Hawaiian

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thai immigration authorities nabbed a Chinese fugitive running an illicit tour operation in Bangkok. Following a tip-off about an Asian man suspected of working and residing illegally in Thailand, officers launched an in-depth investigation.

 

Duan, a 42 year old Chinese fugitive residing in a posh condominium in the Ramkhamhaeng district was apprehended. Duan was already on the radar in China for a significant fraud case.

 

Samut Sakhon Immigration Police began monitoring Duan’s activities and discovered a well-oiled operation. He regularly left his residential compound to escort groups of Chinese tourists to their accommodations, offering bespoke tours that catered to privacy-conscious business travellers, who preferred avoiding mainstream tour companies.

 

With mounting evidence, immigration officers swooped in on Duan as he assisted clients at a luxury hotel in the Ratchadaphisek area. A thorough inspection revealed that his residence permit had expired on February 3.

Consequently, the Chinese fugitive was charged with working without authorisation and overstaying his visa. Further investigations revealed a darker side to Duan’s story.

 

Coordination with Chinese security authorities uncovered his criminal past. In January last year, Duan impersonated a regional sales manager for a prestigious wine company, luring several retailers into purchasing high-end rare wines at a supposed 10% discount.

 

He convinced his victims to transfer nearly 2 million yuan (approximately 10 million baht) to his account, only to vanish without delivering the promised goods, reported KhaoSod English.

 

The Public Security Bureau in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, subsequently issued an arrest warrant and revoked his passport.

 

by Nattapong Westwood

Photo courtesy of KhaoSod English

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-05-27

 

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Duan must be a super salesman.  How gullible to front that kind of money.

16 hours ago, placeholder said:

And yet you offer nothing yourself to support this statement from Hanaguma:

"Given that the majority of relief supplies are stolen by Hamas, perhaps you are pointing your finger in the wrong direction."

Put up or...

"Put up or..."  Or what?  The youtube clips are no surprise.  They document what is actually going on.  Hamas is in survival mode and will feed their troops before the civilian population.  Do you expect Hamas to publicly announce this fact for the whole world to see?

Why would Israel stop now?

https://www.foxnews.com/world/hamas-launches-rocket-barrage-israel-rafah-sounding-alarms-tel-aviv

22 hours ago, Tug said:

And why would you say that?

The Germans need to get their act together.

https://www.msn.com/en-news/world/germany-s-ambitious-military-plans-hit-financial-hurdles/ar-BB1mrFn3r

As for Turkey, why the delay in okaying Finland's and Sweden's entry into NATO.  Religious views should not have even been considered.  And the Kurdish problem was a poor excuse.  On top of that, Turkey does not want to lose Russia as a trading partner.

Another poster already explained why Hungary is untrustworthy.

1 minute ago, Tug said:

Well if they catch some of the arsonists and prove it was done at the behest of the Russian government does that make it an attack against nato?could it provide the excuse nessary for nato to run putin out of Ukraine?

Germany and of course, Turkey and Hungary will do nothing even if there is a Russian military incursion into any NATO country.

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

This was published about 3 weeks ago, bang on the money looks like:

 

Russia plotting sabotage across Europe, intelligence agencies warn
Assessments suggest Kremlin agents preparing covert bombings, arson and attacks on infrastructure

“We assess the risk of state-controlled acts of sabotage to be significantly increased,” said Thomas Haldenwang, head of German domestic intelligence. Russia now seems comfortable carrying out operations on European soil “[with] a high potential for damage,” he told a security conference last month hosted by his agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.  

https://www.ft.com/content/c88509f9-c9bd-46f4-8a5c-9b2bdd3c3dd3

https://archive.ph/VwGy2

Paywall.  "Subscribe to unlock this article."

On 5/19/2024 at 11:07 PM, Neeranam said:

Although he was far from a saint, he did a lot of good for the Palestinian cause, he consistently used his platform to voice support for the Palestinian people and their struggle for self-determination. He frequently condemned Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories and advocated for the rights of Palestinians. He also opposed peace agreements with Israel that were perceived as detrimental to  Palestine and didn't address the fundamental issues of Palestinian statehood and sovereignty. He gave moral support to Palestinians, who would otherwise all be dead by now. 

Same thing could be said of Stalin.  He helped the allies in defeating Nazi Germany.

1 hour ago, placeholder said:

It hasn't happened for more than 3 months since this topic was posted. Which is a bit longer than "overnight".  Apparently, you are operating under the assumption that it will occur. 

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks due to U.S. airstrikes.  Because the attacks are not as frequent as three months ago I am assuming that that it will happen, albeit not as quickly as we would like.  

The U.S. has to be careful to avoid civilian deaths, aka collateral damage, otherwise they will be accused of committing some type of "atrocity," similar to what Israel is facing. The Saudis had that problem.  What a screwed up world we live in.  I say if you are going to fight a war, fight to win.

On 5/17/2024 at 9:13 PM, placeholder said:

I did subsequently post a bypass for the paywall. Here it is again:

https://archive.ph/pm1AN

I was hoping for the U.S. to step up its interdiction of drone and missile components from Iran and also continue to hit launching sites.

Unfortunately, this will not happen overnight.

On 5/17/2024 at 5:31 PM, paul1804 said:

Deport them in 48 hours, that will stop the BS from reoccurring!

Send them to Gaza where they can joint Hamas and actually fight the Israelis.

21 hours ago, placeholder said:

 

"Once they run out of drones and missiles the huffing and puffing will be just that."

As my recent post noted:

Maersk Says Expanded Houthi Attacks Are Forcing More Delays
The shipping company said the militia had recently tried to attack ships farther from the shore of Yemen, putting more strain on logistics.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/06/business/maersk-houthi-red-sea-shipping.html

 

Maybe those Houthis have really powerful lungs.

Another link with a paywall.  Plus more of your sarcasm which, evidently, is free.

17 minutes ago, placeholder said:

And when can we expect their weapon supplies to be exhausted?

From my previous post: "The U.S. military has suggested its airstrikes and interceptions of Houthi fire have disrupted their assaults and chewed into their weapon stockpiles."  Seems plausible. 

2 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

AFAIK, no new news about Houthi attacks.

Update: https://www.yahoo.com/news/yemens-houthi-rebels-claim-attacking-122107315.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

Haven't heard from the former CIA case worker for a while.  I wonder if his former employer has anything to do with his silence?

19 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Who knew?!

Now you do.

18 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

My ancestors fought the English for 600 years.

 

The Palestinians have barely started the fight. It will go on. Israelis will live in fear for as long as they oppress Palestinians.

The Palestinians voted for Hamas and Hamas betrayed them.   

3 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I agree that money needs to be taken out of politics legislation needs bringing in to annul ‘Citizens United’ and lobbying needs to be regulated better.

 

But Trump isn’t responding to lobbying or funding, he’s offering the power of the Presidency for sale.

 

That’s corruption on a whole different scale.

Corruption is corruption no matter which scale you use. 

37 minutes ago, charleskerins said:

what needs to be proven for a fiancee visa?

Sponsor needs to provide an affidavit of support with documentation of financial ability such as verification of income and/or substantial assets to provide support.  IRS verified income tax returns may be required along with certified copies of bank statements, etc.

2 hours ago, jasonsamui55 said:

To quote your illustrious ex president. But seriously, those are the lowest of the low, the ones who actually want to be the illegal Mexican lawn boys, or Ecuadorian lawn boys, or Bolivian lawn boys. 

There happens to be many well educated and talented people from countries that are going through perilously rough times trying to immigrate to the U.S. Venezuela is a good example.

On 5/11/2024 at 5:58 AM, jasonsamui55 said:

Complete and utter arrogance. They think that everyone wants to live there and be an illegal Mexican lawn boy for the rest of their lives. Haven’t they realized that for the last 20 years so-called third-world people don’t want to live in the US? A.) they’re probably better off in their home countries and b.) if they’re not, and they do want to move, the US is hardly the first choice any more. Maybe from the 1950s to 2000 it was but since 2000 or 9/11 only the lowest of the low South Americans want to go to the US. Everybody else would rather go to Canada or the UK or Australia or anywhere in Europe. Arrogance to the extreme. Riding their legacy laurels as if it were still 1950s. I once lived in HK and was planning to move temporarily to the US for work and offered to take my Filipina maid at the time to the US and sponsor her for a visa. She just laughed and politely declined. She later told me she likes the US but it was like number 30 on her list, so she held out for something better.

Overstay statistics are among the criteria in what determines the strictness in tourist visa requirements.  I know that Thailand and the Philippines are high up on the list of overstayers.