Thai society’s con man unmasked: Smooth criminal pledges to change his stripes

[rooster59]

South Korea braces for possible new missile test to mark North's founding day

By Christine Kim

 

North Korean soldiers salute at Mansudae hill in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo taken by Kyodo, September 9, 2017 on the 69th founding anniversary of the country. Mandatory credit Kyodo/via REUTERS

 

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea braced for a possible further missile test by North Korea as it marked its founding anniversary on Saturday, just days after its sixth and largest nuclear test rattled global financial markets and further escalated tensions in the region.

 

Throughout the week, South Korean officials have warned the North could launch another intercontinental ballistic missile, in defiance of U.N. sanctions and amid an escalating standoff with the United States.

 

Pyongyang marks its founding anniversary each year with a big display of pageantry and military hardware. Last year, North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on the Sept. 9 anniversary.

 

Tension on the Korean peninsula has escalated as North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, has stepped up the development of weapons, testing a string of missiles this year, including one flying over Japan, and conducting its sixth nuclear test on Sunday.

 

Experts believe the isolated regime is close to its goal of developing a powerful nuclear weapon capable of reaching the United States, something U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to prevent.

 

Celebrating its founding anniversary, a front-page editorial of the Saturday edition of North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun said the country should make "more high-tech Juche weapons to continuously bring about big historical events such as a miraculous victory of July 28.". The July date refers to the intercontinental ballistic missile test.

 

Juche is North Korea's homegrown ideology of self-reliance that is a mix of Marxism and extreme nationalism preached by state founder Kim Il Sung, the current leader's grandfather.

 

South Korean nuclear experts, checking for contamination, said on Friday they had found minute traces of radioactive xenon gas but that it was too early to link it to Sunday's explosion.

 

The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) said it had been conducting tests on land, air and water samples since shortly after the North Korean nuclear test on Sunday.

 

Xenon is a naturally occurring, colourless gas that is used in manufacturing of some sorts of lights. But the NSSC said it had detected xenon-133, a radioactive isotope that does not occur naturally and which has in the past been linked to North Korea's nuclear tests.

 

There was no chance the xenon "will have an impact on South Korea's territory or population", the agency said.

 

Trump has repeatedly said all options are on the table in dealing with North Korea and on Thursday said he would prefer not to use military action, but if he did, it would be a "very sad day" for North Korea.

 

"Military action would certainly be an option. Is it inevitable? Nothing is inevitable," Trump told reporters. "If we do use it on North Korea, it will be a very sad day for North Korea."

 

Even as Trump has insisted that now is not the time to talk, senior members of his administration have made clear that the door to a diplomatic solution is open, especially given the U.S. assessment that any pre-emptive strike would unleash massive North Korean retaliation.

 

North Korea says it needs its weapons to protect itself from U.S. aggression and regularly threatens to destroy the United States.

 

South Korea and the United States are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.

 

GRAPHIC: Nuclear North Korea - http://tmsnrt.rs/2lE5yjF

 

US CARRIER ON THE MOVE

 

The USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered carrier, left its home port in Japan for a routine autumn patrol of the Western Pacific, a Navy spokeswoman said. That area included waters between Japan and the Korean peninsula, she added, without giving any further details.

 

The Ronald Reagan was out on routine patrol from May until August, and was sent to the Sea of Japan with the another carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, to take part in drills with Japan's Self Defence Forces as well as the South Korean military.

 

North Korea vehemently objects to military exercises on or near the peninsula, and China and Russia have suggested the United States and South Korea halt their exercises to lower tension.

 

While Trump talked tough on North Korea, China agreed on Thursday that the United Nations should take more action against it, but it also pushed for dialogue.

 

The U.N. Security Council is expected to vote on a new set of sanctions soon. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that it was too early to draw conclusions about the final form of the U.N. resolution, Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Lavrov as saying at a news conference on Friday.

 

The United States on Friday told the U.N. Security Council that it intends to call a meeting on Monday to vote on a draft resolution establishing additional sanctions on North Korea for its missile and nuclear program, the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said in a statement.

 

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said last Monday that she intended to call for a vote on Sept. 11 and then the United States circulated a draft resolution to the 15-member council on Wednesday.

 

The United States wants the Security Council to impose an oil embargo on North Korea, ban its exports of textiles and the hiring of North Korean labourers abroad, and to subject Kim Jong Un to an asset freeze and travel ban, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

 

It was not immediately clear how North Korean allies China and Russia would vote, but a senior U.S. official on Friday night expressed scepticism that either nation would accept anything more stringent than a ban on imports of North Korean textiles.

 

Chinese officials have privately expressed fears that imposing an oil embargo could risk triggering massive instability in its neighbour.

 

North Korea offered fresh vitriol against the pending sanctions, specifically targeting Haley, who this week accused Kim of "begging for war".

 

"There is nothing more foolish than thinking we, a strong nuclear state, will endure this evil pressure aimed at overthrowing our state," the North's official news agency said in a commentary.

 

"Even if Nikki Haley is blind, she must use her mouth correctly. The United States administration will pay for not being able to control the mouth of their U.N. representative."

 

China is by far North Korea's biggest trading partner, accounting for 92 percent of two-way trade last year. It also provides hundreds of thousands of tonnes of oil and fuel to the impoverished regime.

 

China's economic influence has been felt by South Korea as well. The two countries have been at loggerheads over South Korea's decision to deploy a U.S. anti-missile system, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, which has a powerful radar that can probe deep into China.

 

Shares in South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor <005380.KS> and key suppliers slid on Friday on worries over its position in China after highly critical Chinese state newspaper comments.

 

The military section of China's Global Times newspaper on Thursday referred to THAAD as "a malignant tumour".

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-09-09

[craigt3365]

And some say the US is causing the problems? Right....

[Dumbastheycome]

3 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

And some say the US is causing the problems? Right....

So if  a  man was permanentley standing  on the  public footpath outside  your  house waving a  large  gun  and declaring   You  are a threat and You purchased  a  gun  in  likely  need  of  defence after the  fact  who  would  be  causing  a  problem ?

[hawker9000]

7 hours ago, Dumbastheycome said:

So if  a  man was permanentley standing  on the  public footpath outside  your  house waving a  large  gun  and declaring   You  are a threat and You purchased  a  gun  in  likely  need  of  defence after the  fact  who  would  be  causing  a  problem ?

Not sure what that has to do with anything.  Let's repair it and change the narrative to something more parallel to the actual situation instead of psychotic propaganda:   "...man in his own house on his own property cleaning his own gun, next door to a guy with 20 thugs armed with grenade throwers aiming at you and HE'S the one who's doing all the loud declaring saying he's going to wipe you off the face of the earth", THEN who would be causing the problem?

 

It's good that even thug sympathizers can post here, so the rest of us can see what the sane are up against.

 

But let's keep it simple.  Yes, there's a fatboy with a funny haircut standing just outside your house waving a large gun and declaring that YOU are a threat, and so now you've purchased a gun for self-defense.  Who's causing the problem?

Edited September 9, 2017 by hawker9000

[baboon]

4 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

Not sure what that has to do with anything.  Let's repair it and change the narrative to something more parallel to the actual situation instead of psychotic propaganda:   "...man in his own house on his own property cleaning his own gun, next door to a guy with 20 thugs armed with grenade throwers aiming at you and HE'S the one who's doing all the loud declaring saying he's going to wipe you off the face of the earth", THEN who would be causing the problem?

 

It's good that even thug sympathizers can post here, so the rest of us can see what the sane are up against.

 

But let's keep it simple.  Yes, there's a fatboy with a funny haircut standing just outside your house waving a large gun and declaring that YOU are a threat, and so now you've purchased a gun for self-defense.  Who's causing the problem?

Good analogy. The guy in his own house cleaning his own gun versus the 20 thugs from out of town with grenade launchers, who have a habit of moving into other people's houses whether invited or not, any and every time the mood takes them.

Edited September 10, 2017 by baboon

[craigt3365]

30 minutes ago, baboon said:

Good analogy. The guy in his own house cleaning his own gun versus the 20 thugs from out of town with grenade launchers, who have a habit of moving into other people's houses whether invited or not, any and every time the mood takes them.

Nice troll post. Totally inaccurate, but understandable from anti US posters.

[Stargeezr]

Just because Fat Boy and his country has not yet launched a nuke missile.  Please try to remember that his country has never ended the war with South Korea.   As much as the Donald does not like NK or the leader who killed his uncle, and had his other relative killed off, I am more worried that China and Russia will not make North Korea back off their Nuke program , than I am of the USA starting the missile throwing first.

Geezer

[Naam]

1 hour ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Just because Fat Boy and his country has not yet launched a nuke missile. Please try to remember that his country has never ended the war with South Korea.

please try to remember that the allied warring nations and South Korea have never ended the war with North Korea. yawn...

[Naam]

1 hour ago, craigt3365 said:

1 hour ago, baboon said:

Good analogy. The guy in his own house cleaning his own gun versus the 20 thugs from out of town with grenade launchers, who have a habit of moving into other people's houses whether invited or not, any and every time the mood takes them.

Nice troll post. Totally inaccurate, but understandable from anti US posters.

perhaps a troll post but totally accurate!

[amvet]

8 minutes ago, Naam said:

please try to remember that the allied warring nations and South Korea have never ended the war with North Korea. yawn...

Why?  At first it was because the North Koreans wanted their POW's returned forcibly to N Korea and the POW's didn't want to go.  Did the Allies do anything else after that was solved that prevented peace? 

[JHolmesJr]

Im just stunned that a relatively small country as this has, for so long, been allowed (even sanctioned) to make trouble by its neighbours. normally any other country would be fenced in and severely punished.

 

[farcanell]

US sympathizers.... anti US sympathizers.... blah blah... missing the point a bit, me thinks

 

for me, this is about nuclear arms proliferation, contrary to UN sanctions, (global will) giving the ultimate  weapon, to an unstable dictator. (for anti trumpists... don't bother, as that boats sailed already)

 

moving forwards, less nukes is better.... and if having the power to suppress nuclear proliferation, it needs to be exercised, for the global good.(stabilization) 

 

arms races stimulate economies.... they also usually end in wars

 

putin says they (NK people's) will eat grass, whilst maintaining their agenda to achieve nuclear capability.... I say, let them eat grass. 

 

Maybe the citizenry will then rise up.

 

 

[farcanell]

52 minutes ago, Naam said:

please try to remember that the allied warring nations and South Korea have never ended the war with North Korea. yawn...

Yes.... and also that those dirty rotten allied warring nations assisted in rebuilding SK into a prosperous nation, that's brought us the joys of Kpop, just to rub NKs nose in it ?

 

[amvet]

9 minutes ago, farcanell said:

US sympathizers.... anti US sympathizers.... blah blah... missing the point a bit, me thinks

 

for me, this is about nuclear arms proliferation, contrary to UN sanctions, (global will) giving the ultimate weapon, to an unstable dictator. (for anti trumpists... don't bother, as that boats sailed already)

 

moving forwards, less nukes is better.... and if having the power to suppress nuclear proliferation, it needs to be exercised, for the global good.(stabilization) 

 

arms races stimulate economies.... they also usually end in wars

 

putin says they (NK people's) will eat grass, whilst maintaining their agenda to achieve nuclear capability.... I say, let them eat grass. 

 

Maybe the citizenry will then rise up.

You have to sanction China to stop oil and how is that going to work?  The only viable option is to blast N Korea with conventional weapons and kill all the N Koreans so they don't flood the Chinese border.  Give what is left of N Korea to China to administer like another Hong Kong.

[farcanell]

19 minutes ago, amvet said:

You have to sanction China to stop oil and how is that going to work?  The only viable option is to blast N Korea with conventional weapons and kill all the N Koreans so they don't flood the Chinese border.  Give what is left of N Korea to China to administer like another Hong Kong.

Perhaps stronger threats by the UN, to sanction china, if it continues to supply NK, might help

 

i saw somewhere yesterday, that by and large, china is not happy with fatboy... so who knows... bring in madam secretary, she'll sort it out.... as it needs sorting out, preferably before Donald does something dumb.

[impulse]

1 hour ago, JHolmesJr said:

Im just stunned that a relatively small country as this has, for so long, been allowed (even sanctioned) to make trouble by its neighbours. normally any other country would be fenced in and severely punished.

 

 

Basically, it's a 60 year long hostage situation where the citizens of Seoul are the hostages to the old school NK artillery that can kill a lot of people in the 30 minutes before they could possibly be taken out.  It could go into hours and hours (even days) of shelling if nukes are off the table.

 

As long as that artillery is aimed at Seoul from 30-40 miles north, every other negotiation is just theater.

 

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, Naam said:

perhaps a troll post but totally accurate!

When ever the mood takes them? You seriously agree with that. Sorry,  but it's nonsense.

[craigt3365]

1 hour ago, Naam said:

please try to remember that the allied warring nations and South Korea have never ended the war with North Korea. yawn...

Or perhaps the warring North Korea has never ended the war?

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_border_incidents_involving_North_Korea
 

Quote

 

 A total of 3,693 armed North Korean agents have infiltrated into South Korea between 1954 and 1992, with 20% of these occurring between 1967 and 1968.[1]

 

That's a long list. And yet some blame the US for all of this.  LOL

[amvet]

51 minutes ago, farcanell said:

Perhaps stronger threats by the UN, to sanction china, if it continues to supply NK, might help

 

i saw somewhere yesterday, that by and large, china is not happy with fatboy... so who knows... bring in madam secretary, she'll sort it out.... as it needs sorting out, preferably before Donald does something dumb.

What does the South China Morning Post think?

 

“North Korea doesn’t really care about what China said it would do to them because they know China’s stance very well,” he said.

“The outlook of having this issue resolved is dim. It will very much depend on whether the US decides to take military action.”

 

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2109803/china-will-back-tougher-north-korea-sanctions-after

[Naam]

13 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Quote

 A total of 3,693 armed North Korean agents have infiltrated into South Korea between 1954 and 1992, with 20% of these occurring between 1967 and 1968.[1]

That's a long list. And yet some blame the US for all of this.  LOL

let's add up the number of armed U.S. soldiers entering a dozen countries causing millions of casualties between 1954 and 2017...  

[Naam]

Quote

farcanell said:

Perhaps stronger threats by the UN, to sanction china, if it continues to supply NK, might help

perhaps the wet dream that the UN can sanction a permanent security council member with veto rights becomes true in a cheap Hollywood movie? 

[farcanell]

2 minutes ago, Naam said:

perhaps the wet dream that the UN can sanction a permanent security council member with veto rights becomes true in a cheap Hollywood movie? 

Ah.... good point.

[craigt3365]

7 minutes ago, Naam said:

perhaps the wet dream that the UN can sanction a permanent security council member with veto rights becomes true in a cheap Hollywood movie? 

Veto rights is the number one problem with the UNSC.

[Naam]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

Veto rights is the number one problem with the UNSC.

the security council is nothing but a gang of selfish horsetrading members presenting ridiculous shows to the public. they empowered themselves and found out a short while later that they also screwed themselves. when the council was formed no other member was consulted.

[Morch]

9 hours ago, farcanell said:

US sympathizers.... anti US sympathizers.... blah blah... missing the point a bit, me thinks

 

for me, this is about nuclear arms proliferation, contrary to UN sanctions, (global will) giving the ultimate  weapon, to an unstable dictator. (for anti trumpists... don't bother, as that boats sailed already)

 

moving forwards, less nukes is better.... and if having the power to suppress nuclear proliferation, it needs to be exercised, for the global good.(stabilization) 

 

arms races stimulate economies.... they also usually end in wars

 

putin says they (NK people's) will eat grass, whilst maintaining their agenda to achieve nuclear capability.... I say, let them eat grass. 

 

Maybe the citizenry will then rise up.

 

 

 

More like Kim will make them eat grass. Doubt North Koreans, if they actually had a say or much of a clue about the outside world would be all that willing to suffer the hardship.

[tifino]

The Don = Clint Eastwood:

I hope the bluff work better.. this time round

Edited September 10, 2017 by tifino

[amvet]

8 hours ago, Naam said:

let's add up the number of armed U.S. soldiers entering a dozen countries causing millions of casualties between 1954 and 2017...  

What does that have to do with Korea?  Oh I forgot.  If it's anti US it's always on topic.

[Dumbastheycome]

17 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

Not sure what that has to do with anything.  Let's repair it and change the narrative to something more parallel to the actual situation instead of psychotic propaganda:   "...man in his own house on his own property cleaning his own gun, next door to a guy with 20 thugs armed with grenade throwers aiming at you and HE'S the one who's doing all the loud declaring saying he's going to wipe you off the face of the earth", THEN who would be causing the problem?

 

It's good that even thug sympathizers can post here, so the rest of us can see what the sane are up against.

 

But let's keep it simple.  Yes, there's a fatboy with a funny haircut standing just outside your house waving a large gun and declaring that YOU are a threat, and so now you've purchased a gun for self-defense.  Who's causing the problem?

I am unsure  which  thug  or  which   sympathizer  you   refer to. Next  door? If  neighbours  had rational  concerns  concern and  evidence  of  genuine threat I am sure  in that  circumstance they  would   act accordingly. 

The  psychotic  propaganda   from the  vigilante  out of towners   seems  to  be the   genuine threat.

[Dumbastheycome]

1 hour ago, amvet said:

What does that have to do with Korea?  Oh I forgot.  If it's anti US it's always on topic.

The relevance of  historical  fact  is unavoidable. I would  be the  last  person  to  sympathize  with  the  NK  regime with it's lack of  introspective acknowledgement  of  global realities.

To  date  they  have  only  inflicted   harm on their  own  within the  confines  of the  Korean  Pennisula.

The  US  has  a long  history  of  unsuccessful  campaigns via  or  independent  of the  UN which  have  and  often been  demonstrated   to   Not  be  for  the  global  good.

The  statement that  any  critical  comment  or  comparative  is   anti US  is a  demonstration of  the  same  ideology  of   G Bush  Jnr.'s " If  you are  not  with us  you are  against us! "  

[Naam]

1 hour ago, amvet said:

What does that have to do with Korea?  Oh I forgot.  If it's anti US it's always on topic.

instead of taking a rather ignorant shot from the hip you should read all context to which i commented.