Hillary Clinton Arrives In Bangkok, En Route To Asean Meet

[george]

Clinton arrives in Bangkok, en route to ASEAN meet

BANGKOK: -- US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in Bangkok Tuesday for a bilateral meeting with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

She is to fly on to Phuket Island, 600 kilometres south of Bangkok, on Wednesday to attend the ASEAN Security Forum (ARF) the following day.

The ARF, Asia's main annual security event, on Thursday gathers foreign ministers from the 10 member states of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their main Asian and non-Asian allies such as the United States, the European Union and Russia.

Clinton is scheduled to sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in South-East Asia, a loose agreement on the terms of engagement in the region on Wednesday, a turnabout from the previous administration, which had refused to sign the treaty.

President Barack Obama has indicated a change in the US approach in Asia, attaching more importance to multilateral groupings such as ASEAN rather than pursuing former president George W Bush's bilateral diplomacy.

The EU is expected to join the treaty later this year.

Before Clinton's arrival, Abhisit denied a report in Sunday's edition of The Washington Post that there was a US secret prison for torturing terrorists in Thailand.

"It's an old story, and it is totally groundless as this government has never resorted to the use of violent means," Abhisit was quoted as saying.

The US newspaper's report about CIA interrogations of suspected terrorists in 2002 mentions secret prisons in Thailand.

Abhisit said the report would have no impact on his scheduled meeting with Clinton.

-- dpa 2009-07-21

Clinton in Thailand for Asian security talks

BANGKOK: -- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Thailand on Tuesday for a regional security conference focusing on the North Korean nuclear threat, Myanmar's rights record and terrorism.

Following a five-day visit to India, Clinton flew to Bangkok and headed to a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, an AFP correspondent said. She made no comment on the plane.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said Clinton's talks with Abhisit would focus on "cooperation on climate change and counter-terrorism, regional security, and Thailand's leadership role as ASEAN chair."

She will go to the resort island of Phuket on Wednesday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF), which groups the regional bloc with the United States and 16 other countries.

-- Agencies 2009-07-21

[mrtoad]

I wonder if KP will try to get a photo shop of her browsing in their

scams

shops?

[TAWP]

Too bad I didn't know her schedule so one couldn't go out and trow some water-bottles in her direction.

Nasty piece of work, she is. Together with Biden they are a clear symbol of corruption in Obamas government.

[MHM]

You!!! Tuk tuk!! How much you pay??

[Jingthing]

Nasty piece of work, she is.

I agree, if by NASTY you mean FABULOUS!!!!

Welcome Madame Secretary Hillary to the Land of Similies.

Love you. Love your dog.

Feeling very proud to be American these days!

Here's hoping Thailand someday is lucky enough to get a leader as great as Barack Obama!

Edited July 21, 2009 by Jingthing

[Publicus]

Hillary is a tuff cookie as Abisit will find out.

As with her hubby while Bill was prez, She will require "linkage" in trade and other commercial relations.

That is, agreement by the Thai government and corporations to standards towards labor, protections for the environment and other important matters such as "trade facilitation".

Trade facilitation means cracking down on customs bribes and bribery in general doing business. Because of linkage Thais were happy to see the Clinton presidency end and Bush come in as Bush was happy to woo Thaksin instead. (In the end, however, Bush left T out to dry.)

Then there's the security issue to include recent events in Indonesia and the ongoing stuff in the South.

Abisit had better be ready.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Publicus

[TAWP]

Nasty, as in using false facts to further push her anti-liberty agenda in both private and public aspects of life.

One simply would be the call for national legislation against video games and claiming there was any linkage between video games and violence - there isn't. Just another step the government wants to take in to control the life of you and your children.

Or how about the fact that she is one of the biggest receiver of donations from medical insurance companies...

[Publicus]

As First Lady Hillary Clinton led the effort to provide national health insurance and care for ALL Americans but was stopped by the opposition in the Congress, an opposition which represented and continues to represent the vested corporations which control access to medical care in the US and regularly overrule doctors recommendations.

This is not the forum for domestic politics and policy making in the US. I do know I'd rather have Sec. Clinton and Prez Obama than the Republican Ron Paul in the guise of Libertarianism.

Sec. Clinton is visiting Thailand because there are close historical and policy connections between the US and Thailand which date to the birth of the present monarch in the US while his father was studying at Harvard Medical School.

Sec. Clinton is not on some grand whirlwind tour of the world or of the region. She is here to do busines with India and Thailand especially and in particular. Let's stay focused on the fact.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Publicus

[JoeThePoster]

Is she going to unveil a commemorative plaque at Clinton Plaza?

[Groongthep]

My guess is that this will quickly start spiraling down into another bashing thread.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Groongthep

[TAWP]

This is not the forum for domestic politics and policy making in the US. I do know I'd rather have Sec. Clinton and Prez Obama than the Republican Ron Paul in the guise of Libertarianism.

Yes, corporate-fascism, oppressionism and government that regulates your life and choice is so much better than the freedom the founding fathers wanted to guarantee for all.

Ofcourse...

[webfact]

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrives at Don Muang Airport before meeting

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday. Clinton will attend Asean Foreign

Ministers' meeting in Phuket as the US is Asean's dialogue partner.//Wanchai Kraisornkhaj

-- The Nation 2009/07/21

[Publicus]

Her outfittings are closer to yellow than they are to red. (A clever post above that MAY say a thousand words!)

Edited July 21, 2009 by Publicus

[animatic]

Her outfittings are closer to yellow than they are to red. (A clever post above that MAY say a thousand words!)

Primary colors Yellow and Red mixed together = Orange.

I thinks she brilliantly split the difference between the two.

NEITHER side can say her choice of clothes favored them. BRILLIANT!

AND to boot it's not so far from the typical color for monks.

Certainly calculated, but a well thought out calculation.

And it shows some thought went into coming to Thailand,

not just arrive talk leave, done with it.

I had once suggested possibly that HRM might wear a orange shirt

so all Thais would start to emulate that color choice.

Edited July 21, 2009 by animatic

[tso310]

Did she land at DM because there is no King Power there ?

[Texpat]

She's a divisive, abrasive woman.

Perfect candidate for a novice community organizer to choose as chief diplomat.

[toptuan]

Did she land at DM because there is no King Power there ?

Yes. The diplomatic advance men are very thorough. Otherwise she might have gotten busted for changing into a shoplifted orange jump-suit in the Swampy restroom following her landing.

[Publicus]

Did she land at DM because there is no King Power there ?

Yes. The diplomatic advance men are very thorough. Otherwise she might have gotten busted for changing into a shoplifted orange jump-suit in the Swampy restroom following her landing.

And Sec Clinton and O both know the names of foreign leaders.

I note she came to listen too.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Publicus

[animatic]

She's a divisive, abrasive woman.

Perfect candidate for a novice community organizer to choose as chief diplomat.

Spoken like a true Texan from Bush country.

[TAWP]

She's a divisive, abrasive woman.

Perfect candidate for a novice community organizer to choose as chief diplomat.

Spoken like a true Texan from Bush country.

Don't simplify it to some redneck-opposition. A lot of 'east coast liberals and intellectuals' are against her and Biden too.

[Texpat]

I haven't stepped foot in Texas since 1984.

I voted for Bill Clinton, once.

Why does everyone make such silly assumptions?

It's amazing what power and influence a username and av conveys to feeble minds.

[Publicus]

She's a divisive, abrasive woman.

Perfect candidate for a novice community organizer to choose as chief diplomat.

Spoken like a true Texan from Bush country.

Don't simplify it to some redneck-opposition. A lot of 'east coast liberals and intellectuals' are against her and Biden too.

In the Democratic Party presidential preference vote in virtually every state I'm confident you would identify as populated by "east coast liberals," then New York Senator Clinton won virtually if not all of them, e.g., New York, Connecticut which is the richest state per capita, Massachusetts whose African-American governor supported Obama, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and others to include VP Biden's home state of Delaware.

Moreover, your East Coast liberals would exist north of Washington DC as the southern states along the Atlantic seaboard can't remotely be described as populated by "east coast liberals."

It helps to look into these facts and to more closely refine one's categorical references.

The overwhelming majority of Republican Party "east coast liberals" did vote for Obama (they had to change their party registration from Republican to vote in the Democratic Party preference polling), but all of that shrinking category of voters could easily fit into a couple of Volvos motoring "en mass" to a polling station. As former Republicans and new Democracts, these voters did cast their franchise for Obama in the November general election and are now a part of the new Democratic majority in US politics.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Publicus

[Jingthing]

She's a divisive, abrasive woman.

Perfect candidate for a novice community organizer to choose as chief diplomat.

You are hilarious! As hilarious as Hillary is FABULOUS. The campaign is over. You got CREAMED. Next time, the "novice" will be the incumbent 55555.

Some people can't recognize GREATNESS when its stuck in their face. Go figure.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Jingthing

[Texpat]

She's a divisive, abrasive woman.

Perfect candidate for a novice community organizer to choose as chief diplomat.

You got CREAMED.

Not sure how to break this to you, Jing, but ... I wasn't running.

[mrtoad]

Did she land at DM because there is no King Power there ?

But don't they have a branch in Phuket airport?

[animatic]

I haven't stepped foot in Texas since 1984.

I voted for Bill Clinton, once.

Why does everyone make such silly assumptions?

It's amazing what power and influence a username and av conveys to feeble minds.

Probable from your choice of words, and iconography for sure,

regional and social affiliation you wear like a badge on your sleeve,

and some of the other recent comments you have made on other subjects,

all painted a portrait, that you only now seem to refute...

And it all clearly made me remember WHY I did not move to Texas 4 years back,

and came to Thailand instead.

Hillary's not my favorite either,

but not to the extent you seem peaved about her.

She is on the other hand quite sharp and focused.

I am a registered Republican in New Hampshire with it's early primary

and limited taxes, not having lived in the states in 14 years, it was a logical choice.

I decide it was better to vote AGAINST Patrick Buchanan in the early primary,

rather than worry about an affiliation label. That side needs much more common sense.

Or at least tangible protest votes....

Nothing Hillary has ever done as given me more grief that ANY of a whole passle of GOP twits.

One should never take the bile of an election primary fight seriously.

Edited July 21, 2009 by animatic

[Texpat]

Regional affiliation?

The colors aren't regional. Neither is the style.

Lots more cowboys in california than texas.

Expat -- maybe my name's tom or tim or tony -- Texpat. Who knows. The persuasive power of a little image and a pseudonym are too powerful for some to see through. Hilarious.

The only thing I'm refuting are the assumptions.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Texpat

[brahmburgers]

Too bad I didn't know her schedule so one couldn't go out and trow some water-bottles in her direction.

Nasty piece of work, she is. Together with Biden they are a clear symbol of corruption in Obamas government.

She's a divisive, abrasive woman.

Perfect candidate for a novice community organizer to choose as chief diplomat.

ooooouuuuh, I can smell the sour grapes from miles away.

One basic difference between Secretary Clinton and the Asian delegates to ASEAN (Abhisit included) is she speaks her mind and can think on her feet. Asian politicians are too busy getting everything scripted and pre-digested by their handlers/minders/poo yai, and such. That's why ASEAN never accomplishes anything, certainly not anything ground-breaking. They're a bunch of all-too-careful follower types. Having Hillary in their midst should be like a tall glass of fresh water (after drinking factory pond water for decades) - and hopefully they'll learn from her example.

[Publicus]

She's a divisive, abrasive woman.

Perfect candidate for a novice community organizer to choose as chief diplomat.

You got CREAMED.

Not sure how to break this to you, Jing, but ... I wasn't running.

You're against Clinton and Obama and all of those dastardly "east coast liberals." As the man said, you got CREAMED!

[EndofDays]

Nasty piece of work, she is.

I agree, if by NASTY you mean FABULOUS!!!!

Welcome Madame Secretary Hillary to the Land of Similies.

Love you. Love your dog.

Feeling very proud to be American these days!

Here's hoping Thailand someday is lucky enough to get a leader as great as Barack Obama!

yes, whos 700 billion dollar bailout is now mounting to 23 trillion. Who has increased defecit spending more than any other U.S. President in his FIRST MONTH of office. And, thank god, whose popularity has dropped 26 points and is still sliding...a one-term president in the making. The only good thing he did was marginalize Hiliary so can't run in 2012...a good week so far.