march

46.3 Billion Baht. Gone. Bummer.

Better luck next time.

The so-called "economic citizenship program" is designed to attract leading world businessmen into moving their companies to Montenegro, small Balkan country of just over 600,000 people, said a government statement posted on the official website.

As Montenegrin citizens, international businessmen would enjoy benefits such as lower taxes and costs for their companies.

"economic citizenship program" = The Montenegro Elite Card, Deluxe Version

Thaksin has said he plans to invest in Montenegro but it remains unclear how he obtained citizenship and a passport for the small Balkan country.

Montenegro: Citizenship for businessmen who invest more than €500,000 in tiny Adriatic country

Candian Press

August 11, 2010

Montenegro will offer its citizenship to wealthy businessmen who invest more than €500,000 in the tiny Adriatic country, the government said Tuesday.

The so-called "economic citizenship program" is designed to attract leading world businessmen into moving their companies to Montenegro, small Balkan country of just over 600,000 people, said a government statement posted on the official website.

As Montenegrin citizens, international businessmen would enjoy benefits such as lower taxes and costs for their companies.

Montenegro is the first country in the region to introduce such a program, and thus hopes to lure more investors than other Balkan nations, the statement said. The move underscores Montenegro's openness to foreign investment, it added.

Tiny Montenegro became independent in 2006 after splitting from Serbia, and is now seeking membership in the European Union. Montenegro saw a major surge in foreign investment — mostly from Russia — immediately after the independence, but this has recently slowed down due to global economic crisis.

Montenegro already has granted citizenship to former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who fled corruption charges at home and who has promised to invest in Montenegrin tourism. The government has argued that there has been no international arrest warrant for Thaksin.

Apparently seeking to avert fears of possible abuse, the government said that only businessmen with "indisputable and credible biography and financial means" can apply.

It said that "all applicants will be checked according to most strict international standards" and in consultation with international advisers.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iwbbF8FMR38Zx9QTnbChIpSHfsWg

I wonder when all of these legal experts had time to familiarize themselves with the information to make a unbiased decision?

Considering the OP date:

From and including: Monday, 11 June 2007

To and including: Wednesday, 11 August 2010

It is 1,158 days from the start date to the end date

timeanddate.com:

the strip of land does not belong to thailand -- it is legally Cambodian = granted to it by the UN

The World court merely said the temple belongs to Cambodia. It said nothing about the surrounding land which is still disputed by Thailand and Cambodia.

Thailand offered to jointly administer the land with Cambodia but they refused.

wow, deja vu.

Thank you, Siripon, for pointing out the truth... AGAIN. Seems necessary to do so on every page of the thread.

That is the point... The territory in question is LEGALLY Cambodian, not some fantasy the Thai government continues to rant about....

Could you please provide any documentation that states all the disputed territory in the temple area belongs legally and entirely to Cambodia?

It would settle everything if you could, but excuse me if I don't wait for it to be produced.

Clearly a diversion tactic - from what I don't know...but it might just be a rather sad effort to "conciliate" the Thai people in hatred against th Cambodians.

This time I don't think they will be able to hoodwink the public. We are witnessing government to satisfy yellow shirts, nothing more nothing less.

Perhaps 69.55% of the country would disagree... or 69.55% of the populations agrees with the "yellow shirts."

Man extradited from Thailand denies Birchwood murder

September 07, 2009

Paul Cryne, who is also known as Paul Baker, is accused of murdering Sharon Birchwood on December 4, 2007.

The 52-year-old divorcee was allegedly throttled with electrical cord and packing tape at her bungalow in Harriott’s Lane.

Cryne appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink for a short hearing on Monday when he pleaded not guilty to a single count of murder.

An update to this topic from the BBC. Guilty:

Hitman guilty of Surrey housewife murder

Paul Cryne Detectives traced Cryne to Thailand's expatriate community and extradited him to face trial

A hitman who flew to the UK from Thailand to kill a housewife in Surrey has been found guilty of murder.

Paul Cryne, 62, had denied flying home to carry out the killing on behalf of Sharon Birchwood's ex-husband for a £30,000 fee to pay off his debts.

Disabled Mrs Birchwood, 52, of Ashtead, was found strangled and "trussed up" with parcel tape.

Cryne, who was extradited from Thailand to face trial at the Old Bailey, is due to be sentenced on Wednesday.

The victim's husband, Graham Birchwood, 54, who stood to gain a £475,000 "pot of gold" from her death, was jailed for life in June 2009 and told he would serve at least 32 years after being convicted of murder at Croydon Crown Court.

The court heard Mrs Birchwood, who walked with a stick, was found with her ankles and wrists tightly bound together.

She had been bound and gagged, and her wrists had been pulled up to her face.

'Die in prison'

Prosecuting, Mark Dennis QC said electrical cord had been repeatedly wrapped around her head and a small metal handle had been used to tighten the cord, acting as a tourniquet.

After the guilty verdict was returned, Judge Jeremy Roberts said of Cryne:

"He may be right in thinking that he'll die in prison."

The court heard the British expatriate, a swimming world record holder who still holds a Guinness underwater record, left few clues for detectives when he carried out the "execution" of the frail woman.

He flew in from Thailand at the end of October 2007, two months before the murder, and stayed with Birchwood at his mother's house in Banstead.

Two days before the killing, he gave the impression he was going to stay with friends in the West Country, but stayed in Surrey.

But he murdered Mrs Birchwood after she returned from a shopping trip in Guildford and was at Heathrow within three hours, awaiting a flight back to Thailand.

DNA traces on Mrs Birchwood's hand and on the parcel tape did not match any on the police database.

But Cryne left DNA and fingerprints on a cup at the house in Banstead.

The fingerprints matched police records from 1972 when Cryne was jailed for seven years for holding his girlfriend hostage.

Detectives traced him to Thailand's expat community and extradited him to face trial.

The court heard Birchwood had needed the money tied up in his ex-wife's bungalow and life insurance policy to pay off debts of £150,000 following a string of business failures in Thailand.

Cryne, a former bodyguard who was originally from Manchester and later lived in Devon, was said to be "proud of being a street fighter" and boasted he could incapacitate a man with a single blow.

He moved to the Thai resort of Pattaya in the 1990s after receiving a £500,000 payout following an accident in which he was hit by a boat while diving off the Maldives.

But by 2007, he had run out of money and had debts of £11,000.

After the hearing, Det Ch Insp Maria Woodall said Mrs Birchwood lived a "quiet, harmless, ordinary lifestyle, burdened by ill health and living in rather poor conditions with little social life and no known enemies".

She said: "She was totally betrayed by the greed of the man she had married and been devoted to for 30 years."

She added: "Birchwood made the callous decision that his ex-wife must die and then set about a ruthless plot which he hoped would distance himself from this evil crime.

"He involved Cryne as part of this devious plan and that his plan failed is a tribute to the officers."

She said Mrs Birchwood had been divorced some 20 ago, but this was not disclosed to many people and she kept up the pretence to her family and friends.

Witnesses told police that Mrs Birchwood remained devoted to her ex-husband through the years, and he had continued to visit the property every week.

BBC - Aug. 10, 2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-10929858

The Supreme Court President Sobchok Sukharomna has said a general assembly of 142 Supreme Court judges will make the decision whether to accept the appeal or not; scheduled for less than 2 and a half hours from now.

A Red road block:

Khon Kaen Unrest Cases See Slow Progress

TAN Network

UPDATE : 10 August 2010

Khon Kaen police have issued several arrest warrants against red-shirt suspects believed to be involved in the unrest in April and May, but so far no suspects have been arrested.

Officials from the Khon Kaen Provincial Police Bureau, the Department of Special Investigation, the provincial Public Prosecutors Office and involved parties held a meeting to follow up on progress in the investigation into six cases of red-shirt disturbances in the province.

Five of those involved red-shirt road blockade that are now under the supervision of Pol, Ban Phai and Si Chompu police stations.

In April, local red-shirt supporters closed inbound traffic lanes on Friendship Highway to search for military officials in all vehicles headed in the direction of Bangkok after hearing a rumor that the military would crack down on the mass rally in the capital.

As a result, a number of soldiers were detained by the protesters.

The Khon Kaen court has approved arrest warrants for ten suspects believed to be involved in the cases, but no suspect has been apprehended so far.

Another case is the Khon Kaen railway train station seizure by local red-shirt activists.

They had seized a train carrying Humvees, GMC trucks, and tanker trucks as well as soldiers out of suspicion that the equipment and troops were heading to Bangkok as reinforcement for a potential crackdown on the anti-government red-shirt protests.

The conclusion about the train seizure case has yet to be made and no suspects have been identified.

The provincial authorities have secured eight arrest warrants for suspects involved in the torching of the provincial hall and a local NBT television station, but until now, no suspects have been arrested.

http://www.thailandoutlook.tv/tan/ViewData.aspx?DataID=1033345

=========================================================

Appeal of Thaksin’s asset seizure trial to be ruled on 11 Aug

BANGKOK, 21 July 2010 (NNT) – The Supreme Court will decide whether to accept the appeal of the asset seizure case of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his family on 11 August 2010.

Tomorrow is the day we will find out if the appeal on the seizure of the 46.3 Billion Baht is approved or not.

If not, the seizure is final.

The judges are scheduled to meet at 9:30 AM and the judges will decide by a majority vote.

to regard the ultra-nationalistic aims of the PAD clique as childish insanity.

Are you saying that PAD reflects the clear majority (69.55%) of Thais' opinion on this issue? I'm sure they appreciate your endorsement of them.

Poor Abhisit,

He looked clever and capable. The truth is that he is just one more puppet in the hands of PAD and army.

It would seem he's a "puppet" of the majority of the Thai nation:

In a NIDA poll on Tuesday covering all regions of the country, nearly 70 per cent (69.55%) of people polled agreed that the government should push Cambodians out of the overlapping area near Preah Vihear temple as it is Thai territory.

21.62% of them disagreed with the majority, saying it would create more conflict between the two countries which could escalate to a war, while 8.83% were unsure.

We did not read the results the same way i think...

I read the results as 69.55% of the country seems to agree with the PM's position on the issue.

How do you read the 69.55% ?

PT party spokesman K. Prompong already petitioned Crime Suppression Division police to take legal action against leaders of PAD/TPN, accusing them of violating the emergency decree in their rallies over Preah Vihear temple. Not sure he also included UDD for their gathering last Sunday, or the aerobics in Lumpini the day Rajprasong was less safe. K. Prompong also plans to petition the NCCC to seek legal action against his usual suspects in government for neglect of duty in violation of Article 157 of the Criminal Code.

Can anyone remember when last the PT did something positive.

It was April 19, 2010.

A contingent of PTP MP's (including these 2) went to Cambodia and visited their financier and thanked him in a most grateful and appreciative manner:

I'm sure their positive steps made him feel happier.

Poor Abhisit,

He looked clever and capable. The truth is that he is just one more puppet in the hands of PAD and army.

Thailand should really have an external look on the situation and see how its international image deteriorates everyday, not good for businnes, investments, tourism.... Time to wake up

100% true.

Sorry for the hysterical nationalist Thais (or yellow farangs) who wants war.

Anyway, dear Abisith, yellow Thais or farangs, if you want war, just do it. No need any reason.

still struggling with the spelling I see even after it was brought to your attention 5 days ago for your own benefit

By the way, Abisith nature is to fight, to make, amplify wars: in the South + civil war against opposition to his regime + against neighbor countries. Any war is a good thing for Abisith who became addict to the blood smell.

Factually incorrect.

Abhisit (please note proper spelling so that your entire posts won't be deleted in the future as per this forum's policy) did not "make" the "war" in the South nor did he amplify it. Actually, it has been improving, although it is certainly not perfect as long as any violence is occurring.

quote

Violent crimes in the restive South have been slashed 70 per cent over the past 10 months

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/08/04/national/Southern-violence-down-but-tension-remains-30135163.html

unquote

and still struggling with reality of events, too, by the looks of the recent post on the poll as Abhisit's position reflects the majority of Thais.

That is the point... The territory in question is LEGALLY Cambodian, not some fantasy the Thai government continues to rant about....

Could you please any documentation that states all the disputed territory in the temple area belongs legally and entirely to Cambodia?

It would settle everything if you could, but excuse me if I don't wait for it to be produced.

Poor Abhisit,

He looked clever and capable. The truth is that he is just one more puppet in the hands of PAD and army.

It would seem he's a "puppet" of the majority of the Thai nation:

In a NIDA poll on Tuesday covering all regions of the country, nearly 70 per cent (69.55%) of people polled agreed that the government should push Cambodians out of the overlapping area near Preah Vihear temple as it is Thai territory.

21.62% of them disagreed with the majority, saying it would create more conflict between the two countries which could escalate to a war, while 8.83% were unsure.

Thanks, missed that one. I hate it when old OP's are revived

Sorry, it's why I prefaced it with:

An update on this topic from the BBC:

After a review of the various threads on this widely-known and often-discussed topic revealed that this thread seemed the most on-topic with the update.

I'm also of the opinion that it's good to limit the number of new threads on long-standing issues, rather than a half dozen scattered about. Centralized discussion of the same topic saves from running thread to thread on the same topic and not having to repeat the same post in a number of threads that all center on the same thing. That applies particularly to brand new topics, but I also feel it applies to less current news as well.

An update on this topic from the BBC:

Thai murder victim's mother will 'never give up' fight

The mother of a backpacker murdered in an unsolved killing in Thailand 10 years ago says she will never give up her fight for justice.

Kirsty Jones, 23, from Tredomen, near Brecon, Powys, was raped and strangled at a guesthouse on 10 August, 2000.

Sue Jones says she will never give up the fight to see her daughter's murderer caught.

Dyfed-Powys Police recently questioned four Britons and a UK-based Thai national as a routine part of the inquiry, but they are not suspects.

Despite a number of arrests, no charges have ever been brought.

But Dyfed-Powys Police said there were lines of inquiry which still "needed to be resolved, and a number of people still of interest to detectives".

In recent weeks, five people who were in Chiang Mai, the city where she died, were interviewed by the Dyfed-Powys force. But they were not arrested and are not considered suspects.

This was a result of Dyfed-Powys Police having called on the Thai authorities to supply them with a letter of request, an official document, which enables British police to interview people on behalf of an overseas force.

Without the letter of request, the evidence would not be valid if the case came to court in Thailand.

The interviews will be passed to the Department of Special Investigations in Thailand, which has been reviewing the case since 2006.

Mrs Jones said securing the document was a "major breakthrough", but the interviews had not helped identify the killer.

Her daughter, a Liverpool University graduate, was found dead in a room at the Aree guest house in Chiang Mai, which is north of the country's capital, Bangkok.

She was three months into a two-year around-the-world trip when she was murdered on 10 August, 2000.

Dyfed-Powys Police later secured the killer's DNA, belonging to a man of south-east Asian origin, following a visit by two senior officers to the crime scene.

Sue Jones says she will never give up the fight to see her daughter's murderer caught

Mrs Jones said she was optimistic her daughter's murderer would be found.

She told BBC News: "I am always optimistic.

"It's a waiting game. It's been a long time, but we have the DNA and that's where the answer lies."

"I've never actually thought they wouldn't catch anyone, but I do get weary sometimes because it's such a long and slow process, but you can't give up. I'll never give up."

Ch Supt Steve Hughson has been involved in the case from the start, and along with his colleague Det Ch Supt Steve Wilkins, they have visited Thailand twice to help with the investigation.

The force's involvement in the inquiry started in September 2001 after the family became frustrated by the way the Thai police were handling the hunt for the killer.

"The 10th anniversary is a significant milestone," said Ch Supt Hughson.

'Confident'

"The focus is still actively on this case and that is testament to the concern we have shown to it, and the support we've given to the family.

"We recently received a letter of request from the Thai authorities to interview a number of UK-based witnesses, four British nationals and a Thai national, which is now complete.

"There were some points that needed clarification.

"We're in the process of analysing this and we'll then we'll send it to the Royal Thai Police."

Ch Supt Hughson said there were lines of inquiry which still "needed to be resolved, and a number of people still of interest to detectives".

He added that police had the killer's DNA and all they needed was a name.

He said: "I am confident that one day somebody will be caught for this. We're doing everything we can to make sure it (the case) comes to a successful conclusion, and we're making sure it's on the political agenda."

In 2007, Brecon and Radnorshire MP Roger Williams asked Tony Blair to meet the Jones family during prime minister's questions in the House of Commons, and Ch Supt Hughson said a brief about the case was given to every Foreign Office official who visited Thailand.

On Wednesday, the BBC News website will carry a longer interview with Sue Jones, Kirsty Jones's mother.

-- BBC 10-08-2010

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-10923881

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-mid-wales-10917101

An accompanying 5:00-long news video is on the above link

Police used a foreigner as a decoy customer who contacted the pimp and agreed to pay 2,000 baht for a child prostitute.

Somsanit was caught while taking a 15-year-old girl to the customer in Room 211.

I do note the improved policing standards in that that the farang police volunteers are apparently no longer consummating the sex act prior to effecting an arrest like they did before.

I wonder how much it cost to have the shades and hats on....

A shade-less and hat-less photo of the Hacking Duo:

In a NIDA poll on Tuesday covering all regions of the country, nearly 70 per cent (69.55%) of people polled agreed that the government should push Cambodians out of the overlapping area near Preah Vihear temple as it is Thai territory.

21.62% of them disagreed with the majority, saying it would create more conflict between the two countries which could escalate to a war, while 8.83% were unsure.

The commission put the charge forward when the red shirts were giving out their addresses and phone numbers on the red stage at the height of their little demo and saying they could not guarantee the safety of the commissioners unless they voted to disband the Dems.

I wonder if the bombing of the personal family home of the Election Commission Chief might have played some role in the decision to push through the charges.

A girl who claimed to be legal who isn't by about 15 minutes.

Back to in the real world, she wasn't legal by over 1,000,000 minutes.

525,600 + 525,600 = 1,051,200 minutes

The lawyer called for fair treatment for the red shirts. He said followers of the rival People's Alliance for Democracy violated the emergency decree by assembling more than five people at the Thai-Japan Stadium on Sunday. Several hundred people from a civic network linked to the PAD protested over the government's dealings in regard to the border conflict with Cambodia.

"No legal action has been taken. This is a case of blatant double standards," he said.

The lawyer got fair treatment for the red shirts when followers of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) violated the emergency decree by assembling more than five people at the Santiphap Park on Sunday.

"No legal action has been taken" in that case nor was it taken when followers of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) violated the emergency decree by assembling more than five people in Chiang Rai on August 1st.

"There is no blatant double standards," is what he should have said.

Lawyer Karom Polthaklang, acting for the red-shirt leaders, said Veera and Sathaporn had rejected the charges and sought additional questioning of 124 more witnesses.

They claimed the red shirts' protests were peaceful.

Peaceful?

Whether it was downtown Bangkok,

Or Ubon Ratchathani City Hall,

They were not peaceful.

Detained red-shirt leader Weng Tojirakarn also gave evidence in the Criminal Court yesterday in a bid to get bail.

Weng told the court he suffered from allergic reactions and that being detained in prison had made it difficult for him to gather evidence to support his case.

As stated previously:

Gosh, better let him out now before his sniffles get any worse.

I don't even want to think just how traumatic having watery eyes are. Suffering through that is surely worse than something so trivial as burning down Bangkok.