LevelHead

Look on the bright side, if your scenario matures and I think it just might, we could easily see 70 baht per Pound again by end 09 as UK interest rates rise. As for the following year, well, just make sure you time your conversion to Baht properly otherwise it doesn't bear thinking about. Have to say though that I'm feeling fairly chirpy this morning for two reasons. The first is I got tired yesterday of screwing around with my remaining USD in the that death zone of 1.45/1.52 and decided to get out completely, that was one lucky move on my part since this morning it's showing at 1.55. I always have problems in the 1.40-1.60 window and hope I have learned my lesson this time and will never play there again!

Secondly, I took another fixed rate deposit on GBP yesterday (can still get 4.5%) and despite the temptation to go for two years I have followed my gut and stuck with one year. Twelve months hence we could well be in a totally different ball game, as our American cousins like to say.

Sorry if I disturb your chirpy mood, but we will never see 70 Baht/Pound ever again.

The problem is the massive debt mountain. I can only see one possible way of clearing these debts, and that is to create rampant inflation. And to do that what would be the policy?

- drop interest rates to zero

- devalue the currency

- print trillions of notes

Which is exactly what is happening.

Even though Brown is saying this is a fight against deflation, the man is lying. Why would he drop VAT, an action which in itself will instantly lower inflation? Maybe just to ensure he can justify the cutting of interest rates to zero? Inflation rate is STILL at over twice the target rate of 2%, DESPITE the massive fall in oil price, it is IMPOSSIBLE that inflation will drop much if indeed at all further because all imports are now 30% more expensive, which will result in a substantial rise in prices early next year.

And Brown (he is now controlling the interest rates, NOT the MPC) will refuse to put up interest rates because of the next trumped up reason, and that is to get the economy restarted, with a much lower Pound, a workforce desperate for a job, so companies can cut wages.

The result is that the debts will be paid off with valueless paper and savings will be destroyed. So where will we be over the next couple of years?

- the prudent savers will have spent their savings or suffer massive real term losses due to inflation. (This is what Brown wants, SPEND your money)

- due to the depression and unemployment, anybody with debts they cannot service will lose their property to the nationalised banks, who will in this way rebuild their asset base (so Brown has saved the banking industry)

- after the anger and acceptance phases, there will be a labour force prepared to work for peanuts and so industry will gradually rebuild itself in a recovery.

It is everyone for themselves, and a lot of people are going to have to reassess their dreams and lifestyles.

My personal suggestion, if Thailand is your country of choice, is to bring enough funds across to support yourself for the next five years at least and, once the property prices in the UK crash another 20% buy with cash, which will give another 5% discount. People will be desperate to sell.

Anybody relying on returns from deposit accounts with reducing returns and falling GBP must earnestly review their situation.

Sorry for being the monger of doom here, but if you can see a more optimistic scenario please let me know, because this is giving me sleepless nights trying to consolidate all the news into a consistent thread.

An excellent summary of the situation. I too doubt we will see 70 THB again.

It is an excellent summary in a narrow sense, but this too applies to most economies. Perhaps the pair of you need to understand the global scale of what's happening.

Britain is in no better/worse shape than anywhere else. Actually if you are looking at minor differences, USA, Germany and Japan, all look in stickier situations, and Thailand is forecast to be the worst effected of the ASEAN countries.

Indeed, people always look at what they know best and think everyone else is fine. Your scenario is fine if Britain were the only one affected. Its not, and in Europe I would suggest presently the worst one is Switzerland, which has massive exposure to bad Eastern Europe debts.

Sterling has fallen badly as it was an easy short play for forex traders, and with so many with short positions on sterling the price is subdued, but those shorts have to be closed or rolled over, and as March draws near we will see how many close positions and how many roll over.

Sterling I would say now is "oversold" which means it has upside to get back to fair value, and provided that the UK is "first in - first to stabilise - and finally first to exit" then stabilisation should occur in later 2009. With that will come a revival in sterling, not a rally, but a significant move up.

You could easily see near 70 levels to the pound by late 2009, depending on how bad the situation is in Thailand.

What you have to remember with Thailand is that it makes for itself very little. There is very little "Thai business"........they have always been happy to be the workers for Japs, Europeans or whoever and build things but never own the IP.

This means that they will suffer very hard as countries and companies become more protectionist and move work "back home".

With a bad tourist season now, and what will be another very bad one next winter given the state of the world, Thailand and the baht could be in serious trouble by the year end.

If you are planning any major purchases or money transfers, then I would suggest wait until August at least, and then review again, for the baht is going to keep sliding downwards now for a very long time.

I have noticed that the "Thread Starters" of the Thailand News Clippings Forum, tend not to start threads on anything that is to do with potential Democrat corruption.

I mean say the recent headlines over the stinking milk.

I think perhaps some of the people on here have become "too far PAD/Democrat" supporters and too "I personally hate Thaksin" that they know lose their neutrality.

Can the moderators please ensure that the threads reflect a general spread of news, and we do not fall into the trap of having mods decide to "not report" certain kinds of news.

Wonder if he has a sore bum ?

Is this Abi's attempt at an early "April Fools" joke ?

I thought there might be a cartoon (for fun and nothing insinuated) of him and his Democrat cronies watching starving refugee's in drifting boats, while watching starving kids eat tins of rotten fish and drinking stinking milk, whilst dancing around listening to the latest tunes from the PAD band at a shut down airport with lots of farang tourists all trapped everywhere and crying ?

These Ozzies, so stupid.

All he had to do was wear a "Yellow Shirt" then you can go about hitting, kicking, shooting policeman, stealing their cars and vans, shutting airports etc...

Moral of the story - "WEAR A YELLOW SHIRT" with a PAD headband when committing crimes................

"Buying votes" with 2000 baht handouts - seems you can also staple your name card to the money........"new politics" Democrat/PAD style ....LOL

So you are a "red" and you are against buying votes?! LOL How does that work?

Yes, I am against all vote buying.

The UDD are all about Democracy, and are anti-coup and anti-back door coup.

Why, are the UDD vote buying ? I think not, they are not a political party.

How stupid are you to think the UDD are vote buying.....

This person thinks the UDD are buying votes..........THEY ARE NOT EVEN IN AN ELECTION........

The most important thing for the red shirts is "getting the message" over to the international press.

The message has been recieved. Everyone knows about the lack of action against the PAD's illegal activities, Kasit, 1997 constition etc........

I mean "RED SHIRTS CALL FOR ACTION AGAINST THOSE WHO BLOCKED THE AIRPORT"............they will get lots of people agreeing with that, and people asking why the new government is not taking action........nudge nudge wink wink

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090131/wl_as...politicsprotest

http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2009/0...ND-POLITICS.php

http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-01-31-voa18.cfm

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/01...otest-2009.html

http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.as...umentid=2296899

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02....htm?site=local

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/02....htm?site=local

............and thousands more.....all over the world.

Well played reds, keep it in the headlines, and make sure that people keep asking why Kasit is FM, why the PAD have not been charged for blocking the airport, why the PAD guards were Army trained, why the PAD guards had guns and weapons, who did pay for all the PAD activities...................etc.......

As the economy crumbles under Democrat mismanagment and the consequencies of the PAD actions of 2008........more and more people will join forces with the reds as the "lets wait and see" time comes to an end...................

Nirmal Gosh's Straights Times Blog entry on this demonstration:

http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2009/2/1/red...d-strong-signal

"...At no point was there the threat that things would go out of control, partly because none of the reds was armed in the manner that the PAD ''guards'' were last year. So there was little provocation. And the reds retained the moral high ground by not invading Government House as the PAD had done – a factor crucial to their public image."

Exactly, the "people" are fed up of PAD/Yellow street protests, that mess up the roads on WEEKDAYS, and SHUT DOWN AIRPORTS and other things that inconvenience them.

We all know the PAD did this to deliberatly upset the masses, force them to want change and accept the defact coup and appointing of a Democrat government.

Now, the UDD must be clever, and not upset the "people", and show people demonstrations on WEEKENDS, and show people they have a voice, and can demonstrate against the "elite" who are now behind the present government, and do so in a legal way, with non-violence and not breaking laws.

The international media will keep on reporting, as many of their reporters/mags have been threatened or charged or had publications suspended, by the "elite" controlling the Democrats coalition.

Therefore they will be more than happy to report on "Thai politcal turmoil" so the reds know they can always get "good press" coverage.

Keep up the good tactics red shirts........people will soon realise how bad the PAD were, and that they did things to make life hard for normal Thai people, in a deliberate fashion without any worrys or concerns......KNOWING that the Democrats who appear to sponsor them will not charge them or arrest them.

And who should be that "Elite" controlling the Democrats?????

The "Elite", well I think everyone knows who they are. They are ones who "control" the flow of information in important circles. Who live very well of the back of others.......

Shall we say, some of the most powerful families in the world have fallen victim to the "hangers on" giving them misleading information and allowing them to be duped into believing things that are false, disinformation they then take action over, only to find out later, much later, that in fact the "hangers on" in the middle were telling plenty of lies, lies designed to save their backs and keep them rich.

Exactly, the "people" are fed up of PAD/Yellow street protests, that mess up the roads on WEEKDAYS, and SHUT DOWN AIRPORTS and other things that inconvenience them.

Nonsense. The "people" as you call them are happily getting on in their lives and giving the new administration a chance to prove itself.

You would also do that if you weren't so keen on returning power to the corrupt self-serving politicians you obviously hold in such high esteem.

I think the new administration has already "proved" themselves.

Into power via a back door coup.

Appointing PAD people to positions of power, or advisors to the government.

Rotten fish scandal.

"Buying votes" with 2000 baht handouts - seems you can also staple your name card to the money........"new politics" Democrat/PAD style ....LOL

In just such a short period of time, we see the from the new administration the corrupt self serving politicians you hold in such high esteem back to the ways they were before, that results in the last two Democrat governments having to be dissolved.........oh.......did you forget that ??? LOL

Nirmal Gosh's Straights Times Blog entry on this demonstration:

http://blogs.straitstimes.com/2009/2/1/red...d-strong-signal

"...At no point was there the threat that things would go out of control, partly because none of the reds was armed in the manner that the PAD ''guards'' were last year. So there was little provocation. And the reds retained the moral high ground by not invading Government House as the PAD had done – a factor crucial to their public image."

Exactly, the "people" are fed up of PAD/Yellow street protests, that mess up the roads on WEEKDAYS, and SHUT DOWN AIRPORTS and other things that inconvenience them.

We all know the PAD did this to deliberatly upset the masses, force them to want change and accept the defact coup and appointing of a Democrat government.

Now, the UDD must be clever, and not upset the "people", and show people demonstrations on WEEKENDS, and show people they have a voice, and can demonstrate against the "elite" who are now behind the present government, and do so in a legal way, with non-violence and not breaking laws.

The international media will keep on reporting, as many of their reporters/mags have been threatened or charged or had publications suspended, by the "elite" controlling the Democrats coalition.

Therefore they will be more than happy to report on "Thai politcal turmoil" so the reds know they can always get "good press" coverage.

Keep up the good tactics red shirts........people will soon realise how bad the PAD were, and that they did things to make life hard for normal Thai people, in a deliberate fashion without any worrys or concerns......KNOWING that the Democrats who appear to sponsor them will not charge them or arrest them.

Well done the "red shirts". Nice legal and peaceful protest.

Get these PAD idiots in court and charged. No let up until all those involved with the PAD illegal activities are arrested and charged.

The country cannot be healed until the cause of the problem is cut out, and the root cause is now in power, the power behind the puppets of the present Democrat government so its said..

I think its just jealousy.

Before old Thai men could cruise around outside universities in thier BMW or Merc and easily pick up girls willing to sell their bodies.

Now, they are struggling as the girls are in their rooms hooking up with a younger model on the internet, and these old Thai men are getting a little upset about this, and want a return to the "old ways".

I think if they could ban the internet in Thailand, they would. The new Democrat government (run by the old power clique) is trying its best it seems.........

http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicag....aspx?id=112647

Male circumcision cuts risk of HIV and HPV

by Kimberly Weisensee

Jan 22, 2009

Circumcision reduces a heterosexual man's risk of contracting or spreading HIV. The procedure also lowers the risks of cervical cancer and STDs for women.

Male circumcision may help protect heterosexual men and women from contracting HIV.

The practice can reduce the risk of contracting sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV and HPV (human papillomavirus), according to research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases this month.

Dr. Bertran Auvert and a team of researchers from France...................................

Quite a funny thread really, the normal "numbskull brain dead responses" from those with "engrained prejudice".

Simple things really, I have been happily married to a nice Thai girl for nearly 20 years now. No issues or worries.

Compliments..........Thai girls like a few compliments, presents and surprises from time to time.

Keeping her in "wife mode".........you are the boss, this is Asia, you rule the house, you make decisions. Try to go about this "western fat pig ugly wife" way and discuss or ask.......and she will lose respect for you. Therefore, consult her opinion sometimes, but you make the decisions, even if really its what she wants, just do what she wants but it was your decision.

Face.........she has a certain "level" of face to keep, as will her family, if she is married to a farang. This means that certain things will be required, and it will cost a little money, but this is Asia, this is the way it works........men pay families for their girls, paying for the "costs" of raising a girl.....this is what a "dowry" is...........understand the needs and control it, do not let it control you.

If you have the right girl, you will be very happy.

Do not listen the nay sayers..........they are kind of like the people who follow ambulances to look at crashes...........they are only looking for the small percent that fail and ignore the large percentage that work fine.

If the murdered had smashed a plate the police would probably have guests from a Greek wedding as top of their list of suspects.

LOL - that cracked me up.

If it had been a Thai women suspected as the killer, no doubt the media hounds would be writing this all over the press, Thai bar girls are bad, stupid farang man killed by evil bar girl etc...

So, to help the process......

Bloody evil thai bar boys.

All these boys are after is money.

Serves him right for getting involved with Thai men.

Why do these farang men think they can come to Thailand and get involved with these boys ?

And so on...........

The present Deputy PM Suthep was very much involed the last time around in this process.

http://siamreport.blogspot.com/2008/12/nam...uly-7-1949.html

"• During the first Chuan Leekpai Democrat-lead government (1995), the opposition launched a House debate accusing Democrat leaders of corruption in the Sor Por Kor 4-01 land reform scheme in Phuket—Suthep was the architect of this scheme. The debate was initiated by former leader of the Chart Thai party, Banharn Silpa-archa, with MP Newin Chidchob playing a leading role. Suthep was the main target during the opposition's Sor Por Kor attack.

The debate discredited the Democrat-led government, leading PM Chuan to dissolve the House and call for fresh elections. In the general election that followed (1995), Chart Thai won 92 of the 391 seats (Democrats won 86 seats), and formed the next government with Banharn as PM. Newin rose to deputy finance minister in Banharn’s cabinet, but was later removed in a cabinet reshuffle. As for Suthep, he was never found guilty by the courts, but the issue has dogged him politically ever since. (Note: Chart Thai was dissolved in 2008, and Banharn was banned from politics for five years. Chart Thai was renamed Chart Thai Pattana—the new party joined the Democrats to form a new government in December 2008)."

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-78700817.html

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-77155058.html

--------------

The problem was instead of most of the land going to poor people for them, it was given to poor people who were nominee's of rich people.

Allegedly, the poor people took the land, got paid a few thousand baht for doing that process and promptly handed the land over to the behind the scenes rich people who put the poor peoples names forward and made sure they got the land.

This is why its said the system was so corrupt, not vote buying, but poor people buying, pay them a few thousand to register on the understanding they sign the land over to the rich for nothing afterwards.

This then "legally" puts lots of land into the hands of rich people..........a nice little scam.

Would it not be better, to quite simply keep the land under the control of the national government, and not any individual, and then "rent it" for a nominal 1 baht per rai fee, but it must only be used for agriculture.

This would prevent all those rich gits stealing it from the poor to build on.

If the aim of the scheme is to help the poor grow food..........fine, rent it out, 1 baht per rai, and the land must be used for agriculture only.

If the aim of the scheme is to allow rich people to get hold of land deeds and build on them.......then start dishing out lots of land owner certificates.

Wonder which way things will go....... LOL

Disgusting isn't it.

Lets hope those blinded by the media spin against TRT/PPP can now see exactly that the "old powers" who have got together to attempt to kill Thaksin and the TRT/PPP are the ones now pulling the new governments strings.

To immediately try to do this land reform, which everyone knows leads to just a massive pile of corruption mostly, and what caused the Democrats to have to call a house dissolution last time, means that its likely "payback time".

They have to try to do it early in their governments life, so they can push as much through as possible before they get kicked out. This is why its being done so urgently in their new term.

Thanks for your help in getting rid of TRT/Thaksin, and now we are strong, and everyone appointed is on our side, lets all get our piggie snouts in the trough and feed and eat as much as we can.

Sod the people, they now have no vote, no power and no say.

Coalition feeding time to begin soon?? and there is nothing you "great unwashed" poor can do about it. Welcome to "new politics"...........LOL

Us old timers can remember that Thailand was more corrupt before Thaksin........and less so after. So if you must say about "how corrupt Thaksin was" then just imagine what it was like before that, and what it is likely to return to being again now..........perhaps. !!

@PLUS

They did not want the money confiscated and given to a PPP controlled government.

AND

The case was instigated by the coup leaders and CNS under the interim government.......not the PPP.

The proposals include waiving visa fees, cutting air fares, and reducing airport charges.

1/ Among the measures proposed to revive sector, the ministry will urge Thai Airways International and other carriers to cut fares by 50 per cent to encourage more advanced bookings.

2/ It is also urging the government to waive visa fees for tourists from all countries for six months, with a possible extension of a further six months.

3/ The ministry has also asked the government to reduce value-added tax on hotel room rates for one year, and Airports of Thailand to reduce landing and parking fees at the country's international airports in a bid to persuade more airlines to restore their Thai operations.

4/ Other measures would require government organisations to adjust their budgets for outside meetings and seminars so as to boost domestic tourism

5/ plus a proposal that private companies' tax refunds for meetings and conferences be doubled.

6/ Moreover, hotel operators have asked for an exemption from the annual fee of Bt80 per room they have to pay to the Revenue Department.

7/ Banks, meanwhile, will be encouraged to extend debt-repayment periods for operators in the tourism sector for three years.

8/ The Ministry also plans to promote the major destinations of Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga for local tourism by reducing airport taxes and surcharges.

9/ In addition, all national parks should play their part by waiving entrance fees for three years.

Looks to be lots of spin and public relations, along with lots of nice benefits for government employees.

Going through them one by one.

1/ Cutting air fares 50%, its already been mentioned but lets go over it again. Airlines have many fares for a single class, eg Economy can be Y fare, or H fare, or M fare, or Q fare and so many others. When they say "slash by 50%" they mean generally they will slash the full fare economy ticket 50%, meaning really they are simply making more discount seats of H,M.Q available. Means nothing, most tourists only pay the reduced fare anyway, not the full fare.

2/ Visa Fee's, for most of the "high spenders" they get in visa free anyway. Visa fee's are not prohibitive either, they are just a tiny amount of cash, not going to "drive more tourists to come" is it.

3/VAT on hotel rooms, never will be passed on to customers, this is just a measure to help support the hotel business - lots of rich people now losing money with their hotel business...........so its an assistance to the rich, not a drive for more tourists.

Reducing landing and parking fee's - well perhaps those idiots should not have shut the airports in the first place. As it is, with tourism world wide falling, and with discount tickets being more and more the norm, why should airlines put on more "loss making" flights to Thailand ? This move is simply trying to get more tourists by saying if more planes come, more tourists will. Wrong at this time, more planes would simply be less full. A measure that would help later in the cycle, but not now.

4/ Government agencies to adjust budgets to SPEND SPEND SPEND...........so rather than having a meeting in their office in downtown Bangkok, save money in difficult times, put more money into education and healthcare, lets get those Democrat meetings moved to Phuket, Krabi, Rayong, at 5 star resorts, all expenses paid..........yeeeehaaaaa....we are back in power and now its time to spend all that money like we used to ehhhhh

5/ Private companies - thats up to them. Going to help 5 star hotels reduce losess or make more profits - if that helps, apart from helping the hotel owner. Going to reduce government income.

6/ See item 3, not going to be passed on to guests, going to have no benefit apart from helping the rich owners reduce their losses or make more profits.

7/ No problem with that - but did the Democrats not criticise the PPP/TRT for extending debt repayment periods for farmers ??????? LOL

8/ Yes, lets promote those southern Demcorat strongholds of support............sod the North.

9/ Do you know anyone who visits Thailand to look at "National Parks" ? Not going to make very much difference.

So lots of talk, but in all reality they will suffer because :

A/ Credit crisis, worldwide recession. Get used to it........its here to stay for some time yet.

B/ Thailand is seen as a dangerous place where the military and police have no control, they could not even between them stop the airports being taken by a bunch of loonies.

C/ Crime is rising in Thailand as item A takes hold, added to item B there is too much insecurity in the eyes of the world.

D/ Government now has PAD associations in it and working for it, adding to the "Mickey Mouse" feel of things.

E/ Baht strength - the Baht has been strengthened to a stage now where Thailand is not "attractive" as a "value" tourist destination.

F/ Airport closures by the loonies - will take people a very long time to forget it, and given all the other items that time may be more than 2 or 3 years.

You only have to look at the airports, eerily quite empty most of the time now (apart from the usual rush periods of Monday and Friday, and even those rush periods are not as hectic as they used to be)

You may well find with this case that the courts having deliberately procrastinated, delayed, deferred and generally time-wasted suddenly get their skates on now.

The reason of course is obvious. The courts have been colluding with the 'elite'. If they had authorised the confiscation of the 76 Billion Baht when PPP was in power, it would have been tantamount to handing the money back to Thaksin. Now the Dems are in power, now might be a very good time to snaffle the cash from the point of view of the 'elites'.

However, knowing Thailand, you'll probably see the case drag on for years 'cos nobody will want to make a decision as whatever decision is made, somebody won't like it and who wants powerful enemies in this country.

Yes, very well put.

In the world "what goes around comes around" and its why now the Democrats are in power, they are trying to offer "Olive Branches" to Thaksin and are trying to get in touch and discuss.

All people die, and then new people come in.

New people might support Thaksin, and he will suddenly become a very powerful figure and might return, and at that time, the vengance might be very swift and very harsh.

So, with that outlook, you can understand why they will tip toe through things and try not to upset him too much, they will try to mend bridges and hope we mellows as time goes by. Don't expect the new government to do anything against him, apart from the public media nonsense like passports and titles etc..

For if he does not mellow with time and holds the grudges he has now against the old power clique, and he waits for his friend to become powerful when that day happens, well, things could turn very nasty for those who presently have set him up and screwed him.

Those presently in power now have to try to return to the old status quo as quick as possible, that is call all sides in, let them all make some money, but keep that money between just the "priviliged" and stop all this "people power thai love thai" stuff. Let the poor be poor and stuggle to survive, and let the rich be rich and enjoy.......the old status quo.

The very best way to "wake up" is to kick start your body in the morning.

Simple enough, make it work.

Easy way, when you wake up, head to the kitchen, pour yourself a tumbler of cold water (colder the better) and force yourself to drink it.

First up it alleviates the dehydration everyone has when they wake up.

Second, the cold forces your body to start to work to warm that water up inside.......the water pulls in the internal heat from the body, and the body must start to work to generate more heat to replace that lost energy used in warming the cold water up.

Don't beleive it..........try it...........

30 minutes or so after that, have your morning cup of tea or coffee as normal.......

And THEN - this "precedent" must be done to all others, and it would mean thousands would lose their rank ? Or will it be another "double standards" and only applicable to "anyone with a red shirt or TRT/PPP/PTP" ????

Amazing how throwing eggs with a red shirt results in prison, but stopping an airport and terrorist activities in a yellow shirt results in nothing.

Sadly the new powers in charge are promoting so many "double standards" their obvious abuses will soon be easy for the most rose tinted people to see.

By the way, how can "Apirak" be an adviser to the PM..........my God, what are the Democrats up to ?

Your questions are too hard to answer.

They'll hit anything red. Why? Either you are not allowed to comment or they need more time to investigate.

Is it right that eggs are considered "weapon" now?

Apirak is suitable for being PM's advisor because they're in the same side and Apirak knows a lot of tricks.

They're up to borrowing money. The next government will work their shIt off to pay that loan and will be criticized for finishing the loan before deadline.

Anyway, Democ Rats are well known for speaking nicely to public, for building nice pictures and for not doing what they are saying.

Yes, Apirak's experience with the Fire Trucks and all that scandal is likely invaluable, he can oversea "covert operations" perhaps - make sure that things do not go wrong, given his experience in them going wrong and how he got into that predicament.

I hope they do strip him of his rank.

And THEN - this "precedent" must be done to all others, and it would mean thousands would lose their rank ? Or will it be another "double standards" and only applicable to "anyone with a red shirt or TRT/PPP/PTP" ????

Amazing how throwing eggs with a red shirt results in prison, but stopping an airport and terrorist activities in a yellow shirt results in nothing.

Sadly the new powers in charge are promoting so many "double standards" their obvious abuses will soon be easy for the most rose tinted people to see.

By the way, how can "Apirak" be an adviser to the PM..........my God, what are the Democrats up to ?

I wince every time somebody posts on this thread

chop it off if you want, but dont do it without adult consent.

Look at the map of Africa... lots of snipped willies. lots of AIDS. pointless thread.

I do not see what the point of your summary is.

Could you perhaps explain the sub-division of AIDS in Africa, where are the hot spots ? and then from that map take off those countries that are heavily into anal sex ? and then from that take off those with lots of drug abuse ? and then put that into you map above and make some kind of comment ?

Or is it just another little snide comment, going back to post 2 for the reason for it ????? - ?

Here ya go for doubts about this topic. Tear it apart if you must, but this feeling is out there, and by doctors. I also read a comprehensive African study recently and the researchers ended up in much doubt about how much circumcision affects HIV infection. They seemed to find that condom use was much more important and it was more like poor personal hygiene with regards to uncircumcised men. If they followed hygiene and condom use it was basically equal infection rates compared to circumcised men. So yes, it increases risk, but only if you're unsanitary. I wish I could find that story again. Basically, the danger with blaming HIV infections on not being circumcised has the risk of educating the ignorant that they can just have all the sex they want with on protection if they just get circumcised.

For more, see here and here and here and here.

It's not really quite an open and shut case as the OP thinks.

Excuse me, one of your links is about "gay sex, men to men".

I mean really, when all the discussion is about circumcision reducing "male infection from female" through vaginal sex, you post an article on "man to man sex" is misleading as it is not the matter of discussion.

Why not quote from the three biggest organisations, not some minor web sites of someone who has a theory or diskikes someone elses theory :

CDC :

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/resources/factsheets/circumcision.htm

WHO :

http://www.who.int/hiv/topics/malecircumcision/en/index.html

UN :

http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2007/mc_...ndations_en.pdf