Bangkok's Tallest Building -- Mahanakhon

Not everybody is thrilled with this tower, but if the project goes through, this will be Bangkok's tallest structure within a few years. World Architecture News has the details.

Super sized tower will be Bangkok's tallest

Construction is set to start on MahaNakhon, a 77 storey urban oasis set to become Bangkok’s tallest building. Having recently completed Beijing’s CCTV Tower, widely considered among the world’s most imaginative contemporary architectural feats, acclaimed German architect Ole Scheeren, Partner, Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) has conceived his first skyscraper: MahaNakhon. The dazzling, pixelated 77-storey tower will be the tallest building in Thailand’s capital, home to a lush urban oasis with public gardens and a major transportation hub, luxury retail, residences, a new public square, and a five-star hotel created by New York’s Ian Schrager.

The top of the 1.6 million sq ft project MahaNakhon tower houses a three-floor Sky Bar and restaurant with dramatic double-height spaces and a rooftop outdoor bar with 360° views of the skyline and river, floating 310 meters above the city.

MahaNakhon translated as ‘great metropolis’ dismantles the typical tower and podium typology to render not a tower in isolation but instead a skyscraper that melds with the city by gradually ‘dissolving’ the mass as it moves vertically between ground and sky.

Its glittering stacked surfaces, terraces and protrusions will simultaneously create the impression of digital pixelation and echo the irregularity of ancient mountain topography whilst producing unparalleled views across the city.

The tower is scheduled to complete in 2012.

The Amazing, Wonderful, Heartwarming JK Wedding Dance Entrance

Video of the Year? You will never see weddings the same way again. Brilliant! Over 12 million views so far...

Washington Post Story on the Wedding Dance

MSNBC Today Show on the Wedding Dance

Karaoke Club in Korat

I recently added Big Baby Kenny to my Bloglines RSS Reader. His photos and karaoke story from Korat is here.

The Royal is a karaoke in central Korat.

It is actually sort of a rip off joint. The standard pricing for Karaoke in rural Issan seems to be 100 THB per hour for the girls, 100 THB per hour for the room, 500 THB for a bottle of 100 Pipers whiskey, and 40 THB for mixers.

The Royal charges 200 THB for the girls and tried to pad the bill with imaginary mixers the night my friend and I visited—surprising policies when they are dealing with knowledgeable locals and rely on repeat business.

The prices quoted and the bill padding might have been because we looked like out of towners–after all the prices are never written down at these places and they can make up prices when what look like easy marks come along.

Generally speaking the karaoke’s which are not for Japanese are a bad deal in Bangkok. The pricing makes them pretty expensive compared to the alternatives and there are lots of opportunities for skulduggery on the part of management.

In rural, Issan most of the karaoke’s seem to be legit and at 100 THB per hour for the girls are affordable and seem accessible.

Jakarta Reality Tours

Another kind of reality from Fight Club (stolen from E&L At Large):



Short video of the Jakarta Reality Tour, then see the photos and read the story below. An excellent way to learn about the realities of life in Jakarta.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Hidden in the alleyways behind Jakarta's fancy malls and in between the high-rise apartment buildings is what Ronny Poluan, a former film maker, calls the "real Jakarta."

Ronny Poluan (in cap), who runs "Jakarta Hidden Tours," takes a group through a Jakarta slum. It is not far from the glitz and glam that dominates the capital's skyline, yet it is a side of the city that few foreigners ever see. "I want them to (have an) authentic view," Poluan, who runs "Jakarta Hidden Tours," said as he took a group of Australians through the winding maze of a central Jakarta slum.

"I'm running out of rice," an old lady mumbles in the doorway of her tiny dark home as the group passes by.

Further along, little girls push their faces into wire fencing, while another group of children draw 36-year-old Daniel Knott into a game of cards. Knott, a volunteer for various NGOs, and his wife, who works for AUSAID, live in Jakarta and have been to the slums before. But it is the first time their friends, Kerri Bell and her husband Phil Paschke, have been to Indonesia.

Knott said he felt it was important to bring the visiting couple here.

"I think Jakarta is a city of contrasts," he said. "There's a lot of shopping malls and kitschy stuff, but it's also a lot of normal people. And, it's fun to come and hang out with the locals, actually."

"It's fantastic," Kerri Bell said. "I've been in Asia once before and we didn't want to just gloss over the surface and see all the things you can see in a western country. It feels to me much more like the real Jakarta, to see what drives it. To see that is so much more valuable than coming and lying on the beach."

The tour first took them into a couple of cramped and sweltering soy bean cake and tofu factories --- both staples in the Indonesian diet. The group remarked that there were few other cities where foreigners can wander around the slums, and not just feel safe but welcomed -- and that is what Poluan said these tours were all about.

"I want to see people meet people," he said. "The other culture meet the other culture."

"It's a pretty big eye opener," Paschke said. "It's the first time I have left Australia, so yes, it's completely different."

Poluan ushered the group into a covered market where you can find just about anything. For the group, it was a bombardment of the senses. "I love seeing them," fish seller Rokayah said, laughing. "They are handsome and they are rich. It is rare for me to see foreigners here at the traditional market, and I like talking to them, but I don't understand English."

The tour costs around $34 per person. Poluan keeps about half of the money for himself and his NGO, INTERKULTUR. The other half goes to the community.

Critics, however, said that this type of direct cash aid was counter-productive. They said the tours were demeaning, exploited the poor, and taught them to be dependent on the handouts of others. "These poor people, we have to educate them," said Wardah Hafidz, coordinator of the Urban Poor Consortium. "We have to tell them that it's not God's will that they are poor, that they also have to fight for themselves. They can't depend on other people forever."

This type of criticism angers and frustrates Poluan, who said his tours were about raising awareness on both sides. In the last month, he has also started a microfinance scheme. More importantly though, he said, were the initiatives that he hoped his tours would jumpstart. "They (the foreigners) usually think about how to help, to educate," he said. "They come back again, bring books. I try to make a pushcart library for the children." He said his tours were also about educating foreigners on real issues facing the country.

The group weaved its way to the city's train tracks, only barely visible amid the garbage and squalor. It is the site of a constant battle between the track dwellers and the government, which says that living there is illegal and dangerous. Government evictions and the destruction of the feeble structures, usually just bits of plastic tarp and wood, are fairly commonplace.

"I am used to it," shrugged 80-year-old Indarjo. He has lived like this for five decades, making his living as a scavenger. He said he has been forced to move over 200 times. He invited the group into his home, and explained that when it rains, he just pulls the flap over. "I feel that I am equal to them. I treat them as my guests," he said. "I believe that they would do the same for me."

The visitors were dumbstruck, the impact of what they were seeing, they say, was hard to put into words.

It was a sobering but educational look at Indonesia, where some 40 million people live below the poverty line. "It's pretty confronting," Paschke said. "The things you complain about at home don't seem too significant."

"It's hard to see something like this and just go home to normal life," his wife, Bell, added as the couple stood in the middle of the tracks. "It makes me motivated to look at the local community and things that we can help out with at home."

Bonus: Trailer for upcoming Ninja Assassin:

Ninja Assassin is directed by Australian filmmaker James McTeigue, who previously worked as the first assistant director for all three Matrix movies and Speed Racer and also directed V for Vendetta himself. The screenplay was co-written by newcomer Matthew Sand and comic book veteran J. Michael Straczynski, of the "Babylon 5" TV show and the script for Clint Eastwood's Changeling previously as well as the Silver Surfer movie. Warner Brothers is finally bringing Ninja Assassin to theaters on November 25th this year.

Ninja Assassin Trailer

William Shatner Recites Palin's Farewell Address as a Poem

William Shatner on the Conan O'Brian Show Recites Sarah Palin's Farewell Address as a Beatnik Poem

Noordin Top and Jemaah Islamiah Now has a Blogspot

Looks like the Malaysian nutcase responsible for the recent hotel bombings in Jakarta, and the nightclub bombings on Bali, has discovered Blogspot and just posted his twisted explantion for his sick deeds. The Google Translation of the original Bahasa Indonesian is as follows:

DETAIL TANDZIM THE OFFICIAL QO'IDAH INDONESIA

ATAS AMALIYAT JIHADIYAH ISTISYHADIYAH FOR THE AMALIYAT JIHADIYAH ISTISYHADIYAH

DI HOTEL JW. IN HOTEL JW. MARRIOT JAKARTA MARRIOT VE

اَلْحَمْدُ ِللهِ مُعِزِّ اْلإِسْلاَمِ بِنَصْرِه، وَمُذِلِّ الشِّرْكِ بِقَهْرِه، وَمُصَرِّف اْلأُمُور بِأَمْرِه، وَمُسْتَدْرِجِ اْلكَافِرِيْنَ بِمَكْرِه، اَلَّذِي قَدّرَ اْلأَيَّامَ دُولاً بِعَدْلِه، وَالصَّلاَةُ وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَى مَنْ أَعْلَى اللهَُ مَنَارَ اْلإِسْلاَمِ بِسَيْفِه. الحمد لله معز الإسلام بنصره, ومذل الشرك بقهره, ومصرف الأمور بأمره, ومستدرج الكافرين بمكره, الذي قدر الأيام دولا بعدله, والصلاة والسلام على من أعلى الله منار الإسلام بسيفه.

أمَّا بعد أما بعد

Ini adalah keterangan resmi dari Tandzim Al Qo'idah Indonesia untuk ummat Islam dengan Amaliyat Jihadiyah Istisyhadiyah di Hotel JW. This is the official description of Tandzim Al Qo'idah Indonesia to Islam with the human Amaliyat Jihadiyah Istisyhadiyah at Hotel JW. MARRIOT Jakarta, pada hari Jum'at pagi, tanggal 17 juli 2009 M./24 Rojab 1430 H. MARRIOT Jakarta, on Friday morning, on 17 July 2009 M./24 Rojab 1430 H. yang dilakukan oleh salah satu ikhwah mujahidin terhadap "KADIN Amerika" di Hotel tersebut. conducted by one of the mujahidin against ikhwah "KADIN America" at the hotel.

Sesungguhnya telah sempurna pelaksanaan Amaliyat Istisyhadiyah dengan karunia Allah dan karomah-Nya setelah melakukan survey yang serius dan pengintaian yang mendalam terhadap orang-orang kafir sebelumnya. Indeed, implementation has been perfect Amaliyat Istisyhadiyah with the grace of God and His karomah after a serious survey and reconnaissance of the depth of the unbelievers before.

Dan sungguh benar firman Allah : Indeed correct and the word of God:

"Maka (yang sebenarnya) bukan kamu yang membunuh mereka, akan tetapi Allahlah yang membunuh mereka, dan bukan kamu yang melempar ketika kamu melempar, tetapi Allah-lah yang melempar. (Allah berbuat demikian untuk membinasakan mereka) dan untuk memberi kemenangan kepada orang-orang mukmin, dengan kemenangan yang baik. Sesungguhnya Allah Maha mendengar lagi Maha mengetahui". (QS. Al Anfal : 17). "But (the fact) that you not kill them, but Allahlah that killed them, and not throw you that when you throw, but Allah is the throw. (God do so to destroy them) and to give victory to the people - believers, with the victory of good. Allah is Forgiving hear to know. "(QS. Al-Anfal: 17).

Ini juga sesuai dengan firman Allah Ta'ala : This is also in accordance with Allah Ta'ala says:

"Perangilah mereka, niscaya Allah akan menghancurkan mereka dengan (perantaraan) tangan-tanganmu dan Allah akan menghinakan mereka dan menolong kamu terhadap mereka, serta melegakan hati orang-orang yang beriman". (QS. Attaubah : 14). "Fight them, Allah will destroy them with the (medium) hand-hand, and God will humiliate them and help you against them, and relieve the hearts of the believers." (QS. Attaubah: 14).

Agar ummat ini mengetahui bahwasanya Amerika, khususnya orang-orang yang yang berkumpul dalam majlis itu, mereka adalah para Pentolan Bisnisman dan Inteljen di dalam bagian ekonomi Amerika. To be human is to know that the United States, especially those who gathered in the Majlis, they are Pentolan Bisnisman and Inteljen in the United States economy. Dan mereka mempunyai kepentingan yang besar dalam mengeruk harta negeri Indonesia dan pembiyaan tentara kafir (Amerika) yang memerangi Islam dan kaum muslimin. And they have a great interest in the property plow the land and the army pembiyaan heathen (United States) who fight against Islam and Muslims. Dan kami akan menyampaikan kabar gembira kepada kalian wahai ummat Islam, bi idznillahi Ta'ala dengan mengeluarkan cuplikan-cuplikan film dari Amaliyat Istisyhadiyah ini insya Allah. And we will deliver the glad tidings to you O people of Islam, bi idznillahi Ta'ala with snippets-issued trailers for films of this Amaliyat Istisyhadiyah Allah.

Dan kami beri nama Amaliyat Istisyhadiyah ini dengan : "SARIYAH DR. AZHARI". And we give the name Amaliyat Istisyhadiyah with this: "SARIYAH DR. Azhari."

Kami ber-Husnu Dhon kepada Allah bahwa Allah akan menolong kami dan menolong kaum muslimin dalam waktu dekat ini. We pro-Husnu Dhon to God that God will help us and help Muslims in the near future.

الله أكبر ولله العزة ولرسوله والمؤمنون الله أكبر ولله العزة ولرسوله والمؤمنون


Amir Tandzim Al Qo'idah Indonesia Tandzim Amir Al Qo'idah Indonesia

Abu Muawwidz Nur Din bin Muhammad Top Abu Nur Muawwidz Din bin Muhammad Top

Hafidzohullah Hafidzohullah

KETERANGAN RESMI DARI TANDZIM AL QO'IDAH INDONESIA DETAIL OF OFFICIAL TANDZIM AL QO'IDAH INDONESIA

ATAS AMALIYAT JIHADIYAH ISTISYHADIYAH FOR THE AMALIYAT JIHADIYAH ISTISYHADIYAH

DI HOTEL RIZT CALRTON JAKARTA RIZT CALRTON HOTEL IN JAKARTA

اَلْحَمْدُ ِللهِ مُعِزِّ اْلإِسْلاَمِ بِنَصْرِه، وَمُذِلِّ الشِّرْكِ بِقَهْرِه، وَمُصَرِّف اْلأُمُور بِأَمْرِه، وَمُسْتَدْرِجِ اْلكَافِرِيْنَ بِمَكْرِه، اَلَّذِي قَدّرَ اْلأَيَّامَ دُولاً بِعَدْلِه، وَالصَّلاَةُ وَالسَّلاَمُ عَلَى مَنْ أَعْلَى اللهَُ مَنَارَ اْلإِسْلاَمِ بِسَيْفِه. الحمد لله معز الإسلام بنصره, ومذل الشرك بقهره, ومصرف الأمور بأمره, ومستدرج الكافرين بمكره, الذي قدر الأيام دولا بعدله, والصلاة والسلام على من أعلى الله منار الإسلام بسيفه.

أمَّا بعد أما بعد

Ini adalah keterangan resmi dari Tandzim Al Qo'idah Indonesia untuk ummat Islam dengan Amaliyat Jihadiyah Istisyhadiyah di Hotel Rizt Calrton Jakarta, pada hari Jum'at pagi, tanggal 17 juli 2009 M./24 Rojab 1430 H. This is the official description of Tandzim Al Qo'idah Indonesia to Islam with the human Amaliyat Jihadiyah Istisyhadiyah Hotel in Rizt Calrton Jakarta, on Friday morning, on 17 July 2009 M./24 Rojab 1430 H. yang dilakukan oleh salah satu ikhwah mujahidin terhadap antek-antek Amerika yang berkunjung di Hotel tersebut. conducted by one of ikhwah mujahidin against lacquey-American stooge who came in the hotel.

Sesungguhnya Allah menganugerahkan kepada kami jalan untuk menyerang Hotel termegah yang dimiliki oleh Amerika di Ibukota Indonesia di Jakarta, yaitu Rizt Calrton. Indeed, God present to us the way to attack termegah Hotel owned by United States in the capital city of Indonesia in Jakarta, namely Rizt Calrton. Yang mana penjagaan dan pengamanan di sana sungguh sangatlah ketat untuk dapat melakukan serangan seperti yang kami lakukan pada kali ini. Which is a security guard and there really is very tight to be able to attack like we do at this time.

"Mereka membuat Makar dan Allah pun membuat Makar. Dan Allah itu Maha Pembuat Makar". (QS. Ali Imron : 54). "They make God and the trick is to make trick. And God is Almighty Creator trick". (QS. Ali Imron: 54).

Adapun sasaran yang kami inginkan dari amaliyat ini adalah : The goals that we want from amaliyat this is:

1. 1. Sebagai Qishoh (pembalasan yang setimpal) atas perbuatan yang dilakukan oleh Amerika dan antek-anteknya terhadap saudara kami kaum muslimin dan mujahidin di penjuru dunia As Qishoh (a retaliation in kind) for the deeds done by the United States and minion-anteknya against our brother Muslims and mujahidin in the world

2. 2. Menghancurkan kekuatan mereka di negeri ini, yang mana mereka adalan pencuri dan perampok barang-barang berharga kaum muslimin di negeri ini Destroy their power in this country, which they adalan thief and plunderer valuables Muslims in this country

3. 3. Mengeluarkan mereka dari negeri-negeri kaum muslimin. Remove them from the lands of Muslims. Terutama dari negeri Indonesia Particularly from Indonesia

4. 4. Menjadi pelajaran buat ummat Islam akan hakikat Wala' (Loyalitas) dan Baro' (Permusuhan), terkhusus menghadapi datangnya Klub Bola MANCESTER UNITED (MU) ke Hotel tersebut. A lesson for humanity Islam akan fact Wala '(Loyalty), and Baro' (hostility), the arrival terkhusus Club Bola MANCESTER UNITED (MU) to the hotel. Para pemain itu terdiri dari para salibis. The players that consists of salibis. Maka tidak pantas ummat ini memberikan Wala'nya dan penghormatannya kepada musuh-musuh Allah ini But this is not worth the human and penghormatannya give Wala'nya to the enemies of God

5. 5. Amaliyat Istisyhadiyah ini sebagai penyejuk dan obat hati buat kaum muslimin yang terdholimi dan tersiksa di seluruh penjuru dunia Amaliyat Istisyhadiyah this as a High and a heart medicine that terdholimi Muslims and tortured all over the world

Yang terakhir ….. The last one ... .. bahwasanya Amaliyat Jihadiyah ini akan menjadi pendorong semangat untuk ummat ini dan untuk menghidupkan kewajiban Jihad yang menjadi satu-satunya jalan untuk menegakkan Khilafah Rosyidah yang telah lalu, bi idznillah. Amaliyat Jihadiyah that this will be the stimulus for the human spirit and to the obligation of Jihad the only way to establish Khilafah Rosyidah past, bi idznillah.

Dan kami beri nama Amaliyat Jihadiyah ini dengan : "SARIYAH JABIR" And we give the name Amaliyat Jihadiyah with this: "SARIYAH JABIR"

الله أكبر ولله العزة ولرسوله والمؤمنون الله أكبر ولله العزة ولرسوله والمؤمنون


Amir Tandzim Al Qo'idah Indonesia Tandzim Amir Al Qo'idah Indonesia

Abu Mu'awwidz Nur Din bin Muhammad Top Abu Nur Mu'awwidz Din bin Muhammad Top

Hafidzohullah Hafidzohullah

Diposkan oleh mediaislam di 22:05 Posted by mediaislam at 22:05 926 komentar 926 comments
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mediaislam mediaislam
Lihat profil lengkapku View profile lengkapku

Noordin Top Blogspot

Note: You can also go to the comments and do a Google Translation.

*********************************************

Patung at Indonesia Matters provides a cleaner translation:

Noordin M Top discovers blogspot and complains of American plunderers and soccer Crusaders.

The newly created blog website mediaislam-bushro.blogspot.com on July 26th published a message apparently from Malaysian terrorist Noordin M Top claiming responsibility for the JW Marriott & Ritz Carlton suicide bombings in Jakarta on July 17th.

Speaking as the head of his Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) split off organisation “Tandzim Al Qo’idah Indonesia” Noordin, or as written on the blog, Nur Din bin Muhammad Top, said that the bombings were targeted at kafir – non-Muslims – and specifically American businessmen, and he explained why they were carried out:

1. to avenge the attacks on Muslims around the world by America and its allies

2. to destroy the power of American business in Indonesia, to prevent Americans stealing the resources of Indonesia and using the wealth gained to wage war on Muslims

3. to expel Americans from Indonesia

4. to prevent Indonesian Muslims from going to watch Manchester United football club in Jakarta, because some of the MU players are crusaders [Christian]

5. to give strength to persecuted Muslims around the world

The attacks were justified by the quotation of the following verse from Sura 8: Al-Anfal of the Quran:

So you did not slay them, but in fact Allah slew them; and O dear Prophet (Mohammed – peace and blessings be upon him) you did not throw (the sand) when you did throw, but in fact Allah threw; and in order to bestow an excellent reward upon the Muslims; indeed Allah is the All Hearing, the All Knowing. [Yusuf Ali]

And from Attaubah: 14:

Fight them, and Allah will punish them by your hands, cover them with shame, help you (to victory) over them, heal the breasts of Believers.

Finally Nurdin hoped that the attack would encourage other Indonesian Muslims to take up the cause of jihad. [1]

When Baboons Attack

At first, I thought this must be an animal park in India, but I was wrong. It's in Britain of all places, so when baboons attack, DRIVE AWAY YOU IDIOTS.

Deer Love for Cat

A deer gives the cat plenty of loving with licking. Do animal species communicate between themselves, or is the proof in the pudding, you do the work and get the love? This is a cute video which brings up more questions about interspecies communication and how well connected this deer and cat might be. Closer than we think, I believe.

Malaysian Muslim Women to be Flogged for Beer

Malaysia has become more and more Islamic fundamentalist over the years, as various states vote to incorporate Islamic Sharia law into their legislation. That means issues of morality and values are judged not by a nondenominational regional judgeship, but by the Islamic board which follows Islamic law. Woe be to those who break the law, such as having a beer. You will be flogged.

An Islamic court in Malaysia has sentenced a Muslim woman to be flogged with a rattan cane for having a beer in a nightclub, a court official said Tuesday. It is rare for a woman in Malaysia to be sentenced to caning — a punishment usually reserved for men in various crimes ranging from rape to bribery.

Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno was sentenced Monday to six lashes and a fine of 5,000 ringgit ($1,400) for consuming alcohol, said a Shariah High Court official who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to make public statements.

Shukarno, a 32-year-old model, pleaded guilty in the court in eastern Pahang state to a charge of drinking beer when Islamic authorities raided a hotel nightclub in August 2008.

Consuming alcohol is a religious offense in Malaysia only for Muslims, who make up nearly two-thirds of the population. Offenders are prosecuted in Shariah courts, which handle cases mainly related to family and moral issues for Muslims. Most offenders are fined, but the law also provides for a three-year prison term and caning. Shukarno was the only Muslim caught in the raid at the Pahang nightclub.

Malaysian clubs and lounges typically serve alcohol but are not legally required to check if customers are Muslim before serving them, so the hotel nightclub operators were not charged with any offense. Shukarno plans to appeal the sentence, the New Straits Times daily reported. The punishment "is aimed at making the accused repent and serves as a lesson to Muslims," the newspaper quoted Judge Abdul Rahman Yunus as saying.

The judge did not elaborate on why he imposed a relatively severe sentence, but local media noted that he had a history of being tough on alcohol offenders. Rattan canes used in the punishment are made from palm plants common in tropical parts of Asia. They have been used for decades for corporal punishments in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. The caning sentence is generally carried out by specially trained officials at prisons.

The Cannibal from Java

He looks like such a nice Muslim man, but this fellow is a convicted cannibal who just spent several years in a mental institution and is now back in his home town in Java, rejected by everyone as a man possessed of the devil. Raw Story Reports:

Indonesian cannibal Sumanto loves meat so much he dug up an old woman’s body for a cheap and “tasty” meal. “She was delicious,” he told AFP from his room at a Muslim mental rehabilitation centre in rural Central Java. “I love meat… all types of meat as long as it’s cooked. But I don’t eat people anymore. Now I eat spinach,” he added.

In many countries, the 37-year-old farmer from Palumutan village would be receiving specialised psychiatric care in a secure facility. Not in Indonesia. Here, he spent five years behind bars in a regular prison for theft (of the body) and causing distress to the community, and was released straight back into his remote village with no follow-up care.

His neighbours were horrified and rejected him, so he was taken in by the nearby centre for religious guidance, one of many privately-run community services which fill the yawning gap for mental health care in Indonesia. “Nobody wanted him. Villagers called him ‘The Cannibal’ and were absolutely terrified of him,” centre director Supono Mustajab said.

Indonesian Medical Association former chairman Kartono Mohammad said there were no government institutions for the criminally insane in Indonesia despite appeals from mental health experts. “At this point the health minister (Siti Fadilah Supari) doesn’t care. She’s not interested… It’s a very, very low priority,” he said. “I’m very concerned. In some other countries, people like Sumanto would have been placed in an asylum, not in prison. What if he has a relapse? That will be a social problem. He needs counselling and medication,” he added.

Back at the religious centre in Purbalingga, which is next to Sumanto’s home village of Palumutan, staff said Sumanto was violent and depressed after his release from prison in 2006. “Prison life was not good for him. He wouldn’t eat or drink and he was bad-tempered. We had to guard his room night and day so he wouldn’t disturb others,” Mustajab said. Like other “stressed minds and broken hearts” at the centre, he was taught to recite the Koran and encouraged to play sport, farm and fish to relieve stress.

“Now he’s better. Tenants pay to stay here but I fork out my own money to support poor ones like Sumanto. They’re human beings too,” Mustajab said.

A short drive away through the Javanese rice paddies, residents of Palumutan still swap blood-curdling tales about the cannibal’s fang-like teeth, forked tongue and diet of cats, cockroaches and lizards. His next-door neighbour, 43-year-old Ngadiah, said she would never forget the stench of death and the sight of a bowl of whitish-yellow human flesh drenched in soy sauce.

“Sumanto? That corpse-eater. He was a bad-tempered man who often stole our rice and chickens,” she said. “There’ll be chaos if he ever comes back. I don’t want him to kill me and have me for dinner.” Sumanto’s family was ostracised and forced to move to the outskirts of the village. His father, 65-year-old farmer Nuryadikarta, said he missed his son but could never take him back.

“No matter how bad he is, he’s my son and I’m willing to take him back. But the neighbours despise him and they’ll kick him out of the village, so what am I to do?” he asked. Mustajab said Sumanto was ready to go home but the centre’s caretaker, Ahmad Sugimin, thought otherwise.

In a single sitting, Sumanto can polish off two big plates of rice, 60 sticks of mutton satay, 16 fist-sized chunks of beef and eight pieces of chicken, he said. “How could he afford such lavish food if he went back to doing odd jobs? I worry he may revert to eating corpses,” Sugimin said.

Sumanto denies this. Pointing to a pile of empty water bottles on his bed, he said he could survive on “water, vitamins and minerals” alone. “Meat is definitely nicer than vegetables, but if there’s no meat I can make do with grass. It’s healthy and I could braise or stir-fry it to make it taste good,” he said.

These days, the bachelor said he craved love and freedom more than meat.

“I’m sad. People said so many bad things about me. I will strive to get the villagers to open their hearts and accept me again,” he said. “What is love? How can I describe it when I’ve never experienced it, never tasted it?”

Psychiatrist Prianto Djatmiko said Sumanto needed professional counselling and medication. “Ill people don’t know they’re ill. He should be professionally assessed. What he needed was therapy, not jail, as his mental condition could worsen,” he said

.

Three Kings Hotel in China

A monument to Bad Taste, this Chinese hotel features a suite in the orange in the hand of the left god. Go ahead, take a chance, live in an orange in a hotel perhaps on the brink of collapse from ridicule.

To begin, this incredible hotel seems to have a few different names depending on what you read, as far as I can tell it has been known as: Tianzi Hotel, The Emperor Hotel, Son Of Heaven Hotel, and, in Chinese, 天子大酒.

The hotel is located in Hebei Province and according to Chinese architecture blog CAIP it was built some time around 2000/2001, The building is 10 storeys/41.6m high and was designed to represent Fu Lu Shou (good fortune, prosperity and longevity). The blog also points out that the hotel won a Guiness World Record for being the world's 'biggest image building'. Largest mimetic building perhaps?

Aquarium Views -- Under the Sea

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

The world's second largest acquarium is on Okinawa, a Japanese island south of the main cluster. This Vimeo clip is beautiful with soothing music, but you'll need a fairly high speed internet connection to see the loop without stutters. I've got the cheapie option from AT@T, and it doesn't cut it with this HD Vimeo videos. But this one looks great, so give it a shot.

I just watched the clip a second time, and without any hiccups or stalls. Apparently the video was put in memory and the second time was smooth as silk. Notice that humongous fish, must be some sort of a shark but with a metallic armour that looks Transformer. What is that fish?

We Like the Moon by Neil and Buzz

In a rare feature duo performance, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin sing the classic space number "We Really Like the Moon." Buzz is the drunk one playing the guitar.

Tai Orathai and the Solar Eclipse

Why not listen to the sad and melancoly Issan music of Tai Orathai while watching tomorrow's solar eclipse?

MACC Downfall Parody

A young man is pushed out of a windown at MACC headquarters, and the scandal grips all of Malaysia. He was scheduled to be married the following day.

Goldman Sachs are Scum

Telling it like it is, a video of crits on the scandal of Goldman Sachs. Your blood will be boiling after watching this clip.

San Francisco Ad and Patty Duke

Spotted in San Francisco.

Bonus: Patty Duke is being honored tonight with a tribute at the Castro Theater. Here's the promo from one of her more notorious films. Which colored pill would you choose?

Explore the Moon with Google Earth

This short clip shows you how to use Google Earth to explore the Moon.

Land on the Moon in Google Earth. With Moon in Google Earth, you can take tours narrated by Apollo astronauts, view 3D models of landed spacecraft, zoom into 360-degree photos, and watch rare TV footage of the Apollo missions.

Where in the World

New weekly contest: Where in the World? This one is not so obvious, but if think of camel fairs in the desert, you're on the right track.

Bangkok International Airport Scam

This scam at King Power Duty Free at the Bangkok Airport has been going on for several years, but the most recent case has made international headlines. When in Bangkok, do not enter the King Power duty free shop; these people are conartists who snare and then extort foreign visitors. Besides, their prices are too high and you'll find better deals in town.

John Head at BBC reports.

Now new allegations have been made that a number of passengers are being detained every month in the duty free area on suspicion of shoplifting, and then held by the police until they pay large sums of money to buy their freedom.

That is what happened to Stephen Ingram and Xi Lin, two IT experts from Cambridge, as they were about to board their flight to London on the night of 25 April this year.

They had been browsing in the duty free shop at the airport, and were later approached by security guards, who twice asked to search their bags.

Mr Ingram and Ms Xi were told they had to pay £7,500. They were told a wallet had gone missing, and that Ms Lin had been seen on a security camera taking it out of the shop.

The company that owns the duty free shop, King Power, has since put the CCTV video on its website, which does appear to show her putting something in her bag. However the security guards found no wallet on either of them.

Despite that, they were both taken from the departure gate, back through immigration, and held in an airport police office. That is when their ordeal started to become frightening.

"We were questioned in separate rooms," Mr Ingram said. "We felt really intimidated. They went through our bags and demanded that we tell them where the wallet was."

The two were then put in what Mr Ingram describes as a "hot, humid, smelly cell with graffiti and blood on the walls".

Mr Ingram managed to phone a Foreign Office helpline he found in a travel guide, and was told someone in the Bangkok embassy would try to help them.

The next morning the two were given an interpreter, a Sri Lankan national called Tony, who works part-time for the police.

They were taken by Tony to meet the local police commander - but, says Mr Ingram, for three hours all they discussed was how much money they would have to pay to get out.

Mr Ingram and Ms Xi were taken to meet the local police commander. They were told the charge was very serious. If they did not pay, they would be transferred to the infamous Bangkok Hilton prison, and would have to wait two months for their case to be processed.

Mr Ingram says they wanted £7,500 ($12,250) - for that the police would try to get him back to the UK in time for his mother's funeral on 28 April.

But he could not arrange to get that much money transferred in time.

'Zig-zag' scheme

Tony then took them to an ATM machine at the police station, and told Ms Lin to withdraw as much as she could from her own account - £600 - and Mr Ingram then withdrew the equivalent of £3,400 from his account.

This was apparently handed over to the police as "bail", and they were both made to sign a number of papers.

Later they were allowed to move to a squalid hotel within the airport perimeter, but their passports were held and they were warned not to leave or try to contact a lawyer or their embassy.

Glenn Beck Radio Freakout and Vampires

For those of you unfamiliar with the subtleties of American media, Glenn Beck is a TV (Fox, of course) and radio personality considered batshit insane by most thinking people. He once again went over the edge last week, inspiring the YouTube clip above. He's nuts. He's Republican. He's why most of America has abandoned the radical notions of the Republicans. Huffington Post has this to say about Glenn:

So, did you read about that time that Glenn Beck got a TEENSY BIT PIQUED at a lady who called in to his radio show, forcing him to go to his screechy place, emitting noises that would tear the ears of canines asunder, while he wailed about how she should "get off his phone?" I bet you thought that no good would come of that. WELL, SHAME ON YOU! Because something good did come it, something great, actually! Of course, I am referring to the heavy metal remix of those sounds that has been produced by Trevor Cushman, on the YouTubes. Hooray!

See, now that is something that I think everyone can enjoy, even Glenn, who should consider using this as bumper music on his teevee and radio shows. Plus, it's about vampires, too! PRETTY CAGEY, TREVOR. Vampires are so hot right now! Plus I get to tag this entry with the word "Twilight," which is great for the search engine optimization.

In that way, Glenn Beck's on-air freakout has become The Giving Tree. Let us rejoice.

Southland Tales -- Justin Gets Drunk

Southland Tales is one very strange film, but this short clip with Justin Timberlake is always worth a look. Best heard LOUD. Here's the widescreen version:

The Falling Man in Esquire

Falling Man in Esquire is only one of the seven full stories (The Seven Greatest Stories in the History of Esquire) recently published online by the magazine. You can find the others by going to the link above.

In the picture, he departs from this earth like an arrow. Although he has not chosen his fate, he appears to have, in his last instants of life, embraced it. If he were not falling, he might very well be flying. He appears relaxed, hurtling through the air. He appears comfortable in the grip of unimaginable motion. He does not appear intimidated by gravity's divine suction or by what awaits him. His arms are by his side, only slightly outriggered. His left leg is bent at the knee, almost casually. His white shirt, or jacket, or frock, is billowing free of his black pants. His black high-tops are still on his feet. In all the other pictures, the people who did what he did -- who jumped -- appear to be struggling against horrific discrepancies of scale. They are made puny by the backdrop of the towers, which loom like colossi, and then by the event itself. Some of them are shirtless; their shoes fly off as they flail and fall; they look confused, as though trying to swim down the side of a mountain. The man in the picture, by contrast, is perfectly vertical, and so is in accord with the lines of the buildings behind him. He splits them, bisects them: Everything to the left of him in the picture is the North Tower; everything to the right, the South. Though oblivious to the geometric balance he has achieved, he is the essential element in the creation of a new flag, a banner composed entirely of steel bars shining in the sun. Some people who look at the picture see stoicism, willpower, a portrait of resignation; others see something else -- something discordant and therefore terrible: freedom. There is something almost rebellious in the man's posture, as though once faced with the inevitability of death, he decided to get on with it; as though he were a missile, a spear, bent on attaining his own end. He is, fifteen seconds past 9:41 a.m. EST, the moment the picture is taken, in the clutches of pure physics, accelerating at a rate of thirty-two feet per second squared. He will soon be traveling at upwards of 150 miles per hour, and he is upside down. In the picture, he is frozen; in his life outside the frame, he drops and keeps dropping until he disappears.

Lonely Planet Bleeds Red

I can't tell if the BBC has divided the Lonely Planet financial reports between their print and web publications, but at least one division continues to report modest losses, which are expected to continue into 2010. Travolution reports.

BBC Worldwide has stressed Lonely Planet’s web strategy is still a “hugely important” part of its long term future after figures revealed the guide giant has racked up losses of nearly £10 million in eighteen months.

The scale of Lonely Planet’s overall losses was disclosed in the BBC’s Anual Report 2008/9 released this week and comes after a number of redundancies earlier this year in its digital and content divisions.

The state-owned broadcaster’s commercial arm paid £89.9 million for a 75% stake in Lonely Planet in October 2007.

In the eighteen months since then, Lonely Planet has lost £9.6 million on sales of £43 million.

A BBC Worldwide spokesperson told Travolution that the website was “a hugely important part” of the five-year plan for Lonely Planet.

“We bought the brand because it had a significant market share of the travel content business without having exploited its online presence.”

Lonelyplanet.com was relaunched in Novermber 2008, and the numbers appear quite strong. Omniture stats referred to in the Annual Report say that the site is getting 5.5m visitors a month, an increase of nearly 20% year-on-year.

The brand’s investment in the mobile space will continue, with this driving its global aspirations – 270,000 people for example have downloaded its Mandarin phrasebook application for the iPhone.

The brand has also launched a magazine during the year, with content from the print title ending up on the website as well. The site also features travel content from the BBC archives, with “more and more BBC travel content becoming available.”

The traditional guide book side of the band has also “suffered considerably” as part of an overall decline in that sector.

Reports elsewhere suggest that the travel guide book market fell 18.1% in the UK, US and Australia during the year. Lonely Planet however claims that it still the market leader in the UK and Australia and has picked up market share in America.

Jakarta Hotels Bombed

The JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton in Jakarta have been bombed with the death toll currently at about nine. When you let Bashir roam around the country, what else can you expect?

Current updates via Twitter #jakartabombs and Twitter #jakarta seem to be more timely than MSM. Also, do a Twitter Search for #Marriott and #RitzCarlton. Google News Indonesia has updates from news sources and blogs.

Wikipedia on Jakarta Bombings. That didn't take long!

Here's the basics from The Wall Street Journal.

Explosions ripped through the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Jakarta on Friday, killing at least eight people, police said.

Authorities were acting on the assumption that the bombing was carried out by Muslim extremists, said a senior counterterrorism official.

The streets outside the two hotels, which sit adjacent to each other in a new business district in central Jakarta, the capital, were covered in shattered glass and debris. The façade of the Ritz-Carlton was ripped off after an explosion in the restaurant while people were having breakfast, police said.

Police officers inspect the damage after an explosion at the Marriott hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday. Bombs exploded at the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott hotels in the Indonesian capital, ripping the facade off the Ritz, police said.
.Indonesia hasn't suffered a major terrorist attack since the 2005 bombings of seafood restaurants on a Bali beach. The JW Marriott was the target of an earlier bombing in 2003, in which 12 people died.

Video clip from CNN:

Unreleased Michael Jackson Song

A 24 second clip of an unreleased Michael Jackson song is now circulating around the net. It's modeled after a famous song by America (A Horse with No Name), who apparently gave permission for the sampling, and it's eerie: "Take me to a place with no name." Guess he finally got his wish.

Bonus: Short clip of spoof porn film starring Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. Oh, did I mention good old, and I mean old, Ron Jeremy is in the film (not this clip)? I can't believe that guy is still around stupping the girls.

Nicole Kidman and the Slumdog Girl

NY Daily News features an amusing and cute story about a Sweepes commercial with Nicole Kidman and that cute little girl from Slumdog Millionaire. She likes Nicole, but calls her a little strange and shy.

Ali also discussed her most recent acting job starring alongside Nicole Kidman in a Ridley Scott-produced French commercial for Schweppes beverages. The child actress was reportedly paid more than her "Slumdog" paycheck for the three days of work in March at Lake Palace in India.

Despite playing a small child captivated with Kidman's Indian princess character, Ali confesses to thinking the Australian beauty was "strange." The 42-year-old actress is said to have stayed in her trailer during the entire shoot because of her supposed fear of the sun damaging her fair complexion.

"I really liked her, but she was very quiet and didn't speak much," Ali said in the book. "I think she was a bit shy."

United Breaks Guitars

Absolutely hilarioius YouTube clip about the callous treatment by United after they broke a valuable guitar in Chicago, then ignored the musician's claims for compensation until the YouTube clip became a viral sensation. Dude, I hate United too, but then don't we all?

The E-Book is Coming (but not quite yet)

As a former travel guidebook author, I somewhat follow the evolution of the Kindle and the future of e-books, which I assume will one day replace the paper versions. Kindles still suck, but they will improve over time. But can you imagine the advantage to carrying a small electronic device loaded with the latest information on guesthouses in Sukothai along with a detailed and completely up to date map? The mind boggles. Printed guidebooks are on their way out, but I'd give them another five or eight years before they are replaced. Slate reports on the shitty conditions of current Kindles and why e-books should stay priced at $9.99 until this industry is established. Otherwise, hello Napster for illegally downloaded e-books.

What has kept illegal e-books from taking off? First, all the electronic reading gadgets on the market are subpar, if you ask me, making the reading of books, newspapers, magazines, and even cereal boxes painful. The resolution is poor. The fonts are crap. The navigation is chunky. Not since the eight-track player has modern technology produced such a heap of garbage. If you're looking for the reason e-books constitute just 1 percent or 2 percent of all book sales, stop the search. Second, the hassle factor is too great. Only a student or a deadbeat with a lot of time on his hands is going to want to search the Web and scour the torrents for, say, a free, bootlegged copy of A.J. Liebling's The Telephone Booth Indian. It's as tedious as fishing! Third, not all bootlegged e-books are created equal. On finally finding that free book you so desire, you may find yourself wishing you had purchased the legal edition: Your bootleg may be filled with typographical errors, thanks to the slipshod application of optical character-recognition software. If a nicely produced Kindle version of The Telephone Booth Indian that doesn't have to be monkeyed around with can be easily nabbed for $9.99, which it can, why bother breaking the law to obtain an inferior edition for display on a rotten device? It's like using an acetylene torch to loot a kid's piggy bank.

Right now, the electronic-book market finds itself roughly in the same place the market for MP3s was in 1999, the year after the release of the first portable MP3 player. First adopters of e-books, who are filling their devices with content and proselytizing to their friends, have it better than the early MP3 users. The iTunes store, which was established in early 2003, was among the first online sites where music fans could easily buy music files, a la carte, from a huge selection. The other commercial sites, wrote the New York Times, were "complex, expensive and limiting" and "failing because they were created to serve the interests of the record companies, not their customers." Basically, before iTunes arrived, if you wanted portable tracks, you had to rip your own, borrow collections from friends, or grab "free" tunes from the "pirates" at Napster or other file-sharing sites.

World Games Stadium in Kaohsiung Taiwan

The New York Times reports on a new sports stadium opening this week in Kaohsiung Taiwan to host the World Games, honoring all those lesser sports that don't show up in the Olympics. What a beauty, IMHO the most stunning stadium in the world.

Designed by the Japanese architect Toyo Ito, the World Games’ main stadium, which will be unveiled at an opening ceremony here on Thursday, is shaped by a sensitivity to those conflicting sensations. It is not only magnetic architecture, it is also a remarkably humane environment, something you rarely find in a structure of this size.

The World Games, which have international sports competitions not included in the Olympics, don’t attract as much attention as those more famous games, and there has been considerably less buzz about Mr. Ito’s stadium than there was about the Bird’s Nest, the lavish Olympic Stadium by Herzog & de Meuron that opened in Beijing last year. Nor does it have the same symbolic ambitions.

Yet for those who have been privileged enough to see Mr. Ito’s creation, the experience is just as intoxicating. Clad in a band of interwoven white pipes, the structure resembles a python just beginning to coil around its prey, its tail tapering off to frame one side of an entry plaza. Unlike the Bird’s Nest it unfolds slowly to the visitor and is as much about connecting — physically and metaphorically — with the public spaces around it as it is about the intensity of a self-contained event.

The stadium, with more than 40,000 seats, is surrounded by a vast new public park, its grounds sprinkled with palm trees and tropical plants. Most of the trees are young, but in a few years, when they are fully grown, they should create the impression that the structure is being swallowed by a dense tropical forest. In essence the coiled form becomes a tool for weaving together opposing energies: the concentrated intensity of the stadium on the one hand, the plaza’s chaotic social exchanges on the other, the unruly forest all around. What brings the design to life is that Mr. Ito is able to convey this experience physically, not just visually.

Fishey Stories from California and Spain

For your amusement, a couple of fishey stories. Those who live near the California coast will find the story about the invasion of the giant squid absolutely fascinating, more so since scientists say their occupation of the shallower waters may be a permanent condition. Now where's my old NAUI card? BreitBart reports.

Thousands of jumbo flying squid—aggressive 5-foot-long sea monsters with razor-sharp beaks and toothy tentacles—have invaded the shallow waters off San Diego, spooking scuba divers and washing up dead on tourist-packed beaches.
The carnivorous calamari, which can grow up to 100 pounds, came up from the depths last week and swarms of them roughed up unsuspecting divers. Some divers report tentacles enveloping their masks and yanking at their cameras and gear.

Stories of too-close encounters with the alien-like cephalopods have chased many veteran divers out of the water and created a whirlwind of excitement among the rest, who are torn between their personal safety and the once-in-a-lifetime chance to swim with the deep-sea giants.

The so-called Humboldt squid, which can grow up to 100 pounds, are native to the deep waters off Mexico, where they have been known to attack humans and are nicknamed "red devils" for their rust-red coloring and mean streak. Those who dive with them there chum the water with bait and sometimes get in a metal cage or wear chain mail to avoid being lashed by tentacles.

"I wouldn't go into the water with them for the same reason I wouldn't walk into a pride of lions on the Serengeti," said Mike Bear, a local diver. "For all I know, I'm missing the experience of a lifetime."

The squid are too deep to bother swimmers and surfers, but many longtime divers say they are staying out of the surf until the sea creatures clear out. Yet other divers, including Shandra Magill, couldn't resist the chance to see the squid up close.

On a recent night, Magill watched in awe as a dozen squid with doleful, expressive eyes circled her group, tapping and patting the divers and gently bumping them before dashing away.

One especially large squid suspended itself motionless in the water about three feet away and peered at her closely, its eyes rolling, before it vanished into the black. A shimmering incandescence rippled along its body, almost as if it were communicating through its skin.

But the next night, things were different: A large squid surprised Magill by hitting her from behind and grabbing at her with its arms, pulling her sideways in the water. The powerful creature ripped her buoyancy hose away from her chest and knocked away her light.

When Magill recovered, she didn't know which direction was up and at first couldn't find the hose to help her rise to the surface. The squid was gone. "I just kicked like crazy. The first thing you think of is, 'Oh my gosh, I don't know if I'm going to survive this. If that squid wanted to hurt me, it would have," she said.

Other divers have reported squid pulling at their masks and gear and roughing them up. Roger Uzun, a veteran scuba diver and amateur underwater videographer, swam with a swarm of the creatures for about 20 minutes and said they appeared more curious than aggressive. The animals taste with their tentacles, he said, and seemed to be touching him and his wet suit to determine if he was edible. "As soon as we went underwater and turned on the video lights, there they were. They would ram into you, they kept hitting the back of my head," he said.

The other fish story comes from the River Ebra in Spain, where giant catfish are famous for their participation in annual fishing contests. The difference this time is that a young girl caught the monster pictured above. The Daily Mail has the story and photos.

There should only have been one winner. On the riverbank was Jessica Wanstall, 4ft 10in tall weighing less than six stone (84lb) and something of a tiddler among anglers. In the river was a monster, a near 9ft catfish that hit the scales at a record 13st 8lb (193lb).

But despite its size and whiskery age, the fish was no match for the skills of 11-year-old Jessica who waged a 20-minute battle to land her prize. What a catch: Jessica Wanstall with the 9ft-long, 14 stone catfish she caught during a trip to Spain's River Ebro.

Jessica, from Sittingbourne, Kent, hooked the fish during a trip with her father to the Ebro River in North-East Spain. She said: ‘I didn’t realise just how big it was until I saw the photos afterwards. I look tiny next to it.

‘My dad thought it was going to be a small one and I told him it didn’t feel small when I picked up the rod. It was really hard work pulling it in and my arms turned to jelly. ‘My dad helped lift it on to the bank and I just laughed when I saw it. It was massive.’ Her father Mark, a 49-year-old engineer, helped return the catfish to the river after his daughter’s triumph was photographed. He said: ‘Jessica normally catches tiddlers but just loves a day’s fishing.

Recent Thai History via Bloomberg

The political history of Thailand has always been convoluted, but the last decade has been more complex and confusing than usual. Those who live in Thailand and closely follow Thai politics for whatever reason, probably need not bother with the Bloomberg link provided below. Those who have never followed Thai political machinations will probably be completely lost in the details, but it's an excellent summary of Thai politics over the last decade and might clear up some of the fog.

Bloomberg Article on Recent Thai Politics

Bangkok Airport, Corruption, International Scandal

Finally, the scandal at the Bangkok Airport is getting some traction. It's a national disgrace that has somehow evaded the international media.

Sevens Blog
Seven Up
Permalink : http://blog.nationmultimedia.com/truethai
Monday , June 29 , 2009
Kidnapped at the Airport by the Royal Thai Police
Posted by Seven , Reader : 1774 , 23:06:35
Print

It is such a shame. The damage done by the staff, security officers and the Royal Thai Police is irreparable. The word has been spread faster than one could imagine. All my friends in the west have heard about the nightmare that has been going on at the Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Are the police not supposed to protect the passengers? Apparently not. The police at the airport may kidnap you and hold you to ransom. They may produce non existent evidence that you have been shoplifting and you WILL end up rotting in a thai prison unless you pay. It is their word against yours. The tourists are helpless when dealing with the mafia-police controlling the airport.

We are not talking about small money here. We are talking about Bth 500,000 and up. Somebody at the airport is getting rich and at the same time destroying the reputation of the whole Thai Nation.

Why do the thai journalists not do some investigative journalism for once? It can't be all that difficult to find the mastermind. Why does PM Abhisit not step in and arrest the culprits?

Why don't the district attorney's office step in and investigate?

How many british tourists arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport every year? 800,000 people maybe. One couple, just one couple out of 800,000 people experiencing this kind of hostage/ransom situation is enough to totally destroy the reputation of Thailand.

Now others stories about the daily scams at the Bangkok International Airport is flooding the internet. Diamond rings, gold and large sums of cash mysteriously disappearing when the tourists go through the airport scanners. The Airport will NOT cooperate.

I am warning as many people as I can. Do NOT shop at the Duty Free shops. Do NOT talk to the authorities at the airport. Always check your bags and put a strong lock on them. Do not let anybody come near you. Be very suspicious and be very careful.

The ones doing this are not scared. They must be too powerful to fear being arrested.

I just find it unbelievable that this kind of illegal activities have been allowed to go on for so long. The true nature of The Royal Thai Police has been exposed to the world.

Philippines Tourism Video

Sick and tired of the troubles in Thailand? Watch this video and you might want to change your travel plans.