Iranian President visits Thailand

[webfact]

Iranian President visits Thailand

  

BANGKOK, 10 October 2016 (NNT) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has visited Thailand to discuss trade issues and strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries. 

President Rouhani on Sunday had a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha in Bangkok before attending the 2nd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit hosted by Thailand. The summit is aimed at engaging all member countries in discussions on cooperative frameworks under the 6 pillars of ACD. 

President Rouhani is on his official visit to Asian countries. He will deliver a speech to open the summit with 33 leaders on Monday. 

The Thai-Iranian trade is worth around 794.46 million USD. Thailand exports TVs, air-conditioners, rice, Para rubber and steel to Iran and imports chemicals, earth metals, fish and natural gas from the country. 

 

-- nnt 2016-10-10

[Hayduke]

This is indeed a rare honor. The authorities should ensure he has a safe and successful visit by stopping, searching, and drug testing some backpackers on Khao San road.

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand exports ... steel to Iran

Interesting.

Iran's steel exports from April 2016-July 2016 had a growth of 70% compared to the same period last year. Iran had 1% share of the world production in the last Iranian year. Iran was the biggest producer of crude steel in the Middle East in 2013. The country ranked 14th in the world in 2014 for the production of crude steel. http://www.iran-daily.com/News/169388.html

Must be Thailand produces a much higher grade of steel that Iran cannot produce?

[williamgeorgeallen]

iranian president and the good general can compare notes on there styles of 'government'

[hansnl]

2 hours ago, williamgeorgeallen said:

iranian president and the good general can compare notes on there styles of 'government'

They can.

Or might.

I certainly would not want to live in Iran.

But I live and want to live in Thailand!

What is more, I can!

[hawker9000]

11 minutes ago, hansnl said:

They can.

Or might.

I certainly would not want to live in Iran.

But I live and want to live in Thailand!

What is more, I can!

There's a US Army deserter who's lived in N. Korea since the war.  He says he wouldn't live anywhere else either. I expect there are westerners living more-or-less happily in Iran.  ...In Communist China.   Etc.  The point is, once you make the life-changing choice to pull up roots from your home country and settle in, adapt to, and get emotionally & financially invested in a new country, that then becomes your "normal".  It really doesn't have much relevance to a prospective émigré still back in the home country contemplating a move.

[anotheruser]

58 minutes ago, hawker9000 said:

There's a US Army deserter who's lived in N. Korea since the war.  He says he wouldn't live anywhere else either. I expect there are westerners living more-or-less happily in Iran.  ...In Communist China.   Etc.  The point is, once you make the life-changing choice to pull up roots from your home country and settle in, adapt to, and get emotionally & financially invested in a new country, that then becomes your "normal".  It really doesn't have much relevance to a prospective émigré still back in the home country contemplating a move.

 

As far as I can tell the American defector did so only to escape a court martial and subsequent imprisonment. Later he tried to seek asylum at the Soviet embassy in Pyong Yang but was refused and handed over to the North Koreans. He wouldn't live anywhere else because he would be doing it in the comfort of a military prison cell.

 

Not exactly a shining example of somebody chasing their dreams in an unlikely location. 

[hawker9000]

10 hours ago, anotheruser said:

 

As far as I can tell the American defector did so only to escape a court martial and subsequent imprisonment. Later he tried to seek asylum at the Soviet embassy in Pyong Yang but was refused and handed over to the North Koreans. He wouldn't live anywhere else because he would be doing it in the comfort of a military prison cell.

 

Not exactly a shining example of somebody chasing their dreams in an unlikely location. 

No - happy enough.  'Was treated as something of a celebrity by the government.  'Married a N. Korean woman (I'm not sure, but I think they have kids), starred in some movies (in one he was cast as the American bad guy...), a tv series, and actually became something of a N. Korean celebrity, etc., etc.  

 

His military offenses weren't all that serious.  He forged a pass, and then having used it to leave the base was guilty of an unauthorized absence as well.  'Might even have been handled at company punishment.  'No more than a factor among others in a decision to defect.

 

Listening to his interviews in a documentary done on him (by a western outfit), he delivered all the usual anti-American, this-place-is-sooo-misunderstood-by-the-west, I-live-great-here, they've-treated-me-well crap.  "I was fed up with my childhood, my marriage, my military life, everything. I was a goon. There's only one place to go,..."

  He and three other defectors did try to seek asylum at the Soviet embassy early on, and were simply refused and returned to the N. Koreans, but Dresnok subsequently decided he liked N. Korea and wanted to take up residence there.   He's been a happy camper ever since (and there was NEVER any shortage of complaints about the west...).  Your last statement is simply BS as a statement of his motivation. 

 

So.  People "adapt".  He obviously did.  But just as no one in their right mind should allow themselves to be persuaded by him to taking up residence in N. Korea, neither should anyone thinking about transplanting themselves to Thailand do so simply on the urging of someone who long ago invested themselves, in many cases irrevocably so, there.  There's no rationality or objectivity in that approach.  In the first place, Thailand has changed drastically over time, and is no longer the Thailand of the 1960s, 70s, 80s...   More importantly, someone who's made that transition has "bought in" and endured a significant life change, and must be considered among the most subjective sources of information on the planet.  It would certainly be more reasonable to give a listen to those who, having immigrated years ago, are now leaving.  Now THERE'S someone who, having once shouldered the huge commitment to immigrate to Thailand, later decides despite all that they can no longer tolerate conditions there.  Such a person was obviously once "a believer", but later "lost the faith".  There'd have to be compelling reasons for that to happen.

[anotheruser]

He ran through a mine field to escape punishment. He would be prosecuted for espionage and treason now.  I will leave it at that.

[hawker9000]

The TV software sees quote marks and misbehaves (apparently confuses what follows with quoting someone else's post...).  So my above got mangled.  Sorry.  'Don't have time to fix it now.

 

[anotheruser]

1 minute ago, hawker9000 said:

The TV software sees quote marks and misbehaves (apparently confuses what follows with quoting someone else's post...).  So my above got mangled.  Sorry.  'Don't have time to fix it now.

 

 

No problem I have had my own issues with the quote feature lately. It is probably the function in most need of attention by admins these days.

[landslide]

Do you think Rouhani will visit a Buddhist Temple for a photo op?

[NongKhaiKid]

1 minute ago, landslide said:

Do you think Rouhani will visit a Buddhist Temple for a photo op?

Maybe not but he will issue a statement saying how he understands what the junta's doing and fully supports the road map.

It might actually be true this time but no matter if he doesn't say anything as Thai officials will say it for him.