zaphod reborn

All talk and completely disproven by the facts:

1) never implemented sanctions against Russia for election meddling passed almost unanimously by Congress;

2) never has given any instructions to DHS, NSA or other agencies to take action against Russia

3) Department of State was appropriated $120 million to combat Russian meddling in the 2018 midterm elections - $0 has been spent out of that appropriation.

1 minute ago, shy coconut said:

If being the operative word.

Let's wait until the arrest and deportation of this guy before we get all hysterical

about work permit laws in Thailand.

He's not going to be arrested or deported.  Possibly, he could be harassed and shaken down for a bribe.  I know of a retiree in Chiang Mai who was doing remodeling on his home.  His neighbor didn't like the noise and was connected to a local official.  He got shaken down for a THB 100,000 payment to avoid any problems based on engaging in work without a work permit and in violation of his visa.  That's what's wrong with the law.  Not that there will be prosecutions, but it empowers corrupt government officials to shake down foreigners for bribes.

7 minutes ago, Morakot said:

 

No, walking into the push and pouring water over flames is not a violation of Thai Labour Law. Neither is going out and catching a snake or biting your dog.

 

Signing up as a volunteer firefighter at your local fire brigade however would be a violation. 

 

Yes, people might be hung up about the Labour law here, but this case has nothing to do with it.

That's nice, but your lay understanding of Thai labor law is completely misguided.  I have been a labor attorney in Thailand for over 10 years, representing companies both locally and globally in labor negotiations including appearing in hearings at the Ministry of Labor.

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"Work" means engaging in work by exerting energy or using knowledge whether or not in consideration of wages or other benefits.

 http://www.mol.go.th/sites/default/files/downloads/pdf/WORKING_OF_ALIEN_ACT_2551_DOE.pdf

As a foreigner in Thailand, you must have a work permit to engage in "work".  Yes, the way the statute is written, you technically are required to have a work permit the minute you set foot in the Kingdom, because merely breathing or thinking can be construed as "work".  That is why I wrote the statute is archaic, and that foreigners are not prosecuted unless they compete with a Thai for a job, flaunt their work activities, or cause problems for politically-connected Thais.

58 minutes ago, HooHaa said:

and so thaivisa gets hung up on the work permit issue again.

No, only to show how archaic the law is, and how it needs to be changed.  He will never be charged for a violation as long as he is not taking a job from a Thai, not flaunting his occupation, and doesn't offend a politically-connected Thai.  Unfortunately, publicizing his voluntary firefighting activities and getting attention on social media is risky behavior.  I wish him the best. 

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

"Peter works in my company," she said. "It's a jam factory".

But. under archaic Thai labor laws, it is still a work permit violation, because he is only authorized to work in her jam factory, not at other locations.  Thai labor law was never brought current to include workers who are assigned to field work or digital nomads who can work from any location with an internet connection, including working from home.  A great guy, trying to help his adopted home, and still the Thais don't understand how their legal system and government screw the farang at every opportunity.

43 minutes ago, Boon Mee said:

This is after the EU threatens to tax Harley Davidson and Bourbon? 

Sounds like tit for tat. 

I thought the purpose of the tariffs was to punish Chinese manufacturers?  Trump is such an imbecile that the tariffs actually punished American allies, like Canada, Germany and South Korea.  At the same time, Trump is praising communist Chinese President Xi Jinping for declaring his life tenure.  Fortunately, Trump's executive order on tariffs will be superseded by Congressional action.  Trump is so ignorant that he doesn't even realize that the power to impose tariffs was exclusively reserved for Congress.  (U.S. Constitution Art. I,  Section 8).

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"He's now president for life, president for life. And he's great," Trump said, according to audio of excerpts of Trump's remarks at a closed-door fundraiser in Florida aired by CNN. "And look, he was able to do that. I think it's great. Maybe we'll have to give that a shot someday," Trump said to cheers and applause from supporters.

Luckily, Trump will be in an orange jump suit before he reaches the end of his first term.

2 hours ago, MajarTheLion said:

Yet more smoke that has nothing to do with Mueller's stated mission. What does this tell us? Mueller doesn't have SQUAT on Trump-Russia collusion.

Mueller has a duty to prosecute any crimes that he uncovers which justify a prosecution.  The extent of Manafort's fraud and money laundering scheme is just staggering.  This poorly researched article from Reuters is misleading.

Manafort had dozens of companies spread out in offshore tax havens and was raking in hundreds of millions of dollars.  Moreover, he was flaunting his wealth.  The scheme lasted 10 years.

There are connections to Wilbur Ross, Commerce Secretary, who was president of Cypress Bank.  Manafort offered to work for free as Trump's campaign manager.  At the same time, he was in contact with the Russian government and tried to set up a meeting between Putin and Trump during the campaign.  This specific indictment has nothing to do with the Trump campaign, but may lead to testimony against Kushner and Trump, Jr. as Gates has flipped, and the expectation is that Manafort will eventually flip.

1 hour ago, DoctorG said:

The aim was to disrupt the political landscape of the USA, not to get Trump elected. This can be easily shown because they organised the anti-Trump rally outside Trump Tower AFTER his election (as per FB).

That's nonsense that has been quickly eaten up by mainstream American media who don't have any interest in actually investigating by contacting intelligence sources in Russia.  Russia groomed Trump beginning in 2011.  Yes, they saw him as an extremely divisive candidate who had an amazing talent for creating chaos and distractions, but they also thought he had a good chance of becoming President.  Once they saw he could win the GOP nomination, they became fully invested in him and began their anti-Hillary campaign.  Russia didn't get involved in other campaigns to create divisiveness and discord until after Trump won the general election.

Actually, the campaign to incite unrest is an old cold war tactic.  The US abandoned that tactic with respect to Russia after the fall of the USSR, but Putin, being an old KGB agent with a continuing hatred for the US, reinvigorated these efforts.

BTW - it turns out that Russian oligarchs are heavily invested in FB, which defeats any semblance of credibility of that social media agent.

In the midst of Russian hacking of US elections, one must wonder when the US will return to democratic elections?

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The bridge was built uneven with the road.

Will that information be reported by RTP to DLT so that the bridge can be repaired or rebuilt?  No.  Aside from all the poor driving and poor vehicle maintenance, dangerous highway design/construction ensures that Thailand will remain the most dangerous country in which to operate a vehicle.