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Latest posts...
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86
Report Swede, Aussie Found Dead Hours Apart in Same Pattaya Condo
Less physical exercise. Too much thinking. Too much negative social media. -
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Trump's most ardent supporters are in revolt
You left out the Greatest President in modern times. -
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Another brilliant idea from the Trump administration
You apparently haven't been following the HFCS controversy very long. -
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Crime Pattaya Police Settle Brawl Between Middle Eastern Tourists With Reconciliation & Warning
It saves on the paperwork. They've been doing it for years and it reappears every four months or so. -
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Middle East Gaza Grief: Children Pay Hefty Price in Ongoing Conflict
The Gaza Strip has long been described in stark terms by world leaders, scholars, and human rights observers. Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron called it a "prison camp". The renowned academic Noam Chomsky has repeatedly likened it to a “concentration camp”—a place where an entire population is trapped, subjected to collective punishment. In 2008, Richard Falk, then the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, went further, warning that Israel's policies in Gaza were a "prelude to genocide" and akin to a concentration camp. These are not fringe views. They echo the grave concerns of countless human rights organisations, legal experts, and humanitarian observers, especially in the wake of devastating Israeli military operations such as Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009), Protective Edge (2014), and most recently, the 2023–2024 war, which saw unprecedented destruction and civilian deaths. Collective Punishment and the Blockade Since 2007, when Hamas took control of Gaza, Israel has maintained a near-total blockade by land, sea, and air, effectively controlling what goes in and out of the strip. This includes food, fuel, building materials, and even medical supplies, all subject to Israeli control. Egypt also restricts movement on its border, but Israel is the occupying power under international law. Over two million people—half of them children—have been sealed off, unable to leave freely, even for medical treatment, education, or family reunification. The right to freedom of movement, a fundamental human right, is simply nonexistent for Gazans. The idea that the people of Gaza could "leave if they wanted" is a falsehood; they are locked in, their lives controlled by an outside power. This constitutes collective punishment, which is explicitly prohibited under Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. To punish an entire civilian population for the actions of a few is not only unjust—it is a war crime. Repeated Attacks on Civilians and Infrastructure In each major military operation, Israel has been accused of disproportionate use of force, the targeting of civilian infrastructure, and indiscriminate bombings. The 2014 war killed over 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians, including over 500 children. The 2023–2024 war is estimated to have killed tens of thousands, flattened entire neighbourhoods, destroyed hospitals, schools, mosques, and refugee camps, and left over 80% of the population displaced. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have both accused Israel of war crimes, including unlawful killings, deliberate attacks on civilian structures, and the use of white phosphorus munitions in populated areas. The repeated destruction of Gaza’s only power plant, water treatment facilities, and hospitals appears not accidental but systematic, pushing the civilian population into inhuman conditions. The Crime of Apartheid? In recent years, major human rights groups—including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Israeli organisation B’Tselem—have labelled Israel’s system of rule over Palestinians, including those in Gaza, as apartheid. This is a serious charge under international law, described in the 1973 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid, and echoed in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Apartheid is defined not just by physical separation but by a system of systematic oppression and domination of one group over another. In Gaza, the complete subjugation of Palestinians through blockade, surveillance, bombardment, and denial of rights fits this definition. A Humanitarian Catastrophe Today, Gaza is uninhabitable by most measures. Clean water is scarce, electricity is available only for a few hours a day (if at all), hospitals are in ruins, and unemployment and poverty rates are among the highest in the world. The UN has repeatedly warned that Gaza is a "humanitarian catastrophe", deliberately worsened by Israeli restrictions and repeated bombings. Accountability and the Silence of the International Community Despite these grave violations, Israel has not been held accountable in any meaningful way. International institutions like the International Criminal Court (ICC) have launched preliminary investigations, but powerful countries—especially the United States, Israel’s strongest ally—have vetoed or blocked UN resolutions, refused to support war crimes investigations, and continue to provide military and political backing. This silence and complicity embolden the continuation of crimes. As the world watches yet another generation of Palestinians grow up under siege, without freedom, dignity, or hope, the question is not whether Gaza -
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Why do people want to live in Isaan?
Obviously not been to rural Isaan. Can still get big Chang for 50 THB.
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