UN envoy urges Thailand to tackle trafficking

AFP
Friday, Aug 19, 2011

BANGKOK – Thailand must do more to combat widespread human trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation, including addressing “deeply-rooted” corruption, a UN envoy said on Friday.

“The implementation of policy and legal framework on human trafficking and the law enforcement are weak and fragmented,” said the United Nations special rapporteur on people trafficking Joy Ngozi Ezeilo.

Obama Tells VOA US Will Not Abandon Afghanistan Despite Troop Cuts

Thursday, 23 June 2011
André de Nesnera, VOA |The White House 

Photo: Courtesy of White House President Barack Obama during an interview with Voice of America in the Map Room of the White House June 22, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Barack Obama has discussed the current situation in Afghanistan in an interview with the Voice of America.

The president says his decision to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan does not mean the U.S. is abandoning that country.

“Keep in mind that we’re talking about 10,000 troops by the end of this year, an additional 23,000 by the end of next summer – and we’ll still have 68,000 troops there, in addition to the coalition partner troops,” President Obama said. “So there is still going to be a substantial presence.  But what it does signal is that Afghans are slowly taking more and more responsibility.”

Phased transition

The president says his decision is consistent with what he called a phased transition process.

“Already there are Afghans out there every day who are fighting the fight, Afghans who are dying on behalf of their country, and their freedom, and their dignity,” he noted.  “And what we want to make sure of is that we continue to be a good partner with that process, but also want to send a signal to the Afghan people: this is your country ultimately and you are going to have responsibilities.”

South China Sea Turbulence – A treat for Vietnam, a trick for the World

By Khmer Academy
Wednesday 22nd June, 2011

This file photo showsChinese Navy vessels during militaryexercises. China is staging three days of military exercises in the South China Sea and plans to boost its offshore maritime patrol force, state media said, as tensions with its neighbours simmer.

(AFP/XINHUA/File/Zha Chunming)

The rising tensions in South China Sea spark a renewed concern over the regional stability and global implications. Clearly, it is no longer just a matter of the territorial claims and counter-claims among neighboring countries in the region, but also a complex anddangerous arm wrestling between Eastern and Western superpowers.

Whether justified or not, the West views South China Sea tensions as China’s increasing assertiveness in the region. Along with that view, the West has directly and indirectly incited the countries involved in the dispute to stand up to China. Such maneuver does not in any way contribute to a peaceful resolution; on the contrary, it only serves to escalate the tensions and hostility. It is not by coincident that some concerned countries in the region, Vietnam in particular, are already using the dispute and capitalizing on the waves of China-bashing sentiment in the West to advance their own hidden agendas.

Pakistan Arrests Several Who Helped CIA Hunt Bin Laden, Officials Say

From Reza Sayah CNN
POSTED: June 14, 2011

Watch a video here

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — Pakistan’s intelligence agency has arrested several people who helped the CIA in the runup to the raid by U.S. special forces that killed Osama bin Laden, including one person who owned a safehouse rented to the CIA, sources familiar with the arrests told CNN Wednesday.

A second official confirmed that Pakistan had detained informants who gave information to the CIA before the raid but said he did not know the exact number of people arrested or when it happened.

The revelations, first reported by The New York Times, are likely to further strain what has become a rocky relationship between the two countries.

Angelina Jolie Goes Without Makeup, Wears Own Clothes in New Ad

Monday – June 13, 2011 – 8:35am

angelina-jolie-louis-vuitton-

No-frills Angelina!

In a brand-new print ad for Louis Vuitton’s “Core Values” campaign, a barefoot, bare-faced Angelina Jolie, wearing her own casual clothes, savors a solo moment of Zen aboard a wooden boat floating in a green marsh in Cambodia’s Siem Reap province.

PHOTOS: Goth to earth goddess! Angelina’s style transformation over the years

Unveiled Monday morning in Women’s Wear Daily, Jolie’s stark, beautiful new shot (with a weathered, monogrammed LV Alto bag at her side) was photographed by legendary photographer Annie Leibovitzwho, according to WWD, had to shoo Jolie’s elder four kids out of the picture frame to get her photo.

PHOTOS: Angelina, Brad Pitt and their globe-trotting kids

“People are not used to seeing Angelina in this situation,” Vuitton executive vice president Pietro Beccari tells WWDof the chill, makeup-free image. The 36-year-old star first discovered Cambodia in 2000 while filming Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and is the birthplace of her eldest son Maddox, 10. “I like the fact that it’s a real moment,” Beccari added. “This travel message we give through personal journeys is a fundamental one for the brand.”

PHOTOS: Angelina vs. Jen Aniston — who’s the biggest style icon?

Vietnam’s navy conducts live-fire drill amid nasty dispute with China over South China Sea

The Canadian Press
By The Associated Press 
Mon, 13 Jun, 2011

Vietnamese protesters carry a banner with a Vietnamese slogan reading, ‘China must respect and execute the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea,’ during a protest demanding China to stay out of their watersfollowing China’s increased activities around the Spratly Islands and other disputed areas, in Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday June 12, 2011. (AP Photo/Na Son Nguyen)

HANOI, Vietnam – Vietnam launched a live-fire naval drill off its central coast Monday amid a nasty spat with China following two maritime incidents over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

Vietnam will conduct a live Fire Drill in the Paracels – June 13 [Vietnam flex muscle against China’s bully]

Overseas Philippines Workers

China’s Claims with undisputable over Spratlys is true as it is baseless according to the UNCLOS

After the Philippines’ protests to the United Nations for China’s navy harassing Philippine Oil Research Ship in the Philippine Waters – UNLOS International Law of Seas 200 Nautical Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines, China pronounced their undisputable claim over Spratlys as it is 1000 Nautical Mile from their shore. China’s invasion is a purely invasion to the waters of the Philippines and Vietnam as they are not part to be called as having a reliable claim over the area.

Toms Shoes takes next step

By Jeff Beer  | June 09, 2011

This week, company founder Blake Mycoskie announced that the popular California-based Toms Shoes brand will betaking its talents to eyewear. So now, in addition to supplying shoes to needy kids around the world, Toms will be helping people in developing countries with their eyesight.

If you don’t know the Toms business model, for every pair of shoes sold the company gives a pair of shoes to a child in need, primarily in the U.S., Argentina, South Africa and Ethiopia. Now they’ll be applying that same concept to eye care, selling stylish sunglasses in order to give prescription eyeglasses and sight-saving medical treatment to people in need. These efforts will be done with the Seva Foundation, starting in Nepal, Tibet and Cambodia.

Police detain hundreds in alleged Asia money scam

Associated Press | Posted: Thursday, June 9, 2011 10:29 am

Police around Asia arrested several hundred suspects Thursday in coordinated raids to bust a gang that swindled victims through phone calls over the Internet.

Indonesian authorities said 170 Taiwanese and Chinese people were arrested in the archipelago nation. In Cambodia, 166 Chinese people and a Vietnamese woman were arrested, national police spokesman Lt. Gen. Kiet Chantharith said.

Giant rats eat two babies in South Africa

By Dan Newling

The Daily Mail
3rd June 2011

Giant rats as big as cats are have killed and eaten twobabies inseparate attacks in South Africa’s squalid townships this week.

Lunathi Dwadwa, three, was killed as she slept in her parent’s shack in the Khayelitsha slum outside Cape Town and another girl was killed in Soweto township near Johannesburg on the same day.

Little Lunathi was sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor of her family’s breeze block and corrugated iron home on Sunday night when she died. Her puzzled parents didn’t even hear her scream.

When her mother discovered her lifeless body, she saw that her daughter’s eyes had been gouged out.

Thai FM satisfied with lawyer team’s performance at ICJ

People’s Daily Online
June 03, 2011 

Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya (pictured) said Thursday that he was very satisfied with Thai lawyer team and agent presenting before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding Cambodia’s request for interpretation of 1962 ruling andprovisional measure.

“We have been preparing ourselves for almost two years in a very thorough manner and every move, every argument has been argued over among the Thai side and we were able, I think in short, to explain, to rebuttal all the points raised by the Cambodian side with substance rational and with evidences.

“In that sense, I am satisfied, yes, definitely I am very satisfied,” said the foreign minister who just returned from Hague.

The 8 Most Dangerous Border Towns in America

By Criminal Justice Degree Guide

For many years, border towns were safe and attractive places for tourists to visit and get a taste of foreign culture, food, shopping and nightlife. Today, these towns have a very different image that is often overshadowed by violence and crime happening on the border. Here are the 8 most dangerous border towns:

1. El Paso: The West Texas city of El Paso shares a border with Ciudad Juarez inChihuahua, Mexico, which is the most dangerous city in Mexico and one of the worst in the world. In recent years, the violence in Juarez has begun to spill over to the U.S. side, endangering El Paso residents, law enforcement officers and first responders. Juarez is a battleground for drug-related violence and these gangs have shown no mercy to Americans. In 2010, stray bullets from a gun battle in Juarez struck ElPaso’s city hall and a university building, causing police to shut down a major border highway.

Vietnam gets a taste of Chinese aggression

Vietnam and China oil clashes intensify

May 27 2011
By Ben Bland in Hanoi and Kathrin Hille in Beijing
Financial Times

Chinese boat (circled in red) chasing Viet boats

Tensions between China and Vietnam escalated over the weekend as each nation accused the other of violating its sovereignty in the oil-rich South China Sea.

PetroVietnam, the state-owned oil and gas monopoly, said on Sunday that China had sabotaged Vietnamese oil exploration vessels, the latest accusation between the countries over the disputed waters.

ICJ ruling just before poll could hurt the Democrats

By Supalak Ganjanakhundee,
Piyanart Srivalo
The Nation
Published on June 1, 2011

If the world court agrees to Cambodia’s request to get Thai troops out of area near Preah Vihear temple, party may suffer a voter backlash

If the International Court of Justice (ICJ) takes provisional measures as requested by Cambodia and get Thai troops to withdraw from the vicinity of Preah Vihear Temple in the next three or four weeks, it will make the ruling Democrat Party appear to have failed to protect the country’s interests.

Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya expects the court to deliver a ruling on the provisional measures by the end of this month, perhaps just a few days before the July 3 election, which would be long enough to influence voters’ decisions.

Remote Lands, Inc.: Chopper Charters Elevate Asia Holidays

(PRWEB) May 29, 2011

Helicopter charters are an exciting addition to a Remote Lands ultra-luxe Asia holiday

The bird’s-eye view from a chopper offers a thrilling complement to terra firma touring

One of the most exciting additions to any ultra-luxe Asia itinerary is a helicopter jaunt, one of the signature touches to bespoke holidays with Remote Lands. “The bird’s-eye view from a chopper offers a thrilling complement to terra firma touring,” said Catherine Heald, Remote Lands’ co-founder and CEO, “whether it’s a new appreciation of the man-made wonders of Angkor or the natural splendors of Phuket’s turquoise waters and dramatic karst formations.”

As a mode of transit, helicopters can shave hours off arduous drives and open up remote destinations that are otherwise inaccessible or often bypassed (think the rugged beauty of Sapa, Vietnam or the verdant tea country of Sri Lanka). And they also allow day trips where you can return to your hotel of choice rather than overnighting in lesser accommodation.

Boomer Q&A: ‘Older middle aged’ Boomer intends to keep active

3:27 AM, May. 29, 2011
Written by Keith Uhlig

 

 

Vickie Richmond Hawkins visited Stirling Castle in Stirling, Scotland, while visiting her son in April. Travel is high on her bucket list of things to do as a baby boomer. / (Photo courtesy Vickie Richmond Hawkins)

Vickie Richmond Hawkins, 62, of Wausau honed her baby boomer chops as a young woman studying at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Fresh from a childhood growing up as part of a blue collar family in Eagle River, Richmond Hawkins found herself swept up in the idealism and activism at the time.

Thailand was part of World War II’s Axis of Evil

Pibulsonggram at Hyde Park, New York, 1955.

Anonymous said…

Thailand supported Japan to invade Burma and Malaya

On 8th December 1941, Thai Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkram‘s regime allowed the JapaneseImperial Army, which was part of the Axis Powers that comprised of Hitler’s Germany, Mussolini’s Italy and Japan, to access through the country for Japanese forces to invade the British-controlled Burma and Malaya. Phibun assured the country that the Japanese action was prearranged with a sympathetic Thai government. Later in the month, Phibun signed a mutual defense pact with Japan. Pridi resigned from the cabinet in protest but subsequently accepted the nonpolitical position of regent in the absence of King Ananda Mahidol.

With the supports from Japan, Thailand declared war on Britain and the United States in January 1942, but the Thai ambassador in Washington, Seni Pramoj, refused to deliver the declaration to the United States government. Accordingly, the United States refrained from declaring war on Thailand. With American assistance, Seni, a conservative aristocrat whose anti-Japanese credentials were well established, organized the Free Thai Movement, recruiting Thai students in the United States to work with the United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The OSS trained Thai personnel for underground activities, and units were readied to infiltrate Thailand. From the office of the regent in Thailand, Pridi ran a clandestine movement that by the end of the war had with Allied aid armed more than 50,000 Thai to resist the Japanese.

PM: Unesco will delay P.Vihear hearing

• Published: 27/05/2011 at 02:59 PM
• Bangkok Post

Unesco is likely to postpone consideration of Cambodia’s plan to manage the immediate surroundings of the Preah Vihear world heritage site, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said on Friday.

Mr Abhisit was speaking after receiving a report from Suwit Khunkitti, the caretaker national resources and environment minister who led a Thai team to attend an unofficial meeting on Preah Vihear temple with Cambodia at Unesco headquarters in Paris, France.

Philippines ‘ready to help’ in Thai-Cambodian row

Agence France-Presse
10:25 pm | Thursday, May 26th, 2011

BANGKOK—Philippine President Benigno Aquino said his country was prepared to step in to help resolve a bitter Thai-Cambodian border row, during a visit to Bangkok on Thursday.

Aquino said the Philippines was ready to send observers to help efforts to cool the dispute, which erupted into deadly clashes between the neighbors last month, if they were needed.

Thailand’s case on Preah Vihear to ICJ on Monday

• Published: 26/05/2011 at 05:23 PM
• Bangkok Post

caretaker Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has asked the government to present its case on the issue of the Preah Vihear temple ruins next Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said on Thursday.

The Cambodian government has asked the ICJ  to interpret its 1962 verdict on the ownership of Preah Vihear and the disputed surrounding area.

The court ruled in 1962 that the ancient temple was on Cambodian soil, but its ruling was not clear about ownership of the immediately surrounding, disputed area of 4.6 square kilometres. Thai and Cambodian troops have clashed repeatedly as each side attempted to assert sovereignty.

Mr Thani said the court is expected to spend up to two years considering Cambodia’s case.

Cambodia has also asked the ICJ to issue an injunction ordering Thailand to withdraw Thai troops from the disputed area around the Preah Vihear Temple.

The ICJ is expected to rule on the injunction request next month, said Mr Thani.

Thailand unperturbed by Cambodian charges on Preah Vihear shooting: PM

BANGKOK, May 25 – Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday downplayed allegations by Phnom Penh that the ancient Preah Vihear Hindu temple was attacked by Thai troops in the recent border skirmishes, asserting that Indonesian observers would not be allowed to enter disputed area unless the General Border Committee (GBC) meeting is held.

The Thai prime minister made his remarks following reports that Cambodia will file a complaint with the World Heritage Committee (WHC) accusing Thai troops of firing about 400 rounds of ammunition targeting the ancient temple ruin.

Mr Abhisit said he is unworried about the latest move of the Cambodian government as it is clear that Cambodia breached the WHC agreement by allowing its troops to enter Preah Vihear temple.

Should East Timor join ASEAN?

By Dionisio Da Cruz Pereira
posted Wednesday, 25 May 2011

In March this year, East Timor officially submitted its application to the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat to join the organization. If the application is successful, Timor Leste will become ASEAN`s 11^th member.

To date East Timor’s application has gained considerable support from a number of the ASEAN member states like Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Philippine, Malaysia including Indonesia, the former occupier of East Timor from 1975-1999. Indonesia has been vocal in advocating for East Timor’s bid to join ASEAN despite the historical animosity between the two countries, dating back to East Timor’s separation from Indonesia in 1999.

How Many SEALs Died [during a raid on Bin Laden’s compound]?

By Paul Craig Roberts

The photos of the dead "Bin Laden" distributed by unknown origin were fake.

Paul Craig Roberts [email him] was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury during President Reagan’s first term.

In a sensational and explosive TV report, the Pakistani News Agency has provided a liveinterview with an eye witness to the US attack on the alleged compound of Osama bin Laden. The eye witness, Mohammad Bashir, describes the event as it unfolded. Of the three helicopters, “there was only one that landed the men and came back to pick them up, but as he [the helicopter] was picking them up, it blew away and caught fire.” The witness says that there were no survivors, just dead bodies and pieces of bodies everywhere. “We saw the helicopter burning, we saw the dead bodies, then everything was removed and now there is nothing.”