A court in Thailand has issued a warrant for the arrested of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is believed to be in Montenegro. He is accused of organizing the protests in Bangkok in which 88 people were killed.
Posts Tagged ‘Thailand’
Red dawn
May 19th, 2010 |
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Thailand’s army marches in to crush the months-long protest in Bangkok
FOR six days, clouds of black smoke hung over Bangkok’s jagged skyline, marking out flashpoints in a prolonged political drama. At dawn on May 19th, the show reached its bloody climax. Combat troops supported by armoured vehicles pushed into the red shirts’ protest camp. A few thousand stragglers had held out there, defiant to the end. But a group of their leaders, once captured, went quietly, drawing howls of disapproval from their diehard supporters. Other protest leaders may have slipped away. The black smoke grew thicker and more noxious as angry protesters set fire to tyre-and-bamboo barricades and the ritzy shopping area where they had bedded down for several weeks.
The assault on the fortified camp was methodical and met only scattered resistance from gunmen holed up inside. Security forces kept overwhelming force on their side. It was not, mercifully, the replay of the Tiananmen Square massacre that some had predicted, though some 40 people have died in violent clashes since last week. Most of the protesters were herded away to evacuation points. …
16 Super Hot Older Celebrities Who are Still Bangable
May 17th, 2010 |
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Some ladies luck out — a good plastic surgeon, genes, or simply healthy habits give their looks a longevity that leave us wanting more for years, or even decades.
Is Outsourcing Exploitation?
May 17th, 2010 |
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I wasn’t going to write this article.
I was comfortable with my stance on outsourcing, comfortable enough to recommend it and promote products, and profit from the affiliate commissions, from people who use the catch-call of $2-per-hour labor and the phrase – “they do the work, you get the money“.
I’ve begun the process of outsourcing [...]
No end in sight
May 16th, 2010 |
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Violent clashes in Bangkok between the army and red-shirt protesters could get worse
DAYS of deadly street battles between Thai security forces and red-shirt protesters showed no sign of abating on Sunday May 16th. Like the bonfires of fuel-soaked tyres that they set alight, the rage that ignites the roaming gangs of protesters and hoodlums burns bright. And soldiers stand guard at street junctions where signs read “live-fire zone”. At least 35 people have died since Thursday, some reportedly cut down by army snipers hiding in the tower blocks that once symbolised Thailand’s economic promise.
What lies ahead could be much worse. Thousands of protesters, many of them bussed in from the countryside, are sleeping in the shadows of luxury hotels and shopping malls. Many are loyal to a former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, who was kicked out in a 2006 coup. They have occupied a large area of central Bangkok for the past month to force the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, to dissolve parliament and hold new elections. The government, businesses and many Bangkok residents want the red shirts out. Threats and emergency laws have not worked. Peace talks appeared to bear fruit, but fell apart quickly. …
New round of clashes erupt in Thailand
May 14th, 2010 |
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Thai security forces and anti-government protesters are engaging in another violent clash in Bangkok’s main commercial district. There, fighting in recent days has left two people dead and dozens of others wounded.
Asiatravel.com Holdings posts net profit of $1.1m in 2Q
May 14th, 2010 |
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Asiatravel.com Holdings, the pan-Asian online travel and hotel reservation service provider, posted a net profit of $1.1 million for its 2QFY2010 ended 31 March 2010.
Lower room rates and lower visitor arrivals in key destinations Thailand and Dubai caused a 5.9% dip in 2QFY2010 revenue to $17.4 million, and subsequently resulted in the drop of 40.9% in net profit from $1.8 million in 2QFY2009.
Thoughts on Thailand
May 14th, 2010 |
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The political situation in Thailand seems to be worsening. What’s causing it?
Our ASEAN specialist Tony Pugliese was recently in London and we met up for a chin-wag and a few beers. Besides our usual long debates on footballing matters (we watched the Champions League final at a bar in Covent Garden) I quizzed him on the political situation in Thailand. His view was that an election later this year is needed to properly ‘clear the air’. And a compromise of sorts seemed to be on the cards a few weeks ago.
Since then the situation seems to have deteriorated and I’ll be catching up with Tony to discuss it further soon.
What are the root causes of what’s going on? Tony puts it down to the rapid pace of Thailand’s economic development. One consequence of that has been the creation of a big divide between the relatively affluent urban ‘middle classes’ – the people in Bangkok who supported the so-called ‘soft coup’ that removed the Thaksin government from power – and a large body of economically ‘left behind’ people in rural areas. The Thaksin Shinawatra government played mainly to the second group and that became its political power base. It was, however, viewed by many as a government that was fundamentally corrupt and the exiled Thaksin does appear to have amassed a fair bit of wealth. Tony reckoned his government wasn’t all bad though, and that it had done some good things for the masses in more rural areas.
The demonstrations in Bangkok have served to deepen the divide.
Tony was relatively sanguine about prospects for the auto industry and market in Thailand, but he thought an election later this year is key to calming the conflict down. And the longer it goes on, the worse things will be getting for the Thai economy.
I guess the underlying difficulty in Thailand is uneven economic development and how that can have pretty profound political consequences. I wonder what they make of it all in Beijing?
Thoughts on Thailand
May 14th, 2010 |
No Comments
The political situation in Thailand seems to be worsening. What’s causing it?
Our ASEAN specialist Tony Pugliese was recently in London and we met up for a chin-wag and a few beers. Besides our usual long debates on footballing matters (we watched the Champions League final at a bar in Covent Garden) I quizzed him on the political situation in Thailand. His view was that an election later this year is needed to properly ‘clear the air’. And a compromise of sorts seemed to be on the cards a few weeks ago.
Since then the situation seems to have deteriorated and I’ll be catching up with Tony to discuss it further soon.
What are the root causes of what’s going on? Tony puts it down to the rapid pace of Thailand’s economic development. One consequence of that has been the creation of a big divide between the relatively affluent urban ‘middle classes’ – the people in Bangkok who supported the so-called ‘soft coup’ that removed the Thaksin government from power – and a large body of economically ‘left behind’ people in rural areas. The Thaksin Shinawatra government played mainly to the second group and that became its political power base. It was, however, viewed by many as a government that was fundamentally corrupt and the exiled Thaksin does appear to have amassed a fair bit of wealth. Tony reckoned his government wasn’t all bad though, and that it had done some good things for the masses in more rural areas.
The demonstrations in Bangkok have served to deepen the divide.
Tony was relatively sanguine about prospects for the auto industry and market in Thailand, but he thought an election later this year is key to calming the conflict down. And the longer it goes on, the worse things will be getting for the Thai economy.
I guess the underlying difficulty in Thailand is uneven economic development and how that can have pretty profound political consequences. I wonder what they make of it all in Beijing?
FM Holdings – Corporate moves
May 13th, 2010 |
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Gan Chong Wei has been appointed group financial controller wef April 4
Work experience: Finance manager, MAP Plastics Holdings Pte Ltd; finance manager, M&J Technologies Co., Ltd (Thailand)
Cerebos Pacific posts 82% rise in 2Q net profit to $23m
May 10th, 2010 |
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Cerebos Pacific, the manufacturer of Brand’s Essence of Chicken and other food and health supplements, announced net profit rose 82% to $22.7 million for the second quarter ending March 31, 2010 (2QFY2009/10) compared to $12.4 million in the previous corresponding quarter. 2Q turnover at $215.9 million was 27% higher than the previous corresponding. Excluding the exchange translation gain of $12.1 million, turnover would have increased by 20%, largely from higher sales in all three core businesses of Health Supplements, Coffee and Sauces. Sales grew across all markets with Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and China leading the way with double digit growth.
Pacific Healthcare signs JV deal to to set up specialist centre in Thailand
May 7th, 2010 |
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Pacific Healthcare Holdings, the provider of integrated, multi-disciplinary specialist healthcare services, says it has signed a joint venture agreement with Nusasiri Grand Public Company and Suntarasai Company.
Cupertino’s cold warriors
May 6th, 2010 |
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What has Apple got against eastern Europe?
WHAT have the following places got in common?
America, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Vietnam. …
Commission on missing persons formed, SC told
May 3rd, 2010 |
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ISLAMABAD – Government has succeeded partially to satisfy the apex court while submitting a compliance report regarding the formulation of a judicial commission headed by a retired Supreme Court judge to solve out the issue of missing persons.
A three-member bench of the Supreme Court on Monday directed the Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs to submit a complete report on Pakistanis languishing in various jails in foreign countries. The bench comprising Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Mohammad Sair Ali and Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali hearing the missing personsÂ’ case also ordered Pakistani Ambassadors to ensure release of Pakistani prisoners, especially in Thailand. Amina Masood, Chairperson Defence of Human Rights, informed the court that a large number of Pakistanis were languishing in ThailandÂ’s prisons and three out of them had become mad. The Government should be instructed to ensure their release soon, she added.
Additional Attorney General K K Agha told the court that the Government had appointed a former SC judge, Justice (Retd) Kamal Mansur Alam, as Chairman Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearance in place of Justice (Retd) Sardar Mohammad Raza Khan who had refused to head the Commission due to personal reasons. The other members of the Commission are Justice (Retd) Nasira Iqbal, ex-judge of Lahore High Court, and Justice (Retd) Fazal-ur-Rehman, a retired judge of Balochistan High Court, he added.
The meeting of the Commission would be held in the next week, the AAG said. He informed that the Commission would prepare a comprehensive list of the missing persons with all relevant information. It will collect evidence or testimony of missing persons and examine and compile a list of persons whose custody was at first denied but subsequently admitted and about their present status. The Commission will recommend appropriate procedures for tracing missing persons, and appropriate compensation to the victims of enforced disappearances. It will also fix responsibility on individuals or organisations responsible for enforced disappearance of persons, and will also suggest ways and means to prevent the recurrence of such incidence.
The Commission shall have power to summon record and persons, record evidence and recommend appropriate relief and compensation to the victims of enforced disappearances. Non-compliance of direction in this respect shall be punishable. It will also have power to order a police investigation into any matter coming before it. The AAG also submitted report of persons missing in the Lal Mosque incident. He said that the police had taken the DNA sample of 23 bodies jointly buried in a grave, but so far no one had claimed about these bodies.
Ikram Chaudhary, former vice-president of Supreme Court Bar Association, while dismissing the AAG report, argued that the figures given in it were outdated. He said that, according to his information, 400 to 500 persons were still missing in the Lal Mosque tragedy.
Justice alleviating the concerns of missing persons’ families said, “We are not disassociating ourselves from the missing persons’ case but also do not like to interfere in the Commission’s matter.” He said Justice (Retd) Fazal-ur-Rehman, former judge of BHC, would thoroughly probe into the matter, adding the Commission would determine the exact number of missing persons. The maximum missing persons are from Balochistan and it was a burning issue for the province.
Director Operation Ministry of Interior informed that FIRs in all the missing persons cases had been registered, but so far no progress had been made.
Kamran Doost, Home Secretary Sindh, informed the court that out of nine missing persons, they had traced six, while the remaining three had link with jihadi organisations.
Nokia announces White Edition of E72 Smartphone
May 1st, 2010 |
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Nokia announced the launch of its new white version of E72 Smartphone that comes with a new firmware.
It has the similar specifications as the “original” E72 but just the color of the phone has changed to white. Besides this, it is available with a Nokia BH-216 Bluetooth headset and Nokia C-313 jeweller. [...]
Stand-off in Bangkok
April 26th, 2010 |
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No peace, no war in Thailand
IT TOOK several anxious days, and a lethal grenade attack, for Thailand’s warring sides to reach a tentative peace deal. Its unravelling was swift and disheartening, and brings Thailand back to the brink of further unrest. On April 23rd red-shirt protesters, who are camped out in Bangkok’s shopping district, revised their demand for snap elections, saying a three-month timetable was acceptable. Peace seemed to have broken out, to the relief of residents braced for another violent showdown between security forces and the red shirts, whose rallies attract tens of thousands.
But the next day the prime minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva, shot down the peace plan. He said he would not be forced into dissolving Parliament, which is the rallying cry of the red shirts’ six-week-long protest in the capital. In a taped interview broadcast on April 25th, Mr Abhisit held out little hope of a compromise. He said his government was working to retake the streets from the demonstrators, without giving details, and said his solution “may not please everyone”. By his side, in a show of unity, was the head of the army, General Anupong Paochinda, who has been resisting pressure from government and military hawks to crack down hard. He wants a political compromise to end the crisis. He may not get one. …
Pan-United Corporation finds missing tugboat
April 22nd, 2010 |
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Pan-United Corporation says its tugboat, PU 2007, which was reported missing while underway in Kuantan waters on the night of 19 April 2010, has been found early this morning and is now safely back in Singapore waters. The nine crew members were found onboard safe and sound. The barge is now on its way to Thailand to deliver its cargo.
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Bhat, Murgunde out of Asian Badminton
April 14th, 2010 |
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India’s Arvind Bhat and Trupti Murgunde crashed out of the singles event on the opening day of the main draw of Badminton Asia Championships here Wednesday.
Bhat, seeded 16th, lost to Ji Hoon Hong of Korea 15-21, 21-13, 6-21 in the second round. The Indian had defeated Nepalese Bikash Shrestha 21-14, 21-11 in his first match [...]
SIA, Qantas maintain Bangkok flights amid protests
April 12th, 2010 |
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Singapore Airlines, Qantas Airways and All Nippon Airways Co. maintained services to Bangkok even as countries advised against travel to Thailand following fatal antigovernment protests, according to Bloomberg.
There are no reductions in flights or passenger loads, Singapore Airlines spokesman Nicholas Ionides said in e-mailed comments today. Cathay Pacific Airways, China Southern Airlines Co., China Eastern Airlines Corp., Air China, Japan Airlines Corp., Korean Air Lines Co. and Asiana Airlines Inc. are also continuing scheduled operations as normal.
All 100 charter flights due from China for this week’s Songkran holidays in Thailand have been canceled, the Bangkok Post said today, citing Vichit Prakobgosol, president of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association.
Governments including South Korea, Italy, China and Australia have advised against travel to Thailand because of clashes between demonstrators and troops that have caused 21 fatalities and left 858 people injured.
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