https://aseannow.com/rss/44-thailand-news.xml/National and regional news from all around ThailandenIt was expected though, that there would be a storm to go through, and we are in the midst of it. I feel what is blowing in the wind just as much as everybody… but it doesn't prevent me from seeing the bigger picture, which is the return to a multipolar world. The result of this shift can only be a net positive for everyone, though in 2026 we are still feeling the nefarious effects of the dying unipolar world. Putin and Xi are pulling the shots geopolitically and they are not part of the (increasingly shrinking) club, the main sponsor of which is Israel (if you cut through the BS and look straight for the beast's head). Israel's days are counted, as confirmed by many prominent Zionists. We are currently going through a major geopolitical and cultural shift, and Trump's shenanigans (as always) are attracting the spotlight and allowing for that shift to happen relatively unabated. [gamb00ler is going to laugh at this post and he is very welcome to, laughter is good.]Fri, 29 May 2026 19:21:33 +0000A brutal civil war on the populist right has exploded into chaos ahead of the Makerfield byelection — with Reform UK and Rupert Lowe’s rival party Restore Britain trading insults, leaked messages and social media attacks in a bitter public slugfest. What should have been a straight fight between Labour’s Andy Burnham and Reform candidate Robert Kenyon has instead descended into days of infighting, personal digs and political humiliation. Elon Musk even waded into the drama, appearing to back Restore Britain and piling pressure on Nigel Farage. The week kicked off on Saturday 23 May when Lowe, the former Reform MP ousted from the party after bullying allegations, released canvassing figures claiming Restore candidate Rebecca Shepherd was polling at 24.6% in Makerfield. The figures were based on a sample of 1,010 people. But the mood shifted fast after a Survation poll of 369 voters put Restore on just 7%, with Reform on 40% and Labour’s Andy Burnham ahead on 43%. Farage seized on the numbers and insisted Reform’s Robert Kenyon was “the only candidate who can stop Andy Burnham”. Then came Elon Musk. On Sunday 24 May, the billionaire reposted Lowe on X with the message: “Restore Britain.” The post exploded online and Lowe’s complaints about “dishonest polling” racked up more than 32 million views. A day later Musk doubled down again, reposting another Lowe attack on Farage with the caption: “Only Restore Britain can save Britain.” Lowe then targeted Reform justice spokesman Robert Jenrick, accusing him of importing “thousands and thousands of third world rapists, sex pests and scumbags” during his time as immigration minister. Farage hit back furiously. He claimed Musk was trying to split the British right and dismissed Restore as “one man with a social media account”. But the drama was only getting started. On Monday 25 May, Reform MP Danny Kruger found himself defending deleted posts by Reform candidate Robert Kenyon that endorsed misogynistic comments about broadcaster Carol Vorderman. Kruger admitted the remarks were “inappropriate” but argued they had been made before Kenyon became a public figure. Vorderman demanded an apology. Meanwhile Reform figure Matt Goodwin mocked Restore candidate Rebecca Shepherd online, prompting Lowe to fire back with a swipe at Kenyon’s Vorderman controversy. Then another row exploded after Jenrick leaked messages allegedly sent by Restore spokeswoman Orla Minihane praising him and asking for help becoming an MP. Minihane accused Jenrick of playing “dirty politics”. Journalist Isabel Oakeshott then mocked Minihane online, prompting Minihane to brand Oakeshott “pathetic”. Fresh posts attributed to Kenyon emerged in The Times suggesting he had opposed Brexit and supported European free movement. Reform insisted he had voted Leave. Then came an embarrassing slip-up from Reform MP Sarah Pochin during a Talk interview. She accidentally described the Makerfield contest as a “two-horse race between Labour and Restore” before hurriedly correcting herself to say “Reform and Labour”. Even Reform figures began publicly clashing with each other. Home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf openly rebuked Robert Jenrick over deportation policy after a Sky News interview, declaring Jenrick’s answer was “not Reform policy”. Hours later, Kenyon accused Lowe of lying about his immigration stance, branding him “someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth”. The next bombshell dropped on Wednesday 27 May when social media posts attributed to Kenyon reportedly suggested Russia was “within their rights” to invade Crimea in 2014. Other posts criticised Brexit supporters for spouting “nationalist pish” and warned leaving the EU would damage the economy. Despite the controversy, Reform continued backing Kenyon. Farage instead complained to the Charity Commission about anti-extremism group Hope Not Hate after it highlighted offensive deleted comments linked to Kenyon. By Thursday, Lowe and Farage were openly mocking each other again online. After Farage backed discussions around banning cousin marriage in Britain but stopped short of fully endorsing a ban, Lowe pounced. “This is all so pathetic,” Lowe wrote. “Commit to banning it. Show some balls for a change.” With polling day looming, the Makerfield byelection has become less a battle against Labour — and more a savage war between rival factions of Britain’s populist right. ‘This is so pathetic’: Reform and Restore Britain lock horns in Makerfield byelection buildupFri, 29 May 2026 19:10:15 +0000You do have the other side of the story. I didn't believe the ladyboy's story either.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:55:34 +0000Putin cornered? Kremlin strongman faces crisis Jamison Firestone Vladimir Putin has “never been so vulnerable” after four brutal years of war in Ukraine, according to a long-time opponent of the Russian leader. The explosive claim comes from a man who says he has spent 25 years fighting Putin’s system — and now believes the Kremlin strongman faces impossible choices that could threaten both his grip on power and even his life. The article paints Putin as a hardened bully who only picks fights he thinks he can win. But it also describes him as deeply fearful, obsessed with protecting himself and terrified of unrest inside Russia itself. The writer points to Putin’s behaviour during the Covid-19 pandemic as evidence of that fear. He recalls the Russian president isolating for two years and famously sitting at an enormous table far away from French President Emmanuel Macron during talks. According to the article, Putin now spends much of his time in bunkers while worrying about threats from both the West and his own population. The author argues that Putin’s nightmare has always been a popular uprising similar to the violent overthrow of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The writer then details his own extraordinary background growing up among criminals in New York before later moving to Moscow in 1991 to establish Russia’s first independent foreign law firm. He describes navigating the lawless chaos of post-Soviet Russia and battling corruption tied to organised crime and state power. That fight escalated dramatically after the death of Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky. Magnitsky exposed a £170 million fraud involving Russian officials and criminals before being arrested and dying in custody. The author explains that he later fled to Britain and joined forces with financier Bill Browder and opposition figure Alexei Navalny to expose corruption inside Putin’s system. Their investigations and online videos reportedly became hugely popular in Russia, targeting officials accused of enriching themselves through abuse of power. The article claims those efforts eventually led to Magnitsky sanctions being adopted by countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, the European Union and Australia. Those sanctions targeted officials linked to corruption and human rights abuses. But the war in Ukraine, the author argues, has now become the real turning point. Putin reportedly believed Russia would crush Ukraine within days, only for the conflict to drag into a devastating years-long struggle fuelled by Western military support. The article says sanctions, war costs and Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure have battered Russia’s finances. At the same time, manpower shortages are growing more severe. According to the writer, hundreds of thousands of skilled Russians fled after military drafts began. Russia later turned to prison recruits and offered massive financial incentives to attract soldiers, but recruitment is now reportedly failing to keep pace with battlefield losses. That leaves Putin facing what the article describes as a dangerous crossroads. He could fully militarise the economy, tighten restrictions on Russians and demand even greater sacrifices from the public — or attempt to declare victory and halt the conflict before unrest grows worse. “The old man in the bunker doesn’t want to die,” the author declares in one of the article’s most dramatic lines. The piece argues Western governments should now increase pressure by continuing to fund Ukraine and using frozen Russian assets to support Kyiv. The author claims Russia cannot outlast the combined economic power of Europe and Britain if support for Ukraine continues. As the war grinds on, the article predicts Putin’s position will only become more unstable. And with casualties mounting, economic strain worsening and pressure building inside Russia, the Kremlin leader may soon face the biggest gamble of his rule. Jamison Firestone is an attorney who lived in Russia for 18 years. He co-founded the Global Magnitsky Justice Campaign. His book, Rule of Lies: My Wild Ride through Chaos, Corruption and Murder in Putin’s Russia, published on 4 June, tells his personal story interwoven with Russia’s descent into dictatorship I’ve fought against Putin for 25 years. He’s never been so vulnerableFri, 29 May 2026 18:53:53 +0000How about putting him on a $3 dollar bill? That would make sense. But itself should have no par value, like a joker in a deck of cards.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:45:21 +0000RecreationalFri, 29 May 2026 18:43:08 +0000Well he did accomplish a few goals: Change subject off of epstein files for a while Make a few hundred million or more for himself, his family, and his rich chronies by insider trading and war profiteering. . Get to pretend to be a 15 y.o. playing war video games with real lives being destroyed and costing billions of damage. . Pretend to be a tough guy warrior in spite of those pesky bone spurs.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:38:42 +0000Trump is one of the worst negotiators in America, so it's likely he's going to give away the store in order to restore peace, and create even a small chance that the Republicans may win the midterms, and he can get back to his multi-billion dollar grift of the American people.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:38:02 +0000I refer posters to this thread of a few days back....... A political firestorm has exploded after a fiercely critical article accused Donald Trump and Republican allies of preparing a sweeping national voter-roll purge ahead of the next election. The piece claimed the effort could affect tens of millions of voters and framed it as a last-ditch bid to tighten Republican control over future elections. The article pointed to reporting from CNN and alleged that the Trump-aligned Department of Justice is demanding states hand over enormous amounts of voter information. According to the claims, officials want access to names, addresses, driver’s license details, Social Security numbers, voting histories, and dates of birth. The article claimed states are also being pushed to sign a “Memorandum of Understanding” that would require them to remove voters flagged by Republican officials as potential “concerns.” Under the agreement described in the piece, states would allegedly have just 45 days to “clean” voter rolls once federal authorities raise issues. It claimed Republican-led states are already cooperating with the federal voter-data effort. According to the article, Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming have allegedly provided detailed voter information. Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania, Utah, and West Virginia were also named as states that reportedly shared at least partial data. The piece alleged that Democratic-led states refusing to cooperate are now facing the threat of massive federal lawsuits. The article repeatedly framed the situation as part of a broader Republican strategy that has allegedly existed for decades. It argued that voter purges, voter ID laws, polling-place changes, and mail-ballot disputes are all part of a coordinated effort to suppress turnout in Democratic strongholds. The article also focused heavily on voter ID laws. Citing a publication called Dissent in Bloom, it said 12 states had already passed versions of the SAVE America Act. Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming were listed. The article argued those laws make voting more difficult for Americans who do not possess passports or easy access to birth certificates. The article also focused on legal penalties tied to voter registration drives. Kansas became another flashpoint. Citing the Kansas Reflector, the article claimed voter-registration organizations face severe penalties for even minor mistakes under state law. The League of Women Voters of Kansas reportedly suspended some registration drives because of fears of prosecution. The article said similar legal battles are unfolding in Florida, Tennessee, and Texas. The article cited a Demos report stating that more than 19 million voter-registration records were removed nationwide between the 2020 and 2022 elections. That figure, the article said, represented 8.5 percent of all registered voters in the United States. The article described “caging,” a process involving mailed postcards that can trigger voter removals if recipients fail to respond. The piece claimed the practice became effectively legal after the Supreme Court’s 2018 Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute decision. Justice Samuel Alito was singled out for casting the deciding vote and writing the majority opinion. Mail-in ballots and “signature matching.” The article alleged Republicans use signature reviews to challenge large numbers of mail ballots, particularly in Democratic areas. Because signatures can change over time, the piece argued many legitimate ballots could end up rejected. The article claimed Republicans built an “army” of 50,000 poll watchers for the 2024 election and alleged some recruits were linked to white supremacist militia groups. According to the article, poll watchers can challenge ballot signatures and force disputed ballots into provisional status. The piece claimed many voters never discover their ballots were challenged. It also alleged Trump plans to deploy another wave of “election integrity” inspectors for future elections. The article argued that voter purges, ID laws, polling-place changes, mail-ballot disputes, and aggressive election monitoring are not isolated incidents but part of a coordinated Republican strategy to reshape future elections. Whether those claims gain broader traction or face stronger scrutiny could become one of the fiercest political fights heading into the next national vote Inside Trump's dying effort to cling to power | OpinionFri, 29 May 2026 18:36:25 +0000Well you certainly can't win an argument with most bullies, especially if they are your boss, and they have no sense of loyalty, and they are willing to throw you under the bus at a moment's notice, so the sycophants remain quiet.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:34:27 +0000Trump will withdraw with his tail between his legs, and claim a false victory having accomplished nothing except destruction of the world economy and more turmoil, but that's why we call him Mr. Chaos, isn't it? He is a simpleton nimwit, being advised by people that he picked from the absolute bottom of the barrel, but that's just Don. It's a shame because tens of millions of people thought he was somebody else. And he sure is showing his true colors now. The US has backed themselves into a corner and the economic devastation has been way beyond what they anticipated, and the price they're going to pay for this in the midterms is going to be brutal. Unchecked inflation, rising unemployment, the closing of hundreds of thousands of small businesses, thousands of farmers being forced to sell their land because they can't make ends meet and they can't make a profit on their crops, no return of manufacturing to the US, a shortage of labor due to extreme and short sighted immigration policy, and the abandonment of any hope that Trump would improve the quality of life for Americans, but instead we get sabotage of those hopes for the entire planet. Winning? Absolutely not. Making America great again? Nah, just precipitating the decline that was already happening. Diminishing America's influence worldwide? Yes absolutely.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:31:55 +0000“This administration — President Trump — has done something that no other administration was able to do,” Bessent said. “We have gotten the Iranians to talk about their nuclear program.” Well except for Obama who actually had a deal in place that had nuke inspectors on the ground and straits open and oil flowing long before the orange emperor blew it all up on a whim to deflect from Epstein.....lies lies and more lies from this gang of fools and the clown car rolls on and the ever shrinking cult still tries to defend it or somehow blame it all on Obama or Biden or Bill or Hillary or the Mar a Largo dog catcher.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:31:42 +0000Would like to hear from people who actually have traveled to the Philippines and the beaches. Please, not Google search results or AI drivel. Boracay's White Beach: hugely nice but too busy and the green algae that washes up is a sign of pollution in the water. The other side, Illi Illigan much more chill, very nice, but the taxi mafia taking you back to White Beach nics you with no other alternatives. Puerto Galera's White Beach: Beautiful. The bummer is the little town there I had a really hard time finding decent food. Port Barton's White Beach: nice but gets busy as everyone in the resorts adjacent all go over there. El Nido's Nacphan: Spectacular. Four miles of beautiful beach and green waters, did some bodysurfing. Love it but acommodations in El Nido town are limited and have gotten really expensive. Subic no, sand is river sediment black, same for La Union. Anybody been to Bohol or northernmost parts of Luzon? Are the beaches in Cebu easily accessible?Fri, 29 May 2026 18:20:20 +0000More on the scandal. Looks like Cnn who broke the story went down the wrong rabbit hole again. Its not so much E Jean but the financier Hoffman's activity. The DOJ is investigating Hoffman’s nonprofit for potential money laundering, conspiracy, and obstruction related to its funding of E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits against Trump. Prosecutors are reviewing Carroll’s 2022 deposition testimony denying outside funding, but the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s Office has stated they have not opened a criminal investigation targeting Carroll herself.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:20:13 +0000Benjamin appreciates the PR work that you're doing on his behalf, and if you could provide your address he will be sending you a monthly check as long as you keep this up.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:19:11 +0000This pretty much sums up the quagmire.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:10:16 +0000Trump stated that openly a while back. 08/04/26 https://x.com/jonkarl/status/2041839012097229086 Also... Asked on Monday whether he would accept a deal that would allow Iran to take fees from ships to traverse the strait, the US president said: “What about us charging tolls? I’d rather do that than let them have them. Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner. We won.” https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/6/trump-says-us-could-charge-for-strait-of-hormuz-passage-amid-iran-warFri, 29 May 2026 18:08:45 +0000Iran may have butchered its own Jewish citizens by then, but Israeli Jews will still be fighting back.Fri, 29 May 2026 18:01:23 +0000I'm having a hard time believing the guy in the black shirt is the same guy with the puffy face.Fri, 29 May 2026 17:58:45 +0000I have an 88 year old mom with early stage dementia. Even though she gets a newspaper everyday with the date printed on every page and reads it thoroughly, I visit and she says "what day is it?". Staying busy will keep you mentally sharper. Do something, anything. Volunteer to teach kids English, pick up plastic and take it to a recycler, start a community garden, something, anything, don't just let the mold take over your brain.Fri, 29 May 2026 17:57:20 +0000Around 7.5 million Jewry live in the USA. Every Israeli Jew could be butchered tomorrow, the Muslims could fully take over what is now Israel, and there would still be 7.5 million Jewry living in the USA. Do you honestly believe that 7.5 million people in the USA could be hunted down and be exterminated in the USA? (along with the same number in the middle East, and little bits here and there in other countries they have spread to?) Primary school drama-queenery if ever there was a case. 🙂Fri, 29 May 2026 17:56:57 +0000When using a small mini PC, it’s recommended to connect USB devices through a powered USB hub, especially if they draw a lot of current. This prevents overloading the mini PC’s USB ports. Models with the latest high-end components are especially worth checking carefully, because they may push the limits of cooling and power delivery.Fri, 29 May 2026 17:53:15 +0000My man.....spending that 65 an hour like a boss. Good for you.Fri, 29 May 2026 17:45:23 +0000Ahhh the good old state of emergency conspiracy theory.Fri, 29 May 2026 17:41:12 +0000Ukrainian kinetic sanctions doing some heavy lifting lateyFri, 29 May 2026 17:39:49 +0000