Video of Islamic Rebel in Southern Thailand

As always, Al-Jazeera has the best videos of the insurgents in southern Thailand.

Giant Stingray Caught in Thailand

And you thought those giant Mekong catfish were a wonder. The website link has two videos of giant stingrays previously, then released, by the same fishing crew in Thailand.

A British man has wrangled what’s considered the largest freshwater fish ever caught anywhere. Ian Welch managed to bring in a 770-pound stingray from the Maeklong River in Thailand.

Largest Stingray: Nearly 800 Pounds

The stingray — which was five times Welch’s weight — measured 7 feet long by 7 feet wide. Its stinger alone was 10 feet long. Welch needed the help of a dozen men just to lift the thing out of the water.

“It dragged me across the boat,” Welch, 45, tells The Mirror. “I knew it was going to a big one. As soon as we saw it there was just silence. Everyone was in awe of this thing.”

Welch says it took a full 90 minutes to bring the nearly 800-pound stingray in. He and his team soon learned the giant stingray was actually a pregnant female. They released the massive creature back into the water.

The previous record for a freshwater fish caught with a rod, The Mirror reports, was a 646 pound catfish caught in 2005.

Giant Stingray Video

Welch and his fellow team members have brought in plenty of record-breaking stingrays in the past. The following videos show their struggle with another mammoth-sized stingray recently in the same Thailand river.

The Inquisitr

Giant Python in Cambodia

Another aw-shucks story found only in Asia.

Northwest Airlines Serves up More than Peanuts

Northwest treats, beyond peanuts.

Dangdut in Indonesia

A few readers of this blog may be unfamiliar with the dangdut tradition in Indonesia, hardly an Islamic affair but rather a cutrate erotic show with music popular with young teenage boys. I find it encouraging that conservative Indonesia still allows such shows, if they are tacky beyond belief.

Mao Statue and the Young Girl

She got a bit enthused about the photo, but Chinese commentators at
China Smack seem a bit ambivalent, some are angry and indignant, some say no big deal, others point out that Mao always had a thing for young girls and probably would have enjoyed the molestation.

Watch Hobbit Man Special on PBS

Alien from Earth is a PBS special about the discovery of very small humans on Flores. The site also features a Q&A with Mike Morwood, one of the discoverers of the hobbit, and a teacher’s guide.

An ancient legend on the Indonesian island of Flores tells of an elflike creature similar to the fictional hobbit of novels and film. But a controversial 2003 archeological find not only suggests that there could be some truth behind the legend but promises to rewrite a key chapter in the human evolutionary story. This program investigates the discovery, analysis, and startling implications of the hobbit of Flores.

Known for its strange fauna, Flores may now have offered the world the strangest yet. The hobbit was an adult female no larger than a three-year-old child, with a skull less than one-third the size of a modern human’s. The discovery created a media sensation. But only now, five years later, are researchers beginning to make sense of this archeological oddity, dubbed Homo floresiensis. Definitive proof of its place in the human lineage awaits future finds, especially DNA evidence, but the implications of the work so far are intriguing and quite possibly revolutionary.

Giles Ji Ungpakorn in The Guardian

The Guardian has just published a long and angry message from Giles, who was recently forced to flee Thailand rather than face certain imprisonment over the lese majeste laws.

Five years ago, Thailand had a thriving and developing democracy with freedom of expression, a relatively free press and an active civil society, where social movements campaigned to protect the interests of the poor. Today, the country is creeping towards totalitarianism.

The government, led by the inappropriately named Democrat party, is only in power because of the military who staged a coup in 2006. It is vicious and paranoid. Its priority is to stifle dissent by using lese-majesty (ie insulting the king's law). It censors the electronic media and community radio stations, and is encouraging citizens to inform on each other. People are being arrested and thrown into jail, before trial, for posting comments on the internet. The TV and print media are already working hand in glove with the military. The courts have been used as an instrument of dictatorship, repeatedly dissolving the party that won most of the popular vote. Judges protect themselves by threatening anyone who dares to criticise them with a jail sentence for "contempt of court". Lese-majesty trials are given little publicity. There is no transparency and accountability, no justice, no freedom of speech and no academic freedom.

In early 2007, I published a short, academic book, A Coup for the Rich (pdf). It was written as a protest against the shrinking democratic space in Thailand. I criticised the gross human rights abuses of the democratically elected Thaksin government. Thaksin presided over extra judicial killings in his so-called war on drugs and in the three southern Muslim provinces. But I argued that a military coup was not the answer. I was charged with lese-majesty. How can there be academic freedom when my own university, Chulalongkorn University, gave my book to the police?

Those people in society who supported the 2006 coup included most of Thai academia, more than half the NGO movement and the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

The PAD soon descended into a fascist type of organisation. It took an ultra-royalist – supporters donned yellow shirts associated with the Thai royal family – and an ultra-nationalist stance, and nearly caused a war with Cambodia. It built up an armed guard, which openly carried and used weapons on the streets. They took over Government House, closed parliament and then moved on to occupy the two international airports. They were backed by the army and members of the royal family. The present Thai foreign minister is a PAD supporter. The PAD's media outlet (The Manager Group) has started violent witch-hunts against academics and social activists who question the deterioration of democracy.

There is a class war developing between the rich and the poor. But it is very distorted. The "yellow shirts", who backed the coup, hated the fact that Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai government won huge support for providing universal healthcare and public projects to lift people out of poverty. They say the electorate is too stupid to deserve the right to vote; consequently they want a rigged parliament which they call the "new order".

Yet Thaksin was no socialist. Since his overthrow and as a result of the prolonged crisis, a grassroots "red shirt" democracy movement has developed. They are moving beyond Thaksin. What is also amazing is that this is becoming a republican movement because of the actions of the military and the PAD in dragging the monarchy into politics. The king has never once spoken out against the destruction of democracy and he allows people to crawl on the ground in front of him. As one of the richest men in the world, he has had the arrogance to lecture the poor that they must find "sufficiency" in their poverty. The elites are frightened that their royal legitimacy is quickly evaporating at a time when the king is getting very old. His son is held in contempt by the population.

We need to cut down the military's influence in society, reform the judiciary and the police, and to expand freedom and democracy from this grassroots movement. And we need to abolish the monarchy too. For it has now become an obstacle to freedom and human dignity.

Soas Palestine Society, in association with English Pen, present Lese-Majesty in Thailand: Why it destroys democracy with Giles Ji Ungpakorn, 23 February, Soas, London

Giles in The Guardian

The Economist on The Press in Asia

The Economist has just published an on-line only story about press freedoms in Asia, but it's mostly about Thailand with tidbits thrown in about Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Here's the Thailand coverage:

After all, where does it stop? We all know politicians are fair game. But what about those who are, at least in theory, above the political fray—such as Thailand’s royal family. Many Thai officials and ordinary citizens seem genuinely perplexed as to why some publications—The Economist notable among them—should risk causing deep offence by writing about the monarchy. They see this not as iconoclastic irreverence, but disrespectful spite.

It is not a decision we have taken lightly. Three times recently, copies of The Economist have not been distributed in Thailand for fear that to do so might put the Thai distributor at risk under the country’s lèse-majesté laws. After all, the government boasts of having blocked thousands of web pages deemed to defy the law; and the Australian author of a largely unread novel has been sentenced to three years in prison.

The monarchy enjoys a special, quasi-religious, role in Thai society; and the king is widely and deeply revered. Mostly, the foreign media have censored themselves and, fully aware of the sensitivities, avoided all but the most fawningly positive reports.

But in our view, this has become unsustainable, for two reasons. First, King Bhumibol Adulyadej turned 81 in December, and has been frail. His heir-apparent, the crown prince, does not enjoy the same standing. The looming succession is an important political issue and cannot simply be ignored.

Second, last year saw Thailand descend into something close to mob rule. Protesters against the elected government took over airports, dealing a terrible blow to the important tourist industry in the process. They did so in the name of the king, and the royal family never repudiated them.

To neither write about the role of the royal family in Thai politics nor question the uses to which the lèse-majesté laws are put by self-serving politicians is a dereliction of journalistic duty. That doing so may break Thai law, and—worse still—offend many Thais is unfortunate and upsetting. But if we want to help non-Thais understand what is going on in that country, it is unavoidable.

Thai officials counter, with some justification, that the press in Thailand is freer than anywhere else in Asia—except in this one respect. They have a point. Around the region, governments seem to be responding to economic slowdown and political uncertainty by punishing the messenger.

The Economist

Making Money in Thailand the Old Fashioned Way

The King wants a self-sufficiency economy, so here's a village in Thailand that now only grows it's own food, but also manufactures it's own money.

Like many countries around the world, Thailand is battling the effects of the global economic crisis. But residents of one Thai village have found a novel way to shield themselves against the downturn - making their own cash. Al Jazeera's Selina Downes travelled to the village of San Ti Suk to find out more.

Black Magic for Thaksin in Chiang Mai

Toxic Thaksin is having a hard time returning to Thailand to reclaim his throne, or unfreeze his frozen financial assets, so his followers in his hometown of Chiang Mai decided to throw a ritual for his return, and to straighten out his obviously bad karma. A story for the ages.

Red-shirt loyalists of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Chiang Mai have turned to the Divinity in their latest effort to help bring their dear leader home safe and sound.

A Lanna-style religious ritual was staged Tuesday at Wat (temple) U-mong in Muang district of Chiang Mai, Thaksin’s hometown, by his supporters, the so-called Rak Chiang Mai 51. It was led by Mr Petcharawak Wattanapongsirikul and Ms Kanyapak Maneechak and attracted about 300 red-shirt loyalists. Former army chief and a cousin of Thaksin, General Chaisit Shinawatra, was invited to preside over the “life-prolonging” ritual for the ex-premier who is living overseas.

Two pig heads, three cooked chickens, rice, lao khao liquor, fruits and sweets were placed on a table for worshipping in front of a half-metre high Buddha statue with a statement written on its base which read “Chao Moon Muang and Chao Sin demand power to be returned to Chao Chai (prince) Sika. Let forgive one another.”

The ritual began with the abbot of the temple and eight other monks chanted prayers to bless Thaksin so he lives a long life. Since the fugitive could not attend the ritual in person, a huge portrait of himself was placed at the ritual site. The prayers was eventually followed by another ritual staged by a trance medium dressed in white, a red-shirt woman in her 50s. Apparent in trance, she announced to the audience Thaksin, in his past life, was Chao Moon Muang, a local king in the North several hundred years ago. She further said that Chao Moon Muang had committed karma by killing many Burmans and plundering their treasures. The karma has followed him to this life hence his sufferings now.

After the completion of the ritual, General Chaisit told reporters that he believed Thaksin, in his past life, was a warrior and he had killed many of his enemies and plundered their treasures. He said the ritual would absolve Thaksin of his past-life karma.

Interestingly, there was a bowl containing sheets of paper bearing the names of those seen as Thaksin’s enemies. The names included Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thuagsuban, privy councilors Prem Tinsulanonda and Tanin Kraivixien.

Thaksin’s loyalists who wrote the names believed that by cursing those names the ex-premier would be blessed and he would overcome all the obstacles and finally be able to come home safe and sound.

A wellknown expert in Lanna history, Mr Thanet Charoenmuang, said he doubted there actually was a local king by the name of Chao Moon Muang. However, he added that it could be the local king of other kingdoms such as Chiang Tung or Chiang Rung.

Mr Thanet went on saying that he didn’t know whether the trance medium meant Thaksin when she referred to the name of Chao Moon Muang. “There are many mediums. It depends on the belief of individuals.”

The ex-premier himself is said to be a believer in superstitution. A few years back while still in power, he staged a religious ritual at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha which provoked criticism from his critics that his conduct was improper. Also, he once held a cabinet meeting at the Phnom Rung ruins in Buri Ram, the hometown of his former right-hand man, Newin Chidchob, supposedly to seek devine blessings to strengthen his grip in power.

However, it remains to be seen whether the Almighty has heard the prayers and will respond to them and to come to Thaksin’s rescue. And for the time being, he has to hop from one country to another like a vegabond as he described himself and the only means that he has been keeping in contact with his loyalists is through his regular phone-ins.

Bangkok Post

Japanese Finance Minister Drunk at G7 Conference

If my economy was going in the tank, then I'd probably show up drunk at the G7 press conference, and then blame it on cough medicine and jet lag. Japan's GDP fell over 3% in the final quarter of 2008.

Shoichi Nakagawa, Japan's Finance Minister, slurred his words and appeared confused at a G7 press conference this weekend, but has denied being drunk.

Valentine's Day Bust in Malaysia

Sometimes you read this stuff about life in Malaysia, and just scratch your head.

Authorities in Malaysia arrested 26 unmarried Muslim couples in hotel rooms during Operation Valentine _ aimed at curbing illegal premarital sex in this conservative country, an officer said Monday.

The couples, most under 30 years old, were detained for sharing rooms early Sunday in the beachside town of Kuantan in eastern Pahang state, said Badaruddin Ahmad Bustami, enforcement assistant director with the state's Islamic department.

State authorities carry out raids each year on Valentine's Day in this Muslim-majority country, where sharia laws make it illegal for unmarried Muslims to meet behind closed doors, Badaruddin said. Doing so constitutes a crime known as 'khalwat,' or 'close proximity,' which carries a maximum fine of 1,000 ringgit (US$280) and up to six months in prison.

The sharia laws apply only to Malaysia's Muslims, not to Christian and Hindu citizens who together make up about 40 percent of the population.

Badaruddin said the couples were released but may be charged later with khalwat.

'We don't agree with Muslim couples celebrating Valentine's Day because it's not Malay culture,' he said. 'Every Valentine's Day, many couples come here and they commit big mistakes under Islam.'

Sichuan Earthquake: The Man Who Carried his Dead Wife

Wu Jiafang carries off his dead wife soon after the May 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, and soon becomes a national hero. Today, not everybody is sure. ChinaSmack has more details.

New Simpsons HD Intro

via videosift.com

After 20 years, a new intro to The Simpsons. Something about the couch running away from home.

Shaq Dances

Shaq dances at the NBA All Star game, sorta like King Kong popping and locking on the stage in NYC. The man has some great moves.

Chinese Drama Queen

She missed her flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco by a few minutes, and then threw a major hissy fit. Her kids must be mucho embarrased by Mom. The lady got on another plane to SF a few hours later, and I'm watching out for this nutcase as I walk around town.

Beijing CCTV Fire

Leave it to ESWN to find this stuff, but here's an amazing series of photos of the tremendous fire in Beijing that gutted a building near the oddity pictured above. First, the fireworks from the roof, then something goes wrong with the pyrotechnics, and the small fire eventually climbs down the structure and basically eats out the inside.

In a spate of arrests announced Thursday, Beijing officials put the blame for a Monday fire that destroyed part of the government’s spectacular new media complex squarely on the shoulders of the state-run television network. The police detained 12 people, including the chief of construction for the new headquarters of China Central Television, or CCTV, and eight employees of the firm the broadcaster hired to put on an illegal fireworks show that the authorities said ignited the blaze.

The fire gutted a nearly completed 520-foot-high futuristic hotel that was part of CCTV’s new $1.1 billion headquarters, sometimes described as an architectural symbol of China’s rising power. One firefighter died, and seven people were injured. Many questions remain about the fire, including how fireworks could have ignited such an inferno and why the flames seemed to spread unchecked through a modern tower, designed by a world-renowned architect, that would presumably have been outfitted with state-of-the-art fire retardant systems.

EastSouthWest North Link to CCTV Photos

Moving Days

Sorry about the delay, but I've spent the last two weeks moving from the lovely Civic Center Residence in the equally lovely Tenderloin, over a few blocks to the equally lovely Dalt Hotel in Crack Central. What a waste. CCR is going through a $11 million expansion and they need my room for the next three months. Born a vagabond, always a vagabond.