MK1

This is the same disgusting human trafficking that the DSI said they were aware of, but not interested in.

Just says it all really doesn't it.

Aren't these peoples used on fishing boats as slave labour? Who is behind the fishing boats?

A typical nepotistic Sino Thai-Chinese family(untouchables); perhaps most evolving from the tin mining era.

The US Ambassador simply showed solidarity with the LEGIT Government of Thailands Prime Minister Khun Yingluck.....and why not....whats wrong with that? ...redneck ..HOWLS

Suthep (Khun Thuggi) meanwhile will be casting for the latest edition of the successful international political show "Teletubbies" and insiders report that he is confident on getting the position of La La. to which he is thought to be ideally suited.....Fame at Last.

LEGIT government ??? You could hardly call blatant vote buying and voter intimidation at numerous northern Thai polling booths on Election Day a legitimate elected government. If the Americans respected the rule of law in Thailand then they would assist with the return of the exiled Yingluck brother.

Thailand assists with every Americain request for return of its wanted fugitives. Why doesn’t the USA reciprocate to assist in the same way?

Ex Australian PM-Julia Gillard is unemployed and available too; perhaps 'misogyny' is to blame !!

Wonder why they aren't going after Reuters, too big of a fish? Other sites that have made the same report last July but haven't heard anything happening to them.

Huffingtonpost Reuters accusation

Chiangraitimes

Phuketnews

Right. Reuters can fight back.

Thankfully REUTERS not influenced by the Murdoch Empire these days.

Disappointing once again to read that they have assigned the blame on human-error alone rather than the other distinct possibilities being an overloaded truck, un-roadworthy having faulty brakes and dodgy transmission which are the other most likely pre-conditions that lead to numerous accidents like this. However, at the same time it's possible the driver of the truck, could as well be the owner, which could also explain the simple reckless driving charged laid by Police as the outcome. if true.

As reported by PG “At this stage, we believe that the fire started from oil leaking from the laundry machine. However, we are waiting for Forensic Police to confirm the cause of the fire for our report,” Col Jiraphat said.; Unquote.

This initial causation claimed will look better on the insurance claim form than say something not covered and excluded as perils under standard property insurance policy such as civil unrest or political violence, which is still yet to be determined.

I've seen this hotel from beach road and thought it looked very nice with the large pool in front and always assumed it is a 5 star hotel but the more I learn about it I'm very glad I've never stayed there. Heard lots of stories about people on package tours getting sub-standard rooms and service and having generally bad experiences there.

and now, perhaps in light of recent events, i dare say it's been ping-ponged !

I remember when this place opened. Rumor had it that Thaksin was one of the owners.

If true, that could definitely have something to do with any fire.

Correct the Thaksin family is one of the owners.

But i don't think this is something to do with the fire. ( just my opinion )

According to this website below also confirms the notion that Phuket Graceland hotel is owned by the former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

http://www.tophotelsphuket.com/hotels/phuket-graceland-resort-and-spa-phuket-hotel.htm

No doubt DSI will be hot on the scene in the morning....has anyone seen the mayor about lately?

I agree with the possibility of applying for a visa outside of the country to screen for criminals because we all know Thailand appears to be a big magnet for the unsavorily type.

However, Thailand is a long way from being similar to a developed country in terms of safety & security, trusted law & enforcement, politically stable, having recognized standards, fair wages and conditions, reasonable safe public transport and public works infrastructure just to name-a-few.

I presume most us can live with the fact that Thailand is not perfect around the edges with regard to what I have just outlined and we all generally accept the risks versus what we have to pay for, on face value, day to day. In other words; we presently get what we pay for. But if Thailand increases the cost of visas without providing additional certain assurances then most foreigners will perhaps re-consider what they're paying for, in favour over, choosing perhaps another destination.

A PD will only tell you, in the end, what you want to hear. Instead, get a Lawyer son and get a good one.

Giving up your kite-board to 3-masked men without a struggle, with not even a defensive expletive said (like an F.O.bomb) or at least some kind of hot pursuit thereafter the kite-board-jacking does sound very hard to believe, unless the Police are not revealing the whole story.

However, If I was being robbed by three men dressed-like-women on the beach, approached from behind …well of course, that’s an entirely different story and I would gladly surrender my kite-board knowing how nasty the consequences could be.

There certainly appears to be a significant seasonal-rise in these types of crimes at present. Interesting to see, if there has already been any mass-prisoner releases, which usually happens after the Kings Birthday on a yearly basis at this time of the year.

Sadly, one has to wonder, fearing if these recent rise in crimes is possible linked to that particular yearly occurrence, taking into account, there has been no-known official public announcement to date on prisoners being pardon and released back into society for so called good behavior with regard to time served to date?

Two-sides to every story;eventually the truth will set them free. There is a possibility their associated Church in Manila could be a third party to this JC Society Foundation( an American based charity) backing-up their claim perhaps as missionaries, depending upon of course, if the two accused have been sending money back to their Church. Then their Church may well in turn be asking their followers to also dig-extra deep, as they do in situation like this, when passing the plate around during sermons, so as help set their 'sisters-free'. So lets see if there are 'two-lies' to this story in end or otherwise they will be spending a long time in the confessional box once they're eventually deported....many hail mary's to come.

Technically speaking as a car manufacturing plant, If Holden was back in Australian-ownership-hands, it could probable survive through the current economic climate, since GM only came into the picture, by merging with Holden, as result of the great depression in 1931.

Back then, there was not the type of Super-Funds around to alternatively attract other local investors to help survive through the tough times. However, these days workers industry Superannuation Funds significantly influence and dominate the Australian economy. In particular, making more profit for workers than the car manufacturers and some have had outstanding success by investing back in their own industry like Cbus.

If the AWU had any brains they should have told their members to instruct their Super Fund managers to start investing back in their own industry by buying back the very plants GM acquired in the first place.

But unfortunately, we know GM would never allow that to happen just like the Australian Meat Industry which has been aggravated too in the global market, by the American competition, such as restricting access to selling beef into their own-market.

Back in the 90’s, certain American owned Meat Manufacturing plants in Australia were moth-balled and shutdown too in the same way in preference over controlling the price of beef into markets like Japan.

The weakness of Australian Foreign ownership laws and FTA's are perhaps to be blamed.

She’s still putting on a brave-face, in light of the fact that another vote for her will still be ‘same, same but no-difference’.

You need a chipping / profiling hammer or alternatively a chisel and hammer will do the job...Thai workers have also adopted a method by putting a concrete nail through a plastic short hose and using that as the chisel with hammer...don't forget the safety glasses too.

The reason they're leaving is because there's not enough people buying them. Now the same people who didn't support this local manufacturer are screaming about how terrible it is they're leaving. Sad for the employees, off to QLD and WA to dig dirt I guess.

WHY aren't they buying them? It's all very well saying "support your local businesses, but this is a management thing they need to make something the locals want at a price they can afford - Because although it's nice to think you need a big muscular car, the practicalities are quite different. The large Holdens simply don't have enough people who actually can afford to buy them (part from government departments) - so the only thing they could sell are imported small car designs.

It's less about consumer affordability than it is Holden/Ford's financial incapacity to invest in R&D, and competitively manufacture new models in more desirable segments. Outside of the Holden Snooze and Toyota's Camry, their whole industry remains pegged to 6 and 8 cylinder D segment cars that lost their popularity as fast as netbook computers did when the iPad was released. And they couldn't revive enough interest with turbo 4 engines and LPG systems that came too little, too late.

FTA's like the one with Thailand didn't help them much either - prior to that only a handful of pickups were exported to Oz - since TAFTA the Oz market is flooded with practically everything that's made here, all duty free. I expect the recent FTA between Aust and South Korea was final nail in Holden's coffin, seeing as their volume sellers are all rebadged Daewoos anyway

What a total sham the TAFTA (Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement) has been for the Australian Car manufacturing industry. As a result, according to ABC 7.30 report 12/12/2013, to date approximately over 200,000 cars have been exported to Australia from Thailand and only 100 manufactured Australia cars have been exported back to Thailand since. Someone has been definitely asleep at the wheel on this one because now, more than likely, the Red drovers dog has been riding around in the back of a pick-up manufactured in THAILAND, inadvertently, at Australian tax payer’s expense.

R.I.P… Australian Car manufacturing industry.

Try the Tuk Tuk Diner next time- U-see them

http://www.tuktukdiner.com/

Perhaps he was’ i-n-f-u-r-i-a-t-e-d’ by the taxi-mafia on the way to the airport !

We saw this type of foreign involvement during the last 2010 Red Shirt uprising with those also claimed to be almighty-than-thou and we know what happen to them in the end.

Unless you are a permanent resident or have citizenship, and even then you’d be considered a little bit short in the membrane, one would have to wonder what the objective is behind getting involved in the first place?

No, I could not say they’re a biased newspaper. From the readers prospective they seem to be fair and reasonable. However, I must say they’re editorial content is very lean these days in comparison to the Bangkok Post I used to know. Should be renamed as '5mins-Silence', because that’s how long it takes to read from front to back these days once you;ve skipped over the gobbly goop.

A consultant hired to break–the-ice on the lack of skilled people in the country to build the proposed mega project, paving the way for the next incoming government to waiver the labor laws and allowing for perhaps the main-contractor to bring in a mass of Chinese workers, if approved.

Don’t you love this type of electioneering?

Given the current uncertain political environment and the fact these types of engineering projects are extremely complex to delivery, not one engineering / construction company in the country could be trusted to delivery such a project on-time and within-budget. Take a look at how long it took to finally complete the Melbourne Star Ferris wheel, in Australia, after 7 and half years trying to complete and you’ll discover what I mean.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melbourne_Star

What a hypocrite Khun Suthep is inviting to celebrations at three prostest sides while His Majesty has already called for unity of all Thais in his last year's birthday speech as his sincerest wish.

What I see is Anti-government protesters celebrating the Kings birthday by playing music at various sites with gusto, according to Blue SKY TV, which is in stark contrast to the Pro–government Reds that continue to bitch and whinge on Asia TV red channel about their unfortunate happenings as consequence of their own corrupt, nepotism and greed.

What a hypocrite Khun Suthep is inviting to celebrations at three prostest sides while His Majesty has already called for unity of all Thais in his last year's birthday speech as his sincerest wish.

HM has also called for the end of government coruption, whilst government is paying lip service, it has been ignored.

It was today reported that only 370k tonnes of rice have been shipped to China out of the contracted 4.8 million tonnes via the government to government deal. Government agencies are refusing to supply the documentation of shipments from the warehouses to NACC for investigation. Yet another coverup of a large scale corrupt government transaction.

In reference to large scale corrupt government transaction; the dirty deal deed is called ‘Contra’ perhaps in lieu of a provisional fee for expected services to be performed on large-scale mega projects.