Sidewalk Blues: Pattaya Police Box

While not as serious as police murders of tourists, or extrajudicial killings during a "war on drugs," it's still damn frustrating that the police in Pattaya can erect a police traffic control box directly on the sidewalk. But then, this is Thailand, and the police can get away with almost anything, as show by the hopeless comment by the mayor.

This traffic control box is blocking pedestrian traffic and may have to be demolished. Currently under construction on Third Road, at the intersection opposite the Cottage, the control box is a white-colored structure occupying an area measuring 2 x 2 meters. It is 3 meters in height and has a tiled roof.

Residents have criticized the control box, saying that it is installed on the sidewalk and almost completely blocks the public way. It will cause problems particularly for the disabled, who would not be able to maneuver their wheelchairs around the structure.

Questioned by Pattaya Mail about this obstruction, Deputy Mayor Ronakit Ekasingh said the control box does not come under the responsibility of city hall. The structure belongs to the traffic police, and city hall did not grant any permission for it to be built at this location. It is most likely, he said, that the control box is the result of an agreement between the police and an individual in the private sector.

Pattaya Mail

Property Warnings for Thailand

Art by Chris Coles

Purchasing property in Thailand is not without it's risks, but with proper help from an attorney and other legal advisers, you probably won't have the problems of these unfortunate investors in Hua Hin. EarthTimes has details on a pair of unhappy investors and offers a few important reminders before you sink your life savings into a dream house... still on the drawing boards.

In recent years, many former tourists have opted to buy a home in Hua Hin, as Thailand's property boom extends to its resorts, angling for foreign buyers of second homes or retirement getaways.

Unfortunately, some of these paradise seekers have fallen victim to scam artists and con men, and Hua Hin has proved no exception. The most popular scam is for developers to secure a deposit from a buyer and then fail to abide by the construction timetable, citing unforeseen delays.

But not all property developers in Hua Hin are of the fly-by-night variety. Germany-based Engel & Volkers, for example, opened an office in Hua Hin last year and has been doing a booming business selling high-end projects where housing units cost between 10 to 90 million baht (312,500 to 2.8 million dollars).

"If people follow the rules and regulations it should be no problem," said Duangjai Kraus, managing director of Engel & Volkers Hua Hin. "But some people want to take advantage of others. That's where the problems crop up."

Duangjai noted that last year the Thai government passed a new law on allowing escrow accounts, designed to protect property buyers from unscrupulous developers by assuring contracts are met before the money is issued. "Hopefully the law will be enacted soon," said Duangjai.

Thailand's War on Drugs and Extrajudicial Killings

Thaksin Shinawatra may have returned to Thailand and launched a slickly choreographed publicity campaign, but the wave of extrajudicial killings during his rule have never been explained and no one has been punished. And with Samak as top dog, the police force has once again been given the green light to go out and clean the country from drug dealers, or any other social deviants they find unacceptable.

Thailand's war on drugs and extrajudicial killings were discussed last year by Al Jazeera on their show 101 East; the video clips are still an invaluable resource for remembering the past and a warning for the future.

101 East investigates the Former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's 'war on drugs' and the wave of extrajudicial killings that came with it. Drug users endured beatings, forced confessions, arbitrary arrests and even death. Human Rights Watch says 2,500 people were killed during one three-month period at the start of 2003. The Thai government has opened an inquiry into the killings, but is the investigation politically motivated?

101 East met with one family whose innocent son and daughter were killed during the crackdown, and spent time with drug addicts at a Thai monastery where a secret potion is used to beat drug addiction.

Critics, such as 101 East's guest and human rights campaigner Nick Cheesman, point out that a climate where drug dealers are dehumanized leads inevitably to unlawful killings.

Kudeb Saikrachang, a legal adviser to Thaksin's disbanded political party, says Thai people did support the anti-drug campaign and that the present enquiry is being used by the country's present leaders as a political weapon against Thaksin.

Thai journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk says Thai people's legitimate hatred of drug dealers should not allow police to kill suspected dealers without a trial.

Al Jazeera

Al Jazeera 101 East on Thai Drug Killings -- Part One



Al Jazeera 101 East on Thai Drug Killings -- Part Two

Thailand: Problems with the Police

An excellent article on the problems with the Thai police has been published in the March edition of Chiangmai News (City Life), with several references to Nick Cheesman (pictured above). I couldn't locate the author of the following article, but Nick seems to be the primary source since he's a writer for the Asian Human Rights Commission and has been involved with human rights issues in the region since his days in Tak during the late 1980s.

The Rule of Lords blog/website by Awzar Thi seems to be by Nick himself.

The Chiangmai News (City Life) article is filled with thought provoking example of police abuse and a must read for anyone interested in these issues.

But though justice may still be served in this case, it is tragic that there is frequently lack of redress when Thailand's own people fall victim to the crimes of authority figures. In cases of police misconduct, errant officials too often enjoy a shocking level of impunity. Countless stories have come to light of gross police misconduct across the nation - excessive force, brutality, torture and murder - including those that have surfaced recently in the media, of repeated offences by Captain Nat Chonnitiwanich and the Border Police Patrol.

In most cases of this kind, the perpetrators are either never charged for their crimes at all, or acquitted on technicalities. "It's only in high profile incidents, or ones in which the most determined plaintiffs are involved, that cases are ever seen through to trial," says Nick Cheesman of the Asian Human Rights Commission. Others simply fade into oblivion, never to be heard of again.

Cases of this kind are not an anomaly in Thailand. In fact, for many years the subject of police reform has been on the national agenda, without much success. The roots of today's police system go back as far as the 1950s, when the police force was set up by General Phao Sriyanond, a former army general who emerged as a powerful figure after the 1947 coup. Phao saw the police force as a fast route to personal power and fortune, and he created it to serve as such. It carried out paramilitary operations, ran the drug trade, carried out 'forced disappearances' and murders, and was used as a base of political power by Phao and his comrades.

In 1980, the Administrative Committee recognised that "the police department is hated and despised by all outside of it" for its acts of corruption and severe human rights abuses. But when Thaksin Shinawatra, himself a former police colonel, came to power in 2001, the power of security forces was extended even further. In his statement announcing his 'war on drugs' policy, Thaksin quoted his predecessor, General Phao, saying: "There is nothing under the sun which the Thai police cannot do." He was referring not so much to ability, as impunity. And in August 2003, Thaksin went as far as to implicitly encourage security forces to commit extra-judicial acts of violence when he said: "From now on, if their trafficking caravans enter our soil we won't waste our time arresting them; we will simply kill them."

Today, there are still few channels through which Thai victims of police transgressions can seek justice. The DSI, which was established as a quasi-independent agency, was nevertheless from the beginning overseen by a policeman and, in many cases, has proved ineffectual at bringing those responsible for human rights abuses to justice. Although the Witness Protection Office was established under the justice ministry, its duties fall by default to the police.

Small wonder that trials are frequently overturned for lack of evidence, says Nick Cheesman, with witness protection largely in the hands of the police. "There is so much fear and intimidation amongst Thai people when dealing with any case involving a police officer," he explains. "Police officers have good local networks, so they generally know when someone starts asking questions, and so most people are reluctant to come forward to give evidence against them. And who can blame them? When you're faced with a choice of either accepting a bribe or possibly being tortured to death, it's not surprising that most witnesses buckle."

Thaksin Returns to Thailand; Rents Motorcycle; Heads to Nana Plaza, Cowboy, Cheap Charlie's

Everyone knew that Thaksin would arrive back in Thailand this morning, but everyone was surprised when he balked at the outrageous taxi fares, and hired a motorbike which he road to Nana Plaza for an early morning beer. Then it was over to Cowboy and Cheap Charlie's for breakfast. Thaksin...still a man of the people.

Ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has arrived home in Thailand after 17 months of exile to face corruption charges. He says he is slightly worried about his security but has faith in Thailand's justice system.

Thaksin flew first class on Thai Airways from Hong Kong to Bangkok, where thousands of supporters had gathered at Suvarnabhumi International Airport before dawn on Thursday to await his return. They danced, beat drums, sang and carried signs reading "We love Thaksin."

He was travelling with two players with Britain's Manchester City soccer club, which Thaksin owns. The players - goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and midfielder Kelvin Etuhu - said they planned to hold some soccer clinics with Thai children and work out with the national team.

Officials said Thaksin would report to police at the airport and then be escorted to the Supreme Court where he and his wife Pojaman face corruption and conflict of interest charges in connection with her purchase of prime Bangkok real estate from a state agency in 2003, while he was prime minister. Pojaman returned to Thailand in January and was released on bail pending trial. Thaksin was also expected to ask for bail.

He was then to proceed to the Department of Special Investigations where he is charged with allegedly concealing ownership of shares in a family business.

Sydney Morning Herald

Eric Clapton Sings "Cocaine" in Pyongyang?

Perhaps the mad dictator who rules North Korea isn't such a fool after all, as his latest offer trumps holding his nukes hostage for foreign aid. In his latest flight of fantasy, Mighty Mo will send the North Korean National Symphony over the London, but wants Eric Clapton in return. Sounds fair to me.

British blues legend Eric Clapton could be the next Western musician to play in Pyongyang, following the New York Philharmonic's performance in the North Korean capital this week. The Financial Times newspaper reported Tuesday that North Korea has invited the "guitar god" to perform in the world¡¯s most isolated country next year.

"A performance by Mr. Clapton would be notable because, while classical music is well known in North Korea, rock and pop are banned because of their strong Western influences," the FT wrote.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's second son, Kim Jong-chul, is reportedly such a huge fan of Clapton that he traveled to Germany in 2006 to see the guitarist perform in Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Leipzig, and Berlin. This has prompted the speculation that the younger Kim may be behind the country's invitation

Chosun

The World's Most Expensive Monarchy

Who has the world's richest monarchy in a democratic nation? I would have said the British, but the above chart shows that Thailand gives more to their monarchy in both absolute and relative terms. You won't hear many Thais complain about this situation, but then I'll bet few Thais are even aware of where their money goes.

Bangkok Pundit has the original chart and links to the Bureau of the Royal Household (in Thai) and Siam Collective (also in Thai). Jotman provides the following comments.

World's most expensive royal family

Outside of the Middle East, what is the world's most expensive royal family? Two contenders for the title are the UK and the Thai royals. How much do the Thai and British royals cost their respective taxpayers?

Thai Royal Household*
1.95 billion baht = US $65 million
British Royal Family cost to taxpayer
37 million GBP = US $74 million

If you consider the question of "purchasing power parity," it is evident that your money goes twice as far in Thailand as in Britain. The Thai Royal Household budget delivers twice the purchasing power as the UK Royals' budget.

The populations are roughly the same. There are 65 million Thais as compared with 61 million British subjects. So it's as if every Thai pays $1.00 a year to support the Thai Royal Household, whereas every Brit pays $1.20 to support the British Royal Family. Which brings us to the question of relative taxpayer burden. Given the GDP disparity -- British GDP is 4.4 times greater -- we can see that the tax burden is at least four times greater for Thais.

UK GDP = US $35,300
Thai GDP = US $8,000

So considering that money goes twice as far in Thailand, and that the average Thai enjoys less than one quarter the income of a British subject, you could say the commitment of the Thai people to their royal family is about eight times greater than that of the British to theirs.

Olympics 2008: Animal Rights Protests

Anyone for Dog Paw?

The China Olympics 2008 attracts all kinds of activists pushing their causes, and some of them may be overplaced, but protesting the slaughter of dogs for restaurant meals is something all of us can get behind. How big a problem is a question, but it's certainly true that I've seen plenty of photos of dog and cat markets in China, so somebody out there is chowing down to man's best friend and his feline cousin.

A French animal rights group, One Voice, has organized a protest, and they aren't very happy with the zoo situation in China.

Yahoo News has the story.

French animal lovers launch Olympic protest over dog kill

PARIS, Feb 18, 2008 (AFP) - A French association of animal lovers on Monday launched a petition aimed at encouraging China to ban, by the Summer Olympics, the killing of dogs for food.

One Voice said the practice of preparing canines for the pot often involves slow and brutal methods in which the animal is beaten to death, boiled alive or hung up to bleed while still breathing.

"This trade is widespread in China, even in large cities, although in Beijing, the authorities are trying to push it outside the city ahead of the Olympics," said Muriel Arnal, president and founder of One Voice. The association said it had researched the practice for six months and then sent a team out across China for more than three weeks with the help of Chinese associates, filming and photographing dogs being cruelly put to death.

Several years ago, the backstreet butchers' targets of choice were Saint Bernards, but now the favourite dogs for slaughter are German shepherds, it said. Stolen pets, some of them still bearing collars, were also being killed, it said. One Voice said its online petition, launched on websites in France and Britain, aimed at pushing China to pass laws banning the killing of dogs, in time for the August Olympics.

Hong Kong, which is a special region of China, and Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province, both have laws banning the consumption of dogs, One Voice noted.

Crusing Comes to Cambodia

Cambodia is booming, as two 50-storey office towers have been announced for Phnom Penh, and hotel rooms continue to soar in once sleepy Siem Reap. And for better or worse, Sihanoukville is rapidly changing as five-star resorts open on deserted beaches and tourism officials eye greater use of the recently refurbished and expanded airport.

But nothing symbolizes the changing nature of tourism in Cambodia as strongly as the arrival of cruise ships to Sihanoukville, opening up the coastline and allowing tourists to quickly fly to Siem Reap via Phnom Penh. If there's one country in Southeast Asia you might want to visit now, and years later be able to say "I saw it when," Cambodia is the place.

Cambodia may not be the first place cruise liner passengers think of as the perfect luxury layover, but Cambodian officials are determined to change all that. With its pristine white sand beaches, some of the best diving in the region, inexpensive seafood delicacies and legalized gambling, Cambodia's main problem in the past has been that its ambitions have outstripped its infrastructure.

But all that is changing, says tourism minister Thong Khon. "So far we have 1,000 rooms in Sihanoukville, but we are planning to have 1,000 more by 2009," he says. "The ministry, the private sector and local authorities are all working hard to improve infrastructure."

Sokha Hotel Group, owner of the 5-star Sokha Beach Resort, has just announced plans for a second 5-star resort just a few beaches away. Like its sister hotel, the resort also plans a private beach.

The developments appear to be paying off. So far this year five cruises carrying US, Asian and European tourists have docked in Sihanoukville, bringing 4,832 visitors, equal to the entire 2007 total, according to the port's general director Lou Khim Chhun. The country's only deepwater port, Sihanoukville Autonomous Port is located about 240 kilometres from the capital and Chhun says that although the lack of infrastructure caused cruise ship visitors to dip by half last year, 2008 is already shaping up as a bumper year.

The port, touted to be one of the first companies listed on a Cambodian stock exchange planned for 2009, has already constructed a special dock dedicated to cruise liners.

Chhun admits he is rubbing its hands at the prospect of wealthy tourists entering the country by sea, taking advantage of the newly refurbished airport at Sihanoukville to fly to the ancient Angkor Wat temples, and returning to wine, dine and enjoy the several plush casinos. "We have the capacity for four to five cruises to pass through per week, which equates to 4-5,000 visitors. I believe Sihanoukville is ready to extend its services as a cruise port. We certainly plan to host more and more," Chhun says.

Opportunities for day trips abound. The area's mushrooming dive companies speak of whale sharks, rare pink dolphins and untouched coral reefs. Dugongs are known to inhabit areas near the municipality. Nearby Ream National Park's virgin forests teems with wildlife.

Sokha Hotel Group just announced yet another luxury resort for the former French hill station of Bokor in nearby Kampot province and with oil from offshore reserves expected to begin flowing within two years, infrastructure looks set to continue to develop rapidly.

Cambodia has won over some powerful allies. Royal Caribbean Cruises has named Sihanoukville as a prime layover for its flagship Rhapsody of the Seas and is enthusiastic about it on its website. "Cambodia is best known as the occasional side trip to Angkor Wat ... on your way to or from Thailand. But all that is changing with the revitalization of Sihanoukville, Cambodia's one and only beach resort," the cruise giant gushes.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Asia-Pacific managing director, Rama Rebbapragada, has predicted Cambodia will also benefit as a port of call from Hong Kong's planned new cruise terminal.

EarthTimes

Thailand: Daily Xpress by Nation Launches next Week

Thailand's English-language media will undergo a major restructuring next week as the venerable Nation newspaper launches a free daily, the Daily Xpress. The Nation will continue as a business journal, though some doubt the demand for such a service. The Daily Xpress put up a dummy copy dated January 18, 2008, heavy on the entertainment angle, with features such as Fun (actually, "The Fun"), Travel, Personality, and an Expat page which might prove very interesting if they allow local expat bloggers and forum participants at Thai Visa to get some ink. Political coverage will move to the Daily Xpress from The Nation.

Among the expats onboard with Xpress, there's Jim Pollard and Roger Beaumont along with Steve Cleary, who worked previously for The Nation.

There's a launch party on March 4th with "Giveaway lots of prizes" (uh, oh) and the dress code is "party smashing dress" (uh, oh again). 2Bangkok has more information and historical photos of the old Nation.

The launch of Daily Xpress, Thailand's first-ever freesheet newspaper, to be published in English with a compact form, will take place along with the transformation of The Nation into a paper with a firm focus on in-depth business and political coverage.

The changes, which will start on March 5, are meant to better serve our readers, who we regard as smart, daring, knowledge-able, and tech savvy. Thanks to a thorough survey of media in Thailand we know that our readers are exactly that and we have planned the changes accordingly.

"Our strategy is to rethink The Nation to meet our readers' evolution and needs. But while changes have been made, what have been preserved are the credibility, substance and essential insights that are The Nation's trademark," said Pana Janviroj, president of The Nation/Daily Xpress.

About 100,000 copies of the freesheet will be distributed daily including to all current and future Nation subscribers, making it the largest-circulated English daily newspaper in Thailand.

Tulsathit Taptim will be editor of Daily Xpress. The Nation's managing editor, Thanong Khanthong, will replace Tulsathit as editor of The Nation. "The younger generation of sophisticated readers is a largely unfufilled or untapped market as far as English language media is concerned. And we hope Daily Xpress, with a focus on lifestyle, human interest news, talk of the town events, entertainment and fun, will help serve their needs for a new kind of media," said Tulsathit.

He said Daily Xpress also aims to promote the concept of citizen journalism and readers' interaction by publishing reader-generated content.

The Nation readers, starting on March 5, will get a double package of news - in broadsheet and compact forms. With Daily Xpress also delivered to present and future Nation subscribers, it means Nation readers are treated to 72 pages of in-depth news, analyses and trendy lifestyle and entertainment reports on most days.

The Nation broadsheet will have more focus on business and political information and we are moving to easier-to-use design and navigation of news items and features. It will be published from Monday through Saturday. Daily Xpress with expanded content and features will continue to be delivered to Nation subscribers on Sunday.

The Nation

Thailand: Chuwit, Soap Opera Superstar?

Political pundits, bloggers, and all those stinking liberals in Bangkok may be obsessed with the imminent return of Thaksin on Thursday, but the average Thai is more concerned with the imminent arrival of a new soap opera staring the irrepressible Chuwit Kamolvisit. So forget about Thaksin and get with Chuwit -- defender of liberty and honest government, former king of the massage empire in Bangkok, destroyer of illegal squatters on his Sukumvit property, campaign billboard poster par excellance, and object of much love at 2Bangkok, where Ron has an entire section devoted to the King of All Thai Media.

Former back-rubber turned back-scratcher Chuwit Kamolvisith is a brilliant beacon to news-media moths and he knows how to crank up the wattage. He's no doubt the envy of many elected MPs for his ability to hold onto centre stage.

Talk-show producers adore him. His outspokenness, crazy sense of humour and fearless assaults on bigwigs guarantee high ratings.

So it was only a matter of time before Chuwit was cast in a soap opera, and in prime time at that. He's booked for Channel 3's "Phra Chan Son Dao", which will soon take over the Wednesday-Thursday slot currently occupied by "King Kaew Kafak".

It's a chance that Chuwit says he's been awaiting for three years. Interestingly, "Phra Chan Son Dao" has been in pre-production for three years. Did Chuwit's foray into politics somehow get in the way of this plan? The TV station swears it isn't so, insisting it just had too many series on the go and there was never a suitable timetable.

At any rate, Chuwit says he's going to be glued to the TV screen whenever the show is airing and won't tolerate any interruptions. "Even if Khun Banharn calls my place, I won't take the call," he says, referring to Chart Thai party leader Banharn Silpa-archa.

We seriously doubt that Banharn has even thought about Chuwit since he booted him out of the party for being a loudmouth, but anyway, where's the popcorn?

The Nation

Frustrated Writer Seeks Publisher

As a travel writer with a few books under my belt, I often receive emails from frustrated writers who need some help with their sales and marketing, or at least some advice on getting an agent to sell their book to a publisher. Many letters are rather hopeless, but Aaron seems serious about getting his novel about India in print, and it seems to be a venture after my own heart....wandering around India and having an adventure.

The above photos of mine were taken in India, when I was....wandering around and having an adventure. There's a guard at a royal palace in Jodphur, two female tribals on religious pilgrimage in Tamil Nadu, and a bookstore in Calcutta.

Epiphany and wisdom can come from the strangest of places, like tripping on LSD in the slums of Calcutta during the Festival of Colours, where everyone is covered in paint. This happens to Aaron, 36, an Australian ex-punk rocker, ex-small time crook, ex-heroin addict, X-gener on the run from a failed marriage to a night club diva. Painted green, he realises he is free as long as he lives in the proverbial now.

He reflects back on how he departed Australia with long time friend and occasional partner in crime Frankie, a deluded society misfit and failed artist. Often mistaken as a terrorist and occasionally even Osama Bin Laden, Frankie, who thinks he is really an alien, convinces Aaron to go to India to ‘find himself’. Aaron agrees after he discovers he has a contract is on his life for stealing a cocaine dealer mistress. Arriving in Bollywood for Christmas, then Goa for New Years Eve, they end up in the hippy utopia, Auroville.

Aaron falls out with Frankie who changes his name to The Kobra (the K representing his newly discovered Kundaline powers). Frankie the Kobra is in his element, befriending the urine drinking commune elite and seducing doe eyed hippy chicks. Aaron heads for the Andaman Islands, a remote tropical paradise, where he makes a living fleecing tourists in poker, agreeing to re-unite with Frankie in Calcutta for the Festival of Colours. But Frankie never turns up.

Shanti, Bloody Shanti

Sri Lanka By Air

During my one-year backpacking adventure around Asia, I spent three months in India, where I took the above photos, then ferried south to Sri Lanka, where I toured the historical sites and lazed around the surfing beach at Hikkaduwa. The short video of Sri Lanka below is produced by the tourism department, and it's a beautiful look at a lovely island beset by problems and still recovering from the Boxing Day tsunami. But a place I'd like to return to someday.



Sri Lanka From the Air

Cambodia: Angkor Wat via Discovery Channel

The above photos are taken from the always amazing Stuck in Customs, where you'll find some of the most innovative photography on the web. They have a RSS feed, so sign up and you'll receive an almost daily photo, often travel, which ranges from Iceland to Angkor.

Discovery Channel recently released a documentary on Angkor called "Digging for the Truth," and the entire series has been posted on YouTube. Ain't the internet grand? This is a great program for visitors who aren't familiar with the history of the site, plus the photography is great and the host has that Indiana Jones thing going on.



Angkor Wat -- Part One



Angkor Wat -- Part Two

Angkor Wat -- Part Three

Angkor Wat -- Part Four

Angkor Wat -- Part Five

Ulsan: The Whale Village of Korea

While nobody supports the slaughter of whales, except for some Japanese, and international laws have long protected these animals, Koreans in the southeastern fishing town of Ulsan have found a way around the ban....by only harvesting dead whales which mysteriously wash up on their shores. If you believe that story, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

And if you're heading down there for a whale burger with side of kimchi, the article provides helpful addresses where you can break the law and help encourage the shameful slaughter. Thanks, Joongang Daily!

Eating whale meat here can be an unsettling experience. The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling worldwide in 1986. That means, according to law, restaurants in Ulsan are only allowed to serve whale meat that has been caught °by accident" in fishing nets or washed up on shore already dead.

But that doesn't mean the restaurant owners here always stick to the law. After all, Ulsan is known as Whale Meat City. The heyday of whaling in Ulsan, 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Busan, came in the 1970s and 1980s. Legend has it that even the local dogs running around town would carry a chunk of whale meat in their mouths.
Times have changed.

It's an open secret among restaurant owners that environmental activists from Greenpeace send undercover investigators to Ulsan every year. They come to check the origins of the pricey whale meat served in local diners. A news report last week revealed that local police had raided two unlicensed warehouses in the city's main port, Jangsaengpo. The cops found 60 tons of minke whale meat.

The case closed the town's strip of seafood restaurants selling whale meat for more than 10 days. To avoid illegal trading in whale meat, the authorities are making a last-ditch effort. The Whale Research Center at the National Fisheries Research and Development Institute recently announced that it is offering a 10 million won ($10,670) reward for any sighting of a gray whale, dead or alive, in the area. The gray whale was last seen in the East Sea in 1964. The same institute is also offering 5 million won to anyone with a photograph or videotape of a live gray whale in the sea.

The turmoil over whale meat, however, is not strong enough to overpower the appetite of culinary nerds. Ulsan still attracts busloads of tourists on gourmet trips every year to taste a sample of Korean-style whale meat. The city consumes 80 percent of the country's total whale meat, about 150 tons, according to the city's annual report in 2005. That is still small fry compared to Japan, the world's biggest whale meat consumer, 4,800 tons in 2005, according to the Japan Times.

Joongang Daily

Gazprom Tower (Okhta Centre) St. Petersburg

One of the Europe's most exciting architectural ventures has been approved in the historic city of St. Petersburg. The future headquarters for Gazprom will technically be known as the Okhta Centre, though most expect the structure to be known for its financial backing from Russia's largest energy consortium.

At first I was concerned that such a modern and overwhelming structure would be completely inappropriate in classic St. Petersburg, but it's located across the river and apparently won't interfere with the historical content of the royal city. And that's a good thing.

The inspiration for the design comes from the concept of energy in water - the site is located on the city’s main waterway the River Neva, with the form of the building deriving its shape from the changing nature of water, ever changing light, reflections and refraction. The five-sided tower twists as it rises to delicately touch the sky. RMJM’s proposal for the headquarters development also features a unique environmental strategy, which acts as a low energy ‘fur coat’. The double layered skin of the tower will allow the maximisation of daylight and the minimisation of heat loss in the extreme St Petersburg environment.

e-architect

The Dismal Math of the Thailand Elite Card

The Thailand Elite Card is one of the country's most embarrassing flops, but it never seems to die since there's so much money floating around and everyone wants to get a piece of the action. The travel trade newsletter TTR Weekly recently had a story about the future of the card, but somebody should have a look at the math and immediately shut this operation down.

And whatever happened to the former Tourism Authority of Thailand minister who siphoned off almost $2M in bribes from the Greens in Los Angeles? I'll get back to that one when the Thai government actually takes some action and quits shuttling the scandal from agency to agency.

Thailand Privilege Card has announced a plan to construct an e-business portal to attract more new members and generate a profit within four years. The company’s president, Rapee Moungnont, revealed his 2008 business plan and four-year plan for his tenure commencing 17 February at a press conference.

“In the next four years, we have five missions: become a sustainable organisation, offer a one-stop service, high performance and encourage more spending and investment from members and their network,” said Mr Rapee.

Within the first six months, TPC will launch a web portal to facilitate members in booking accommodation and flights online with travel packages. The initial package is set to be launched soon under the concept ‘Once in a Life Time’. The private sector and travel-related associations will cooperate in selling exotic packages to the high-end market at around Bt200,000 to Bt300,000 for two persons.

Around 10% of its annual budget of Bt460 million will be earmarked for the e-project, and the revenue from the commission for the travel packages is expected to reach Bt100 million within four years.

To become a more sustainable organisation, the cash will be deposited in financial instruments such as commercial bank accounts and funds as a way to generate income aside from membership fees. TPC expects the income from this source deposited at 4.5% interest will see a return of Bt26 million after the first year and Bt165 million within four years.

A risk management and compliance department and real-time accounting systems are being set up to enhance the company’s performance. TPC hopes to lure new members from Asean countries, Europe and Scandinavia, the Middle East and China.

To support member’s investment in accordance with the government’s policy, Mr Rapee said the company is joining hands with public organisations such as the Board of Investment and Stock Exchange of Thailand to support information on TPC’s websites and conduct seminars among its members.

TPC expects to sign 800 new members this year, up from 447 members in 2007. Over the next four years, it aims to generate a profit of Bt57 million on an annual cash flow of Bt4,392 million.

TTR Weekly

Thai Drug Wars and the Bangkok Hilton

Prime Minister Samak is eager to resume the war against drug dealers started by Thaksin, with a vow to take out some 4000 criminals and clean up the country from the scourge of drugs. Yeah, right. Back when Thaksin was in power, the BBC was given permission to visit the main prison in Bangkok, known affectionately as the "Bangkok Hilton." It's as bad as you think, and certainly no place to waste the next 20 years of your life, so do keep it clean when you travel in Thailand. Several farangs are interviewed in the clips below.



YouTube BBC Visit to Bangkwang Prison in Bangkok -- Part One



YouTube BBC Visit to Bangkwang Prison in Bangkok -- Part Two



YouTube BBC Visit to Bangkwang Prison in Bangkok -- Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Phnom Penh Post Goes Daily; Job Opening as Managing Editor

Credit: John 'Jinja' Weeks at http://jinja.apsara.org

Cambodia's only English language newspaper has been sold to Australian investors and will soon go daily. And for reasons unknown to this blogger, they're advertising for a managing editor. Thomas Crampton has details and is the owner of the Phnom Penh Post newspaper above. Oh, that big gold building will be their world headquarters.

For those not familiar, the Phnom Penh Post is one of Southeast Asia’s legendary publications and Michael Hayes its legendary founding editor. It was the first English-language newspaper in Cambodia when launched in 1992. Australian investors have ponied up to turn the fortnightly into a daily.

Scoop from New Zealand has more details:

MediaBlab's report said that that Hayes has been saying he wants to sell for the last couple of years, and it seems the potential new buyers are keen to transform the paper into a serious daily to cash in on Cambodia's booming economy and thriving media market.

Hayes is a typically colourful expat character and landed a cameo role in the 2002 drama movie, City of Ghosts, co-written, directed by and starring Matt Dillon, about a con artist who goes to Cambodia to collect his share in money collected from an insurance scam. Hayes plays the part of Harry an American expat who frequents a bar.

Michael Hayes first visited Cambodia in October 1974, one year before the Khmer Rouge came to power. In October 1991, after working for an aid foundation in Thailand for several years, Michael returned to Phnom Penh looking for work and instead decided to set up the country's only independent newspaper.

Hayes and his then wife Kathleen moved into the Phnom Penh Post office, a three-story colonial villa, in May 1992. They slept on the floor, rewired the whole building and enlisted friends to bring computer equipment in with their hand luggage on trips from America.

All the printing houses were government-run and not permitted to do private print jobs, so at first the paper was printed in Bangkok and brought to Cambodia as 20 boxes of extra luggage. The paper then forged a relationship with Wellington's Dominion newspaper in New Zealand, and the Wellington Polytechnic, now Massey University, journalism program.

Several Kiwi graduates of the university worked at the newspaper and Matthew Grainger, Jason Barber and Peter Sainsbury were to become three successive editors over seven years at the Phnom Penh Post, making up what Jason Barber called the kiwi mafia in Phnom Penh. The paper reported, and survived, the 1997 coup. The airports closed, foreigners and volunteers were shipped out and the country was devastated, but the Post found a printer in Phnom Penh, covered the story and the paper got out on time.

The paper has continued to follow controversial stories about the human rights atrocities, poverty and corruption that are part of Cambodian society.

"All kinds of people are pissed off about our stories. Death threats are more common than Christmas cards here. People use them all the time," Michael Hayes told the Massey University Magazine.

And finally, the details about that juicy job offer as managing editor, surveying all of Phnom Penh from the penthouse suite in that golden building pictured above. Yea, I'm sending in my resume.

Job available: Managing Editor, Phnom Penh Post

In conjunction with Editor-in-Chief, oversee the operations of an English-language newspaper published five times a week. The Post is currently published fortnightly. Move to daily is expected to take place in May.

Work closely with a Cambodian and expatriate staff of about 30 to produce a 24 page (minimum) newspaper that aspires to maintain the highest standards of independent, professional and responsible journalism.

Duties will encompass management and editing: manage deadlines, assign stories, manage staff workload, edit copy as needed. Must have previous experience working for a daily English-language newspaper in an editorial capacity. Must have previous experience working in a multi-cultural environment, preferably in Asia.

Must be willing to learn Khmer and master details of current Cambodian history, politics, economics, business and development-related issues. Must be native English speaker. ME will report to Editor-in-Chief Michael Hayes, who has been running the Post since its inception in 1992.

Salary: negotiable as commensurate with experience

Position based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Send CV, references and contact details by email to:
Michael Hayes, Editor-in-Chief: michael.pppost (a t ) online.com.kh
Michel Dauguet, CEO: michel.dauguet (a t ) alumni.insead.edu

The Two-Faced Cow of Indonesia

No word yet if this two-faced oddity from Indonesia has inspired any religious cults, but The Sun copywriters had a fine time dreaming up some ridiculous puns.

DAIRY me - this poorly calf has been born with two faces. Born in Indonesia, the beast has a normal set of lungs, heart, liver and intestines - but an extra face. Animal lovers will be mooved as it spends much of its time lying down - apart from when it needs to take a drink.

Barry Manilow Smokes Dope; Jimmy Kimmel and Ben Affleck Video

Yes, that's Barry Manilow having a quick hit backstage during one of his Las Vegas shows, but that's not the point of this post. Remember when Jimmy Kimmel's girlfriend Sarah Silverman put her video "I'm Fucking Matt Damon" on Kimmel's show last month? An overnight YouTube sensation, which I posted here as the YouTube Video of Sarah Silverman and Matt Damon.

So Jimmy has posted his response, and it ain't a thing of beauty, but damn near everyone in Hollywood came down to star in the film, including Brad Pitt, Harrison Ford, Robin Williams, and Cameron Diaz. The "We Are the World" spoof is hilarious.



YouTube Clip of Jimmy Kimmel's Fucking Ben Affleck

Bai Ling Fashion Plate

Everyone seems to enjoy making fun of the nutty Bai Ling, and her recent arrest for shoplifting at LAX didn't help her reputation, but I've seen her in a few films and found her to be a fairly good actress. Is it her fault that she dresses up like my ex-wife Hai Sun? I enjoy her kooky sense of fashion, and was pleased to stumble across a website cleverly called Go Fug Yourself with tons of Bai Link photos in all her glory.

Poor Bai. This girl cannot live a life behind bars. Or, perhaps more relevant to this situation, she can't live a life where she's expected to show up in court to defend herself in sensible clothing. That's not our girl. We should probably offer ourselves up as character witnesses if there's a trial, though. What the police aren't considering is that maybe Personality #3 picked up the magazines and batteries Bai allegedly filched, and then right as she was getting in line to pay, Personality #13 burst to the fore and thought, "God, I need a lemon poppyseed muffin and a latte, 'ERE I DIE," and marched the host body straight out of the newsagent and toward Starbucks.

So have mercy, cop-types. Unless you want to see what she MacGyvers the prison jumpsuits into -- just like a thneed, they could be gloves! A hat! A bra! But frankly, we are hoping this all gets resolved and Bai flies away straight back to her wardrove to start preparing the next majestic piece of lunacy.

Happy Meal Toys in Thailand

Kids obsessed with collecting Happy Meal toys in Thailand (Hello Kitty, too!) should put Thailand Happy Meal in their Favorites. Me, I'm sticking with those dirty rivers in Java and the nightclub photos from a few bloggers in Bangkok.

Indonesia: The River of Garbage

Ah, exotic Indonesia. Vast untouched rainforests. Orangutans swinging through the jungle. Horribly polluted rivers on Java, destroyed in less than a generation, as pointed out recently by
Oddity Central and last year by The Daily Mail.

It was once a gently flowing river, where fishermen cast their nets, sea birds came to feed and natural beauty left visitors spellbound. Villagers collected water for their simple homes and rice paddies thrived on its irrigation channels. Today, the Citarum is a river in crisis, choked by the domestic waste of nine million people and thick with the cast-off from hundreds of factories.

So dense is the carpet of refuse that the tiny wooden fishing craft which float through it are the only clue to the presence of water. Their occupants no longer try to fish. It is more profitable to forage for rubbish they can salvage and trade - plastic bottles, broken chair legs, rubber gloves - risking disease for one or two pounds a week if they are lucky.

On what was United Nations World Environment Day, the Citarum, near the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, displayed the shocking abuse that mankind has subjected it to. 'I said we shouldn't have scrapped weekly collections.' More than 500 factories, many of them producing textiles which require chemical treatment, line the banks of the 200-mile river, the largest waterway in West Java, spewing waste into the water.

On top of the chemicals go all the other kinds of human detritus from the factories and the people who work there. There is no such luxury as a rubbish collection service here. Nor are there any modern toilet facilities. Everything goes into the river. The filthy water is sucked into the rice paddies, while families risk their health by collecting it for drinking, cooking and washing.

Twenty years ago, this was a place of beauty, and the river still served its people well. As one local man, Arifin, recalled: "Our wives did their washing there and our children swam."

Academy Awards: Movie Winners with an Asian Theme

In honor of the Academy Awards tonight, the Movie Poster Addict has brilliantly posted his collection of the 79 best movie posters, including those above with Asian themes. I watched Platoon last night (filmed in the Philippines) and am now halfway through The Deer Hunter, filmed in Thailand in Bangkok and upriver near Kanchanaburi. Apocalypse Now was also filmed in the Philippines, but apparently didn't win Best Picture that year.

David Beckham Condoms in China

David Beckham is such a megastar that he's been enshrined in a Bangkok temple and now has his own private line of condoms being sold in China, boosting his modest salary for rarely playing for the club in Los Angeles. All this and other speculations provided by
The Gallery of the Absurd.

When a Chinese condom manufacturer made the wise decision to slap David Beckham's smooth golden image onto a box of poorly selling condoms, they immediately watched sales skyrocket to number one in China. Beckham didn't approve the use of his image and he's not endorsing or making any profit from it (Poor Posh, just imagine all the day-glo Hermes bags she's missing out on hoarding).

It's amazing how one can take a bunch of flimsy rubber, cram it in a box, add a picture of a pretty soccer player on the front...and then sit back and watch the profits roll in. I'm in the wrong business, I tell ya. What many of you don't know is that it was I who designed the Beckham condoms box. Yes, it's true...I have lucrative International Chinese connections. The winning design is above, but below, I'm sharing the rejected designs I submitted:

Hong Kong-Bound "Top Gun" Stunt Gets Pilot Canned

The pilot was sacked after he dive bombed the Washington state airport, where the plane was manufactured, perhaps pleading that he thought it was Kai Tak and nose dives past hanging laundry were needed to land without crashing into the slum highrises. Professional pilots around the world are outraged at the firing, but without advance permission he cooked his goose. Frankly, I think it's cool as hell.

An expatriate pilot with Hong Kong airline Cathay Pacific has been fired for performing a Top Gun-style stunt in which he swooped metres over a runway in a new Boeing passenger jet, the airline said Sunday.

Ian Wilkinson was piloting the Boeing 777-300ER on its maiden flight from the manufacturer's plant in Seattle on January 30 when he turned around after takeoff and swooped around 10 metres over the runway at 280 knots.

'The pilot in command of the flight was dismissed as he had neither sought nor obtained the necessary company approval to undertake such a fly-by. A second pilot involved has also been subject to disciplinary proceedings,' a company spokeswoman said.

Cathay Pacific's chairman Chris Pratt was among around 30 VIP passengers on board the champagne flight to Hong Kong when Wilkinson did his unauthorized fly-by of the Boeing factory. Wilkinson, a respected senior management pilot in his mid-50s, was suspended shortly after arriving back in Hong Kong and was dismissed at a disciplinary hearing last week. His co-pilot Ray Middleton, who is understood to have been unaware the fly-by was unauthorized, was suspended from training duties for six months.

A video of the spectacular stunt in which the giant Boeing plane is seen flying with its landing gear raised just metres above the runway while spectators on the ground cheer and whoop was posted on the You Tube website but has since been removed.

Monsters and Critics

UPDATE: More from Times Online with short YouTube clip. Also, see the longer clip mentioned in the comment below.