https://aseannow.com/rss/44-thailand-news.xml/National and regional news from all around ThailandenUS Secretary of State Marco Rubio has sought to reassure Nato allies over shifting American troop deployments in Europe, following a series of announcements by President Donald Trump that have unsettled members of the alliance. Get today's headlines by email Rubio spoke after a meeting of Nato foreign ministers in Helsingborg, where concerns were raised over recent US decisions involving troop movements in Poland and Germany. Troop changes spark uncertaintyTrump announced on Thursday that the US would deploy an additional 5,000 troops to Poland. The move came only a week after the Pentagon cancelled a planned deployment of 4,000 troops to the country and days after Washington confirmed plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany. The sequence of announcements has caused confusion among Nato members, many of whom are already uneasy about Washington’s long-term commitment to European security. Rubio addresses Nato concernsSpeaking to reporters on Friday, Rubio said the US was continually reviewing its military posture abroad in light of wider global obligations, including ongoing tensions in the Middle East linked to the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran. “Allies understand that the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted,” Rubio said, adding that consultations with Nato partners had already taken place. US says allies were informedWhile acknowledging concerns among allies, Rubio said they were aware changes were under discussion even if they were not fully satisfied with them. Rubio also said troop deployments were being reassessed as part of broader global military commitments, including operations outside Europe. Trump links move to Polish tiesTrump announced the new deployment to Poland while Nato ministers were meeting in Sweden. In a post on his Truth Social platform, he linked the decision to Washington’s relationship with Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whom Trump supported during Poland’s presidential election campaign. Uncertainty over deployment plansThe US president did not clarify whether the extra troops were connected to the previously cancelled deployment or represented a separate operation altogether. Questions have also been raised about whether the troops leaving Germany could instead be redirected to Poland. Germany withdrawal adds to confusionEarlier this month, Washington confirmed plans to reduce its military presence in Germany after tensions between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over the conflict involving Iran. The overlapping announcements have left several allies uncertain about the direction of US military planning in Europe. Sweden highlights allied uneaseSwedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said the mixed signals from Washington had been difficult for allies to interpret. “It is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,” she said while hosting the Nato talks. US remains central to Nato defenceThe US remains Nato’s largest military power and has stationed troops across Europe for decades as part of the alliance’s collective defence structure. Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, European allies have repeatedly urged Washington to maintain a strong military presence on the continent. Large US military presence in EuropeGermany hosts the largest number of US troops in Europe, with more than 36,000 personnel stationed there. Poland and the UK each host around 10,000 US troops, while Italy has roughly 12,000. Trump presses Nato on spendingTrump has long criticised Nato members for relying too heavily on the US and failing to spend enough on defence. He has repeatedly argued that European allies should contribute more financially to the alliance. Europe moves toward self-relianceSeveral Nato countries have since pledged increases in defence spending, though tensions remain over Washington’s broader “America First” foreign policy approach. The White House has recently indicated that it plans to reduce overall US troop numbers in Europe as part of that strategy. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said Europe would continue moving towards greater military self-reliance. Rubio stresses value of allianceRubio also acknowledged longstanding debate within the US over the value of Nato, saying the alliance must remain beneficial not only for Europe but also for the United States. Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by View full articleFri, 22 May 2026 20:21:45 +0000You think to mut.Fri, 22 May 2026 20:20:26 +0000Tulsi Gabbard will resign as US director of national intelligence at the end of June, citing her husband's recent bone cancer diagnosis as the reason for leaving the Trump administration. Get today's headlines by email In a resignation letter obtained by CBS News, Gabbard said she could not continue in such a demanding role while her husband, Abraham, faces serious health challenges. “His strength and love have sustained me through every challenge,” she wrote. “I cannot in good conscience ask him to face this fight alone while I continue in this demanding and time-consuming position.” US President Donald Trump praised Gabbard in a social media post, saying she had “done an incredible job” and would be missed. He added that she wanted to focus on supporting her husband during his treatment. Her resignation takes effect on 30 June. Aaron Lukas, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, will serve as acting director, Trump said. Tensions Over Iran PolicyGabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii, became one of Trump’s most prominent intelligence officials after being confirmed in early 2025. However, she has maintained a lower public profile in recent months as the administration intensified its foreign policy actions involving Iran, Cuba and Venezuela. Known for her long-standing opposition to US military intervention abroad, Gabbard faced scrutiny after the United States joined Israeli strikes on Iran. She stopped short of fully endorsing the decision and avoided directly answering questions during a congressional hearing in March about whether the administration understood the potential consequences of the conflict. She also came under pressure from Democrats over what they viewed as inconsistencies between intelligence assessments and White House statements regarding Iran’s nuclear programme. Last year, Trump publicly dismissed Gabbard’s testimony to Congress that Iran was not actively seeking to build a nuclear weapon. “I don’t care what she said,” Trump told reporters at the time. “I think they were very close to having a weapon.” The president has repeatedly cited Iran’s nuclear capabilities as justification for US military action. Senior Departures From AdministrationGabbard is the fourth Cabinet-level official to leave the Trump administration this year. Former labor secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer departed in April, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi also stepped down earlier in 2026. Her resignation follows the earlier departure of her top aide, former National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent, who left over disagreements concerning US policy toward Iran. Kent had urged Trump to “reverse course” on the conflict. After Kent resigned, Gabbard publicly defended the president’s approach, saying the commander-in-chief was responsible for deciding what constituted an imminent threat to the United States. From Democrat to Trump AllyA military veteran who served in Iraq with a medical unit, Gabbard first entered politics in 2002 when she was elected to the Hawaii Legislature at the age of 21, becoming the youngest person ever elected in the state. She later served in Congress as a Democrat from 2013 to 2021 and became the first Hindu member of the US House of Representatives. Gabbard ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020 on an anti-interventionist platform. Two years later, she left the Democratic Party, accusing it of being controlled by what she called an “elitist cabal of warmongers”. After becoming a political commentator on Fox News, she increasingly aligned herself with Trump, endorsing him during the 2024 presidential campaign and joining his transition team after the election. Trump later nominated her to lead the US intelligence community, a role that oversees coordination among multiple intelligence agencies and advises the president on national security matters. Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 23 May 2026 View full articleFri, 22 May 2026 20:04:17 +0000Times are hard, bro - a website’s gotta eat. But I’d trust the British legal system over the Thai one every single time. I remember chatting to a Thai lawyer in VT3 and she basically said, “You have to remember the Thai legal system isn’t like the British one.” We both burst out laughing because we both knew exactly what she meant.Fri, 22 May 2026 19:53:55 +0000Cool. Tough is good.Fri, 22 May 2026 19:51:10 +0000You wont remember anything, you will be too busy trolling somewhere else.Fri, 22 May 2026 19:49:16 +0000When this is all over, we'll remember your sort, just like we remembered the apologists in WW2.Fri, 22 May 2026 19:46:53 +0000The BuK TELAR that shot down MH17 originated not from a defecting unit of the AFU, but from the 53rd Anti-Aircraft Missile Brigade based in Kursk. https://www.prosecutionservice.nl/topics/m/mh17-plane-crash/criminal-investigation-jit-mh17 OECD observers? You got your acronyms mixed while rage googling. There were unarmed OSCE observers. At no point were economists watching the movement of forces. You must be in your 80s. A fool is a fool, old or young. The line that the OSCE never detected a weapons transfer from the Russian military to the seperatists is a Kremlin line. Maybe you are of the generation who regularly tuned into Radio Moscow for the "alternative perspective". https://news.liga.net/politics/news/u_obse_est_informatsiya_o_nalichii_voennosluzhashchikh_rf_v_zone_ato https://www.unian.info/war/1595556-us-mission-to-osce-russia-continues-sending-troops-equipment-into-ukraine.html https://euromaidanpress.com/2016/11/19/osce-checkpoints-gukovo-donetsk-smm/ https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2015/10/02/russian-rocket-system-seen-in-ukraine-for-first-time-osce-a50026 https://www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/175736Fri, 22 May 2026 19:45:36 +0000publishing photos of the paraphenalia and substances was so unprofessional IMO. Next thing we will be shown loaded syringes hanging off forearms. Any such visual images should be kept strictly private by the Investigators.Fri, 22 May 2026 19:38:03 +0000He is keeping the pot boiling because he tried to take legal action in the UK and found he could not. The law firm he consulted and did in fact write to Drummond have specifically stated "We no longer represent Bryan Flowers." Since then Flower has created 20 plus videos and over 150 stories in internet smear hubs. Now he has to invent the name of a law firm which is representing him. No other website in the world has allowed links to all that A1 slop. ASEAN NOW has allowed two attack threads against Andrew Drummond whoi was was well known for fighting and winning libel cases in Thailand. He was aided in this by donations from readers and newspapers in London. While in Thailand between 1989 and 2015 he was accredited as coprrespondent for the Evening Standard, Times and Ob server to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bryan Flowers had all his bars in the names of nominees. In the case of the Flirt bar the nominee was his wife's brother, who lives in Korat and had never seeen the bar. His wife was found to be the owner because ATIP police discovered that all the takings from the bar went into her bank account. This is a story written by Drummond's deputy. He could not write it himself obviously. Funny how ASEAN NOW has allowed tqwo people within 24 hours to create Drummond attack sites. It seems many of the readers know the truth. By the way he was acquiited of these cases at the appeal court. Never truth the first court in Pattaya. If you want thre truth go to andrew drumonds website (www.andrew-drummond.com) and search The Night Wish Files.Fri, 22 May 2026 19:35:31 +0000The absolute mad bit is that most foreign blokes in Thailand, living in houses they paid for out of their own pocket, do not actually own the bloody things.Fri, 22 May 2026 19:26:37 +0000...or self raising flourFri, 22 May 2026 19:19:18 +0000International outrage over a stunt by Israel’s national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has triggered a new diplomatic backlash against Benjamin Netanyahu’s government — and reignited debate over just how far Israel’s political centre has shifted to the right. Ben-Gvir sparked condemnation after posting footage from a detention site holding activists from a Gaza aid flotilla. The video showed detainees kneeling with their hands restrained as Israel’s national anthem blasted in the background. Waving an Israeli flag, Ben-Gvir declared: “We are the landlords here.” The reaction was swift. Western governments lined up to denounce the spectacle, with criticism extending from Europe to Washington. Allies Turn on Netanyahu Minister British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “truly appalled” by the footage, while officials from France, Germany, Canada, Spain and several other countries formally criticised the incident. Even the Trump administration broke ranks. US ambassador Mike Huckabee reportedly accused Ben-Gvir of betraying “the dignity of his nation”. Netanyahu’s office also distanced itself from the video, insisting the display did not reflect “Israel’s values and norms”. Foreign minister Gideon Saar publicly rebuked Ben-Gvir, declaring: “You are not the face of Israel.” But critics argue the opposite is true. From Fringe Radical to Power Broker Far from operating on the political margins, Ben-Gvir sits at the heart of Israel’s ruling coalition. As national security minister, he oversees police forces, prison systems and security policy across Israel and the occupied territories. Under his tenure, rights groups have accused Israeli authorities of intensifying crackdowns on Palestinians, expanding armed settler networks and escalating pressure around Jerusalem’s most sensitive religious sites. Ben-Gvir’s rise also reflects a broader transformation inside Israeli politics. Once associated with extremist movements rejected even by Israel’s right wing, figures aligned with his ideology now occupy senior cabinet posts and shape government policy. Netanyahu’s Political Trap The deeper problem for Netanyahu is political survival. Ben-Gvir and finance minister Bezalel Smotrich helped deliver the coalition keeping the prime minister in power. That alliance has tied Netanyahu ever more tightly to hard-line nationalist forces as the Gaza war deepens international isolation and intensifies scrutiny of Israeli policy. What once sat on the fringe of Israeli politics is now firmly embedded inside the state itself — and the diplomatic fallout is growing harder to contain. Nobody better represents Israeli politics today than Itamar Ben-GvirFri, 22 May 2026 19:01:19 +0000Just curious if it still exists and how does a person go about buying it?Fri, 22 May 2026 18:48:25 +0000fomfFri, 22 May 2026 18:47:23 +0000Whatever is wrong with you people constantly bashing the Brits, America, Spain, Germany and France all polluted the world but none more so than the Americans, it used to be a criminal offence and may still be that to get a STD whilst serving in the American navy, so anyone who had one did not report it or seek treatment and simply spread it in every port the ship visited, I remember back in the 60’s when a US ship visited my city not one of us dated a new local girl for 3 months after the ship had left so really all the Idiot Brits amongst us are doing is trying to catch up, a somewhat impossible task if one studies the history of STD’s and their origins. With comments such as yours one wonders but would not be surprised at what the WK stands for in CallumWK. I mean you no dis-respect Callum but your comments are offensive and totally un-necessary Methinks it’s time to get real, not all Brits are unruly including those who reside in Thailand so the sins of the few should not be heaped upon the majorityFri, 22 May 2026 18:43:45 +0000Any time the subject of anti-Zionist Jews comes up, you have to remember some people who are considered Jewish by ancestry, either by themselves or others, have never practiced the Jewish religion. Consequently, they don't regard Israel as their homeland and find it easy to demonstrate against the Israeli government or even oppose the existence of Israel. I know Americans who would be regarded as Jews under Israel's Law of Return because they had Jewish grandparents, but neither their parents or themselves have ever been members of a synagogue or attended services in one. They are basically agnostics who don't follow any organized religion. It's technically correct to call them anti-Zionist Jews but it's more accurate to say they are non-practicing Jews who oppose Zionism. The number of Jews who practice Judaism but actively reject Zionism is very small.Fri, 22 May 2026 18:42:58 +0000Not in Palestine, which was always a purely mad project and everybody knew as early as the Basel Congress. It only took 120 years for this madness to cease. Much blood lost in the process, but what's done is done. You guys can go to Patagonia, Milei is on board.Fri, 22 May 2026 18:42:37 +0000late 30's Been here 15+ yrs Elite last 5.5 prior investor visa and prior to that marriage then prior to that work permit visa. the agent also wanted my tax reciepts (thai) to keep on record? (remittance tax best description from overseas investments) which again shouldn't be relevantFri, 22 May 2026 18:41:48 +0000Probably better off wherever they are.Fri, 22 May 2026 18:41:14 +0000No where does it mention that the train driver was smoking weed or meth "while" driving the train. Also, not sure about meth, but marijuana can show up on a drug test 30 days after a person uses the substance. So, it is possible that he smoked a joint one night up to 29 days prior to this accident hardly making him "under the influence."Fri, 22 May 2026 18:37:51 +0000There are enough people like yourself who don't like him so they could post there too. Strange that like you, they didn't. Also, you are again mistaken. He never plead guilty in the 2019 Leeds case. He was arrested and jailed by Judge Nicklin within hours, like some archaic drumhead trial. What was particularly egregious about the Leeds case was that he was initially arrested for 'breach of the peace' by the police but without any explanation it was later on a whim changed to contempt.Fri, 22 May 2026 18:18:51 +0000I have been a tax resident (and filed null-returns) for the last 10 years or so. Nothing in my situation has changed.Fri, 22 May 2026 18:13:18 +0000Who cares? There should be. Looks like Muslims in the USA have to watch out LOL. Now you, of course, being an internet troll, are no threat to anyone.Fri, 22 May 2026 18:12:23 +0000Fan boys. He could literally post a video of him punching a kitten in the face and the comments would be his fan boys supporting him. The only thing relevant here is UK criminal law, his suspended sentence, his pleading guilty to contempt of court, and what his fan boys say in the comments in utterly irrelevant.Fri, 22 May 2026 18:10:33 +0000