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Jonathan Fairfield
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November 2014
6 Nov7 Nov11 Nov20 Nov21 Nov -
October 2014
1 Oct
Son of Koh Tao Island Chief denies role In Britons' murder
2 Oct3 Oct4 Oct6 Oct7 Oct8 Oct9 Oct10 Oct15 Oct16 Oct17 Oct20 Oct21 Oct22 Oct24 Oct28 Oct29 Oct30 Oct31 Oct -
Sept 2014
11 Sept
Hannah Witheridge and David Miller arrive on Koh Tao separately
15 Sept
Bodies of foreign tourists found brutally murdered on Koh Tao beach
16 Sept
Thai police hunt killers of two Britons found beaten to death - detain 3 Myanmar workers
17 Sept18 Sept19 Sept22 Sept23 Sept24 Sept25 Sept26 Sept27 Sept30 Sept -
Yep, at any 7/11 or at any store of your network operator.
Deadline is tomorrow (July 31st).
More info - Mandatory SIM registration.
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Myanmar pardons almost 7,000 prisoners
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Nearly 7,000 prisoners inMyanmar, including some former military intelligence officials who had been purged by their army colleagues, have been given presidential pardons.An Information Ministry statement posted on its website said 6,966 prisoners, including 210 foreigners, will be freed from various prisons across the country "on humanitarian grounds and in view of national reconciliation."
It was not clear if pro-democracy activists were among those being freed under the pardon, which is effective Thursday.
The pardons by President Thein Sein are timed to coincide with a Buddhist religious holiday and come ahead of a November general election.
The polls have triggered criticism of Thein Sein's government that it is backsliding on political reforms it promised upon taking power in 2011 after almost five decades of repressive military rule.
-- (c) Associated Press 2015-07-30 -
RELATED
The 7 best places to retire overseas7. Hua Hin, ThailandCost of living: $975 a monthAmerican dollars will go pretty far in Thailand, where retirees could live for roughly less than $1,000 a month. (A one-bedroom apartment can be rented for about $400.) Retirees would find golf, spas and amusement parks, but the main draw is the beach. The city has a strong community of expats from European countries that U.S. retirees can befriend. People age 50 and up can qualify for long-stay visas if they show they have a pension of about $1,900 a month or open up a Thai bank account and deposit at least roughly $23,400 about two months before they apply, according to the study.The health care system there is also both advanced and affordable, Peddicord says, making it so that some people may choose to forego medical insurance and pay for treatment and checkups as they need it. (Generally, the options are to buy health insurance local to that country or to buy a global policy that works in multiple countries but is more expensive.)The savings found abroad can be substantial, but as with most destinations on the list, people will need to be motivated by more than money when they decide to make the move, Peddicord says. For some retirees, the distance from family and the changes to standard of living may outweigh the low costs. “When you just begin thinking about [retiring abroad] at a superficial infatuation level, it’s a very exotic, romantic, sexy idea,” says Pedddicord, who lived in Ireland and Panama before moving to Paris. “But the truth is that once you get into it, it’s not easy.” -
Skirting Comedy Limits in MyanmarBy PHILIP HEIJMANSMANDALAY, Myanmar — Emerging from behind a tawdry blue curtain in the garage of his three-story home here in Myanmar’s second largest city, U Lu Maw made his way onto a makeshift stage to do what he does best: tell jokes.“I had a toothache, so I go to the dentist in Thailand,” Mr. Lu Maw, 66, bellowed into the microphone in English one evening last month to an audience of foreigners. “He said, ‘Don’t you have dentists in Burma?’“I said, ‘Yes, but we aren’t allowed to open our mouth in Burma.”’Though his attire is modest — a traditional wraparound skirt known as a longyi under a red T-shirt emblazoned with “The Moustache Brothers,” the name of his comedy troupe — Mr. Lu Maw delivers jokes that are a dark and bold reminder of what life was like under decades of oppressive military rule in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.The group, which has been performing for more than three decades, is renowned in the country for a political satire that can carry a prison sentence if performed in a public venue in Burmese. Since 2001, the troupe’s members have shared their popular comedy act from their garage seven nights a week for gatherings of as many as 40 foreigners, who pay the equivalent of $10 each.It was jokes like the dentist one that landed two of the three founding performers, U Par Par Lay and his cousin U Lu Zaw, in a hard-labor prison camp for five years in the late 1990s. And the performances have continued even after the death of Mr. Par Par Lay, who was Mr. Lu Maw’s brother and the group’s leader, two years ago.Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/30/arts/international/skirting-comedy-limits-in-myanmar.html
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In Myanmar, Replacing Poppy Plants with CoffeeLarge numbers of opium poppy plants grow in the mountains of Myanmar’s Shan State. In fact, Shan State is the second-largest opium-producing area in the world.After a drop in production during the 2000s, the number of poppies has risen in the past eight years. Some experts have linked the increased production to a growing demand for the drug heroin in China. But Myanmar’s poppy farmers are now earning less on their crops.Now, the United Nations is hoping many will decide to grow coffee instead.For years, thousands of Shan State farmers have earned more profit from sales of opium poppy than from other crops. But poppy prices fluctuate; they may rise one month, but fall the next.Read more: http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/myanmar-replace-poppy-with-coffee/2875959.html
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Myanmar's democracy leader runs in Nov. 8 polls to keep seatTHANLYIN, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday registered for November elections to keep her seat in parliament and challenge the ruling military-backed party.Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy will contest almost all the 498 parliamentary seats in the Nov. 8 polls, and expects heavy gains, according to party spokesman Nyan Win. He said the party will announce the first batch of candidates on Wednesday.Suu Kyi submitted her papers amid flag-waving, cheering supporters who shouted "Long live Mother Su," at Thanlyin township for the Kawhmu constituency, a poor district south of Yangon, which she also represented during the 2012 by-election.In the by-election, she and 42 other party members won all but one of the seats, which nonetheless represented a small bloc in a parliament dominated by a pro-government party."We have to support Aunty Suu as she is the only leader who can change our country," said Daw Yee, one of more than 100 supporters who had waited for hours to catch a glimpse of the democracy icon.Parties have until Aug. 8 to submit their candidates.The 70-year-old Nobel Peace laureate is still unable to run for presidency after lawmakers recently turned down efforts to amend the constitution, which grants the military a quarter of the parliamentary seats, ensuring it has veto power over amendments.The upcoming polls will be the second since Myanmar ended a half-century of brutal military rule and handed power to a nominally civilian government in 2011.
-- (c) Associated Press 2015-07-29
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Cambodia: Angelina Jolie film paying tribute to land of her son MaddoxSOPHENG CHEANG, Associated PressPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia helped Angelina Jolie become a film superstar and start a family. To tell the stories of people in the country that touched her, she is directing a Netflix film on location based on a memoir of the country's 1970s holocaust under the communist Khmer Rouge, blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million people.And her Cambodian-born son Maddox will help with research and preparation for the film, Jolie said Tuesday in an email interview with The Associated Press.Jolie's 2001 hit, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," was filmed partly at Cambodia's famous Angkor Wat temple complex, and in 2002 she adopted 7-month-old Maddox from an orphanage in western Cambodia.Determined to give something back, she launched a foundation in Cambodia 12 years ago to promote community development alongside conservation.This past weekend she visited some of the projects of the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which focuses on programs "to help local families overcome problems associated with poverty in the region and to help preserve the remarkable habitat and wildlife for future generations," she said.She's slated to begin filming in November on the Netflix project, an adaptation of "First they Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers," author Loung Ung's memoir of her childhood during the Khmer Rouge regime. Jolie recently directed the Louis Zamperini biopic "Unbroken" and is in post-production on the drama "By the Sea," in which she also acts alongside her husband, Brad Pitt.During her visit to Cambodia this week, Jolie agreed to answer a few emailed questions from The Associated Press. Here is an edited version of the exchange:— AP: Do you feel a political/social responsibility to tell the stories of Cambodia, since Maddox is from there?— Jolie: I feel a deep connection to Cambodia. I want to respect its history and bring a film to the world that will not only show the hardships of war but the dignity and resilience of a people I deeply respect.As Maddox and I prepare the film we will be side by side learning about his country. He is turning 14 next week and this is a very important time for him to understand who he is. He is my son but he is also a son of Cambodia. This is the time for our family to understand all that that means to him and to us. My desire to tell this story in the most truthful and accurate way possible will be my tribute to the strength and dignity of all Cambodian people.— AP: There are so many gruesome stories of people who lived through the horror of Khmer Rouge. What about this particular story do you feel needs to be told on the big screen?— Jolie: The intent of this project is not to revisit the horrors of the war but to bring to the screen characters that people around the world will empathize with, and to help other people to learn about Cambodia.What is special about this particular story is that it is told from the perspective of a 5-year-old child, and is based on a child's emotional experience of war. It sheds light not only on the experience of children during the genocide in Cambodia but of all children who endure war.— AP: Will Maddox be involved with the film/production?— Jolie: Maddox will be on set every day after school and involved behind the scenes. And yes, Maddox is already involved in the Foundation and will take over my role when he is older.___Jolie was in the capital Phnom Penh on Tuesday doing research at the Bophana Center, an audiovisual archive co-founded by Rithy Pan, an acclaimed Cambodian documentary filmmaker whose work has focused on the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge, and who will help with the Netflix project, which will be done in the Khmer language."We will be spending the next few months scouting for locations, casting the film, but most importantly researching every event to make sure it is historically accurate and will pay respect not only to Loung Ung and her family but to every single individual who suffered under the Khmer Rouge," Jolie said a speech at the center, which distributed the text."The book is a guide to one young girl's story, and we will complete the story drawing on the experiences of other and adding them to the film. Through her story we will be telling many stories, so that the film is not just based on the memory of one child but on the collective memory of the people of Cambodia."
-- (c) Associated Press 2015-07-29
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Thailand joins deal to end tariffs on tech productsBERLIN (AP) — The World Trade Organization says Taiwan and Thailand have joined an agreement reached last week to abolish duties on more than 200 technology products.Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/taiwan-thailand-join-deal-to-end-tariffs-on-tech-products/12667/
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Rangoon’s First Electric Tram to Launch in OctoberBy KYAW HSU MON / THE IRRAWADDYRANGOON — Burma’s Ministry of Rail Transportation has partnered with Japan’s West Corporation to launch an electric commuter tramcar line in downtown Rangoon in efforts to tackle traffic congestion in the country’s commercial capital.Phase one of the project will run along an existing route on Strand Road from Pansodan in Pabedan Township to Htawlikwe in Ahlone Township, and is expected to be operational by early October of this year.The second phase will run from Pansodan to lin Sadaung in Botahtaung Township, and should launch in December, the ministry said.West Corporation is a global trading company supplying railroad cars and hardware from Japan.The ministry’s Director Thaung Lwin said the initial rollout was planned for Strand Road as a pilot project due to its long reach and lack of flyovers. If successful, more tram cars could be installed in other parts of the city.
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Myanmar police seize over 26 million Methamphetamine tablets
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Police in Myanmar's largest city say they've seized more than 26 million stimulant tablets in what appears to be the country's biggest such seizure ever. -
$110m in Methamphetamines Seized in Rangoon, TachileikBy LAWI WENG / THE IRRAWADDYRANGOON — Burmese authorities reportedly seized more than $110 million worth of methamphetamine tablets over the weekend in two separate drug busts near the Thai-Burma border and in the commercial capital Rangoon.The larger of the two hauls came on Sunday in Rangoon’s Mingaladon Township, where authorities became suspicious of a small abandoned shipping truck and searched the vehicle, finding it packed with nearly 27 billion methamphetamine tablets worth an estimated 133 billion kyats (US$110 million), according to state-run daily The Mirror.Deputy police chief Khin Maung Thein from the Myanmar Police Force’s anti-narcotics unit confirmed the massive seizure, but declined to say whether any suspects had been detained in connection with the drug bust.“It is too early to say who has been detained,” he told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday. “If we make information about this available to the public, all those traffickers [still at large] will escape to the border. We will make information about this [available to the] public later.”
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Myanmar police seize over 26 million Methamphetamine tablets
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Police in Myanmar's largest city said Tuesday that they've seized more than 26 million stimulant tablets with a street value of over $100 million, in what appears to be the country's biggest such seizure ever.Counter-narcotics police officer Myint Aung said officers seized 26.7 million stimulant tablets on Sunday after an inspection of a parked vehicle in Yangon's northern suburbs. The pills, identified by police as amphetamine hydrochloride, were packed in 89 bags, he told The Associated Press.Myanmar is also a major source of methamphetamine, a related stimulant, much of which is trafficked to neighboring Thailand, where abuse of the drug is rampant.Police said stimulant pills are worth about 5,000 kyat ($4) apiece, so the total street value of the haul would be 133.5 million kyat ($107 million).Myanmar, also known as Burma, is the world's second largest producer of heroin after Afghanistan and has been infamous for decades for drug production in the Golden Triangle area, where its eastern border meets with northern Thailand and western Laos.
-- (c) Associated Press 2015-07-28 -
Cambodia doing more to tackle human trafficking than Thailand, says US reportFor the third straight year in a row, Cambodia has found itself on the Tier 2 Watch List of the US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report, a ranking reflective of a seeming inability to fully implement the country’s own anti-trafficking plan.
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Cambodia traffic cops to keep 70% of finesTraffic cops will personally pocket 70 per cent of the fines they give out from January 2016 onwards, when the country’s new traffic law is implemented and penalties will rise five-fold.
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New Android vulnerability lets hackers take over your phone with an SMSAll Android users are being warned about a new security flaw that enables hackers to take over your device via a text message.Read more: http://tech.thaivisa.com/new-android-vulnerability-lets-hackers-take-over-your-with-an-sms/12658/
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Microsoft launches Windows 10: Here’s what that meansSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft’s new Windows 10 operating system debuts Wednesday, as the longtime leader in PC software struggles to carve out a new role in a world where people increasingly rely on smartphones, tablets and information stored online.
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Death toll in northern Myanmar flooding rises to 14YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The death toll from monsoon rains in northwestern Myanmar that triggered heavy flooding has climbed to 14, with thousands of others affected.The State-run Kyemon daily reported Monday that the flooding due to heavy rains falling on many parts of Myanmar had also damaged roads and bridges, including a 100-year-old bridge in northern Shan state Sipaw township, killing five and injuring three others.The U.N emergency relief organization reported Saturday that the flooding had killed nine people. The U.N. report said flooding has affected more than 800 households in northern Kachin state, forcing the relocation of some.Flooding is common during Myanmar's monsoon season, which typically starts in late May and ends in mid-October.
-- (c) Associated Press 2015-07-28
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Alarm sounded over Myanmar's betel habitYangon (AFP) - As he manoeuvres his taxi through the barely moving traffic of downtown Yangon, Myo Min Htaike's jaw methodically pounds a pulpy mass of nuts and tobacco, his teeth stained a dark blood-red.Plying his trade in the seemingly eternal gridlock of Myanmar's now booming commercial hub, he is more than used to spending long days on the roads and "kun ja" -- better known as betel nut or quid -- is the one thing that keeps him going."I'm so sleepy when I start driving the taxi," the 32-year-old tells AFP. "So I eat kun ja to help me stay awake."Kun ja is an enormously popular stimulant chewed throughout Myanmar.But it comes with a long list of serious health downsides including addiction, deeply stained gums and a high risk of mouth cancer.
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UPDATE:Thai Airways to cut 1,401 jobs, suspend flights to U.S.BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Airways International Pcl <THAI.BK> plans to cut 1,401 jobs through voluntary retirement this year and suspend its loss-making flights to Los Angeles and Rome as it pushes ahead with a restructuring plan, its president said on Sunday.
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Thai Airways to cut 1,401 jobs, suspend flights to U.S.BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai Airways International Pcl <THAI.BK> plans to cut 1,401 jobs through voluntary retirement this year and suspend its loss-making flights to Los Angeles and Rome as it pushes ahead with a restructuring plan, its president said on Sunday.Thailand's national carrier aims to reduce operating costs and capacity by 20 percent under the two-year plan, which also calls for aircraft sales and a reduction in staffing.The firm is one of several state-controlled companies that the military government has targeted for reform since seizing power in May 2014.The flight suspension will reduce Thai Air capacity by 5 percent, President Charumporn Jotikasthira told Reuters in a telephone interview. The company aims to cut capacity by 15 percent during the second of 2015.Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/07/26/us-thai-airways-restucturing-idUSKCN0Q00CI20150726
-- Reuters 2015-07-27
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Cambodia Strengthens Military Ties with ChinaCambodia is strengthening its military ties with China. Cambodian Defense Minister Tea Banh spent five days in China earlier this month. He met with high-level military officials and received promises of assistance from the military.Read more: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/843574-cambodia-strengthens-military-ties-with-china/
Koh Tao murder news timeline
in Koh Samui News
Posted
December 2014
4 Dec
Koh Tao: Thai court charges pair over murders of British backpackers