Another Thai Elephant Tragedy

Elephant Ceremony

What is it about elephants in Thailand that always makes them such compelling stories? I've gone over these tales dozens of times on this blog, but an endangered or threatened elephant in Thailand will always compensate for my endless drivel about Thai politics or the latest scandal. That's because elephants are magnificent animals that are slowly but surely being annihilated by progress, as their forests are cut down and destitute elephant mahouts from Surin are forced to bring their beasts into the nightclub areas of Soi Cowboy to beg for scraps and bananas from bewildered tourists.

It breaks my heart. It breaks the heart of every Thai person. Thailand elephants are a national treasure, slowly being eliminated from the old land of Siam.

Monks pray as elephant is consigned to his grave

A male wild elephant rescued on Friday from a mud hole in Chanthaburi's Kaeng Hang Maew district died of his injuries at about 4am yesterday, despite rescue efforts by scores of volunteers.

District chief Wiwat Chantananurak, forestry officials and military scouts organised a burial ceremony for 60-year-old Plai Khun Song - also known as Plai Nga Diew ("One-trunk"). Hundreds of people, including Chanthaburi governor Panas Kaewlai and his wife, attended the ceremony, at which four Buddhist monks prayed for the animal to rest in peace.

The burial site, a four-metre-by-10m grave dug by heavy machinery, was about 300 metres away from the hole in which the five-tonne elephant had been trapped for seven days. Wiwat said Plai Khun Song would be buried for two years and his remains dug up to create a monument that would remind people of the relationship between humans, animals (particularly elephants) and the forest.

During the week-long drama, sympathetic members of the public donated Bt110,000 to the rescue effort. This money will be put toward the establishment of an elephant-care centre and the purchase of much-needed medicine and equipment to treat injured elephants, Wiwat said.

In related news, Dr Alongkorn Mahannop, a veterinarian at Chitrlada Palace, yesterday treated an eight-year-old female elephant, Phung Pailin, who was injured after stepping on broken glass in Nakhon Ratchasima's Muang district. Phung Pailin's mahout, Sompong Suan-ngam, 40, from Buriram, had taken her to join a Buddhist Lent candle parade with several other elephants in front of Nakhon Ratchasima City Hall on Tuesday. The animal stepped on the broken glass and was unable to walk.

The Nation Link

And another story about the sad plight of elephants in Thailand, but this one is really comical. Put microchips in elephants may sound like on the surface a good idea, but exactly how is this going to benefit the animals, and who will be collecting the unmarked cash?

Bangkok - A senior Thai veterinarian said every elephant in the country should be implanted with a microchip to help protect the troubled pachyderm population. The Bangkok City authority wants to crack down on the hundreds of elephants and their panhandling mahouts who descend on the capital every year.

The effort will be quickly abandoned because the authorities will soon despair of dealing with the heavyweight vagrants, predicted Alongkorn Mahannop, a vet sponsored by the Royal Household.

Scores of elephants are injured every year on the roads of Bangkok. Whereas once mahouts might have been driven by poverty it might be equally true nowadays to say they are driven by greed because sympathetic pedestrians can be generous, he suggested.

"Arresting them and putting them behind bars is not the right solution," Dr Alongkorn said. "And once money runs out or there is not enough staff, they quit the plan."

Putting a microchip in every elephant would enable the authorities to track the beasts, punish offending owners and increase the chances of finding a long-term solution to pachyderm unemployment, he told the Thai News Agency.

Every couple of years the Bangkok administration vows to get rid of the street-hogging elephants. Although animal activists claim tourists find the sight of the creatures lumbering through traffic fumes distressing, no-one has discovered how to provide enough work for them in their home provinces of Surin and Buri Ram.

Elephant populations in Asia are in trouble because there is seldom enough safe, profitable work for the expensive and complicated animals. Traditional mahout skills are also being lost because fewer young people are willing to take up a hard and unrewarding trade and younger, semi-trained mahouts may have fewer scruples about what they make elephants do.

Dr Alongkorn said that mahouts in Thailand should be sponsored to keep their hefty dependents in their home provinces. By letting elephants roam Bangkok the authorities have opened up a profitable, if dubious, lifestyle that makes ordinary work look dull.

Despite the problems in finding traditional work there is a big illegal trade in baby elephants in the border towns of Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son and Tak, where the popular youngsters are sold for up to $13 000, the vet said. - Sapa-dpa

IoL Link

The King Never Smiles -- Banned in Bangkok

The King Never Smiles

I'm almost finished with my first read of The King Never Smiles by Paul Handley, and have really enjoyed the book to date, but do be forewarned that this is a book best recommended for people who have a serious interest in Thailand, and have a fair amount to background regarding Thailand's history over the past six decades. Novices will probably get buried quickly and lose track, with all the military and political forces who dodge back and forth during their relationships with the Thai royal family.

Also, the book is largely complimentary to the Thai king, and there's very little scandalous insight that the ordinary Thai couldn"t fill you in at the local pub. There's only passing mention of most of the family, though the Crown Prince comes in for a serious drubbing. Who would have thought? Everybody knows all about V., and the book is far more discreet than the rumors and stories I've heard over the years. So don't buy this book expecting to see any new dirt; it ain't there.

Paul Handley is a professional journalist who worked for the Far Eastern Economic Review for over a decade, and he lived in Bangkok for 12 years, so he's got the credibility on Thai issues, despite the rather lame comments posted on the Amazon site. He compliments the king, then brings him down a few notches, then compliments him again, etc. etc. It's a well balanced look at the royal court, but his main message is that the royal family may be seriously endangered, what with V. and his image problem.

But ban the book? I find the actions of the Thai government to be far more egregious than anything in the book. A friend of mine in southern Thailand pre-ordered the book several months ago via Amazon, and he received the book last week, but from most Thai ISPs, when you visit the Amazon link, you will find it censored.

The solution to this annoying problem is for the king to intervene, and stop this nonsense.

With the world's longest-reigning monarch approaching the 60th anniversary of his ascension to the throne, we expected him to be a little less sensitive to criticism by now.

Although he is a constitutional monarch -- in a position that was considered prime figurehead material before his tenure began -- we are told that Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej has long been considered almost godlike by many of his subjects, consistently demonstrating an ability to mediate the often violent conflicts between military forces and pro-democracy movements. But in blocking Yale University Press Web material on "The King Never Smiles," Paul Handley's forthcoming critical biography of the monarch, Thailand's communications ministry has only succeeded in casting more doubt on the king's typically accepted image as a beneficent democrat.

In some spheres of intellectual debate, Thailand seems relatively progressive. Just last week, the government-funded Mahidol University in Thailand hosted an international nursing conference jointly organized with the Yale School of Nursing and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We laud the participating universities for their focus on attracting a wide range of opinions regarding complementary and alternative therapies for chronic illness; this suggests a willingness to accept and learn from constructive criticism in the fields of caregiving and medical treatment.

But when it comes to historical and political analysis, Thailand offers a far smaller academic playing field. Since more than a few criticisms of our own president have appeared in this space, we are fundamentally uncomfortable with the Thai law that delivers prison sentences of up to 15 years to anyone who speaks against the monarchy. Though the crime is only rarely prosecuted these days, we find it much more difficult to believe that the king has democracy's best interests at heart as long as he continues to limit free speech that happens to offend him.

We find it telling that the Royal Thai Police Web site has banned more than 32,000 other sites since the government began censoring the Web less than four years ago. Granted, an overwhelming majority of the verboten Web material was reportedly blocked for the same reasons that U.S. government computers in a public school or office might do so -- more than 76 percent of the sites in question were declared pornographic or related to either prostitution or the sale of sex equipment. But another 11 percent of the blocked Web sites, roughly 3,600, are designated simply as a "Threat to National Security," which leads us to believe that many of them paint unflattering pictures of the Thai government and its head. This is an astonishing amount of censorship from a country with strong beliefs in free-enterprise economics and pro-investment policies.

Under the current strictures, we are hardly surprised that all traces of Handley's book -- which depicts the king as "deeply political, autocratic, and even brutal," according to promotional material from Yale Press -- have been restricted by the Thai Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. But by limiting free political expression in so blatant a fashion, the Thai government seems to have proven Handley's point well before the book hits shelves.

Yale Daily News Link

Another Drunken Thai

Captured Criminal

Steve in Suphanburi sent along this wonderful anti-alcohol commercial a few days ago, as he explains:

Here is the link to the latest government anti-alcohol campaign for
Buddhist Lent. The drunk guy in the commercial is shouting out 'Jon Kree-at
- Deum' which means 'Poor - Stressed (Serious) - Drink' again and again.

I think it's a pretty hilarious commercial. Perhaps someone ought to write
up a commercial along the same lines but entitled 'Poor - Stressed -
Goverment Lottery'. To me there doesnt seem to be much of a difference.
Anyway scroll on down the page to start the video.

Kapook Video Link

Maid Exploitation in Singapore

Singapore Dances

Maid exploitation in Singapore has long been a serious problems, as (sigh) once against pointed out in today's newsletter from Human Rights Watch. The maid industry in Singapore is just one notch above slavery.

Singapore: New Contract Shortchanges Domestic Workers
No Weekly Rest Days or Caps on Huge Fees

(New York, July 21, 2006) – Singapore's new standard contract for migrant domestic workers perpetuates discriminatory treatment and their exclusion from basic protections, Human Rights Watch said today. The contract clarifies service charges and refund policies for employers, but does not guarantee a weekly day off for workers or cap excessive recruitment fees.

Domestics should enjoy the same rights as other Singaporean workers, including a day off, limits on their working hours and caps on salary deductions.

Families in Singapore employ approximately 160,000 domestic workers, primarily from Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India. Many of these workers, who are by law excluded from Singapore’s Employment Act, labor without pay for months to settle debts to employment agencies, work long hours seven days a week, and are confined to the workplace.

“Domestics should enjoy the same rights as other Singaporean workers, including a day off, limits on their working hours and caps on salary deductions,” said Nisha Varia, senior researcher in the Women’s Rights division of Human Rights Watch. “This standard contract should make things clearer for employers, workers and agents, but it doesn’t do enough to improve basic working conditions.”

Human Rights Watch said that a positive step in the contract is a requirement that employers provide three adequate meals per day to domestic workers, over and above their salary. Food deprivation is one of the most frequent complaints of domestic workers who have faced abuse or exploitation during employment. In addition, employers who request replacements for a domestic worker must permit the rejected worker to seek new employment in Singapore instead of immediately repatriating them.

The new package includes a service agreement between labor agencies and employers, and an employment contract between employers and domestic workers. These contracts must be used by labor agencies if they want to be accredited and retain their licenses. The contracts were developed jointly by the two accrediting bodies for labor agencies, the Association of Employment Agencies of Singapore and CaseTrust, a consumer protection group.

Intense competition among the more than 600 employment agencies has led them to shift the cost of recruitment, transportation, training and placement from employers to domestic workers. Employers and labor agents often deduct the first four to 10 months of a domestic worker’s salary, out of a two-year contract, to pay these fees. However, the new contract does nothing to cap recruitment fees.

“Under this system, Singapore’s lowest-paid workers are subsidizing low agency fees for employers,” Varia said.

In addition, the new contract recommends, but does not require, that employers provide workers at least eight hours of continuous rest. Further, it gives employers the option of either providing the domestic worker one to four days off per month, or paying them extra if they do not take a rest day. Given the imbalance of power between employers and domestic workers, the waiver is open to high risk of abuse by employers who do not provide the additional payment or who coerce the worker to sign away her right to a day of rest.

“Domestic workers need regular days off to rest, to escape the isolation at work and sometimes to report abuse,” said Varia. “It’s shocking that an advanced economy like Singapore does not guarantee domestic workers a weekly day off.”

Human Rights Watch urged the Singaporean government and accreditation agencies to give domestic workers the same level of labor protections provided all other workers in Singapore under the Employment Act.

Human Rights Watch Link

World's First Ladyboy Air Hostess

Not Ladyboy, the Real Deal (Lily Thai)

If this story is true (see first comment), then PB Air in Thailand has hired the world's first ladyboy to serve as an air hostess, and the possibilities are endless, are reported today by Steve in Suphanburi. Now I know that Steve is happily married, and has a family, but sometimes there's something attractive about diversity.

“Sawatdee Ka, Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome abroad PB Air”

PB Air’s latest air-hostess, Miss Kiranant, has been amazing her passengers with the sweetest voice to hit the Thai clouds in years! As the male passengers look on with rolling eyeballs at such a beauty, none of them would ever believe that the stunning air-hostess, was in fact, born a man!

Miss Nicky can already roll off a whole stream of phone numbers from rich handsome Thai and foreign passengers who have been beckoning Miss Nicky out on a date.

Known as Kiranant (Nicky), just 24 years of age, she is the first ladyboy ever to serve as ‘Senior Cabin Crew’….in the world! For anyone who should dare call Nicky an 'air-steward', they have been promised a karate kick around the head!

Nicky explained her burdensome past “While I was studying at Rajabhat University, I was offered a job as a steward at Oriental Airlines, but I just wasn’t happy having to dress up as a man”. Anyway, Nicky followed her dreams of working in the airline business and stuck at the job until she finished her degree in Tourism.

Thai-Blogs Link

China Daily Sex Pics

Bai Ling

I guess it's just one of those days. After avoiding my blog for some time, the sex links are just pouring in, and so I'm inspired to get back in the saddle......for your amusement.

Newspapers in China often "borrow" sexy images, and I don't really care since I often "borrow" images from almost everywhere. Danwei has the full scoop with all sorts of useful links.

Fleshbot enjoys Chinese state-owned mediaFleshbot is the porn-watching blog of the New York based Gawker Media mini-empire, one of the most succesful blog media companies, run out of New York by former Financial Times journalist Nick Denton.
So, who does Fleshbot turn to when they need porn links?

One of the world's leading sources of communist soft porn of course: The China Daily.

When they needed a nude photo spread of Italian volleyball player Francesca Piccinini, they lifted it from the China Daily's website. The China Daily images seem to have been copied from another website, originally scanned directly from the pages of Men's Health magazine.

The China Daily galery of Piccinini pics is here, Fleshbot's post about it is here.

Here are some more interesting galleries on the China Daily's website: 1, 2, 3.

- Thanks to Steven Schwankert for the state-owned media consultancy. Grateful readers can thank him by learning how to scuba dive in Beijing.

Danwei Link

Asian Models or Cars?

Jenna Jameson Korean Ad

Max Watson recently attended an auto show in Seoul, and instead of photographing the slick cars, he only shoots the Asian models. Max, have you no shame?

Max Watson Link

Ah, Those Lovely Indonesia Beaches

Le Mayeur Balinese Girls 1940

Poor, poor Jakartass. He finally takes some time off work and escapes the grit and grim of Jakarta to spend a few days with family down at some lovely Indonesian beach resort. Probably not Bali, but perhaps that place about four hours south of the city. The resort is stunning and the views look great, but it's all downhill from there as he explores the nearby countryside with his kid, and deals with the employee lounge lizards who are fixated on Bon Jovi. And what's wrong with "It's My Life?" I enjoyed it the first six million times I heard it.

But at least he ends his travelogue with a fine photo of an ice cold beer on his verandah, overlooking the sparkling sea.

And the hotel played Jon Bon Jovi, loudly, which I found so disconcerting that I almost became normal and screamed at the staff to switch off that f***ing noise. I didn't because, luckily, I discovered that they had a cassette of local gamelan dedung music which provided the appropriate meditative wake up.

And the sound of the sea is so soothing that we all slept for much longer than we do here. I'd also forgotten the pleasures of reading good fiction, my choice being The Business by Iain Banks ~ a nice book and a really good read. One for lazy summer afternoons.

It was good, too, being almost divorced from the outside world.

Almost, until we visited the local fish market and saw these sharks losing their fins to Chinese gourmandisers.

Almost, until we came across this recently felled mahogany tree in the local nature reserve. The sawdust was dry.

Our Kid and I got lost in the jungle so our ramble took a couple of hours longer than anticipated. Another day we also walked the 2½ kilometres into the hills to the hot springs.

We decided to also walk back so we could take a picture of the scenic route and garbage dump.

Jakartass Link

Walking the Thai Way

Khao San Road

Don Gilliland at Bangkok Dazed owns the popular Dasa Books on Sukhumvit, and so must on a daily basis navigate the unbelievably packed sidewalks of Krung Thep, trying to negociate around the hordes of walkers, dogs, beggers, con-artists, lost farangs, sidewalk vendors, souvenir merchants, and others who make surviving this hell such a onerous challenge. He has a few thoughts on the subject, and an interesting solution in the final paragraph.

Time to turn on those Comments, Don!

As we were walking down the sidewalk yesterday morning, Barbara surveyed the hodge-podge cluster of pedestrians and asked, "Which side do Thais walk on?" I shook my head and laughed. "Don't even get me started on that one," I replied. "If you can figure out which side they walk on, please let me know." And really, it's that confusing.

There's no rhyme or reason to the way that people walk in this town. Part of that disorder could be blamed on the bizarre tapestry of Bangkok's sidewalks. They are almost always cluttered with a maze of vendors, sleeping dogs, motorcycles, or packs of schoolgirls walking four abreast. With that arsenal of obstacles in your way, it's usually faster -- and safer -- to veer off the sidewalk walk in the road instead.

In most urban areas around the world, people have a definite way -- a system, if you will -- in which they traverse sidewalks and stretches of pavement. Since the pedestrian flow is two ways, each group usually keeps to one side, much like the traffic on a road. If motor vehicles were allowed to arbitrarily zoom around from one side of the road to the other the result would be something akin to sheer chaos. But that is exactly what you find each day on Bangkok's sidewalks.

It's a totally incomprehensible mess of pedestrians zigzagging all over the place. No continuity or system whatsoever. I've lived here for a full decade but I remain dumbfounded by the way local pedestrians veer all over the place. Some days I just want to scream at the offenders: Walk on the right, walk on the right! I'm not the only one that seems bothered by this chaos. A few years ago, Bangkok city officials went so far as to paint arrows on stairs and footbridges, hoping that this might help show the oblivious masses which side they should walk on. Naturally, it didn't do a bit of good.

A slightly higher percentage of the sidewalk zombies actually do attempt to walk on the right side of the sidewalk. Another sizeable percentage prefer the left side, and yet another group is content to plod straight down the middle, unaware that other pedestrians might want to use the same path. You will also see a few folks that have stopped dead in their tracks and aren't moving at all. Those lost souls are either yapping on their cell phones or staring off into space; perhaps seeking divine guidance or trying to guess this week's winning lottery number.

I have one idea that city officials might want to consider. Hire some of those young buffalo herders from upcountry and bring them into town to help with pedestrian navigation. When anyone tries to walk on the wrong side or stops in the middle of the path to talk on their cell phone, whack 'em with a big stick. Works with the buffaloes, it might also do the trick with equally dazed and confused office workers.

Bangkok Dazed Link

YouTube Video on the Thai-Cambodia Border Crossing

Cambodia Train by Elizabeth Briel

Magnoy's Samsara recently posted a YouTube video of three backpackers crossing from Aranyaprahet into the Cambodia hellhole town of Poipet, and onward to Siem Reap along the dirt road. The video was filmed in 2002, and I think the road has been vastly improved, so take some of the comments with a reality check. The clip includes some hilarious comments at the beginning, but falls into tourism cliche after the travelers reach Siem Reap, but it's still worth the download.

Footage of 3 friends I've edited down to about 5 minutes depicting our overland crossing into Cambodia through the gritty border town of Poi Pet. The place was so rough I had to lay a Black Sabbath track over portions of this video. But before we even made in into Cambodia we had to catch a ride in Aranyaprathet with a Thai sympathiser of Osama bin Laden...who made his support of the ultimate terrorist pretty clear. We eventually made it across one of the worlds worst roads, Route 6, to the historical Cambodian city of Siem Reap & the Lost City of Angkor. If you like backpacking adventures then this may give you some insight into our least favorite part of overland travel...those tiresome border crossings. Music by Creedence Clearwater Revival, Black Sabbath (Ozzy Osbourne), and the Gorillaz. ...

Magnoy Samsara Link

Indonesia's Endangered Orangutans

Endangered Orang

Has anyone seen that documentary made about a decade ago, where Julia Roberts visited the famous Orangutan sanctuary in southern Kalimantan? There was one frightening moment when a giant orang, known for its bad disposition, molested Julia until the keepers distracted the animal and perhaps saved her life. But then, who wouldn't want to molest Julia Roberts? And in a funny incident, a baby organ peeded directly into her mouth as the cute little fellow was being lifted up by Julia, who just responded with laughter. Good on you, Julia.

Of course, the situation for orangutans in Indonesia has been dire for several decades, as once again reported today in the Antara News.

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The species of orang utan Indonesia (Pongo Pygmaeus/Abelii) might disappear in the next one or two decades if the Indonesian government failed to give serious attention toward the threat against its habitat, a non-governmental organization executive said on Thursday.

"Besides forest fire and illegal logging, the land clearance at the orangutan`s habitat for palm oil plantation is also a serious threat for the habitat`s existence," executive director of the foundation saving for the Borneo`s Orangutan, Aldrianto Priadjati said.

He added the opening of the new palm oil plantation so far has to be done by clear cutting toward the trees in the land to be the site for the plantation.

"Strong effort from all parties, mainly the legal apparatus and the provincial administration is needed to save the species from the extinction because they have the authority to ban the land clearance for palm oil that threats the habitat of the orangutan," he added.

He said Asia would be in a great loss if orangutans no longer exists in Indonesia as the species is the only great apes in the continent and there are still many that might be learned from it.

The other big apes, such as gorilla, simpanse (pan troglodytes) and bonobo (pan paniscus) are only found in the African Continent, he said.

Some 58,000 out of the 65,000 orangutan left in Indonesia are the Kalimantan`s orangutan (pongo pygmaeus) while the other 7,000 are Sumatra`s orangutan (pongo abelii).

Antara News Link

I Am So Sick and Tired of the Singapore Government

Mr. Brown, Cory Doctorow, X and Mr. Miyagi

Singapore Ranked Near Bottom Again

Gasp. Just when we were getting over the disappointment of being ranked 140th in the world for our level of press freedom, here's another study on another subject which ranks Singapore in 131st place, on a global scale.

Mr. Wang Commentary Link

I Am So Sick and Tired of the Singapore Government

Mr. Brown in Drag

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

I am so sick and tired of the Singapore government.

Mosque Noise in Indonesia

Bashir Goes Free

Have you ever traveled in Indonesia and stayed in some cheap guesthouse within a few blocks of the local mosque, and been wakened in the early morning hours with some recorded voice of some Islamic singer calling you to prayers, most likely at 4am?

While I enjoy the melodies of Islamic singing, I certainly don't want to be imposed upon in the early morning hours with some religious zealot who thinks I should jump out of bed and offer my blessings to Allah. Good Muslims who agree to the five prayers a day already know the score, and they can set their clocks to save their souls, but for most Western travelers and most lax Muslims in Indonesia, they really, really despite the aural anarchy that dictates ordinary life in Indonesia, and they want it to stop.

How about a vote in Indonesia about these prayer calls coming from the mosques? My guess is that it would be voted down in a second, despite all the riots and bombings caused by the Islamic fundamentalist terrorists who largely control most of the political landscape of the country. Still, it should be put to a vote.

Ever stayed on Lombok near Sengiggi? Hell on Earth.

But what I don't get it this: why is it necessary to wake EVERYONE up at 4.30am? Some 20% of the population of Jakarta are not Muslims. And most Muslims don't want to get up anyway. They just wait for the wailing to stop, and then go back to sleep like the rest of us. And in this day and age aren't more socially responsible alternatives available? Like alarm clocks for example.

Oh well. Back to using the ear muffs again.

Indcoup Link

Train to Tibet

Taichung Opera House

The train to Tibet opened last week and it has attracted a great deal of attention, both from the Chinese press which has praised its technological and cultural benefits, and from Western and Tibetan detractors who see the train as yet another inroads into the once independent nation of Tibet. A few years ago, I was on a press trip to Taiwan and told my guide in the National Museum that I was opposed to the form of Buddhism being practiced in Tibet and that I welcomed the Chinese overthrow of the country. I don't completely agree with that assessment, but Tibetan Buddhism has long been filled with religious magicism and mysticism that I consider anathema to the original and pure thoughts of the Buddha, and so I still resent and reject the mystical garbage that pollutes most of Tibetan Buddhism. Sorry Richard Gere, but if you want a better form of Buddhism, do check with Thailand, Sri Lanka, or Vietnam, especially the words and thoughts of Thich Nah Han, or do a retreat with Spirit Rock in San Anselmo. I've done that, and it works to help clear the mind.

I was quite amused by an article in the People's Daily today that expressed how China was 'soured and saddened' by Western press reports condemning the railway, not least from the Guardian newspaper in the UK. The funny thing is, they dredged up a report on railways in India, apparently from the Guardian a year ago, that had this to say:

Simon World Link

Punks in Oakland

Oakland Punks by Jim Pire

Another reason I love living in the Bay Area is the odd blogs from old friends such as Jim Pire who is a reasonable guy with wife and loft space near Jack London Square, but still has time to drop by local digs in Oak Town to snap a few photos of the local denizens, who I thought were confined to Haight, but have apparently moved East to enjoy the cheaper rents and perhaps cheaper drugs prices.

That's Jim and his wife.

The Dude Link

Porn Zombies in Bay Area (San Jose?}

Porno Zombies

This is Part Nine in my ongoing series about why I love living in San Francisco, and why I have never wanted to live in Jakarta, Kuta, Singapore, Manila or Chiang Mai. You ain't never gonna see this kinda stuff in your towns, and so I continue to hang out in my place in Pac Heights and take care of the roost.

A mad scientist wants us all to be happy. It has to do with Zombies, free love, free speech, things sexual and probably things I don't even want to think about. All this found in "The PornoZombies", a play by Matt Casarino, that has its World Premiere right here at the Hoover Theater. From what I can tell this will be a funny, sexy adult-nature play with a political message. Preview on July 13th cheap night.
Runs July14-29
8:00pm
2:00pm-Sunday matinees

MetroBlogs SF Link

Travelfish Makes Three

Travelfish

Stuart and company in Jakarta have beaten the odds, and made their website about travel in Southeast Asia survive to three years, with hopes that web-based travel information will someday replace dead-tree publishing. I'd give it a decade or so, but at least Stu at Travelfish is making a good living with his ads and adsense, and putting up hotel reviews that max out at three or four sentences.

Thailand Temple Thieves

Thai Temple Thief Apprehended

Thieves have been looting Thailand temples since, well, since the temples were first established in Sukhothai (400 years ago), Ayuthaya and Bangkok, and thievery will certainly never go away, as long as some poor sucker can break the lock on some old wooden temple and get inside to loot the statues, chests and whatever else might bring in a nickel. Buddhist beliefs are not in play here, but basic survival instincts mean that most temples in Thailand are in threat and need to tighten up security. When Ayuthaya ruins were being dug up several decades ago, most of the valuable loot (gold medallions, Buddhist amulets) were stolen by the excavation employees.

The Bangkok Post today claims that much of this loot is now being sold to expensive hotel resorts/spas in the country, but I seriously doubt that the upscale resorts in Chiang Mai and Phuket are buying this stuff in bulk. But do check those water jugs in the lobby next time you are in CM. They might have been in their former lives a repository for human remains, but cleaned up for the sparkling waters and water lilies. But better to be displayed in a hotel lobby than rotting away in the backyard of a neglected temple.

Tourism boom driving robberies
SUNTHON PONGPAO

Ayutthaya _ The tourism boom may be encouraging the theft of antiquities, with items not fitting local collectors' tastes possibly being exported overseas. Historical art experts agree that hotels and spa establishments may have created a demand for antiquities looted from old temples.

Some prefer to decorate their premises with authentic ancient wares and statues to generate an ambience that will attract customers.

Anek Sihamat, director of the fine arts office in Ayutthaya, said there have been ''orders'' from abroad for items such as old urns left in the backyards of some temples.

The urns were usually associated with a rather morbid notion of the deceased and were rarely sought by local collectors. It was, therefore, likely the items were stolen for buyers outside the country who were not bothered by local beliefs.

Ayutthaya, an ancient capital and home to centuries-old temples, had reported many antiquities thefts in past years. Only a few of the stolen item were recovered.

Mr Anek said large objects of antiquity had allegedly been on the ''shopping list'' of some luxurious spa hotels and resorts over the past five years.

Popular antiquities included Buddha statues, the pulpits where monks sit when giving sermons, the wooden cabinets storing the holy Buddhist canon, and even temple roof ornaments.

Many thieves were in hiding in Ayutthaya's Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district and Wiset Chai Chan district of neighbouring Ang Thong, Mr Anek said.

According to Fine Arts Department records, the wooden roof decorations in temples were a rarity now and fewer than 50% of the antique cabinets and pulpits remain in the temples.

The department tried to have the antiquities registered so that officials could trace them if they are stolen.

''But many temples don't want us to register them for fear that we would take them to museums, which is not true,'' Mr Anek said.

In the past three months, a number of Buddha statues, bookcases and even wooden and brass urns were robbed from temples in Ayutthaya. While breaking in the robbers damaged the stupas and the halls.

Phra Palad Sawat Siriwatto, abbot of Wat Mae Nang Pluem in Ayutthaya, said the temple was broken into many times and it had now installed surveillance cameras.

A 230-year-old wooden cabinet for keeping the sacred tripitaka scripture was stolen from Wat Sing, in Nonthaburi, as recently as July 11.

It is believed the antique cabinet was to be smuggled abroad.

A witness said sounds were heard in the early hours inside the temple's ho trai library which houses the cabinet. Those in charge of the temple rushed to the scene only to find the library had been broken into and the cabinet was gone. Police said the thieves worked as a gang.

Bangkok Post Link

Thailand Thaksin Letter to Bush

Thaksin Signs Bush

Has caretaker PM Thaksin completely lost his mind? Last week, he wrote a personal letter to Bush in an attempt to explain the horrible mess that is now Thailand politics, and he received a polite if very guarded response. It's not earthshaking news, but how often does a PM write a letter to the president of the United States in a blatant appeal for support?

Dear Mr President

I write to you on the basis of my high personal regard for you and for your leadership to explain the current political situation in Thailand, where I recently assumed responsibilities as caretaker Prime Minister. It is my goal to prepare the best possible democratic path for the next government following new national elections this fall.

There has been a threat to democracy in Thailand since early this year. Key democratic institutions, such as elections and the observance of Constitutional limitations on government, have been repeatedly undermined by interests that depend on creating chaos and mounting street demonstrations in Bangkok as a means to acquire political power that they cannot gain through winning elections. Having failed to provoke violence and disorder, my opponents are now attempting various extra-constitutional tactics to co-opt the will of the people. If our democratic institutions prove strong over the next several months, these too will be unsuccessful.

On April 2nd, my Party, Thai Rak Thai, won a convincing majority in country-wide elections. Having led Thailand's government for over five years and won decisive victories in two previous national elections, I was confident of strong popular support and the voters confirmed that view. My political opponents, because they knew they would again lose, boycotted the April elections and left the political situation in Thailand in deadlock. With the imminent celebration of the 60th Anniversary of our King's coronation (sic), I could not responsibly allow this political stalemate to mar this historic occasion. In order to restore calm so that preparations for the royal celebration could proceed, I stepped aside to take a leave of absence, assigning my Deputy Prime Minister with acting executive responsibilities.

In keeping with their independent status, Thai courts have since annulled the April elections on technical considerations and ruled that a new national vote be scheduled, probably in mid-October. Most objective observers believe that my Party will again receive the people's mandate to form a government. In the meantime, I could not allow my country to drift without leadership. Our on-going war on terror must be prosecuted, our economy must be managed, and the basic functions of government must be carried out. For these reasons, I have heeded the calls of many Thais - both within my Party and among the opposition as well - to resume an active role as caretaker Prime Minister.

During this period, I want to assure you that I will take steps to help get the country ready for free and fair elections, and to work to shift the national debate from one that is emotionally charged to one that reasonably discusses the central questions of Thailand's future, including whether the country's political governance will be decided through the ballot box or in the street. The answer to that question, Mr President, will have an important impact on the future course of democracy in Asia. I know that you agree with me that the rule of law and Constitutional order in Thailand and in Asia more broadly must prevail over demagoguery and mob action.

Finally, Mr President, please accept my enduring confidence that the relationship between Thailand and the United States, based on shared democratic values and vital national interests, will only grow in the months and years ahead.


President Bush's reply dated July 3:

Mr Prime Minister:

Thank you for your letter, and your optimism about the road ahead in Thailand. The United States has watched events in your country with some concern, and as an ally and a friend it is my sincere hope that all parties can find a way forward that respects the great achievements of Thai democracy and sees a fully vested government up and running in Bangkok as soon as possible.

Our two nations' friendship remains strong, and I appreciate your assurance that our good cooperation on issues of vital importance to us both will continue. Free and open political systems can be unpredictable, but the Thai people are resilient and Thai democracy is strong, and I know that your country will emerge from the current situation with a renewed focus on that which makes Thailand great.

Bangkok Post Link

Saigon: 1972 vs. 2006

Saigon 1972



Saigon 2006

Antidote to Burnout has just posted some very interesting photos which compare specific buildings in Saigon during his first visit in 1972, and the same buildings today, to give some idea of the influx of gigantic advertising in the city.

Street Advertising in HCMC

Productive work has intruded on my blogging for the past week, but I have now snapped out of it. After all, this blog is about the antidote to burnout.

Meanwhile, both noodlepie and The final Word in Saigon posted stories about street advertising this past week. Noodlepie stated "I understand that pre-1990(ish) there was very little in the way of advertising in Vietnam." The final Word photographed two great present day examples of huge billboards on buildings, including one of a real Ford Focus hanging off the side of the billboard about 8-stories up a building.

So I looked back to my photos of Saigon in 1972 to see if I could find some comparisons of street advertising with today's HCMC.

Antidote to Burnout Link

The Endangered Javan Rhino

Javan Rhino

The Javan Rhino has been endangered as long as I have been traveling and reading about Indonesia, but a recent New York Times report claims that the numbers have been stabilized and there remains some possibility for the survival of the species.

Because they lead solitary, secretive lives in remote forests in Indonesia and Vietnam, these rhinos are very hard to study: images of them come from "camera traps" activated by movement in the forest, and biologists get DNA samples from dung or from the horns and hides of dead animals.

"It is totally amazing how little we know about these animals, their mating habits and social behavior," said Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando, director of the Center for Conservation and Research in Rajagiriya, Sri Lanka. "Till a decade ago people were debating whether the females have horns." (They do.) Dr. Fernando was the lead author of a paper in the journal Conservation Genetics last month on the first detailed genetic study of the Javan rhino.

None of the rhinos exist in zoos. Without considerable luck and daring political leadership, the last Javan rhino will vanish from the Asian mainland in the next few years, leaving only those on the island of Java, whose forebears became isolated by rising sea levels 500,000 to a million years ago.

Even its island redoubt is no guarantee against extinction, say Dr. Fernando and his co-authors, an international team of scientists and conservationists. They estimated that populations might be too small to sustain: 40 to 50 animals in Ujung Kulon, an Indonesian national park on the western end of Java, and just 3 to 8 in Cat Tien National Park in southern Vietnam, half the number a decade ago.

The plight of the Javan rhino is a direct result of human actions, especially habitat destruction and hunting, Dr. Fernando said. For millions of years, the animal flourished in lowland forests from eastern India and Bangladesh all the way to the islands of Java and Sumatra, now part of Indonesia. During periods of glacial advance and low sea levels, those islands formed a land mass, Sundaland, that was connected to the mainland.

New York Times Link

Chinese Sleeping

Balancing Act



Catching some ZZZs

China Moon has collected a series of photographs.....of sleeping Chinese, one of the more usual series about China posted in a long, long time. Thanks to Shanghaiist for the link.

China Moon Link

Shanghaiist Link

Pac Heights and Maids

Disney Maids in Hong Kong

Yesterday was not a good day. I accepted the assignment to supervise the admission and tribulations of my landlord/friend Roy Maloney around the VA hospital here in San Francisco and it was not a pretty day. He's gonna check out fairly soon, and it's a go between myself and two other guys.

Spike tells it better:

One of the reasons I like living here is because I can have a live-in maid. It's relatively cheap - the monthly minimum salary for a maid is under US$450, plus you provide room, meals, medical, and a trip home every two years.

My maid cleans the house, does the laundry, does the shopping, does the cooking, runs errands and, when I had a car, washed the car. More importantly, she takes care of my dogs, during the day when I'm at work and all the time when I'm off on a business trip. Taking care of the dogs doesn't just mean feeding and walking them - she knows how to wash them, clip their nails, clean their ears, brush their teeth, take them to the vet, give them medicine when necessary. And the dogs like her - that's one thing that can't be faked. I've moved twice since I hired her and each time she was a tremendous help with the packing and unpacking.

In return, I have provided a normal sized room with an air con instead of the closet that passes for "amah quarters" in most flats. She has her own phone line (so she doesn't tie up mine), a small color TV and a DVD player. I'm away half the time and I eat out a lot, so she really doesn't have a lot to do every day. She spends most of her day in bed, on the phone or watching movies. Saturday night, she can stay out overnight, and Sunday she doesn't need to be back until 11 PM. She's been with me for more than four years and sometimes seems more like a family member than an employee. Whenever she needs money to pick up laundry or dry cleaning or other supplies, she asks and I give it to her.

In other words, as far as maids go in HK, she has a pretty sweet deal.

On the other hand, she is lazy as hell and constantly needs to be reminded to do basic things like replace ashtrays after they've been washed, dust the tops of bookcases and picture frames, put towels out on racks after a wash. She'll leave dirty dishes in the sink at night. She leaves crap all over the house. She is, as I said, always in bed and on the phone. On Sundays, I pay her extra to come back and feed and walk the dogs at 8 AM, walk them at noon, feed and walk them again at 6 - and she is invariably half an hour to an hour late each time (when I'm around to be able to check up on it).

But I figure there's always compromises to make. She does some stuff good, some stuff bad, but who knows what the next one would be like?

Except ....

A year ago or so, my wife was in town and stayed here. She said there was money missing from her wallet and accused the maid of stealing from her. I said there ain't much we can do about it without any proof, and maybe you just spent more than you realized last night when you went out and got wasted.

Since then, every now and then, I look in my wallet and there seems to be less money than expected. I'm never quite sure because I always know roughly how much should be there, but I never know exactly. Until now.

Yesterday, I had four $500 bills in my wallet. I got change of one of the $500s, so there were three $500s and five $100s. I used one $100 to pay the taxi from my office to home. Before I went to sleep, I counted to be sure - three $500s and four $100s. I did not go out last night.

Spike Link

Why I Love San Francisco (part twelve)

Samba Fools

Why do I love San Francisco? People often ask me why I don't live in Southeast Asia and while I enjoy traveling and exploring the region, I've never had any desire to live in the region. San Francisco is my home, and I'm constantly amazed and charmed by the vistas, peoples, and surprises of everyday life in one of the world's most extraordinary places. I've lived in The City for over 30 years, and it's an everyday miracle to just walk around this place, or ride my scooter over the crest of Pacific Heights and see the miracle of the Bay, Alcatraz, Angel Island, Sausalito, Tiburon, the Golden Gate, Marin County, Ocean Beach. This is an amazing place.

I missed the launch of Crush Lab, but it looks like it was such a success that they're having another meet/flirt mashup on July 21st. Crush Lab is by the same ultra-fab sex-positive peeps that do Kinky Salon and Moral Minority, so from what I've heard the vibe is sweet and silly (they use something called the Connectatron 9000), even though it's a speed-dating-meets SF underground art and hipster scene. I just got an announce saying that RSVP registration is now open on their site, where you can also see that they've put a lot of work into making it a weird and fun evening.

I went ahead and signed up to go (unless my friends convince me to go to this); my plan is to review and photoblog the experience for a fun post. I hope for a pansexual crowd. Read text from the announce email, after the jump.



* * * * * * *

SAVE THE DATE!

Next CrushLab, July 21st

RSVP NOW for your spot!

It was a great night with just the right mix of intelligent and sexy folks, a great vibe flowing and sparks flying left and right! More please!

The Connectatron 9000 did a great job of connecting guests, and we witnessed phone numbers being exchanged and email addresses hastily written on backs of hands.

Let the crushes begin!

Speedy Dating, taking you through 8 dates in half an hour, was a real hit. The standing room only crowd in The Voodoo Lounge took advantage of our CrushLab conversation starters, and all night it was a serious chat-o-rama. ‘Tag your neighbor’ was a great way to let people know what you think of them, and turned everyone into sticker covered sensations!!

At the end of the night, the Dating Game Show, our homage to the 1968 classic, played to a packed room and featured CrushLab guests tossing out some hilarious curve balls (next time we’re promising puppets)

PSSSST! PASS ON THE WORD!

Our Mission with CrushLab is to provide a fun & friendly alternative to those ‘classic’ singles events and connect San Francisco Bay Area artists, bohemians and hipsters to whatever relationship or friendship they may be looking for.

We will continue to keep the same sweet vibe we had at lasts week event but ask your help in making that happen. Our ground roots way of promoting is a bit more work but we feel it’s worth it!

Perhaps you know someone who might love to join you next time?

Or perhaps you have the perfect email list to forward this invite to?

We encourage CrushLabbers to forward this invitation, so do it!

FEEDBACK is GOOD!

Did you enjoy CrushLab?

Anything you’d like to see happen at a future event?

We’d love to hear from you!

If you had a good time, please let us know!

We could use some testimonials for the website!

NEXT CRUSHLAB!

Dating Tip Do’s and Don’ts (with Toes-a-Go-Go Improv Theater Troupe )

Local Micro Cinema Movie Theater featuring local filmmakers shorts!

More fudgesicles!

We can't wait to see you all again!

The CrushLab Team

San Francisco Metblogs Link

Nancy Grace TV Porn

Nancy Grace

For those readers without TV access to the Nancy Grace horror show, let's just say she is a former attorney from Florida with formaldehyde in her veins and a serious hatred of pretty much everything, but she draws in the crowd with her constant vindictive punishment of all things not Nancy. She is the wolfdog left untamed, and a few days ago she dropped to the absolute bottom.

Quite Possibly A New Low For Nancy Grace

"Grace is entertainment and learning, not news. Stop trying to make her sound like news," an e-mailer says. A second adds: "Jeeze, thats not so bad, Nancy is trying to free this lady for killing this guy...and even if they were public airwaves few would have much of a problem with that."

The following transcript may make you feel sick to your stomach. If you read it, remember that this dialogue was broadcast into 89 million homes on CNN Headline News.

On July 4, CNN's Nancy Grace had an "exclusive jailhouse interview" with Stacey Lannert, who was sentenced to life without parole for murdering her sex offender father in 1990. Her family is hoping for clemency.

Grace sat down with Lannert and asked her to relive "truly revolting experiences," as one e-mailer put it. "Even as her guest hesitatingly stumbled to get the courage to use a word to describe the substance she was forced to ingest, it was Grace who interjected with her idea as to what it was: 'Come.'"

It went even farther downhill from there:

GRACE: How long did the oral sex game go on?

LANNERT: Until I was nine.

GRACE: What changed when you were nine?

MediaBistro Link

Danwei Sells Out

Dan Wei in China

I once respected the website and blog of Danwei which seemed to promote universal freedom, peace-harmony with pot in the mix, free love, internet independence, and the god-given choice to make China or Hollywood your demons, but their recent shilling of some badass products means they sold their soul to the commercial gods of southern Guangchou. Anyway, shame on Danwei for selling out, but then the Who did it a few decades ago with their album The Who Sell Out, with cans of beans. Uh, the beans were gross, but the animal carcasses on the Beatles album were perfectly OK and I've saved my several dozen albums down in my deep, dark basement.

Sexy Beijing is a new Danwei TV show about love, lust, youth culture and street life in China's capital.

Danwei Link

The Crusades & Liberal Islam

Caning in Aceh

If you are concerned about the ongoing radical Islamization of Indonesia, and you haven't been reading Indonesia Matters, then you should. The frightening spread of conservative, fundamentalist Islam in the world's most populous Islamic nation is now out of control, and the government has done little if anything to stop the tide of Islamists to take over the social fabric of a nation which was once largely secular under the dictatorial regime of Suharto. This doesn't look good folks, and the sad fact is that most of the world chooses to look the other way as Muslim firebrands (hello Bashir) slowly but surely worm their way into the lifestyle of Indonesia.

Liberal Muslim organisations like Jaringan Islam Emansipatoris do a lot of good and this site is generally supportive of them. However at least on this topic they share the prejudices and inability to critically evaluate Islam of their more conservative and orthodox co-religionists. The Crusades were not the beginning of the fight between Islam and the West, they were a second, belated act, by a hitherto sleep-walking Christian world, after centuries of Muslim/Arab aggression, centuries of invasions, conquests, massacres, forced conversions, that reached all the way into the heart of western Europe.

After the birth of Islam, in a small, obscure part of Arabia, in the 7th century, wave after wave of Muslim armies crashed into Christian and Jewish lands, conquered them, usurped them, colonized them, bled them. These armies carried Islam all the way to southern Spain, to Andalusia, and of course to countless, mainly Christian, lands along that bloody way. Conquered peoples were offered few choices - convert or accept the humiliating status of dhimmi. Over three centuries later, after this massive jihad had begun, the European Christians finally and belatedly made some sort of response - the Crusades - and attempted to seize back at least some of the areas lost to Christendom.

The conflict between the West and the “East” can be traced back to the initial, violent, Muslim expansion out of their desert backwater, not to the Crusades. This is said here not to arouse acrimony with my Muslim friends but only as an effort to discover the truth - we will all be better off if we look at things such as this more honestly.

Indonesia Matters Link

North Korean Nukes

Kimmie Love



Twilight in Pyongyang

Does anyone really understand the mindset of Kimmie and his Hollywood nuclear show against the rest of the world? Does anyone really care about this madman? My favorite quote is from Marmot (or was it Shanghaiist?) from some blogger who claimed he was living in a bamboo hut on the northeast coast of Korea when the missiles went off, and he enjoyed watching them splash into the Sea of Japan. Something like On the Beach but with an Asian flare. Anyway, I'm no expert on Korea but Marmot's Hole is, and he covers all the news in his blog -- news you will never, never find in the mainstream media. If you want to know about Korea, read Marmot.

North Korean missile crap. Like you actually care (updated)
Robert Koehler
July 6th, 2006

Everything you wanted to know about the North Korean missile launches and didn't care enough to ask:

Marmot's Hole Link

The King Never Smiles

Book: The King Never Smiles

My review copy of The King Never Smiles arrived several days ago, much to my surprise. I had requested a review copy several months ago from Yale University Press, but never received a response to my email, so figured it was a dead deal. Oh well. Anyway, last night I went over the front and back matter, read the extensive footnotes crammed in the back of the book (I hate that), and launched into the middle of the book since I didn't want to go through the early childhood of the king all over again. Yes, I know, he's the only king born in the United States, but big deal. And all that stuff about the assassination of Ananda gets pretty old, since nobody really seems to know who put a bullet through the front of his head.

I headed to the chapter entitled "Family Headaches" to get a quick rundown of what's happening with the four children of the king. Most of the stuff was very familiar but there were a few bombshells discreetly laid around the academic analysis of the royal family and their problems with progeny.

I'm not an academic but have a fairly good grasp of basic Thai history from my decades of travel and writing about the region, and I'd say this book is somewhat difficult for anyone not familiar with Thailand's recent history, and the Thai names are always a problem for pretty much everyone, but Handley's discourse is fairly friendly and accessible, though you might want to keep notes on cards if you intend to really follow the story of interactions between king and the Thai military. The book seems to be more about the Thai military and political struggles than about the royal family, and the tone is even and measured throughout, so don't expect some tabloid treatment of the royal family. You really need to read between the lines, and the final sentence in select paragraphs is where Handley reveals something personal. He also ends each chapter with a cliffhanger, in much the same way as the Da Vinci Code. This book will never be a blockbuster, and I assume very few people in Thailand will ever get ahold of a copy, but it's a rare experience to read such a book which goes against the grain of most Thais. Hopefully I'll be able to report more, but I need to be careful so that this blog is not blocked by Thai internet authorities.

Book Description

Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej, the only king ever born in the United States, came to the throne of his country in 1946 and is now the world’s longest-serving monarch. The King Never Smiles, the first independent biography of Thailand's monarch, tells the unexpected story of Bhumibol's life and sixty-year rule—how a Western-raised boy came to be seen by his people as a living Buddha, and how a king widely seen as beneficent and apolitical could in fact be so deeply political and autocratic.
Paul Handley provides an extensively researched, factual account of the kingÂ’s youth and personal development, ascent to the throne, skillful political maneuverings, and attempt to shape Thailand as a Buddhist kingdom. Handley takes full note of Bhumibol's achievements in art, in sports and jazz, and he credits the king's lifelong dedication to rural development and the livelihoods of his poorest subjects. But, looking beyond the widely accepted image of the king as egalitarian and virtuous, Handley portrays an anti-democratic monarch who, together with allies in big business and the corrupt Thai military, has protected a centuries-old, barely modified feudal dynasty.

When at nineteen Bhumibol assumed the throne, the Thai monarchy had been stripped of power and prestige. Over the ensuing decades, Bhumibol became the paramount political actor in the kingdom, silencing critics while winning the hearts and minds of his people. The book details this process and depicts Thailand’s unique constitutional monarch—his life, his thinking, and his ruling philosophy.

About the Author

Paul M. Handley is a freelance journalist who lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in Asia for more than twenty years, including thirteen in Thailand.

Amazon Lin

Thailand's Royal Cat Park

Khao Manee Cat

It may not be as exhilarating or dangerous as the Tiger Temple near Kanchanaburi, but cat lovers will probably love this highly unusual attraction west of Bangkok in Nakhon Pathom province. The history of these rare cats is as fascinating as the animals themselves, as reported today in the Horizon travel section of the Bangkok Post.

Cat lovers cannot resist calling mieo mieo when they encounter the feline animal at the Royal Cat Park. This cat sanctuary is located on Pin Klao-Nakhon Chaisi Highway close to Salaya District in Nakhon Pathom Province.

"It's not a museum as many people tend to think. We don't have stuffed cats or dead specimen," Mr Namdee quipped. On a 30 rai area some 177 cats are kept in a traditional Thai house. A majority of them are the 'Khao Manee' (White Jewel) species that are sheltered in decorative cages.

Before moving to their new home here, the cats were raised in a large enclosure that allowed them to roam freely. Mr Namdee, who inherited the cats from his aunt, decided to showcase them in cages, the standard practice, which makes it easier for visitors to admire them.

He stressed that while the park sheltered several species of cats, it was the Khao Manee breed that mattered most because it was also the choice of King Rama V who had nine of them.

That was 150 years ago. The king wanted to keep this breed pure so when he handed over the pets to his son Prince Chumphon Khet Udomsak he insisted to him that they were not be sold to anyone and if the prince failed to raise or breed them he shall return the cats to the palace.

The king must have been impressed by Khao Manee cats because they are the only species in the world whose eyes radiate two different colours. The prince succeeded in raising their number to 18. After him, the baton passed on to his daughter Princess Roengchit Charaeng Aphakorn who took their tally to 40.

Recalling his youth Mr Namdee, who is a nephew of Princess Roengchit, said his aunt had the habit of giving ang pao, the red envelope containing cash that elderly Chinese hand out to children every new year. While other children immediately ripped open their envelopes to find out how much money was in them, he kept his safely locked in a cabinet.

One year his aunt asked Mr Namdee how much money was in the envelope and he replied that he didn't know because he still hadn't opened it and that he was keeping it as a memorabilia. That perhaps was the reason why his aunt put him in charge of the cats.

"Actually my aunt preferred dogs to cats," he said.

His fondness for cats grew after he took charge of her aunt's pets. Mr Namdee was a pioneering film director in those days. Often he had to be away for weeks and there was no one to look after them, so he would take his pets with him, he reminisced fondly.

Colleagues in the film world and movie stars often fell for his cats. They liked their snow white fur and eyes that shone with colours emerald or golden yellow and blue. Some even offered to buy them, but Mr Namdee wouldn't oblige because that would have meant going against the wishes of King Rama V.

On his travels overseas people urged him to enter competitions after learning about his cats. And so he did, winning several of them.

"These days I'm not excited about competitions. They are not a challenge any more." he said.

In 1998 when the government launched the Amazing Thailand tourist campaign, he knew it was time to give his pets a higher public profile. He asked the Tourism Authority of Thailand for support, fittingly got it and built them a new home.

The Khao Manee population has now grown to 400 and they are all true to their breed, just as King Rama V had wished all those years ago. The conditions the monarch laid down for Prince Chumphon became his guiding principle.

Lately, he has split his stable of cats in three different locations, fearful that an outbreak similar to bird flu could wipe out his stock. Only 177 of them are on show at the park.

Every day they are ushered out of their cages for a walk under the watchful eyes of attendants to make sure they don't mate with cats other than their own breed and contaminate their lineage.

Cats are prone to cold and pneumonia. They can even be infected by humans, by their touch. Visitors want to touch and pat them but we don't encourage that. Human touch can induce stress which can lead to infection.

From experience he can handle most of the ailments that usually afflict cats, but when matters get serious he consults vets with a reputation.

"I do not hesitate to see a doctor, no matter how expensive his fees, if a cat gets sick and needs medical attention," he said.

Asked what he plans he has in store for his pets in the future, Mr Namdee said: "I have already pledged them to His Majesty."

Fitting enough. They will be returning where the first chapter of the Khao Manee saga was written 150 years ago.

The Royal Cat Park is a private cat home. Take elevated road on Pin Klao-Nakhon Chaisi route. Drive to the end of it and look for a U-turn. When you can get back to Pin Klao Nakhon Chaisi on the other side. There will be a big sign of the Royal Cat Park on your left. Follow the sign which will tell you to turn left soon. After making a left turn, the park is located on your right. It is open daily from 10am-5pm. Unfortunately, Thai and foreign visitors have different entry fees. Thais pay 50 baht while foreign tourists must pay 300 baht.

Call 09-765-6697 for more details.

Bangkok Post Horizons Link

Golf at Angkor?

Hazard at Siem Reap Golf Course

A sure sign that a once remote and pristine archeological wonder has gone to hell in a handbasket is the opening of a golf course within chipping distance of the ancient ruins. And so it is with fear I must report that a golf course has just opened near the historic ruins of Angkor, with green fees starting at $120. Hopefully the old temples are considered out of bounds with a free drop, but keep an eye out for unexploded land mines.

Siem Reap in Cambodia now boasts a new world-class hotel and golf course - the Phokeethra Country Club - near Angkor Wat and just 20 minutes drive from the provincial airport.

The hotel is managed by Sofitel and its golf course features water on all but one hole and concludes with the signature double water 18th-hole that offers a daunting final shot into a challenging island green.

The 7,145-yard course was designed by Bangkok-based Weerayudt Phetbuasak, who also designed Suwan Golf and Country Club in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. Paspalum grass was planted on the fairways and greens giving the course its deep rich colour.

There is also a clubhouse and the Angkor Wat Restaurant that serves Western, Khmer and Asian delicacies, a spa and a shop selling brandname golfing gear.

Golf carts and caddies are also available. Green fees start from US$120.

Bangkok Post Horizons Link

Mohammed Mahathir: 22 Questions

22 Questions



22 Questions Redux

Former PM Mohammed Mahathir ruled the roost for over 20 years, but today lays around his modest bungalow largely ignored by the people and the press, an ignoble ending to a lifetime of failed projects, racist political posturing, and generally making an ass of himself and his country. After three years in exile, the Jew-baiting homophobe has returned to his old ways, chewing up the turf and demanding a war with his replacement PM Badawi. Badawi ain't gonna bite, but instead is now off on a vacation to Australia, while Anwar Ibrahim has filed a lawsuit against Mahathir for his disgraceful treatment of Anwar a few years ago.

I love it.

Even the New York Times covers the brouhaha, coming from a country they largely ignore.

There is poignancy in Mr. Mahathir's realization that the country has been moving on without him. Although his announced plan was to become "the man in the library" writing his memoirs, it is clear that he did not expect to become so quickly irrelevant.

"I get stabbed in the back, I don't know which direction it comes," he complained to the political Web site www.malaysiakini.com. His chief reference was to Mr. Abdullah, who he said had broken a promise to continue his policies and complete his projects.

Among the issues Mr. Mahathir has raised are Mr. Abdullah's decision to scrap expensive plans for work on a new bridge to Singapore; his downgrading of the special status of the national car, the Proton; and the firing of the carmaker's chief executive, a friend of the former prime minister.

"I'm in the habit of choosing the wrong people," Mr. Mahathir said. "I chose him and I expect a degree of gratefulness." Another of his chosen people, Anwar Ibrahim, who was Mr. Abdullah's predecessor as heir apparent, was fired in 1998 when he appeared to be mounting a challenge to the prime minister. He was then convicted and jailed on what almost everyone here believes were politically motivated charges of corruption and sodomy.

Once Mr. Mahathir was out of power, those convictions were overturned, and Mr. Anwar has filed defamation charges that are likely to prolong the pain for the former prime minister.

New York Times Link

Seth Mydans, the NYT correspondent for most things Asia, knows the region well, but seems confined to only cover the introductory basics when it comes to the intricacies of Southeast Asia politics. You'll do much better checking out the Malaysian blogs listed over the right, especially Jeff Ooi, who is always on top of the issues, including the recent, controversial article in a local rag which challenges Mahathir to answer 22 questions.

The entire article was cheerfully republished in its entirety in the Singapore newspapers, much to the delight of most of the Singaporean public. Mahathir, it seems, has become the whipping dog everyone loves to beat, but the dude deserves this treatment after his two decades of corruption, bipolar hysterics, and dictatorial style.

1. On clean government. You came to power in 1981 and introduced the slogan "bersih, cekap dan amanah" (clean, efficient and trustworthy). What did you do to further that? Did you make the Anti-Corruption Agency more independent and effective? Did you ensure that the police and judiciary did their job properly and reduce corruption in their ranks? Did you ensure that ministers and chief ministers not have income beyond their legal means? How many big guns were prosecuted for corruption offences during your long tenure? What happened to "bersih, cekap dan amanah"?

2. Press freedom. Your criticism of the government got plenty of coverage in the local media whereas during your time, criticisms against you by two former prime ministers were muted in the mainstream newspapers. Editors in Umno-linked newspapers too were removed during your time for not toeing the line. What did you do to advance the cause of responsible press freedom?

3. Proton. You went ahead with the national car project in 1983 despite a number of experts disagreeing with you, especially with respect to lack of economies of scale. Isn't it true that Proton's profits over the last 20 years came out of vastly higher prices that the Malaysian public has to pay to subsidise Proton, resulting in considerable hardship for Malaysians who need cars because of the poor public transport system? More lately, why was it necessary for Proton to buy a stake in a failed Italian motorcycle manufacturer when it could not even produce cars competitively?

4. Heavy industries. Why did you push into heavy industries such as steel and cement in the 1980s, ignoring studies which suggested developing natural resource-based industries instead? They caused major problems and billions of ringgit in losses.

5. Population. Why did you encourage a population of 70 million for Malaysia and change the name of the National Family Planning Board to the National Population Development Board? How do you expect poor people to take care of five, six or more children? What kind of quality of life can they provide their children?
Immigration. Why did you allow hordes of people to immigrate, mainly from Indonesia, in such an unregulated way that there are as many or more illegal immigrants than legal ones now, accounting for some two million or more people? Did you not realise that this would cause serious social problems?

6. On his first deputy. Some five years after you came to power, there were serious rifts between you and your deputy Datuk (now Tun) Musa Hitam. What was the cause of these problems and was it because you were heavy-handed and did not consult your ministers?

7. On the first serious Umno split. When Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah and Musa took on Tun Ghafar Baba and you at the Umno general assembly of 1987, it caused a serious split in Umno, with you winning by a very narrow margin (761 to 718). Why did you not seek to heal the rift in Umno post the elections? Instead, you purged Umno and its successor Umno Baru of those who opposed you, causing an unprecedented split in Malay unity.

8. Operasi Lalang. Why did you have to resort to this move in October 1987, when you used wide powers of detention under the Internal Security Act to detain over 100 people, close down four newspapers and cause a wave of fear throughout the country? Was it to consolidate your tenuous hold on power then by using an oppressive law?

9. Judiciary. What was your motive to take action in 1988 to remove the then Lord President and several Supreme Court judges from their positions under allegations of judicial misconduct, a move which was heavily criticised by the Bar Council and other bodies? Was it because you needed more compliant judges whose rulings would not threaten your position of power in a number of cases in court? Was this the first step in dismantling the judiciary's role as a system of checks and balances against the legislature and the executive? What have you to say to repeated assertions by many, including prominent ex-chief justices, who maintain that this led to the erosion of judicial independence?

10. Education. You presided over the education system at an important part of its transformation first as Education Minister in the 1970s, then as Prime Minister. Would it be correct to surmise therefore that you were also responsible for its decline during those years? Why did you not spend more money and resources to ensure that our education system was excellent and continued to improve but instead spent billions on other showpiece projects? Why did you allow our national school system, which is the ideal place to develop ties among young Malaysians, to become so divisive that today, 90% of those who attend national schools come from only one race while the rest have opted out?

11. Former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin. Why did you give this one man so much power? And you have not given a satisfactory explanation why he left government the second time round. Did it have anything to do with the forced consolidation of banks? Why did the government buy back Malaysian Airline System (MAS) at RM8 a share in 2000 from Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli when the market price was less than half that?

12. Cronyism and patronage. Did you not encourage cronyism and patronage by dishing out major projects to a few within the inner circle? People such as Tan Sri Halim Saad (the Renong group) toll roads, telecommunications and so on), Tajudin (mobile telephone group TRI and MAS), Tan Sri Amin Shah Omar (the failed PSC Industries multi-billion ringgit naval dockyard contracts) and Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing (Ekran -- the Bakun Dam), to mention just a few?

13. Privatisation. Why did you allow privatisation to take place in such a manner that the most profitable parts of government operations were given away? Toll roads had guaranteed toll increases and compensation in the event traffic projections were not met. Independent power producers had contracts that guaranteed them profits at the expense of Tenaga Nasional.

The Edge Daily Link

From Gridskipper to Gawker

Chris Mohney

I don't know how many readers of this blog have time to read Gridskipper, but I've long kept track since the site often reviews hotels and nightclubs in Southeast Asia, most often in Bangkok and Hong Kong with a token look at Singapore and Bali. Great writing could always be expected from editor Chris Mohney, who has just been promoted (?) from Gridskipper to Gawker, another member of the Nick Denton blog empire (Wonkette, Defamer, etc.). I've been in casual contact with Chris over the past year, mostly to suggest that each individual contributor be listed at the top of the post, ala Gadling. It didn't work, probably since Nick calls the shots, but it's still a downer since the poster's personality seems paramount, and I don't to dig to the bottom to figure out who wrote the post.

Nick Denton's blogs are going through some big changes these days, as several blogs will bite the dust (so long Screenhead) and others will be reoriented in new directions, often back to their roots. Gawker will apparently once again be media-centric, but hopefully Gridiskipper will carry on with it's irreverent ways, covering brothels in Dubai and seedy nightclubs in Bangkok.

Good luck, Chris, we'll miss you.

After today, you won’t have this mug to kick around anymore (not here, at least). Exactly one year ago today, I took over as Gridskipper site editor – it’s hard to believe it hasn’t been much, much longer than that. I enjoyed most every minute on this perch, as it gave me the enviable chance to write about most anything I wanted with no particular allegiance to subject, tone, length, or accuracy. In the past year, Gridskipper has dramatically increased its reach and scope, posting tons of excellent material from all over the world (not to mention more than tripling traffic). With the assistance of many talented personnel, I hope to continue that tradition in my new post as managing editor of Gawker, effective mostly immediately.

This week will be one of transition around here, with a few contributor posts and guest editors filling in what the holiday weekend didn’t eat off the calendar. One of those “guests” will be your new Gridskipper editor, who happens to be regular Gridskipper contributor Joshua Stein. He’ll be lurking this week, then taking the reins for real on Monday, July 10. Wish him well, and treat him gently. And thanks much for your kind attentions during one of my favorite years.

Gridskipper Link

A Visit to Jain Temples

Mt. Abu Pilgrims by Carl Parkes

An old friend of mine, Harry P., has just published an in-depth article about his recent visit to the Jain temples in India that combines fine travelogue with sensitive background information about the religion and culture -- a far superior travel article compared to the drivel you usually read in newspapers and magazines.

Harry started his travel writing career many years ago with Moon Publications when he wrote to Bill Dalton with suggestions and corrections for Daltons' Indonesia Handbook. After some correspondence, Harry was hired to pen a series of guidebooks to the Caribbean including his seminal Puerto Rico Handbook. He was one of the original Moon authors, along with Joe Biz (R.I.P.), David Stanley (still hanging in there), and Bill Weir (dismissed from Moon recently). Harry later moved on and now self-publishes his books with his personal publishing company, Manatee Press.

A Journey among the Jains

From the holy mountain of Girnar to the summit of Shatrunjaya, the land of the Jains casts a spell

By Harry S. Pariser

It's a splendiferous post-monsoon morning in Junagadh, a small town (and former princely kingdom) in Gujarat, a state in northwest India. About a day by train from Bombay, Junagadh is known for the ancient rock inscriptions, carved at the behest of Emperor Ashoka (273-236 BCE), whose 14 edicts promulgate religious tolerance, vegetarianism, and nonviolence. I have turned my back on Junagadh's blaring traffic and polluted air to stand at the first of 4,000 stairs leading to the top of Girnar, one of the five sacred mountains of the Jain faith.

The Jain prophet Mahavira founded the sect during the 6th century. An elder contemporary of the Buddha, Mahavira deserted an elite background and became an ascetic at age 30. Jainism, the world's oldest but least-known belief system, is labyrinthine in its complexity. While sharing many beliefs and iconography with Buddhism and Hinduism, Jain cosmology is unique. The Shvetamabara Jainism found in Gujarat evolved within a Hindu religious environment but under largely Muslim rule.

Common Ground Magazine Link

Message to Beijing: Free Hao Wu

Hao Wu

From Rebecca MacKinnon:

We are now on Day 133 since Hao Wu, Chinese filmmaker and Global Voices Northeast Asia Editor, disappeared into detention without charge. We have been doing what we can to keep Hao’s case from being forgotten. The WSJ’s Geoffrey Fowler now has an in-depth story titled Gray Zone: An Arrest in China Spotlights Limits to Artistic Freedom in China, detailing Hao’s detention and the context in which it happened. Here’s how it begins:

Wall Street Journal
Gray Zone -- An Arrest in China Spotlights Limits To Artistic Freedom
By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER
July 3, 2006

After 12 years in the U.S., filmmaker Hao Wu returned to his homeland two years ago to document the changes shaping Chinese society. He fell in with a crowd of artists and writers and often wrote on his blog about balancing American ideals of civil liberty with the practical realities he found in China.

"Change has to happen," he wrote in a Feb. 17 posting. "But the Chinese have to figure it out themselves."

Five days later, Mr. Wu was arrested and he has been in detention ever since. His alleged crime remains a mystery to his friends, his family and even the lawyer his sister hired to help. These people believe he was detained over his work on a documentary film about Christian churches that aren’t recognized by the Chinese government. The lawyer, Wu Yigang, says the Beijing police told him the detention is related to "state secrets," which limits the possibility of a defense. The Public Security Ministry didn’t respond to questions.

After describing the contradictory and often confusing cultural and political situation in China, Fowler continues:

Mr. Wu holds a green card but hasn’t yet received U.S. citizenship, according to his friends. "His dream is for speaking out freely, and for making films…to let people in other countries see what was really happening in China," says his sister Nina Wu, in a March interview. Ms. Wu, a mutual-fund manager in Shanghai, quit her job recently to pursue her brother’s release full time. "He knows there are some problems here but he loves China and thinks things are getting better and better."

It has been nearly a month since Hao’s sister Nina last wrote on her blog. An excerpt from that post:

Back to Beijing again. I missed my brother when staring at his books and things. Hard to believe that their owner has been gone for so long. Looking at the note folded in the book on which my brother wrote down the address of a restaurant, I can’t help crying out. I saw his clean and fresh handwriting, and imagined his state of mind when writing down these notes. He is always my brother. A person with such simplicity and passion for life does not deserve such winding complications. No matter what others might say about him, our firm belief and trust in him will not change.

We’ve confirmed that Nina is ok. However her health is not great and she’s under a lot of pressure. Please head over to Freehaowu.org and hit the comments section and share some supportive words with her, and please go over to her Chinese blog and let her know that you are rooting for her, and for Hao.

Also please don’t forget to sign the petition and write letters to your elected representatives and local media. If you have a website or blog click here for "Free Hao Wu" badges you can put on your site.

Global Voices Online Link

Wall Street Journal Article on Hao Wu

Free Hao Wu Link

Bali Bombers Terrorist Instructions

Bashir Walks

A very chilling set of instructions given to the most recent Bali bombers was recently uncovered from a computer in a home in Java, where Malaysian terrorist Azhari Husin was hiding out until the houses was raided by Indonesian authorities. And now, Bashir is urging disgruntled Muslim youth to head to Israel and start their own personal jihad. Bashir, you need to be the first in line.

A Terror Strike, Choreographed on a Computer
By RAYMOND BONNER
Published: July 3, 2006

JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 2 — The bombs should be small and placed in day packs, making them harder to detect. The bombers should dress like tourists. They should not bother targeting hotels because security is too tight. Instead they should consider restaurants, discos and theaters.

A police officer searched the site of one of the bombings in Bali on Oct. 2, 2005. The blasts killed 20 people. A thorough survey should be done in advance by the bombers themselves. That way, they are more familiar with the sites, and no one is left behind to be hunted later by the police.

"There is no escape plan because the perpetrators will become martyrs," the planning document states. "They will go to the targets and not return."

That is part of the playbook for a suicide bombing, including even a minute-by-minute choreography of the bombers' final hours. The Indonesian police uncovered the document from the computer of one of the planners of an attack last October in Bali, which killed 20 people when three men walked into separate restaurants and blew themselves up.

The document offers a rare glimpse into the minds of the most cunning terrorist plotters and of the kind of meticulous planning that lies behind their operations. It also shows what even a small, local group with few resources can do, and the difficulty of thwarting their plans.

"It tells us that these guys tried to think of every contingency," said Sidney Jones, project director of the International Crisis Group's office in Jakarta, and one of the foremost authorities on terrorism in Southeast Asia. "Even when they're being hunted, they had the capacity to think through what had to be done right down to the second."

The 34-page document, titled "The Bali Project," was found on the computer of Azhari Husin, a Malaysian-born engineer educated in Australia and Britain who became a master bomb maker and was one of the most dangerous terrorists in Southeast Asia until he was killed in a shootout with the police last November.

The document was given to The New York Times by a person who requested anonymity because it had not been officially released. It was first reported on by Tempo, an English-language weekly newsmagazine here.

Mr. Azhari's co-planner was Mohammad Noordin Top, who has narrowly escaped capture several times and remains on the run, one of the most wanted men in Southeast Asia.

The Indonesian police have said they found no evidence of any link to Al Qaeda in the Bali bombings. Members of Jemaah Islamiyah, the fundamentalist Islamic movement here, were involved, but the operation was not directed from the top of that organization, the police have said.

The document, written in six sections, sheds little new light on those links but corrects some initial speculation about the attack — that the bombs were assembled in the Philippines, for instance, and that the attack was aimed at the Indonesian government, or the Balinese economy.

The author, who the police say they believe was Mr. Azhari himself, begins by asking, "Why Bali?" Because it will have a "global impact," he answers. "Bali is known around the world, better than Indonesia itself," the author writes. "An attack in Bali will be covered by the international media."

In Section 2, "Method of Attack," he notes that the plan must differ from the first attack in Bali, in October 2002, when a minivan loaded with explosives was detonated in front of two nightclubs, killing 202 people.

Now, "security is tighter," the author writes, noting that the police chief in Bali had increased the number of intelligence officers to 256 from 70.

The author concludes that it is too risky to bring in a truck or a similarly large amount of explosives and that it would be more difficult to rent a house with a garage to assemble a bomb. "The bomb must be smaller, and brought in ready to use," the document says.

The targets, the author writes, are "foreign tourists from America and its allies," which included all NATO countries, as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and the Philippines.

The author knew that the bombers would have trouble determining the native country of many tourists. "So, we will consider all white people the enemy," the document says.

A few weeks before the attacks, the three men who would carry out the operation were sent to Bali to do a "survey" of possible targets for themselves.

Beforehand, they were told to learn what they could about Bali, a popular tourist island, on the Internet, and to get tourist brochures from travel agents and a tourist map.

The possible targets surveyed included McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Burger King and KFC restaurants, theaters, a golf course, tattoo parlors, art galleries and souvenir stalls.

As part of their surveillance, the men were told to "pay attention to clothes worn by local tourists" and what kind of day packs or shoulder bags they carried and whether they carried more than one.

The men did their reconnaissance, then reported back.

The next section includes a question-and-answer exchange between the men and their "field commander," presumably Mr. Azhari.

The men had concluded that the bombers should not use taxis to reach their targets because a taxi driver might help with the backpacks and be suspicious of their weight.

New York Times Link

Bangkok Airport Set to Open in 2005?

New Bangkok International Airport

Doesn't anyone at THAI even look at their website?

THAI's Investment Project at Suvarnabhumi Airport

Bangkok's new Suvarnabhumi Airport will become one of Asia's largest and most impressive aviation hubs when it opens in 2005.

Thai Airways International Link

It's also surprising that Suvarnabhumi Airport forgot to pay their website bill, and now their main portal has been suspended. Check their home link:

Suvarnabhumi Airport Link

Soccer Ball Origins

World Cup

Where in the world do soccer balls come from? Santa's workshop? Seems like the components are made around the world, but the final product is put together in Chonburi.

On the field and on the sidelines, the World Cup is dominated by men. But in the sweltering factory here where the official World Cup soccer balls are cut, stitched and glued, it is a woman's world.

And it is not just a Thai contribution. In a globalized manufacturing world, the ball is almost as international as the World Cup itself.

The synthetic leather that covers the ball is made in South Korea. The thin layer of foam inside each ball is produced in Japan. The ball's "bladder" - the rubber pouch that holds the air - is imported from India. The cotton material for the "carcass" that holds the bladder comes from Vietnam. And the chemicals that coat the ball are from Germany.

Workers make about 1,800 +Teamgeist balls a day at the factory, and the production numbers are kept on what looks like a scoreboard high above the factory floor. The balls are sold to the public for about $150.

IHT Link

Bangkok After Dark 1967

Bangkok After Dark

Stickman has graciously scanned a short, complimentary guide to the hotels, restaurants, and bars in Bangkok circa 1967, and presumably distributed to Western visitors and American G.I.s on R&R during the Vietnam War. I, of course, have included the page with the San Francisco theme, but elsewhere you'll find the classic Rex Hotel and buffet at the Oriental. Some contrast, huh?

About three years ago a reader to the site kindly gave me a copy of a free tourist guide from September, 1967, titled "Bangkok After Dark". I had hoped to include parts of it in the column, and did, for all of two weeks, before I put it away in the cupboard and forgot all about it! Doing a clean up recently I came across it and remembered what a treasure trove it is of how Bangkok was in the late '60s. It provides some wonderful nostalgia for anyone who may have experienced Bangkok in what many feel was its hay day. I have scanned the entire guide, all 66 pages of it, so we can all enjoy it.

The gentleman who kindly gave me this guide had made a few notes throughout it in red marker pen. With the wonders of modern technology, it is possible to remove these and I have gone through and removed the scribbles from some of the pages. When I get some more free time, I'll go through and tidy up the rest.

If you were around Bangkok in the early days, say the Vietnam era, there is a chance you may have some similar guides or other collectibles. If you do, and are willing to allow me to scan them, please do let me know. Many of us enjoy this work down memory lane.

Stickman Bangkok Link

Siam Niramit English Bloopers

Siam Niramit Bangkok

Siam Niramit is a lavish stage production in Bangkok which retells the history of Siam with hundreds of performers and sets and effects worthy of Las Vegas. Must have cost a fortune.

Perhaps the sponsors were thinking about all this cash, and so decided to cut a few corners and hire local Thais to provide the text for their website. After all, those pesky Westerners -- especially those with a professional background in the English language -- are expensive, and sometimes difficult to work with. So why not just hire some locals and save a few bucks? And here's the results from their website:

For over seven centuries, Siam has been home of diverse cultures;
A cross-road where civilizations met. Siam Niramit takes you back to the past to witness

The grand procession of Lanna Kingdom in the North.

The colourful livelihood at the Southern peninsular where overseas traders blended in with the locals.

The ancient empire of Khmer where the cheerful Northeastern folks blend song and dance into the work of their daily life.

The Kingdom of Ayutthaya, a the heart of the fertile land of Chao Phaya basin, that built farmers of all kinds and brave men of all times.

Despite the diverse cultures and livelihood, Thai people are all bound by common belief in religious principle of the Law of Karma. The good deeds or bad deeds in this world will result in merit or suffering in the next life.

Hell depicts the souls whose former lives were indulged in greed, anger, and lust.

Himapaan Forest, the boundary between human world and heaven, where mythical creatures exist.

Paradise, home of heavenly beings all form a chorus of celestial dance praising the principle God ; Lord Indra

Believing that to go to Heaven, one must gather merit in their present life. In this final act Siam Niramit will take you to enjoy all year round of merit making festivals, which combine religious ceremony with colourful and joyful celebration.

Siam Niramit Link

Nail Diet in Vietnam

Futurama

Another bizarre story from Southeast Asia. If it isn't some Cambodian chef coughing up tobacco in the soup, or a Buddhist temple where devotees feed beer to the monkeys, then it's the latest diet craze from Vietnam.

Doctors remove 119 rusty nails from Vietnamese woman's stomach

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - Vietnamese doctors removed 119 rusty nails from a mentally ill woman's stomach after she apparently swallowed them months ago, a doctor said Friday.

The 43-year-old woman arrived Wednesday at Hospital No. 121 in the southern city of Can Tho City, complaining of a severe stomachache.

"After having her stomach X-rayed and scanned, we found a stack of strange objects and decided to operate as soon as possible,'' said Dr. Tran Van Nam.

During the surgery, doctors removed 119 7 to 8 centimeter (2.8 to 3.2-inch) nails. Many were rusty, indicating they could have been in her stomach for months, Nam said.

The patient's stomach was scratched by the nails, but she did not suffer any major injuries, he said.

"Her life is not at risk now, and she is recovering,'' Nam said, adding the patient was expected to be discharged soon.

The Star Online Link

Kris Aquino Plastic Surgery

Kris Aquino

Kris Aquino, daughter of former president Cory Aquino, has dramatically improved her looks over the years thanks to the blessings of plastic surgery, which seems to be a popular and relatively inexpensive option in the Philippines. Now, if we could just get Gloria to have some work, before she goes out surfing again. Oh, the horror.

Filipino celebrity who went under the knife? Who else but Kris Aquino! She's one the most vocal advocate of plastic surgeries in the Philippines. She admitted it many times over the Buzz, and even on one of her TV commercials for Smart. Tummy tuck, breast augmentation, and liposuction all over her body (neck, waist, hips etc.) are the procedures known to be done on her by no less than Dr. Vicki Belo, the doctor for the stars, and her partners in the Belo Medical Group. And basing from this photo, she could even have had a nose lift.

Retokado Link

The Discos and Nightclubs of Wanchai, Hong Kong

Western District

Spike, the Laowai in Hongkie Town, continues his guide to the seamier side of Wanchai with his authoritative look at the ordinary bars and nightclubs which often host a handful of freelancers from all parts of the world. He recommends a few nightclubs for first-timers, and after almost a decade in Hong Kong, Spike's opinions ring true. Perhaps he'll follow up with some thoughts on Lan Kwai Fong, Kowloon, and Mongkok?

My first reaction to two recent comments was: jesus h christ on a bicycle, guys, I've done nothing but write about the places I go to and the deals there for the past year and a half. But on further thought, I don't suppose there's a single post I can point to that summarizes the deal. So here we go.

In Wanchai, there are a number of discos and bars that fill up with "freelance" prostitutes on a nightly basis. I put the word "freelance" in quotes because quite often, these women are brought over to HK by pimps. The pimps provide the visa, an airplane ticket and a place to stay. In return, the women pay them off on a daily rate, often having to pay back up to three times the amount the pimp has laid out.

These women literally come from all over the world. Most are from Thailand and the Philippines, but I have also met women from Korea, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, eastern Europe and South America.

'Twas not always thus. Back in the 90s, if you went to these bars, the women were mostly maids on their day or night off. If you were looking for a hooker, your basic options were the expensive night clubs, the rip off go go bars or "a rub and a tug" at some dodgy sauna. The prevailing wisdom at the time was that if you wanted to get laid, it was cheaper to fly to Manila and stay in a 5 star hotel for the weekend than have a single night out in Hong Kong.

Laowai/Spike/Hongkie Town Link

Internet Cafe Tips from Pattaya

Wal ing Street Pattaya

New blogger Lost in Pattaya provides some gentle reminders for all visitors who visit internet cafes, and the possible consequences if you don't take precautions before exiting your computer. I knew about emptying the history and cache, but he's also got some other tips, all wrapped up with some funny scenarios.

Things to do in Pattaya when your bored -Internet Cafes

Pattaya is an exciting place to live. But there are times where boredom inevitably strikes. What can you do when you aren't in the mood for sex, booze or food?

Easy visit an internet cafe, endless hours of fun can be found in them, its amazing what you can find to amuse yourself.

* Internet Explorer History - Personally whenever I use an Internet cafe I clean this and all cookies before closing the machine. However:

1. Hans from Dusseldorf in his twilight years may not be so savvy to computing. He'll play around on Asstr.org looking up sex stories involving young boys/girls/animals whatever, quietly sweating away at the machine not realizing its keeping a record of every page he reads. Dumb. Sadly Hans must have signed out of his hotmail/yahoo correctly. Otherwise I'd loved to have burned a few minutes sending him a scary email.

2. Pim the bargirl eager to get back to the bar to find the next punter, forgets to close her Yahoo inbox. Oh dear. Now this is fun. Stewart her American sailor boyfriend currently stationed in Japan is wondering how life is in the village. And in other emails he's sending her naked pictures of himself telling her not to show anyone else. If I was a twat which I can be at times, a little digging could probably bring up a few email addresses of where he is stationed. Click Click Click his superiors get an eyeful of Seaman Stewarts todger. But nah that's shit. Stewart has enough problems with the other two boyfriends Pim has emailing her.

3. Bram from Vancouver Canada, holidaying in Thailand stops by an Internet cafe to check on his Friendster account. Forgetting to sign out. Tut tut matey, your entire profile has been changed even your preferred sexuality. Petty but fun. Would be fun to see his face when he reads back that he'x looking for a really hairy guy to go for long drives on his motorbike with.

Lost in Pattaya Link