BKK News Feed Archive Q3/09/II

BKK News Feed for Week 40 in 2009, September 28th – October 04th:

THE NATION – Chang Noi: Reviving Old Politics With a Vengeance
BANGKOK POST – Train Derails, Kills Ten, Near Hua Hin
! INDEPENDENT – Thai Taboo: What Happens When …? (via Google News search)
CNNGO – World’s Greatest City: 50 Reasons Why Bangkok Is No. 1 (should have gone for 100 best reasons, enough quirky & offbeat bests here)
HUFFINGTON POST – Voting & Violence in Thailand
THE NATION – Thaksin Accuses Abhisit of Lacking Leadership
BANGKOK POST – New Puea Thai Chief: Good Chavalit? Or Shameless?
THE NATION – Freedom or Growth? Pursue Democracy for Its Own Merits
BANGKOK POST – Escaping From Urban Decay
STRAITS TIMES/AFP – Sondhi Gets Six Months Jail (out on bail though)
BANGKOK POST – Thai Society: A Loosely-Structured System
THAIVISA – Bangkok Post Bans ThaiVisa From Using Its Content

BANGKOK POST – Red Shirts Call for “Red October”
! STRAITS TIMES – Thai King’s Illness Deepens Uncertainty
CNNGO – Bangkok’s Fun-Seeking, Volunteering, Tweeting American
SEA GLOBE – The Comeback Kingdom
BANGKOK BUGLE – First Look @ Southeast Asia Globe, Thailand’s Latest English Magazine (BB’s impressed)
TAN – City Life Can Accentuate Hair Loss, Graying
XPRESS – Our National Cocktail Mixer
BLOOMBERG – Thailand’s Production Falls for 10th Month on Exports (not all that rosy)
! SEA GLOBE – Aging Thais Seek Shelter
AP – Fever, Inflamed Lungs Keep Thai King Hospitalized
! BANGKOK POST – Thitinan: Abhisit’s Fantastic Speech About a Fanciful Thailand
REUTERS – Thai Court Orders Suspension of 76 Industrial Projects

BANGKOK POST – Samak Guilty (what a surprise)
BANGKOK POST – Singing the National Anthem: Sing Till You’re Hoarse Fellas
BLOOMBERG – Thailand Says Economy Won’t Fall as Much as Forecast
BANGKOK POST – Hun Sen: “Shoot the Thais” (patience wearing thin)
REUTERS – Thailand Closer to 3G, Foreign Shareholders a Problem (Abhisit’s recent CNBC interview praising Thailand as open & competitive again all spin)
BANGKOK POST – Kasit: USAID Funding (for Democracy) Is Normal Practice (680 million baht gone where?)
XPRESS – Rayong’s Fearless HIV Volunteers
! TAN – ASTV Broke? Thai TV Station Sells Goods to Survive (offers a decent amount of critical self-reflection)
AP – Climate Talks Resume in Bangkok With Deal in Doubt
BANGKOK POST – Suvarnabhumi Plagued With Problems
CNNGO – Don’t Call Me a Lesbian: Tom-Dee Culture in Thailand
! THE NATION – Rising Crime by Foreigners a Cause for Concern

BKK News Feed for Week 39 in 2009, September 21st – 27th:

BANGKOK POST – Voranai: Are Thais Children of a Lesser God?
TIME – Abhisit, Man in the Middle
! ECONOMIST – Thailand’s Rowdy Royalists: Thugs Templar
NEW MANDALA – The State Within the State
NOT THE NATION – Villa Market Unveils World’s First 10,000 Baht Tomato
BANGKOK POST – Thailand’s Tarnished Image Abroad: Airport Police Gets the Nod
TAN – Defense Minister Orders Crackdown on Lèse Majesté Websites
AFP – Thai Military on Royal Insult Alert
BANGKOK POST – Wai MPs: Should We?
THE NATION – Parliament Officials Up in Arms Over “Prostrate” Order (thanks for the good laugh)
BBC – Thailand’s Long Battle With HIV/Aids
BLOOMBERG – Thai-U.S. HIV Vaccine Test Shows Promise for First Time

WSJ – Magnificent Obsessions: India’s Gala Weddings Go … to Bangkok
M&C – Thai Parliamentarians Demand Some Respect
SOCIALIST WORKER – Two Faces of Thailand
BERNAMA – Despite Being on the Run: Thaksin Is Thailand’s 16th Richest Man
BANGKOK POST – A Society on the Verge of Colliding
BANGKOK POST – Five Films You Should See @ BKK Film Fest
CNN – World’s Longest-Reigning Monarch Ailing (video; interview with WSJ correspondent Hookway)
NOT THE NATION – Female Expat Maintains Positive Self-Image Despite Living in Thailand
THE NATION – Abhisit’s Columbia University Speech: “Post-Crisis Thailand: Building a New Democratic Society” (yet another talk the talk, but the walk?)
BANGKOK POST – Rebels Linked to Drug Gangs (I still think the “insurgency” is more about criminality)
BOING BOING – Thai Street Seller Selling ID Cards
WISE KWAI – “Sick Nurses”: Becoming Something of a Cult Movie

MUST READ: BANGKOK POST – Thitinan: Right-Wing PAD Must not Resort to Irredentism
THE NATION – PAD Temple Protest Was Blatant Provocation (wake up, not only the temple protest)
BANGKOK POST – Fury Over Newin Verdict (they booked the “not guilty” celebration dinner before verdict was known)
BANGKOK POST – Newin on the Rise?
BANGKOK POST – Thaksin: I Am Ready to Return as PM (hmm)
ANDREW DRUMMOND – Latest Work: Various Updates on Phuket Jet Ski Scams (including apologetic JJ & fleeing Swiss)
! WSJ – Thailand’s “Market for the Formerly Rich”
THE NATION – Teary Newin Gets a New Lease of Life, Leaving Many Worried
AFP – Greenpeace: Thai Rice Region Under Climate Threat
VOA – Thailand Struggles to Contain Southern Violence
BANGKOK POST – Newin & Co. not Guilty
THE AGE – Asian Leaders to Meet in Thailand

THE NATION – Newin & Co. not Guilty
TAN – Legendary “Bed” Launches Phuket Venture
ASIA SENTINEL – Thailand’s Fragile Democracy (search AS for other recent Thai stories)
THE NATION – PAD Vows to Uphold Thai Sovereignty Over Disputed Area
METBLOGS – Bangkok Taxis
BBC – King Stable in Hospital
AP – HM the King Hospitalized
THAI 101 – Marcel Barang’s Thai Literature: New Blog, New Translations
BANGKOK POST – Voranai: The Day We, the Thai People, Gave Up on Democracy
MUST DO: BK MAGAZINE – Sex Survey: Missionary? Spooning? 69?
BANGKOK POST – Red Bangkok Peaceful, Yellow Scum Riots @ the Border
GLOBAL POST – Off to the (Red) “Meeting”

BKK News Feed for Week 38 in 2009, September 14th – 20th:

BBC – Election Call: Thailand Rocked By Rival Protests
CSM – Why Thai Protesters Are Taking to the Streets Again
BANGKOK POST – PostBag: A Scammer’s Heaven
TRAVEL HAPPY – 12 Ways to Seriously Injure Yourself on a Bangkok Sidewalk
MUST READ: BANGKOK POST – Thitinan: The Coup-Making Coalition’s Mistaken Basic Premise (read the comments)
CHINA DAILY – No Joy for Thailand 3 Years After Coup
THE NATION – Nominee?! Thaksin Daughter: Money Moves Were All Mine
BANGKOK POST – Jet Ski Video Maker Faces Prosecution (that’s how it’s done here, blame the messenger)
STRAITS TIMES – Bangkok Tense Before Rally (tense? violence would cost Thaksin dearly)
MUST READ: ECONOMIST – Thailand’s Political Army: Where Power Lies (lies or lies?)
BANGKOK POST – PAD Banned From Preah Vihear (now that’s a first. airport no problem, but temple yes)
THE NATION – Asia Foundation Survey: Thailand Heading in the Wrong Direction

ASIA TIMES – Thai Recovery Sets Political Quandary
XPRESS – BKK Film Fest: Sawasdee to 80 Hot, New Movies
MUST READ: ASIA FOUNDATION – Constitutional Reform & Democracy: 2009 National Survey of the Thai People
BANGKOK POST – Voranai: H1N1 Plus HIV, Multiplied by the Bubonic Plague
TAN – Thailand a Happy Nation?
BANGKOK POST – From the Barracks: PAD Puts Pressure on Govt Over Preah Vihear
THE NATION – From Delusion to Loss of Faith in “Democracy”
BANGKOK POST – Thailand in Trouble Update: Police Furious Over Staged Video Nasties (read the comments)
THE NATION – Remembering a Coup of Many Colors
NYT – In Thailand, a Beach (Party) House
STRAITS TIMES/AFP – Thailand Invokes ISA
THE NATION – Official Calls for Prostitution to Be Legalized

THE NATION – Lottery Hopefuls: Don’t Meddle Spirit’s Signal With Mobile Phone
NEW MANDALA – Understanding Consumer Psychology in Thailand (or the psychology of Thai Masses?)
WEB TRAFFIC AGENTS – aB.com’s Value: $6,585.02 (what shall I say)
BANGKOK POST – Rally Clampdown Looms
WSJ – Web Censoring Widens Across Southeast Asia
BANGKOK POST – Uncertainty Is the Sum of All Fears Among Thai Elite
THE NATION – PAD: Thaksin Plans to Destroy Govt
AP – Bangkok Airport Embarks on Image Makeover
THE NATION – Thaksin Battles With Cancer (the paper’s managing editor spreading rumors? read the comments)
BANGKOK POST – Unemployed? Become a Monk
THE NATION – You’ll Be Fined: Plan to Tackle Litter Bugs Is a Good Move
PHUKET WAN – More Shocks to Come in Phuket’s Jet Ski Scandal (Thailand please, is there an end to this treatment of guests? disgraceful)

BKK News Feed for Week 37 in 2009, September 07th – 13th:

THE NATION – Extortion of Tourists: Phuket Acts to Clean Up Jet Ski Woes
MUST READ: STICKMAN – Interview With Nick Nostitz: On Thailand’s Frontlines
PHUKET WAN – Confessions of a Farang Bodysnatcher
MUST SEE: GLOBAL POST – Moderation Campaign: Rock’n'Roll PsyOps (with video)
BANGKOK POST – No More Debauchery: Full Moon Parties to End
FRISKODUDE – Chris Moore Novel With Chris Coles’ Artwork
THE NATION – New Sex Change Regulations
! NATION BLOG – Thanong: Thaksin Has Prostate Cancer (would solve many problems some would say)
BANGKOK POST – Another Blow: Sondhi Fails to Overturn Libel Verdict (the man’s not used to legal setbacks)
! NOT THE NATION – Interview With Stephen Young III: Patronizing White Man With Degree Reassures Thai Elites With Unexamined Rhetoric
THE NATION – Immigration Moves to Nonthaburi
RADIO AUSTRALIA – Concerns Grow Over Role of Civil Defense Units in Southern Thailand

THE NATION – Thailand & Technology? The Definition of Blurred Vision
BANGKOK POST – Thitinan on Police Power Plays: Public Played for Fools
THE NATION/HIPTV – Interview With Stephen Young: Why Thaksin Has no Moral Legitimacy to Lead (so who’s the demagogue?)
BLOOMBERG – Thailand Consumer Confidence Rises as Recession Eases
! THE NATION – Sondhi, Guilty, Sentenced to 2 Years in Jail (court calls him “repeat offender.” ah, still gets bail)
THAI INTELLIGENT NEWS – Thai Suicide Rate Doubles to 2 an Hour
BANGKOK POST – Indicted Ministers: Hell no, We Won’t Go!
THE NATION – Aids Temple: Display of Corpses a “Rights Violation”
ASIAN SWEETHEART – Book Review: Retire to Asia!
WSJ – (Thai) Asian-American Designers Rising
THE LOCAL – Swedish Politician Mulls Thai Bows to Counter Swine Flu (some positive Thai influence after all! via 2Bangkok)
BANGKOK BUGLE – In Thailand You Need a Bachelor’s Degree to Operate a Fax

ASIANEWS.IT – Thai Buddhist Leader: Violence in South Fomented by Drugs
BANGKOK POST – Airport Crackdown Shows (Some) Results
THE NATION – Calm before the Storm, or a Real Sense of Hope (Thai justice system a “joke”?)
NOT THE NATION – Report: 99% of “American Breakfast” Served in Phuket Just Fried Egg & Hot Dog
MUST READ: THE NATION – Stephen Young Interviewed: National Divide Mystifies an Old Friend of Thailand
THE NATION – Unacceptable School Dropout Rate (maintaining the status quo)
MIZZIMA – Nearly 100 Million Narcotic Pills Stashed in Bangkok
REUTERS – Interview: Thai “Red Shirts” not Run by Thaksin, Leaders Say
BANGKOK POST – Broadband no Guarantee of Broad Mind
THE NATION – PM Insists Thaksin Must Return to Be Jailed (doesn’t sound like an incentive for reconciliation)
BBC – British Mugging Victim Dies
BANGKOK POST – Tourism Crisis: At Least 22 Bangkok Hotels on the Block

BKK News Feed for Week 36 in 2009, August 31st – September 06th:

BANGKOK POST – Four Found Guilty in Oct. 7th Crackdown (Thai justice system keeps ridiculing itself, prohibiting police to do police work)
KTIU – Sex Shows Are the Thai Version of Ballet (hmm)
BANGKOK PUNDIT – Thai State Radio Interviews Thaksin (& yet even more censorship attempts)
! NOT THE NATION – Thai Elite Dismayed as Status Reduced to Medium-So
COMPULSORY READING: BANGKOK POST – That Which Nourishes Thailand May Destroy Thailand
BANGKOK POST – Crackdown Fails to Stop Airport Gangs (now that’s a surprise)
! SEOUL TIMES – Islamic Militants Target Buddhists in Thailand
TORONTO STAR – Erawan Shrine: In Bangkok, a Small Shrine Causes Big Trouble
! ECONOMIST – Abhisit’s Struggle Continues
NOT THE NATION – Controversy Ends as Lin Ping Is Named National Police Chief
STRAITS TIMES – Seismic Shifts Challenge Thai Elites to Compromise
NOT THE NATION – “Da Torpedo” Sentenced to 18 Years of Press Silence

BANGKOK POST – PM: My Words, but not My Words (the howmanieth turnaround?)
BANGKOK POST – A Non-Thai Representing Thailand: Mong’s Paper Plane Dream Set to Fly
BANGKOK POST – Fashion: Styles for Muslims Have Promise
REUTERS – What’s the Aim of Thailand’s “Red Shirts” Movement?
BLOOMBERG – Thai Govt to Spend $5.9 Billion on Economy by End of 2010
NOT THE NATION – Abhisit Tries Image Makeover by not Showering for a Week
BANGKOK POST – Blue Diamond Saga: Court Asked to Declare Saudi Businessman “Missing”
TIME – Despite Outreach, More Violence in Southern Thailand
PHUKET GAZETTE – Foreign Investors Facing Police Investigation
THE NATION – Another Week Trying to Comprehend Fuzzy Politics
TNA – Suvarnabhumi Baggage Workers’ Strike Against Wearing Clothing Without Pockets Against Baggage Theft Aborted (go figure)
NYT – Muslim Insurgents Confound Thai Military

BKK News Feed for Week 35 in 2009, August 24th – 30th:

ASIA TIMES – Religion, Guns Tear Apart South Thailand
BANGKOK POST – No Room for Objectivity & Tolerance Spells Doom
VOA – Thailand’s Use of Volunteers in Troubled South Raises Concerns
PHUKET WAN – Of a Saved Turtle & Dying Tourists (10 tourists drowned in 8 weeks)
THAI INTELLIGENT NEWS – Thai Creative Economy: Can a Repressive Right-Wing Be Creative?
XINHUA – Thailand’s Fragile Economy Dampened by Political Turmoil
BANGKOK PUNDIT – 12-Year Old Boys, Paper Planes & National Security Threats
USA TODAY/AP – Bangkok’s Surprising Touch of India
TNA – 2 SC Asset Employees Nabbed for Doctoring PM’s Audio Clip (if police only want to, they can do an excellent job)
AP – Grameen Shows Poorest of Poor Are Creditworthy
CSM – Crackdown on Royal Critics Deepens in Thailand
ASIA TIMES – Tobacco Fair Tests Thai Anti-Smoking Efforts

! BANGKOK POST – Exclusive Execution Report: When the Killing Hour Arrives
NYT – Thai Activist Gets 18 Years for Insulting King
BANGKOK POST – Ode to Bangkok
BANGKOK POST – 18 Years for Royal Insult: Da Torpedo Sunk (read the comments)
REUTERS – Thaksin’s Rallies Signal Trouble for Thai Rulers
BANGKOK POST – Bangkok Goes Into Lockdown
! ECONOMIST – Orange, Anyone? Thailand’s Political Impasse
TNA – PM: Audio Clip Edited to Incite Violence
QUOTETHAI – 10 Things I Hate About … (written by a Thai)
BANGKOK POST – PM Decries “Dirty Politics” (hear hear! some’d say PM was enthroned by dirty politics)
PHUKET WAN – “Dangerous Thailand” Lies: Media Spreads the Myth (btw, ’09 over 60 dead Germans in TH so far)

BKK News Feed for Week 34 in 2009, August 17th – 23rd:

THAI BLOGS – Lazy Thais
WSJ BLOG – Stiglitz Receives Hero’s Welcome in Bangkok
AL JAZEERA – Bangkok’s Bounce? Thai Economy out of Recession
BANGKOK POST – Drug Dealers Put to Death
GLOBAL POST – Disaffected Thai Protesters: Hot or Not?
NYT BLOG – Intelligent Travel: A Thai Island for a Honeymoon?
! PHUKET WAN – Phuket “Scene of FBI, North Korean Arms Dealings”
FRISKODUDE – Bangkok Ladyboy Hustles Afghan Judo Coach
AHRC – Thai Human Rights Body Meaningless & Irrelevant
! BANGKOK POST – This Land Is Theirs: Foreigners “Own” 90% of Phuket Beach Land (xenophobia? read the comments)
THE NATION – Of Blame & Shame & Why We Are Forgetting Our Sense of Honor

BANGKOK PUNDIT – Thai Media on HM the King’s Call for Unity
NOT THE NATION – New Nescafé “Ultra Black” Only 30% Sugar
PHILIP ROWELL – Samui Bliss
STRAITS TIMES – Thaksin Petition Puts Elite in a Quandry
THAIVISA – “Thailand Fever”: Have You Read It?
WSJ – Thai King Calls for Unity
TNA – PM Urges Thais to Heed King’s Concerns
INQUIRER/AFP – Rare Speech: Thai King Calls for Unity as Tensions Grow
REUTERS – Stubborn Political Crisis Hangs Over Thai Economy
THAI INTELLIGENT NEWS – Palace: Progress not Easy, Conflict Destroys
BANGKOK POST – Abhisit: “I’m (Still) in Charge”

MIAMI HERALD – Opa-Locka Gets Visit From Thai Ministry of Justice
WP – Long-Necked Women: A Village – or a Zoo?
! ASIA TIMES – Thai Rebels Head for the Hills
ASIA TIMES – Interview with Nobel Laureate Yunus, “Banker of the Poor”: From Microfinance to Social Shake-Up
NGANADEELEG – Abhisin?
BANGKOK POST – PM, Under Growing Pressure, Dismisses House Dissolution Rumor
THE NATION – German Killed by Remote Controlled Bomb (holy shit, not a nice way to part)
BANGKOK POST – Preaching Moderation: Revolutionary Sufficiency
REUTERS – No Monkey Business: Thailand Launches Primate Birth Control
THE NATION – Are All the PM’s Men Revolting?
BANGKOK POST – Police Chief Saga: Abhisit Isolated

CNET – Toyota Camry Hybrid Hits the Shores of Thailand
THE NATION – Urgent Aids Warning (timely reminder)
THE NATION – Jatuporn Warns PM: Don’t Stall Petition
GNARLY KITTY – True App Center (cool!)
CNA – Microcredit: Institute Seeks New Ways to Tackle Poverty
THE NATION – Govt Overhauls Customs, Thailand’s Most Corrupt Dept
BANGKOK POST – Has “Soft Coup” Begun? Govt, Military Tension Feeds Intervention Rumors
ASIAN SWEETHEART – New Crackdown on Sexy Coed Uniforms
PHUKET WAN – Jet Skis Action: Phuket Governor Orders Photo Gallery
KI MEDIA – Cambodian Cartoon Offensive to Thailand (via Twitter/ladykarla45)
ETN – Travel: Journey Through the World of Isaan

LAT – Thailand’s Phi Phi Islands (nice photography)
BLOOMBERG – Thai Export Decline Eases
REUTERS – Will Thaksin Petition Deepen Thai Political Crisis?
BANGKOK POST – Righting the Wrongs of Moving for a Pardon
CSM – Pae Lee: 70 Years of Traditional Brew
THE NATION – Why Newin Has a Lot to Smile About
BANGKOK POST – Bhum Jai Thai to Propose Amnesty Law (yellows of the hook?)
ASIA TIMES – A Desperate Plea for Amnesty
BANGKOK POST – Govt Sits on Petition (now that’s a lame one)
NEW MANDALA – Nick Nostitz’ Red Petition Day (another Nick photo feature)
M&C/DPA – Bangkok’s Hotels Suffer Lowest Occupancy Rates Since 1997 Crisis
BANGKOK POST – Pardon Campaign Climaxes: Govt Will Examine It Before Deciding Whether to Submit to HM
! BANGKOK POST – Thailand’s Very Own Bernie Madoff
BAHT&SOLD – Thai Coup Potential? (scroll down)
PRACHATAI – Red Rally in Pictures (via BP)
INQUIRER – Why They Still Long for Thaksin