halloween

14 hours ago, thaihome said:

 

Keep in mind that the International Whaling Commission  (IWC) was not setup to stop whaling but to regulate it to prevent overfishing of threatened species (see the short history in the paper I posted a link to). Japan was a willing early joiner and even today is major contributor.   

 

It was only several years later after regulations had stopped such overfishing and many non-whaling countries joined that the organization changed to one of stopping whaling completely.  

 

Dispite showing some degree of intelligence whales will always be [potential] food to many cultures around the world. To change such cultures, even though whale meat does not contribute much to the diet can easily be construed as an attack on the culture and identity of a people. Particularly if used as such by politicians to garner support in the guise of protecting the culture.  

 

Once they are protected from extinction, whales just don't seem worth all this fuss to me. 

TH 

 

I was an avid sci-fi reader as a child, Azimov, Heinlein, Blish, Vonnegut, and the subject of farming whales was the subject of quite a few short stories. Of course, this is before the tree-huggers adopted them.

7 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Here's where many get bogged down.

 

Excellent article, as usual from this man.

Don't worry, there will be plenty claiming there is no justice under a junta, claiming political motivation and any other lame excuse for prosecution of what was clearly a crime.

On 8/29/2017 at 10:44 AM, greenchair said:

I imagine you would take it like a man after recently being jailed for 42 years, being denied bail to fight your appeal and realising you may well die in the next few months without seeing your family.

I never could understand the celebration of one human being  , when seeing another human being fail. 

 

Why not when the corrupt mongrel had no qualms about betraying the trust put in him and stealing billions from the people of Thailand? Or does that sound a bit too much like someone else? Bail after conviction is not normal elsewhere, better he gets serving as he might not have 42 years in him.

BTW it is called schadenfreude.

8 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

 

Because the poster insinuated 'how could a copper get so much dosh'?  and there is NO known connection so I made that clear in my normal wistful, amusing yet eloquent style   

Actually the connection is quite clear and well known - failed businessman, corrupt copper, corrupt businessman, corrupt politician, corrupt fugitive criminal still using government as a source of wealth and personal benefit.

I would be surprised if there are any bullet holes in the ute. But I do like the "Oh shit" moment at 25 seconds where the guy on the red bike sees the ute coming after him.

13 minutes ago, Xonax said:

My best guess is, that it was sold back to the government at 3 times the purchase price. It may not even have left the warehouse.

If it did leave the warehouse, would you be surprised if Nattawut Trucking was the carrier of choice.

38 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

Whoa there...!   let's not let a few facts spoil the insinuation huh?

 

Thaksin founded AIS etc. long before he joined politics (in 1994). He was greedy and unethical, no doubt, but probably the same as every other politician. He also did much good in Thailand, particularly for the poor who love him still. Who else has ever even attempted to help them?  Yingluck and that's about it. Anyway past is past and Thailand needs a new direction neither red nor yellow.

 

 

What does it matter if his corruption began well before he was elected? He was B50 million in debt before his first big corruption win with police computers, he was "given" a 20 year monopoly on mobile phone services that could have been sold for billions, and overcharged as only a monopoly can. THEN he changed his corruption from private sector to public.

22 hours ago, chrisinth said:

I remember watching quite a few episodes of the series that were made of this and being amazed that nobody was killed during the filming. The main reason I watched it was that I spent 8 years in total serving on ships (RN Island class patrol vessels) exactly like the original one in the series, ironically on fishery protection duties. I was one of the boat cox'ns involved in boarding operations and I can safely say that every evolution they were involved in (on film) concerning their sea-riders (small boats) was off the scale in terms of danger as far as launch & recovery was concerned.

 

Although they did bring the attention of the whaling by the Japanese to the rest of the world, what they were doing was really wrong IMO. In my view they needed to know that international waters work two ways, if they resorted to harassment by trying to foul propellers by draglines or throwing chemicals onto the decks of ships and get away with it, then they should expect retaliation and accept that instead of spitting the dummy every time their whaling boats took defensive/offensive measures.

 

That said, I would have loved just one trip down south with them.................. 

Am I correct in believing that if somebody was attempting to disable or board without permission my vessel at sea, I would be within my rights to use lethal force?

3 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Private jets on standby...

I doubt the stooges have ever made enough to afford even the hire, much of the takings being passed "up the line". All the promises of protection from prosecution and/or assistance now proving worthless.

More chickens coming home to roost.

Hate to tell her this but putting proceeds of crime into your wife's account doesn't make them safe, and that's assuming you can trust the wife. That is true in most countries, but in Thailand any lawyer who took her case should be immediately disbarred for fraud, because under Thai law a man and his wife are the same legal entity.

His advice to her to pull her head in is sound unless she can show where deposits in her account were legitimately obtained. Otherwise it is highly likely she will be in the same position as "Pat", wife of Benz Racing, charged with aiding money laundering.

BTW if you are married to a Thai national and don't understand the ramifications of you and your wife being the same legal entity, I suggest you discuss with a lawyer, preferably not one known to your wife.

15 hours ago, Bob12345 said:

Guess which name he has to mention as the "plotter" of this scam to see a large part of his 42-year sentence disappear.

He either gives them the name they want or he will die in prison.

I would assume some supporting evidence would be need to accompany any accusation. As to the name, the presence of Apichart and his company Siam Indiga in the G2G scam (he got the biggest term, 48 years on top of current sentences) are pretty indicative of what that name will be. He was given preferential treatment on lucrative rice deals by both Thaksin and Yingluk (the latter after he bankrupted one company with huge debts and owes the Commerce Dept B6 billion) and has been involved in every shady rice deal going.

The courts are seizing and selling everything he owns, but much of the proceeds are gone. One might assume to an offshore account, not his.

15 hours ago, Godang said:

Suranand has the same surname as Abihsit democrat leader.

IIRC cousins.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

but what really counts is that the country has a system in which influential suspects are tried and judged for what they do, not who they are. Without that kind of system, democracy is useless. In other words, any democracy without such a system is vulnerable if not totally fake.

Absolutely superb article.

I assume the transfer from Dubai has arrived a day early.

8 minutes ago, rijb said:

It sounds like "Reconciliation" is off the table.

Well the red version of reconciliation is Don't prosecute our criminals. Yes, it is not an option, as yet another ( Yongyuth Wichaidit) found today.

"..... urban solar projects that look to add both capacity and stability to grids as well as the economy. "

News for you lady, you don't get both. As soon as uncontrolled inputs approach 40% grid stability becomes a problem, and that is what solar and wind are, uncontrolled inputs. To compensate other controlled input generators are required to be on standby, at a cost.

It is no coincidence that the countries with the highest percentages of solar and wind generation have the highest cost electricity and the most grid stability problems. Welcome to the real world.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/jul/19/australia-surging-electricity-prices-spark-calls-for-national-inquiry-into-renewable-energy

"

Germany comes in as a close second, with electricity prices of $0.19 per kilowatt hour. Due to this, it has been reported that the country has developed a program for increasing the contribution of electricity sourced from renewable sources to upwards of 80% by the calendar year 2050. During the first quarter of 2014, the country produced a record-setting 27% of its electricity via renewable sources, a result of both favorable weather and an increased capacity to utilize renewable energy within the country.

There are ramifications involved in Germany’s contemporary renewable energy program, including an instable electric grid, the burden being placed upon German households by increased costs for electricity, and the need for secure back-up power that is affordable and reliable."

http://www.worldatlas.com/articles/electricity-rates-around-the-world.html

Now why would a senior public servant do something so blatantly illegal? What did he get out of the deal?

Yongyuth Wichaidit   TRT-Health Minister under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra (2003–05) and advisor to Minister of Interior Kowit Wattana in Somchai Wongsawat's PPP-led government (2008), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior in the government of Yingluck Shinawatra.

PTP wouldn't recognise a democracy if it bit them.

6 hours ago, Tatsujin said:

They did rather tip their hand and confirm what was coming by starting to seize her assets 3 weeks prior to any verdict could have been given.

Apparently you don't understand the difference between a civil and and a criminal case.

I fondly remember the picture of her standing by the sign, apparently you had to be Thai to appreciate the joke.

2 hours ago, hobz said:

Two reasons.

1. They want to avoid huge gathering of people to avoid incidents.

2. They probably didnt think that far.

Just what sort of incident would you anticipate from a large crowd that just found out their idol has lied to them again?

1 hour ago, smutcakes said:

Its completely and obviously different which anyone with half a brain cell could see. It is onerous when they want to be at home in Thailand with their childhood friends who they grew up with, their family and being somewhere they are the big dogs.

You think Thaksin has friends?

1 hour ago, TKDfella said:

'Watson, have you heard about the curious incident of the PM in the night?'

'What Holmes??? The Pm did nothing in the night!'

'Quite! That's the curious incident...'

If you were referring to Yingluk, doing nothing is what she did best.

58 minutes ago, candide said:

I checked and did not find comments in the press as I stated. Actually they were comments on TVF. My mistake.

It nevertheless remains that a Junta's puppet openly offering a deal if he denounces a "mastermind" (understand a Shinawatra) says much about the independence of the judiciary.

It's about time the "great champion of democracy and the downtrodden" got shown clearly for what he is, nothing but a common criminal using government to cover up his thefts. Why you consider the judiciary compromised is beyond me. Meechai is not part of the junta, and he is just stating a well known fact - implicating your accomplices is grounds for sentence reduction.