Hawaiian

I cannot support this move - Libya and Khaddafi's forces haven't threatened or committed acts of war against other countries.

Khaddafi rightly regards this as an aggression against him personally.

He threatens with terrorism, but what else can he do?

I have an uneasy feeling about this, and if the NATO misses the colonel, this could be a reciepe for disaster.

I feel the same way. However if it is used ONLY to protect the portion of population that attempted to overthrow Gaddafi from Genocide then it has merit. However if it is used as a offensive means to topple or assist the rebels in conducting offensive operations against the regime then that would not be good and may indeed escalate and already frightening situation. I hope that all sides show restraint. This could well turn into another foriegn policy failure in the Middle East.

Having posting problems. Will try again.

I cannot support this move - Libya and Khaddafi's forces haven't threatened or committed acts of war against other countries.

Khaddafi rightly regards this as an aggression against him personally.

He threatens with terrorism, but what else can he do?

I have an uneasy feeling about this, and if the NATO misses the colonel, this could be a reciepe for disaster.

I feel the same way. However if it is used ONLY to protect the portion of population that attempted to overthrow Gaddafi from Genocide then it has merit. However if it is used as a offensive means to topple or assist the rebels in conducting offensive operations against the regime then that would not be good and may indeed escalate and already frightening situation. I hope that all sides show restraint. This could well turn into another foriegn policy failure in the Middle East.

I would like to see this reviewed under the strict anti-corruption laws in the US. Unless I am mistaken this law was introduced specifically to prevent US citizens bribing foreign government officials or nationals.

No matter how you look at this under US law it amounts to a bribe, regardless of Pakistani or Sharia law. It would be interesting to know exactly who paid the $2.3 million.

Perhaps the CIA is above the law?

You nailed it in one, except it was probably the State Department that came up with the money from their Christmas account.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act covers individuals and corporations only. The US government bribes other government officials every day in much larger sums than this under the guise of Foreign Aid. This is nickel and dime stuff to them.

Where did you hear the sum of $2.3 million?

There was a news report on France24 (TV) - they said the amount was $2.34 mil - not a bad deal for the families, by the sound of the two on the bike they were not your average innocent bystanders. Perhaps their 'bosses' were influential enough to get this done in record time.

As we speak there are protests in Pakistan over this - the people rightfully feel cheated - there was no justice served here.

AP news article by Babar Dogar mentioned $2.4 million. Ransom paid instead of exchange of spy for spy.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center probably has more reliable information than any agency in Thailand.

The so-called 'holy lands' are at a crossroads between Africa, Europe and Asia. It used to be somewhat lush, with cheetas, rhinos, giraffes and all sorts of other thriving wildlife. Now it's desert, completely overun by one species. It was desertified as far back as Moses' time - and the mentality of the humans hasn't developed much since then. Moses himself was a vengeful dictator who deputized his most violent sect, the 'Assassins' (that's where the word comes from) to decimate other Israeli tribes within his flock, if they strayed at all - from his dictates. This latest violent murder, as sad as it is, ....is part of a continuing pattern in that part of the world - where one species has grossly overrun the carrying capacity of the environment. Pardon me for ranting.

I don't think you are ranting. Just describing the culture and mentality that has changed little for thousands of years. Isn't this where "eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth" came from?

Seems like his wallet can't hold any more money.

The European Parliment should stop supporting the drug trade. This woman was caught breaking the law and paid the price very simple.

Rather doubtful if anyone can get a fair trial in Iran. Just read the official press releases from Tehran and you can see that distortion of the truth is a routine thing.

Another problem not covered?

"Farmers living in the same district have been fighting over water supply, and in many cases they have pointed guns at one another. We are gathered today to seek solutions before things get worse," he said.

The farmers in the upriver areas demand that water, at the rate of 8 cubic metres per second, be released to areas between Canals 1 and 8 for 15 days and that one of the irrigation chiefs get transferred.

http://www.thaivisa....tle-over-water/

Glad someone realizes that it is water that has a big influence. Add in energy supplies and the future is grim for Thailand. Thailand is incapable of energy self sufficiency and all it will take is a few more spikes in oil prices to see the deforestation of Thailand go into high gear as drought and cutting of forests for fuel supply destroys Thailand's land.Look at Haiti to understand the impact.

You hit the nail on the head. There is no substitute for water. Every year Thais complain about drought. There is no shortage of water, just poor management of water resources. What's going to happen when China brings the Mekong to a trickle and deforestation causes a drastic reduction in rainfall? Not a pleasant thought.

Perhaps those who save their outrage for the unintentional civilian deaths sympathize with those targeting civilians. Not necessarily cheering the deaths, but they "understand" why it needs to be done since they have been invaded and occupied. It's a sacrifice that must be made if they are to be free to well, kill their own civilians anyway but in a more open and free way.

I rather doubt that the victims and families of "more open and free way" killings think their lives should be sacrificed. These so-called insurgents were committing these atrocities prior to being invaded and occupied. Tribal rivalries and accompanying violence has been a way of life for many centuries, long before the British, Russians and Americans came.

Killing of civilians by anti-government forces are intentional, while those by NATO forces are not. Yes, where are those outraged posters? Double standards?

Don't know whether he is French or not, but he sure has no class. People with limited vocabularies tend to use profanity to make their point.

Perhaps he was rejected by the French Foreign Legion.

My time served in active military service was between the Korean and Viet Nam conflicts. So Mr. know-it-all you are right, I have no actual combat experience. I can only relate to experiences of the men and women who bravely served under fire. Until I lived with people with combat connected PTSD I never realized how it disrupts their daily lives. Every day is a personal battle fighting against suicidal tendencies.

My grandmother lost her husband and nearly everything else in the Russian Revolution. She managed to flee across Asia and eventually ended up in Japan where one of her two children succumbed from the ordeals of the journey. She was fortunate enough to obtain passage on a ship to Hawaii. There she met my grandfather. He came to Hawaii as a physician to tend to the medical needs of a ship full of indentured laborers from China. Because of his profession he was little more fortunate than his fellow countrymen. From my mother's parents I learned to be compassionate for those who lives are filled with daily struggles to survive. I also grew up knowing fully the realities of life. This means knowing when and how to separate fact from fiction or bluntly speaking, how recognize B.S. when I see it.

WAR IS HELL!

Some of my friends, Viet Nam Conflict veterans, suffer from PTSD. Their reoccurring nightmares are mostly reliving the horrors of war. Most don't want to talk about it because it brings back memories they wish they could forget.

After his first tour of duty, my brother-in-law volunteered for another tour. He went back for a second time and returned home very disappointed and disillusioned. He said he just didn't have the stomach for it anymore.

The majority of the U.S. military do not enjoy killing, especially innocent people. It is virtually impossible to weed out those who won't follow the rules of engagement and/or commit atrocities. Those that do are usually caught and prosecuted, sometimes years later.

WAR IS HELL!

As one poster mentioned, you have no idea what it is like until you have been there and experienced it. Talk is cheap!

It is inevitable that there will be civilian casualties when there is no defined battlefield and one side uses noncombatants as shields. Sooner or later there will be innocent lives lost.

Not easy to fight a war when the rules of war only apply to one side.

Harmid Karzai is upset because he and his henchmen have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar and have been told that this must stop. He is using this incident to bolster his waning support. He knows that when NATO forces are withdrawn he will have to deal with the Taliban and is trying to blame someone else for his double dealing.

Maybe the problem is that war was started against some terrorist group. They should have known beforehand that they will not met a 'regular' army.

Karzai is upset because he is an Afghani and for sure not happy about when the Americans killed young boys over there.

Once Kabul was taken from the Taliban and Karzai installed as president he personally invited NATO to Afghanistan to get rid of Al Queda. He knew what the risks were. He knew that there might be unintended consequences. Karzai is an opportunist and will join whichever camp that will keep him in power. Did he not recently threaten to forgo the political process and join the Taliban? Not once, but twice. Enough said.

"Thailand needs to grow up."

And pigs might fly.

I take this and other stuff in my stride.

Its a case of take it or leave it. Personally I really enjoy my time in Thailand, grown up or not.

I have always taken things in stride and enjoyed myself. As for departure, I have always been on time and have never missed a flight. When "experienced" and not constant whiners say it is a problem, then I listen up. While far from being disabled, I am having a problem with my knees and try to avoid standing in long lines if I can. My gripe is with the attitude of the people in charge.

I come from a place where tourism is a major part of the economy. While far from perfect our government agencies tend to go out of their way to accommodate visitors.

It is inevitable that there will be civilian casualties when there is no defined battlefield and one side uses noncombatants as shields. Sooner or later there will be innocent lives lost.

Not easy to fight a war when the rules of war only apply to one side.

Harmid Karzai is upset because he and his henchmen have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar and have been told that this must stop. He is using this incident to bolster his waning support. He knows that when NATO forces are withdrawn he will have to deal with the Taliban and is trying to blame someone else for his double dealing.

I've got an outbound long haul at 08:30 on Monday morning, what time would anyone advise I arrive for check-in, presumably 06:00 will be the earliest?

Unless you're willing to fork out for the Fast-Track option, it's best to be there the full three hours before departure. A friend just emailed he was among the first to check in when the counter opened at 5.30 am, but barely made an 8.30 am flight. He said it was total chaos inside and outside the Immigration Hall.

Evil

My last trip to Thailand was in August 2009. After experiencing the governments experiment on internet censorship, I vowed never to return until things improved. Then came the Bangkok riots and now the immigration delays at the airport. The wife still goes back to visit family, but I refuse to accompany her. I used to go there to relax. Now I go elsewhere where there isn't a lot of unnecessary B.S. to put up with. Thailand needs to grow up.

Seriously the states are extremely paranoid.

No

Have you looked into trying to take a Thai to the states. I have. It can be done but the bar is high.

I heard of one Lady from Lao who got her visa here before going and when she got there she was turned back.

I am a US citizen who chooses to live here rather than there or in Canada where I have immigration status. In the states the paranoia is high but it is covered up with a superiority complex. Most of the Americans are completely clue less as to the rest of the world. Every thing is wrong and they are always rite.

Don't get me wrong. I visit every year brothers and sisters in the states. Canada ex wife and kids. But the restrictions on living in the land of the free are to high. I like to live here in Thailand where people are free to enjoy life. They are not afraid of it.

The tens of thousands of travelers who went there on visitor/tourist visas and then subsequently overstayed is at the root cause of strict selectivity for granting of these visas. It's not paranoia.

It's not only the those that overstay, but also people that falsify information on their visa applications. I know of one Thai woman who has paid individuals to sponsor her relatives with K1 (Fiance/Fiancee) visas. Her success has emboldened her to find even more sponsors for more of her relatives. She even had the audacity to ask her sister's ex-husband to return the money after her sister was naturalized and subsequently divorced.

Sooner or later she will get busted by immigration for arranging these sham marriages.

Why doesn't the government go after real cost savings like reigning in Medicare fraud that costs an estimated $60 billion a year. Another area of huge cost savings would be tax reform.

The U.S. always like to point to corruption and the accompanying waste in other countries, but refuses to address the problem at home. All we get is a lot of talk and no action.

Big mistake. Probably just the excuse certain countries are looking for to justify foreign intervention. As the old saying goes, "If you are looking for an excuse you will find one."

Would not a simple solution such as armed security on board these commercial vessels deter the pirates, after the demise of a substantial number the message should sink in, the current message seems to be - we are SOFT - Please continue to steal, pillage and rape us at your leisure ! Little wonder these cretins continue to prosper, if the Maratime Insurance companies refused to cover any vessels entering the arena without an armed deterrent force, that may also help those Shipping Companies with this lack of coherent focus to get some ! After losing the odd hundred million from their own pockets. After all that it is just ludicrous and imbecilic for these dumb ass recreational sailors to have entered the arena of their own free will, perhaps they could be persuaded to reconvene the coliseum so we can all watch if they insist on committing suicide by Pirate. There exists the technology to place guided bombs through a house window yet there is no realistic plan being even talked up in this scenario - Why ?

The insurance premiums are adjusted to cover the claims. When premiums go up the cost is passed on to the consumer. The insurance carriers do not want to be accused of encouraging violence, then they will become targets for acts of terrorism. As long as the claims are at an "acceptable level" the insurance companies will stay neutral.

I notice that in this incident, 13 pirates were detained .

In my opinion, there should have been no survivors, all should have been killed in the action !

Back in the 50's i was on a naval ship ( will not disclose which navy) we departed Mogadishu, Somalia bnd for Colombo, then Ceylon. At sea 2 days we were informed that there might be 2 dhows in the area bound for the Persian Gulf from Zanzibar, which we were to stop and search as they were suspected of running slaves. We subsequently found and tracked 2 dhows for some time. As we closed on them in the early evening they proceeded to throw a number of persons overboard who were attacked by large sharks. We were unable to rescue these persons, all young boys and girls as the sharks had killed them . We were all incensed by the crew of the 2 dhows who just stood and grinned at our boarding parties. They told us that we had no right to board them as they had no slaves on board, the few girls they had ( about 14 yrs old) were wives of the crew. We subsequently took the girls away, eventually finding out that they were the choice slaves for the arab market. As we steamed away the arab crews turned their backs to us shouting and exposing their backsides. Our captain was so angry as we all were that we opened fire with our light AA guns and sank them. they soon found out about the sharks. I have never regretted this ocurrence but have no doubt that the "do gooders" would condemn us all to the gallows if they could. If this was done to these pirates a bit more often then things might be different.

Please do not ask me for more particulars as i am not going to say more. I am now in my mid 70's and still at peace with it when i think of what those animals did with those kids.

It was agreed that nothing more be said and to my knowledge nothing has.

I also served aboard ship during the 50's, but never had the experience of meting out that kind of justice. Must say that you sailed with an honorable crew for this to have been kept under wraps for all these years. Hats off to you and your comrades.

It's time for the USA and a "coalition of the willing" to just take over the coast of Somalia. It would be pretty easy to do. Put a fence around it like one giant military base. Deport ALL of the locals to the interior and bring in other nationalities to do any labor required like they do here in the Gulf with Indians and Filipinos. Problem solved.

why usa?

most of us could care less about pirates . for gods sake...............pirates!

These lowlifes are not just pirates. They are cold bloodied murderers. Why the U.S.? Because the U.S. has a huge military presence in the area and has the resources and intelligence apparatus necessary to stop these atrocities.

Useless as teats on a boar comes to mind. The plight of foreign workers in Libya is a disaster in the making and the best the U.N. can do is a slap on the wrist. Procrastination seems to be a trademark of this organization.

A minefield spanning Somali waters should do the trick.

This would create more problems with the possibility of mines breaking loosing from their moorings and straying into the busy shipping lanes. While I totally agree something needs to be done, this is not the answer.