simple1

Good list, but let's not forget this one:

In 1967, after a stunning victory against three Arab states who waged a war of aggression with the stated goal of, as Egyptian Radio put it, pushing every Jew into the sea, and raping their women with bayonets, Israel offered to give these same three states back everything but Jerusalem. The Arabs' response was the infamous "three nos of Khartoum." of September 1, 1967 by a conference of eight Arab heads of state. The Three No's were "no peace with Israel, no recognition of Israel, no negotiations with it..." At that time, there was not a single "settler" in the areas taken.

Odd statement. The war was launched by Israel who had overwhelming fire power and at the time of the attack had nearly twice the number of combat troops deployed than the Arab States.

You have overlooked East Jerusalem was Muslim for centuries and at the time of the 1967 War was 80% populated by Muslims, in addition nearly all the land was Muslim owned. Israel had made it clear that the occupied West Bank & Gaza was not on the table for returning to the relevant Arab States. Not at all surprising they rejected the Israeli terms.

Documentation has now come to light that it had been policy for decades to undertake action to destabalise & clear out the Palestinians from their traditional homelands for occupation, that makes a lie of many denials; refer to "The Unmaking of the Middle East". Whilst the book is a broadside against Zionist/Israeli actions and policy, in combination with critic of the policy duplicity of a number of Western countries in the M.E., it is backed up by referals to actual letters and documentation for further research

You keep mentioning the 'Poles' yeah hardworking, I know a few who still work in the UK, but you fail to mention that all the money they earn over and above living expenses goes straight back to Poland. Immigrants? all a matter of where you hail from mate, I'm from Manchester and I can tell you right now the place where I was born and bred (was a white working class area) in the last 8 years has been turned into a Ghetto, all empty properties get snapped up by buy to let landlords, next minute you have 2 family's of black African immigrants moved in (Nigeria, Senegal) this is fact not made up scare mongering nonsense , they speak their own language, our Local high street which once thrived with shops of all sorts of fayer is now just Western Union, Al-Hal butchers/supermarkets, African Cafes (see Shabeens) and gangs of these people (men) hanging out in groups of 20 outside these places. The place is now a $hit hole thanks the the local Labour councils free door attitude and the Governments open door immigration policy, yep don't tell me abouty immigration pal I am living it, My house is now worth about half of what it was. On a plus note you can buy Talipia Fish 24/7 and cooking oil - and what was once the local is now a CAB which will ensure you can claim any benefits you are entitled too and get a property, register with a local GP and Dentist, is all for free....

UKIP and Proud!

Well, I was born and bred in the East End of London (Bow) - the 70s turned it into a ghetto, so I feel you there. However, Nigerians, Senegalese etc are not from the EU. There is a work shortage in the UK for certain skilled jobs - and this will continue - coming out of the EU will simply mean that more Africans an Asians filling the jobs - and they do not go home. Yes Poles etc take home the extra money - we can't have it both ways - we either want them to stay or we don't - we can't expect them to come for short term and leave without the money - there would simply be no incentive.

The Tories tied to push for anti-immigration policies the last time Blair won - it was a major failure (and declared as racist). The Tories still push for controlling immigration and have made it harder. Even Labour are talking about limits these days. It does not take a UKIP vote to limit immigration.

Hang on, I ain't bothered where immigrants are from, I Do Not Want Them! I want to look after our own people first whether they are white, black, yellow does not matter, I am not Racist, just fed up of free-loaders taking all and giving nothing, your argument relates to hard working immigrants, lets not BS here. The average one is here for a free handout - Period. As Farage says in the speech attached to my op, if immigrants have skills we need and they are coming to contribute to our society and they are free of criminal convictions with no long term health effects and can support them selves then hey Welcome Brother, if not then F o o K OFF!

Your comments, Lokie, show that you have a total lack of knowledge regarding both the UK's immigration rules and the UK's EEA freedom of movement regulations.

I suggest that you read up on both before displaying your ignorance on these matters again; especially the parts relating to what public funds immigrants from both within the EEA and outside it are entitled to; i.e. damn all.

If any immigrant, whether from the EEA or not, is coming to the UK for a free hand out; they will be very disappointed as they aren't going to get it!

Posts talking to access to welfare by immigrants have been constantly refuted by facts, yet the counter posts are never acknowledged and always derided.

It's true UKIP currently do not have a manifesto, but has UKIP rescinded their commitments in the 2010 manifesto? Do supporters of UKIP actually believe in the nonsense articulated in so many of their commitments?

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/mar/07/ukip-policies-manifesto-commitments

I am just appalled that some TV members applaud the rise of the far right in Europe, that appears to be purely based upon their antipathy towards migrants

Thailand’s Defense budget in 2013 was 178,441,000,000 Baht. The US Defense funding cuts are only a political gesture. US has for years threatened to downgrade Thailand to Tier 3 status due to human rights abuses, that includes the military’s involvement, that again would be a political gesture with no meaningful financial measures.

Wasn't Thailand one of the countries where rendition was used after middle-eastern prisonners were shipped halfway around the globe by the U.S.?

Yes

Coup or not, why are they getting any aid from anyone in the first place? They have plenty of money of their own.

Foreign aid is normally a tool in support of Foreign Policy objectives

Well I knew Washington was pretty ticked at the Thai military for its military mutiny, and most here and elsewhere pretty much expected military aid and assistance to be cancelled or severely cut back, but Washington has taken some pretty drastic steps. It's clear Washington sees the present coup as a game changer of an event that may alter U.S.-Thai relations in new and important ways.

Still, I seriously doubt Gen Prayuth, the military high command, the Bangkok ammarts, the Bangkok and Surat middle classes give a rat's arse.

Washington knows anyway that the Bangkok elites, despite the Sino-Thai heritage of so many, oppose Beijing's blockbuster infrastructure projects such as the Kra Canal, which the military also violently oppose. Beijing isn't going to gain much if anything from the current impasse in relations between Washington and the Bangkok ammarts and elites.

Obama administration cancels military training exercise with Thailand due to coup

The Obama administration said Saturday it has canceled a major military training exercise with Thailand, and a visit by U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Harry Harris, in response to last week’s coup by the Thai army.

The U.S. military also revoked an invitation to the commander of the Royal Thai Armed Forces to visit the U.S. Pacific Command at Pearl Harbor next month, Adm. Kirby said.

• 

State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Saturday that the U.S. also has canceled a U.S. government-sponsored firearms training program in Thailand for the Royal Thai Police that had been slated to begin May 26, and a U.S. government-sponsored study trip to the United States, scheduled for June, for several senior Royal Thai Police officers.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/24/obama-administration-cancels-military-training-exe/

So what! I'm sure you are reading content in the international media that is blocked in Thailand as to the underlying reasons for the current power play

Thailand’s Defense budget in 2013 was 178,441,000,000 Baht. The US Defense funding cuts are only a political gesture. US has for years threatened to downgrade Thailand to Tier 3 status due to human rights abuses, that includes the military’s involvement, that again would be a political gesture with no meaningful financial measures.

Thailand has never given a rats about human rights and if you criticise their human rights abuses you will be arrested and charged. Miss Navi Pillay should keep her mouth shut and not interfere or else she will find a whole can of whooparse coming her way. Alan Morison and Australian Journo spoke out about the Navy and is now facing 7 years imprisonment. The Thai Military do not take to kindly to this sort of thing and Navi Pillay could also find herself arrested and facing a long stretch.

If Navi Pillay were to travel to Thailand she would not be detained and face trial. The coup leaders would know it would be totally counterproductive & stupid to do so.

Lighten up, life is too short, you will do yourself an injustice with taking everything so literally, don't just read the words, and understand the message and meaning.

Well lets see if Chooka confirms if he intended for people to 'read between the lines'. More than a few people make allegations on TV that are absurd.

Thailand has never given a rats about human rights and if you criticise their human rights abuses you will be arrested and charged. Miss Navi Pillay should keep her mouth shut and not interfere or else she will find a whole can of whooparse coming her way. Alan Morison and Australian Journo spoke out about the Navy and is now facing 7 years imprisonment. The Thai Military do not take to kindly to this sort of thing and Navi Pillay could also find herself arrested and facing a long stretch.

If Navi Pillay were to travel to Thailand she would not be detained and face trial. The coup leaders would know it would be totally counterproductive & stupid to do so.

There is a great deal of nonsense being propagated by the US right wing & others regarding the Obama Administration relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda. It would be fair to say the Administration was naïve regards the end goals of the Brotherhood in Egypt, but they were fairly elected. Morsi rescinded on his promises not to implement Islamist policies, for which he paid the price.

We have US right wing making statements (refer URL below) such as “the al-Qaida and Muslim Brotherhood-dominated revolutions that many call the ‘Arab Spring,’ but which in fact are more accurately termed an ‘Islamic Awakening”. You have to argue that the supression of the Arab Spring by a number of dictatorships was the root cause for the consolidation of Islamic extremist organisations, not the popular Arab Spring movement.

http://www.wnd.com/2014/01/general-muslim-brotherhood-inside-obama-administration/#H4gUbBcqxu9LGv46.99

There is an article from the Foreign Policy Magazine that in my opinion is accurate.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/08/08/the_gift_al_qaeda_arab_spring

Just for clairification ... direct from DFAT Bangkok yesterday ...

"Dear Client,

Please refer to the following link which provides clarification as to your enquiry.

http://www.immi.gov.au/Services/Pages/visitor-e600-visa-online-applications.aspx

Nationals of Thailand are not eligible to apply for a Tourist Visa online.

You will need to lodge a paper application with our office in Bangkok.

Kind regards,

Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Australian Embassy Bangkok, Thailand"

Interesting as I assisted a Thai national 3/4 weeks ago with Visa 600 online application that was approved. Do you know if there is an exception when sponsored by an Oz citizen?

i guess it all boils down to differing POV. I personally do not subscribe to the view that US funded the Muslim Brotherhood as any funding provided to Egypt was a component of US negotiated AID prior to the Brotherhood coming to power. There are a number of conspiracy theories regarding this issue that are summarised at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_Brotherhood_conspiracy_theories

An example analysis of the structure & funding of the Muslim Brotherhood is below. I assume much of funding from outside of Egypt would be by diversion of funds from charities, in the same manner funding is illegally diverted from Islamic charities for extremist activities.

http://www.crethiplethi.com/the-structure-and-funding-sources-of-the-muslim-brotherhood/global-islam/2011/

Isn't it about time that bigotted countries like this are boycotted by all the world powers.

Sharian law is pack of and the sooner western countries start blacklisted these countries , the better. How much aid has Sudan got from others over the last few years.

Cut them off until they wise up.

Cannot agree, sanctions / reduction of aid only punish people at the lower end of society, the rulers/elite are not impacted.

often the people at the lower end, the men especially, are the ones most uneducated and most fanatical, supporting these crazy laws and preachers can control their narrow minds the best. Same reason communists and other authoritarians thrive in low/ no educated countries. Us against them hatred is so simple concept. The reason the Islamists want to ban and eradicate western education , boko haram; especially for the women. Keep people dumb slaves.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Agree, but economic sanctions with not change attitudes of the conservatives/extremists & only impact the most disadvantaged

Its’ been reported that the Boko Haram are heavily armed and the Nigerian security forces will not enter the alleged areas where they have bases. Hopefully with special forces training and surveillance facilities offered by Western governments and the Chinese it will motivate the Nigerian military into action and also block any attempts by Boko Haram to move into neighbouring countries. China has a lot a stake in Nigeria, that includes a recent US$13+ billion contract to build rail infrastructure

In the meantime, in case anyone missed the report, local forest hunters have committed to enter the forest retreats of Boko Haram to try to locate & kill them

The hunters story actually got some decent coverage, being a bit on the exotic side:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/traditional-nigerian-hunters-find-missing-schoolgirls-article-1.1798611

Not sure what military aid, if any, was offered by China.

China has offered intelligence surveillance capability. More info on US contribution below, mentions US is constrained with assisting Nigeria owing to "The Leahy Law' due to human rights abuses by Nigerian forces.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/13/nigeria-boko-haram-kidnapped-girls-surveillance-plane-iraq-africom

Go to the following URL that provides the document checklist:

http://www.immi.gov.au/visas/visitor/_pdf/600-document-checklist.pdf

You can apply for a Tourist visa for your wife online, go to http://www.immi.gov.au/Services/Pages/immiaccount.aspx

Generally you would apply for a tourist visa three months or less prior to travel

Hi Simple1 Thanks for your information but unfortunately my wife can not use the online application system as she is a Thai citizen.

I have the information about the required documents from the VFS website so this should not be a big problem.

But i would like to have some advise about when she can do the application and tips for a successful application.

Are you sure? Can you not complete the application on her behalf, if I recall correctly there is a facility in the application where you/she declares that you have assisted.

Its generally accepted that the challenge is to provide 'proof' of intent to return to Thailand, the required info is covered in the application doco checklist.

Again it is usual to apply about three months or less prior to travel, lets see if others have more constructive info

EDIT: I understand the Immi website that states Thais cannot apply online is out of date, but crosscheck

He's in jail anyway, been there for number of years already, so what different dose this sentence makes?

He has been under house arrest whilst awaiting completion of trail for other charges. I believe this is his first actual jail sentence as his previous life sentence was overturned

Go to the following URL that provides the document checklist:

http://www.immi.gov.au/visas/visitor/_pdf/600-document-checklist.pdf

You can apply for a Tourist visa for your wife online, go to http://www.immi.gov.au/Services/Pages/immiaccount.aspx

Generally you would apply for a tourist visa three months or less prior to travel

Think you should check again what other countries charge and then get back to us.

e.g. In Australia the latest budget plans for a visa fee for family reunion visa for parents is to increase to A$75k each person, with a cap of 2150 visas issued per year.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/05/21/parent-visa-changes-budget-fine-print

Its’ been reported that the Boko Haram are heavily armed and the Nigerian security forces will not enter the alleged areas where they have bases. Hopefully with special forces training and surveillance facilities offered by Western governments and the Chinese it will motivate the Nigerian military into action and also block any attempts by Boko Haram to move into neighbouring countries. China has a lot a stake in Nigeria, that includes a recent US$13+ billion contract to build rail infrastructure

In the meantime, in case anyone missed the report, local forest hunters have committed to enter the forest retreats of Boko Haram to try to locate & kill them

Does not seem particularly high as a minimum wage. and yet it was still rejected.In Oz for example a cleaner who is on a basic hourly wage of 17.95$ for working Monday -Friday 9-5 provided they do 38 hours a week, if less than 38 hours a week they get a 15% increase.if they work after 6.00pm and before 6.00am they get 15% on top. if they work on Saturday it is 1.5 times the hourly rate and on sunday it is 2x times the hourly rate, plus shift allowances if they clean bathrooms and waste removal. on top they are also paid superannuation which is 9.25% of there hourly rate are entitled to 8 sick days a year paid. 4 weeks annual leave a year paid. plus 9 public holidays a year paid. and if they work on a publick holiday it is 2.5 times there hourly rate. and if it is Christmas or good Friday it is 3 times there hourly rate.so I guess in comparison Australia would clearly be a leader in the minimum hourly rate being the highest in the world.!.which probably explains the high unemployment.....

My wife has over the years worked as a room attendant in Australia. Many of the hotel chains have implemented their own contracts (to circumvent union influence) and the T&C's nowhere near match the conditions you quote. e.g. for weekend work they use casual partime staff to avoid the weekend or public holiday rates or the contract states a flat hourly rate no matter the days worked. Often the cleaners are required to clean 20+ rooms a day, under tremendous pressure from hotel management. It is very physical work & given the number of rooms that must be cleaned per day to retain employment means that they can only afford a 30 minute rest/meal break, or less, in 8 hours of continual work. The chemicals used lead to medical conditions on a regular basis.

The trend is now to employ cleaners on a ABN contract basis at A$21 per hour (supplying their own chemicals etc), thereby a further mechanism to expunge the terms you refer to above. Also many service companies pay way below the minimum wage as they know many of the low skilled are desperate for employment in an endeavour to escape Centrelink Newstart payments that are significantly below the official poverty line.

The proposition that 'high minimum wages’ leads to high unemployment is a furphy promulgated by employer groups. Right now unemployment in Oz is running at around 5.5%, forecast to temporarily increase to approx 6.3% over the next few years

The rates quoted above are the legal minimum award rates to be paid to cleaners who are employed by an official employer under state and federal agreements. The ABN sub contractor worker is not an employee. The tax office has deemed that ABN Contractors are working illegally and that the employers who employ these subcontractors are paying illegally and avoiding entitlements and super to these contactors. The office of fair work Australia and the ombudsman are trying to outlaw these practices and are working closely with the tax office to end this practice and have legitimate companies employ these people who will have to pay accordingly. The high minimum wage does contribute to high unemployment, as now as stated by you companies do not want to pay the correct wage and therefore implement strategies to avoid the legal right of all employees. In most cases these workers do not have recourse for illness, sickness, workers compensation or other benefits defined under obligation of employers. The truth being that theses workers are In fact being exploited, by unscrupulous employers. And the above article wrote of legal minimum hourly rates by which I quoted those in Oz for a particular service group not Sub Contractors who work illegally for an illegal employer, The unemployment rate in Australia at the moment is 879000 people on new start and 824000 on disability pensions, these are the registered unemployed it does not take into consideration those unregistered ,on youth allowance the single mothers pensions or those who looking for work but do not qualify due to the assets test, so the figure of 5.5% is a furphy and don't believe for a moment it is going to get better any time soon.

As I said many employers have direct contracts of employment that at the day to day operational level circumvent State & Federal agreements. ATO have tried to put a stop to employment of sub contractors, but as far as I am aware have had at best very minimal success. Where we currently live in Noosa nearly every day are job adds requesting ABN sub contractors only, some adds clearly offer rates of pay that are below minimum wage. I mentioned this to Centrelink and they made it very clear they do not give a damn so long as you are employed in one form or another. Sure government funded organisations offer fair conditions, but they are very much in the minority.

I quoted Fed Govt unemployment stats, other stuff is subjective. As you know you can receive pro rata Newstart and DSP payments if in part time employment, the figures you quote, I believe, do not talk to full time unemployed; could be wrong

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it means dear lads that you are going to have to be very careful what you speak here BIG BROTHER watching

Rubbish! The military monitor TV? As a friend of mine said on another forum: They couldn't monitor milk!

The security forces and agencies now report to the the military. I have been advised by PM from a Mod is response to one of my posts that was removed, that security agencies do monitor internet traffic, that includes TV, in Thailand & whilst it is rare, action is taken.

All your posts should be removed because all you do is criticize every single Government in the World. Why don't you go on holiday to Africa or Afghanistan and tell them to stop mutilating the genitals of per-pubescent girls? You'll have a great time. Oh I forgot they may just beat the crap out of you. You should be concerned about yourself because you are probably on ISOC's list of undesirables for spreading anti-Thai propaganda.

Off topic: I do post comment on government policy I disagree with and especially in response to over the top hate / bigoted posts that you specialise in, such as the above personal attack

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

it means dear lads that you are going to have to be very careful what you speak here BIG BROTHER watching

Rubbish! The military monitor TV? As a friend of mine said on another forum: They couldn't monitor milk!

The security forces and agencies now report to the the military. I have been advised by PM from a Mod is response to one of my posts that was removed, that security agencies do monitor internet traffic, that includes TV, in Thailand & whilst it is rare, action is taken.

Does not seem particularly high as a minimum wage. and yet it was still rejected.In Oz for example a cleaner who is on a basic hourly wage of 17.95$ for working Monday -Friday 9-5 provided they do 38 hours a week, if less than 38 hours a week they get a 15% increase.if they work after 6.00pm and before 6.00am they get 15% on top. if they work on Saturday it is 1.5 times the hourly rate and on sunday it is 2x times the hourly rate, plus shift allowances if they clean bathrooms and waste removal. on top they are also paid superannuation which is 9.25% of there hourly rate are entitled to 8 sick days a year paid. 4 weeks annual leave a year paid. plus 9 public holidays a year paid. and if they work on a publick holiday it is 2.5 times there hourly rate. and if it is Christmas or good Friday it is 3 times there hourly rate.so I guess in comparison Australia would clearly be a leader in the minimum hourly rate being the highest in the world.!.which probably explains the high unemployment.....

My wife has over the years worked as a room attendant in Australia. Many of the hotel chains have implemented their own contracts (to circumvent union influence) and the T&C's nowhere near match the conditions you quote. e.g. for weekend work they use casual partime staff to avoid the weekend or public holiday rates or the contract states a flat hourly rate no matter the days worked. Often the cleaners are required to clean 20+ rooms a day, under tremendous pressure from hotel management. It is very physical work & given the number of rooms that must be cleaned per day to retain employment means that they can only afford a 30 minute rest/meal break, or less, in 8 hours of continual work. The chemicals used lead to medical conditions on a regular basis.

The trend is now to employ cleaners on a ABN contract basis at A$21 per hour (supplying their own chemicals etc), thereby a further mechanism to expunge the terms you refer to above. Also many service companies pay way below the minimum wage as they know many of the low skilled are desperate for employment in an endeavour to escape Centrelink Newstart payments that are significantly below the official poverty line.

The proposition that 'high minimum wages’ leads to high unemployment is a furphy promulgated by employer groups. Right now unemployment in Oz is running at around 5.5%, forecast to temporarily increase to approx 6.3% over the next few years

Good.

These are not insurgents or religious militias, as always being portrayed by the BCC. abducting 223 schoolgirls with the intention of selling them over the borders as sex slaves is nothing to do with Islam, it is outright 'criminality' and for that the entire world should turn on them.

Having spent a lot of time in Africa, I can assure everyone that there will be only one outcome for these criminals, and that is death on the spot. Unfortunately it will also involve the deaths of the remaining schoolgirls.

These animals are using Islam as an excuse for their own personal barbarity and gain.

But then again, you normally never hear of the Islamic leader condemning these actions.

I assume its a typo as the function of "The Islamic Leader" does not exist in the Islamic world. But do a Google search and as an example hit, have a read...

http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/american-muslim-organizations-condemn-boko-haram/0020173

For those interested, a history of the Rohingya is provided at the URL below; is the info disputed by any readers?

http://csis.org/publication/separating-fact-fiction-about-myanmars-rohingya

Concerning the Myanmar government providing citizenship, a quote from an article below dated 21/11/2013.

Burma’s government has rejected calls by the United Nations General Assembly’s human rights committee to grant the stateless Rohingyas citizenship rights, with government officials saying the country does not recognize the existence of “a Rohingya minority.”

http://www.irrawaddy.org/un/govt-rejects-un-calls-rohingya-citizenship.html