burmese Embassy. “They're pleading with the Burmese government to look into the case and find out the truth.†Meanwhile an online petition urging the Government of the United Kingdom to independently investigate the horrific murder of its citizens has drawn more than 43,000 signatures by Thai nationals and people around the world. We do not know what happened in the early hours of Sept. 15 on Koh Tao. However the burden of proof, by no fault of a “reasonable†understanding of events, lies squarely on the shoulders of the police, who’ve been accused not once but numerous times in recent days of misconduct, including bribing a taxi driver and torturing a Thai man for not providing false testimony and otherwise compelling results to bring the case to a convenient close. “They [the police] beat all of us while interrogating us. Three of us were seriously injured. But some got minor injuries,†Burmese Worker Than Hlaing told Irrawaddy on Monday. “They detained us for one night. They collected our records and took pictures of us. [Then] they finally told us that we were not guilty and released us.†The cloud moves in In recent days the widespread doubt has prompted an army of keyboard detectivesdetectives on sites such as CSI LA to fumble for answers themselves. Operated by a Thai resident of the United States, the Facebook group has been followed by more than 220,000 people, as the community makes ongoing efforts to piece together what happened from evidence released to the public. Loopholes and inconsistencies in the investigation have been pointed out, urging explanations from the authorities such as the questions about minor wounds on Miller’s head and shoulder, which appear less severe than those on Witheridge, as if caused by a push knife rather than a hoe, as argued by police. Police refute that. Internet speculation turned to the cut on David Miller’s shoulder (top left) as compared to that Sean McAnna (middle), a Scottish man who said he was threatened with death by Koh Tao “mafia†figures who wanted him to confess. Source: CSI LA The same type of wounds, it’s pointed out, were visible on Sean McAnna, a Scottish man who worked as a musician on Koh Tao and fled the island claiming he was houndedby local “mafia figures†to confess to the murders or be killed. Photographs purporting to show the accused men’s interrogation was translated by a Rohingya translator, who actually is a Roti-seller on Koh Samui. Source: CSI LA “Right now, I don't ask for anything much from those who have power. All I ask for is ‘transparency’ of David & Hannah's case,†the admin of CSI LA wrote. “Right now it is a golden opportunity for those who have power to set an example for our society. … Please don't let Thailand's reputation, tourist industry and millions of Thais suffer from humiliation just because the lack of ‘transparency.’†On Tuesday police were forced to respond to some of the inconsistencies in their public account. After saying they’d found Witheridge’s phone in one of the suspect’s rooms, a claim apparently discounted by photographic evidence, police walked it back to change their story. They said it was Miller’s phone, according to Khaosod English. Photographs appear to show the mobile phone of Hannah Witheridge submitted to police by her friends, despite police claims it was found in one of their suspect’s possession. Photo: CSI LA. ‘A perfect job’ Authorities remain steadfast in their conviction they’ve found those responsible. Recently appointed national police chief Somyot Poompanmoung on Tuesday defended the investigation in the face of the torture claims by the accused. "I insist that all officials in this case have done a good job; a perfect job" Somyot said, according to the Bangkok Post. A lead investigator dismissed suggestions of investigatorial misconduct. "In an investigation, it is impossible that there are no questions raised,†said police Maj. Gen. Suwat Chaengyodsuk. “There will always be minor doubts and points, but would these (points) have enough weights to change the evidence, witnesses or the entire case?" Suwat, deputy commander of Metropolitan Police Bureau leading the investigation into the murders, spoke Monday during an appearance on the Jor Kao Den television program to clear up “confusions†raised in social media. "The investigation focused on transparency and forensic examination,†he said. “We collected footage from 106 security cameras and tested the possibility of people living within 600 meters in diameter from the crime scene." Doubt from all corners But all along the merits of a professional investigation have seemed secondary to protecting image. Daily news reports proclaiming progress – bizarrely described at one point by the lead investigator as precisely “85 percent complete†– have routinely segued into shameless exhortations about the resilience of tourism. “Meanwhile, local officials in Surat Thani said yesterday that tourists were returning to Koh Tao resort island in droves after the alleged culprits in the murders of British tourists Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were arrested,†The Nation reported Sunday. Local media haven’t bought it either. Channel 3 news reporter Jaturong Sukka-iat has openly expressed his doubts about the case. “The suspects were arrested because of circumstantial evidence … based on CCTV footage, and no one knows whether their DNA actually matched,†he said. “The main evidence is footage of them in a 7-Eleven. The murder happened on the beach. Where are the witnesses? I suggest you should be careful when going to 7-Eleven.†Jaturong was optimistic the legal process would lead to the truth. “Despite their confessions in the questioning process, they can say the opposite in the trial. Even though they don’t speak Thai, they must have known murdering two people would lead to a death sentence,†he said. “Why would they continue to live in Koh Tao for 20 more days?†Alleged motive falls short Ultimately the motive ascribed by police and reportedly confessed by Win Zaw Htun appears oversimplistic and more consistent with myths about rape than decades of research. According to police, he saw the British couple having sex on the beach and convinced his friend to savagely murder them because he was “horny.†The police statement fits a classic misunderstanding of rape as an act of sexual passion, not an act of premeditated violence, as experts say is most often the case. “Rape is a premeditated act of violence, not a spontaneous act of passion,†according to the University of Minnesota. Not to mention that forensic evidence did not recover any of Miller’s DNA from Hannah’s body. “We did not conclude this yet. Maybe he was wearing a condom,†Suwat said. He said a used condom was recovered from the crime scene but was “too contaminated†to recover male DNA. But DNA from Hannah was found, he said. Whoever killed Miller and Witheridge, the public seems unwilling to accept anything short of definitive evidence, and the bar has been raised higher than usual in light of so many investigative missteps. On Tuesday, 850 pages comprising the investigation file and questioning of the suspects was submitted to Koh Samui prosecutors for approval to bring the case to trial. The suspects could face the death sentence. Justice is a scarce commodity in a world where rich young men can get wasted and run over and kill policemen in their Ferraris without consequence, and young women get a slap on the wrist for sending a van full of people plunging to their deaths. Thailand is in a time of change, and it has been hoped the ghosts of injustices past would be put to rest. For the sake of the victims’ families and as a message to the world it’s not just “business as usual,†we hope it’s not too late.

What did you tell them? LBFMs?

Many now predict the kingdom's industry is again set to surge... Are these Thais that are doing the predicting?

Even if I didn't think the Burmese are convenient scapegoats, I wouldn't trust the BiB to get the right suspects in the first place, or the second, or the third.

What is it? a fajita?

Will this affect ST / LT prices in Pyongyang ?

Rodman will mourn the passing of the free trips and the publicity.

The Voice Of Asia Paperback – January 1, 1951 by A.James Michener (Author) It's an interesting collection of views on most of the Asian countries. The section on Thailand was notable for the mention, even then, of the women. Also, that the main post office in Bangkok had 5 or 6 mail boxes to post the mail, Europe, Americas, Pacific etc. At 5 O'clock every day a man would come along with a big basket on a cart and empty the respective mailboxes into the singular basket. Tee hee...

Are there international teams testing the DNA?

In the absence of clear video footage of the actual crimes being committed, the cynic in me thinks that justice, will be what ever the police say it is, with no Thais above street cleaner status, being involved as perpetrators.

Me, I could only eat a little one, and then not at one sitting...

Don' need to walk, to pilot a drone from a playstation...

Very hard to convince a burgeoning middle class, to go back to poverty, willingly.

Why not 9 ? because too many third party products had code of the form if(version.StartsWith("Windows 9")) { /* 95 and 98 */ } else { http://www.cnet.com/news/is-this-why-microsoft-named-it-windows-10/

"Korbchai then spoke publicly to the police, calling on them to not work on the case in an aggressive manner and not find scapegoats. "Don't harm innocent people or frighten them," he said." Because if he hadn't told them... wait for it...... That, is exactly, what they'd, do... So you have to tell them, not to...

Belated coverage in NZ - this will not boost tourism... British students, Hannah Witheridge and David Miller. Photo / AFP A British student found dead in Thailand was raped by two men while another watched before she was murdered, police have said. No suspects have yet been arrested for killing Hannah Witheridge, 23, and 24-year-old David Miller but three people are believed to be involved. Lieutenant General Panya Mamen, police commissioner for the island of Koh Tao, told the Bangkok Post: "Two of the suspects raped and killed Witheridge while another one witnessed the murder. "We're confident we have a very high chance of finding the suspects." Two different semen samples collected from her body are the basis for DNA analysis being used to test hundreds of men. The pair's bodies were found on a beach on the tiny island, which is marketed as a palm-fringed paradise for foreign tourists, on 15 September. Post-mortem examinations revealed that Ms Witheridge, from Great Yarmouth, died from head wounds, and Mr Miller, from Jersey, was killed by severe blows to the head and drowning. A bloodstained garden hoe, believed to be the murder weapon, was found nearby. Officers have collected 200 DNA samples from people on Koh Tao and the results are expected later this week. All previous suspects have been released and a group of Thai footballers are the latest to be questioned by police amid criticism that the hunt for the killers has stalled. Read more: • Two British tourists found dead on Thai beach • Thai beach murders remain a mystery A spokesman for the Royal Thai Police confirmed that DNA samples were taken from "more than eight" footballers - who reportedly threw a late-night party at the nightclub where the victims spent their final hours - and officers were awaiting the results. Last week police colonel Kissana Phathanacharoen announced the offer of a 700,000 baht (£13,300) reward for information leading to arrests. Ms Witheridge and Mr Miller did not know each other from at home in the UK and are believed to have met on holiday. CCTV footage shows them leaving a bar together just hours before their battered bodies were discovered on a beach. Ms Witheridge, who was doing a post-graduate speech and language therapy course at the University of Essex, was travelling with three female friends and had only arrived on Koh Tao, or Turtle Island, three before her death. Mr Miller, from Jersey, was studying civil and structural engineering at Leeds University and was travelling in South East Asia following a work placement in Australia. His father, Ian, earlier said that he believes his son stepped in to help Ms Witheridge during an altercation. He told the Daily Mail: "It has become clearer and clearer that it is quite likely David was stepping in to help a girl who was in trouble." Thailand has been suffering large losses in tourist revenue following the murders and the martial law imposed following May's military coup. In an effort to ease safety fears, the tourism minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul has outlined a plan for identification wristbands for visitors and a "buddy system" to keep them safe. The programme, which could impose a curfew on bars, is still being discussed and is expected to meet with resistance from tourists if imposed. Thailand's military ruler Prayuth Chan-ocha had earlier provoked outrage by suggesting that "beautiful" female visitors to his country should not expect to be safe in bikinis. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11334712

"Anybody who was sentenced for his or her role in the taxi mafia - even individuals who ripped people off, were violent or intimidated tourists - can continue to work as a taxi driver as long as his or her sentence has been suspended," says Konlayut Jattutasri, chief of the PLTO Licensing Division. Mr Konlayut Jattutasri could also add, "when the bracelet system is implemented, anyone who was sentenced for his or her role in the taxi mafia - even individuals who ripped people off, were violent or intimidated tourists - can continue to work as a taxi driver as long as they only prey on bracelet wearing tourists. The colour coding of the bracelets will allow the taxi driver to distinguish between those tourists of wealth and therefore influence and those who are 'budget travellers' and therefore fair game".

It's a riddle? Whilst I am sure there are relationships that started and ended with the lady endeavouring to part the Tourist with his money; Most I've heard of are a result of the guy not adjusting to the culture, thinking that poor SEA families are somehow the equivalent of proud and poor western families who would never take assistance as a matter of pride. The facts are when the guy gives them money, its seen as them gaining merit, they've done something right to get this gift. If the relationship sours, the guy will obviously apportion blame and focus on the money. But he gave it in the first place (insert lecture from monk on the impermanence of possessions and money). When you marry a SEA girl you get the family as well. When one of the family members is down on their luck the family will look after them unless they're total lost cause, and even then they sometimes will go further, than a western family would. Western families tend to abandon people to the social welfare structures in their countries. The westerner experiences a sour relationship, tends to withdraw from the game and retreat to a distance to complain about how he was ripped off. The local, in similar circumstances, may not fare much better, but would never suggest that he'd not given the money as a benign and generous giver. To suggest he'd been ripped off would indicate that he was "sticky" or Kee Neow, not a reputation you'd want of you're ever thinking of courting again. Just my humble opinion.

And as someone elsewhere suggested, about the idea to zone and enforce "Tourist Party Only" areas, if there were barbed wire fences around such areas, you could herd the Bill and Margarets, with their pre-unwashed dreads and the harem pants and the pretty string purses that they purchased in the Scunthorpe markets before they arrived in Thailand, into these areas, ensuring that they are safe except unto themselves and that they don't stray into the surrounding local populace, offending local mores. Mind you, I think that could be a good thing. Bus from airport to big wire cage, 10 days of alcohol, drugs and deet, bus back to airport, go home. Holiday had, problem solved.