chrislarsson

You can test them a million times if you want, but unless the reference sample has come from Miss Witheridge, you may as well not bother.

Does the UK police have access to independent DNA samples taken from Hannah's body? I never read that they do. But the body is in England and you would think it's easy to obtain.

Where did you ever hear anything about 'independent DNA samples taken from Hannah's body', please?

i never heard about it. But should that not be possible? There should still be semen left from the killers after her body was sent home.

Then how can it be confirmed independently that the DNA samples come from Miss Witheridge's body and belong to the killers?

This can be confirmed easy. Today they can check where the DNA comes from. vagina, mouth, blood,...!!!

I'm sure the Brit Cops have a DNA check from Miss Witheridge's body.

If that's the case they can just send DNA samples from the two Burmese suspects to UK. That will end the debate, and confidence in the Thai police can be restored or at least improved.

The police submitted DNA test as the only evidence and not a single witness was present. That's why Koh Samui prosecutors returned the case to Thai police to find further evidence.

This speaks volumes...

Stupid comment!!! Do you believe they waited that some hundred Tourist come look when they do it? If the DNA match 100% it is enough evidence!!!

Then how can it be confirmed independently that the DNA samples come from Miss Witheridge's body and belong to the killers?

You can test them a million times if you want, but unless the reference sample has come from Miss Witheridge, you may as well not bother.

Does the UK police have access to independent DNA samples taken from Hannah's body? I never read that they do. But the body is in England and you would think it's easy to obtain.

And, what's more: you won't be able anymore to read the news here on Thaivisa since everything will not be functioning anymore.

What a disaster! They should invest billions of dollars immediately and never mind that Thaivisa is hosted in Singapore.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand deputy governor :

number of tourists coming to Thailand will be in the range of 14.5 to 15 million, bringing in 550 billion baht in revenue.

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports :

the estimated income expected to be generated from tourism this year is about 272 billion THB.

Do they work for the same country?

The GDP of Thailand is roughly 10.000 billion baht. If tourism accounts for 6% of GDP, that makes its size about 600 billion baht.

It's a surprisingly short penalty. My guess is that he has also provided useful information about other people involved and cut a deal.

Are you mad? 1.5 months for talking crap without acting on it is a rough sentence. The guy was obviously drunk and stoned on something at the time which the video clearly shows. In the countries where the majority of us come from the police would lock you up overnight to sleep it off, put you in front of a magistrate the next day and let you go with a fine! He wasn't an illegal immigrant, just a bit foolish!

As far as I know he was also standing by and watching while his friends torched the channel 3 building.

It's a surprisingly short penalty. My guess is that he has also provided useful information about other people involved and cut a deal.

The definition of terrorism in this article makes it pretty clear that PAD's seizure was an act of terrorism. 18 months and still not one arrest warrant has been issued. The investigation has been almost 100% complete for more than a year now.

Most countries get a touch sensitive when outsiders want to observe or get involved in internal matters. As far as I remember the EU offered, or suggested, rather than 'wanted' to sent observers. In line with this, do you think the Netherlands should ask some countries to observe their general elections next month?

Nobody in the Netherlands is accusing any party of cheating. The EU had observers in the last presidential election in the United States due to the accusations of cheating in Florida 2000.

It may be in the interest of the Thai government, if it wants to taken seriously. For instance, the EU wanted to send observers to cover the last election 2007 (also an internal affair), but the army junta refused to even discuss the idea.

Given that Thailands recent problems are based around "free and fair" elections, it would be a good idea to have international observers.

But I don't really see either side agreeing to this.

I didn't know the red side was against international observers. Do you have any link supporting this?

Here is an article on the topic:

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2...ctoral-culture/

There is another charge that can be brought against Thaksin, namely a crime against Humanity. However I doubt Thai society, being morally blind, will countenance it. I recall that in 2003 almost 2,500 people, including a nine year child were done to death by the Thaksin regime in a so called war against drugs. It later transpired that most of the victims were innocent and to compound the offence the murdered innocents were, and still are, slandered as unrepentant drug dealers. Drawling drawing room Marxist apologists continue to cite that there is no proof to implicate Thaksin or his Ministers. However he was PM and if we employ normal standards of accountability then he and his ministers have a prima facie case of a crime against humanity to answer. Murder on this scale definitely constitutes a Crime against Humanity!

Thaksin has been charged and acquitted for this already. Besides, the war on drugs appeared to have the support from a higher institution.

Thailand has come the laughing stock of the western world. Charging him as a terrorist because he made speeches to the Red Shirts against the government is not terrorisms.

That's probably a bit much. But I don't think anyone who has looked into recent court rulings by the Supreme Court believe that Thailand has an independent judicial branch anymore.

If the Thai government is serious and they actually have proof of crimes, why don't they ask for Thaksin to be tried in an international court? But they don't have any. If they did, it would be posted all over the Internet already.

Very few countries would be willing to involve an international court in an internal matter. Don't forget this IS an internal matter and acknowledged as such by the international community.

It may be in the interest of the Thai government, if it wants to taken seriously. For instance, the EU wanted to send observers to cover the last election 2007 (also an internal affair), but the army junta refused to even discuss the idea.

Thaksin said Interpol, the Paris-based international police intelligence-sharing association, would not act on such a groundless and politically motivated warrant.

my Thaksin is an impudent man

he is even telling Interpol what they can do

someone should send this article to the Chief at Interpol and see how he feels about a convicted criminal and accused terrorist telling him how to do his job.

This is in the international news. I'm pretty sure it reaches France as well.

Convicted by a court influenced by an institution that we are not allowed to talk about. If the Chief at Interpol will start asking too many questions, he will suddenly face the prospect of spending 15 years in jail in Thailand himself. Hmmm...I wonder how he feels about that.

Thailand has come the laughing stock of the western world. Charging him as a terrorist because he made speeches to the Red Shirts against the government is not terrorisms.

That's probably a bit much. But I don't think anyone who has looked into recent court rulings by the Supreme Court believe that Thailand has an independent judicial branch anymore.

If the Thai government is serious and they actually have proof of crimes, why don't they ask for Thaksin to be tried in an international court? But they don't have any. If they did, it would be posted all over the Internet already.

Here is some red propaganda for you to bash.

"The current government did not come to power through a “normal democratic process”. The party currently in power boycotted an election they knew they would lose as a first step in their rejection of democracy. Next the elected government was overthrown in a military coup, then the junta re-wrote the constitution and used the new law retroactively to dissolve the country’s most popular party and ban senior politicians who had not even been accused (let alone convicted) of any crime. With their new law and institutions in place, the junta braved elections but when the result again went against them they used their legal code and control of the judiciary to eject a sitting prime minister for appearing to profit from a cooking show, then again dissolved the countries most popular party; and after thus laying waste to the opposition (all politicians elected through a normal democratic process) they were finally able to cobble together a coalition that included Newin’s party, who, although banned for previous activities, was somehow allowed to continue as leader of his party as long as he switched sides.

I would hardly call that a normal democratic process.

This history may explain, in part, the reds doubting the sincerity of Abhisit’s quickly withdrawn offer of elections in November."

For me too. The Thai Government has just blocked www.ireport.com

What's next? Kick out international media journalists? Arrest foreigners?

Not in songkhla I look at it now.

is boring and nothing you not see already.

can I change my handle here to songkhlasam to impress my mates and all the goons with BKK or Bangkok or Inasia in their handle?

It's blocked by True, but not by Buddy. I don't know about other providers.

Latest Death Toll: '29' (All Civilians). Injured: '221' /via @tulsathit

shows who the main aggressors are, the army!!

facts to back up the statement!!

Shows who are using better combat tactics. And in terms of weapons, the military is actually out-gunned, Reds are using grenades, military isn't.

I haven't seen any reports that the Reds have used grenades so far? If they have people with heavy arms it seems like they have not joined the fighting yet.

If anyone is interested in the reality of what really is happening in BKK go the NY Times and do a search on the current situation.

I dont think I can include the link due to censorship!

Uh, what? NY Times is not censored nor a banned medium here, stop the hyperbole crap...

I provided a link to the Economist earlier today, and later received a warning from moderators of being banned if it happened again. You know exactly why.

PS. I just read the article. It cannot be shared here.

The MAIN issue is that we are unsure of WHO killed Sae Daeng. The reports were that he was shot from INSIDE red territory.

I read a few reports, but I never read any suggesting that he was shot from inside the red territory. Can you provide any links of that?

An article in The Nation, for instance, suggest he was shot by a sniper from a high-rise building.

An informal investigation into the shooting of Khattiya reveals that he was talking to reporters with his face turned towards Wireless Road. The sniper could only have hid himself on one of the high floors inside either the Dusit Thani Hotel or the adjacent building on Rama IV Road.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2010/...--30129368.html

"We are told by @thaicam that fresh supplies of water & ice being brought into Ratchaprasong now. /via @RichardBarrow"

Can someone explain how this is possible? They suddenly invented portal-technology?

many small sois to scamper through, but wont b able to keep thousands supplied for long. the writings on the wall, this last sad spasm of violence is only turning more people against them

Can they use the canal as well?

I'm afraid we are only seeing the beginning, not the last spasms. No dead soldiers yet just sounds too easy. The reds have not used any heavy arms yet. I hope I'm wrong, but I think the real fighting won't begin until the army starts the crackdown of Ratchaprasong.

Surely it's time to roll in the tanks? It's not like our past gov'ts have been tank shy. They (like all gov'ts) can spin it to their heart's content after the fact. "Oh, those were just 'light tanks' and the only people getting killed were the Reds who were shooting each other. They were like Dawn of the Dead zombies."

I really hope it does not come to that.

Considering the past performance of the army, I don't think that would be a good idea. Just imagine the chaos if the reds managed to take over tanks and start using them against the army.

savage. Abhisit is now a world class dictator. Congratulations!

And what is this supposed to show?? some criminals hiding behind barricades that is all

What is shows is the governments claims that "we only shoot in self defence" are totally bogus lies.. As does the CNN footage..

Which then makes his "only trust the official sources, we must maintain the moral high ground" type statements also laughable..

Its currently open season on anything that moves, protesters, journos, medics, etc.. Lets forget this 'only in self defence' PR BS..

And what are these guys doing? Going for a walk? NO. They are attacking the army. The army are responding.

You can find the full story behind this video here:

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2...e-killing-zone/

For those of you that have Facebook... Someone uploading a video...

People taking cover from what looks like sniper fire... Ide like to know what they are doing there and why they were getting shot at...

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=123968350962277

Anybody entering a 'war-zone' runs the risk of being pinned down by gunfire. What makes you think it is 'sniper fire'? The simple solution to this is don't enter a war-zone unless you have a dam_n good reason to do so!

being shot at?? BS then I would not relaxed look on my mobile like the guy in white is doing, and a sniper, then you wouldn't be able to video this because a sniper spots you and you'll be the target.

Here is the full story behind this video:

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2...e-killing-zone/

PS. It's the same video as the one called gunfires.AVI from youtube.

The shady business deals pale into insignificance compared to what Thaksin should have been charged with and that is crimes against humanity, for the murder of between 2500 and 5000 people in the war on drugs. Amnesty International has many cases where completely innocent people were murdered in these extra judicial killings. Of the ones that may have been guilty of dealing drugs, they should have all had a fair trial and not met their demise in this fashion.

He was charged for this already and got acquitted due to lack of evidence. As the war on drugs was quite effective in reducing drug consumption, it was approved by Thais in general, and it was mainly a big issue in the international community.