Terror and the west: A decade of misjudgment

Editorial The Guardian, Friday 1 January 2010

"The revelation in this newspaper that the kidnap of five British men in Iraq in 2007 was masterminded by Iran's Revolutionary Guard caps an unhappy week, the last of a parlous decade. The kidnap had two motivations – to bargain for the release of the Shia cleric Qais al-Khazali, and to prevent Peter Moore, the only British hostage to have survived, from installing a computer system that would have prevented millions of dollars of international aid from falling into the hands of Shia militia groups in Iraq. This story should serve as the epitaph for the invasion. Far from stabilising, or spreading democracy, the presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan and Iraq proved combustible. But the follies of the old decade are set to last into the new one.

Ten years ago, when Tony Blair hosted a bizarre entertainment to open the Millennium Dome, things looked different. Financiers thought they had created an economy that defied the laws of gravity and basic accountancy. Generals thought invasions were quick and painless. Scientists were optimistic that global warming could be contained. Mr Blair emerged from the Dome brimming with optimism. So much so that he said he wanted to bottle it. The events that followed punished judgments like these.

The trigger to the decade's woes did not come out of the sky over Manhattan and Washington in 2001. There were many precursors, but they were ignored or misinterpreted. Like the bombings in Madrid and London, these attacks brought the best out of ordinary people – witness the heroism of the New York firefighters – and the worst out of their governments. Al-Qaida's attacks may have looked and felt like a declaration of war (the Guardian said so in its headline) but that, in retrospect, was the least appropriate reaction.

The inability to see how non-state actors functioned across state borders, and the continuing belief that a malign sponsoring state must be pulling the strings in the background, led to the deaths of innocent Iraqi and Afghan civilians. Terrorists were conflated with insurgents. Anti-terrorist operations became invasions and wars. Consequently, neither anti-terrorism nor counter-insurgency succeeded. Osama bin Laden was allowed to slip the net around his bunkers in Tora Bora, but his leaving card was a conflict that lasts to this day.

The chaos continued this week. The suicide bomber who struck a remote base used by the CIA in southeastern Afghanistan appears to have used a stolen uniform from the Afghan national army. The alternative is even worse: that the army's ranks are infiltrated by the Taliban. And the generals advising President Barack Obama are still slow to respond in the right way. Like a judo throw, the Taliban (still mostly lightly armed) are using the kinetic force of the lumbering military machine to tip it over. Meanwhile, almost 10 years after 2001, midair horrors continue. Al-Qaida affiliates in Yemen have ended the decade as al-Qaida central started it, by trying to crash airliners landing in the US. But if Yemen becomes the next target of the US drones, where next?

If there is one lesson to be drawn from all this, it is that a military superpower no longer has effective supremacy. The next decade must see the re-establishment of a co-operative international system that was badly damaged by the unilateral endeavours of Britain, America and their few committed allies. Western military powers, especially weakening ones, should bend all their efforts into transforming and supporting international institutions such as the United Nations and the international criminal court. The idea that governments in London and Washington should handpick a general secretary of the UN for his weakness, as they did the current one, is absurd; that was perhaps the greatest error of a decade strewn with mishap and misjudgment."

EK to link KL and Melbourne

31 December 2009

Emirates from 01FEB10 is adjusting service to Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne.

EK408/409 nonstop Dubai – Melbourne will be replaced by Dubai – Kuala Lumpur – Melbourne routing, aircraft remains with Airbus A340-500. As a result, there will be:

3 Daily Dubai – Kuala Lumpur (increase from 17 weekly, replacing current EK344/345 timing)
1 Daily NONSTOP Dubai – Melbourne
2 Daily 1-stop Dubai – Melbourne via Kuala Lumpur and Singapore respectively.

Schedule as follows:

EK408 DXB0225 – 1320KUL1450 – 0125+1MEL 345 Daily
EK409 MEL0310 – 0800KUL0930 – 1230DXB 345 Daily

After tough year, Dubai expats pack up, eye Asia

31 December 2009 - Reuters

"For lawyer Wilfred Goh, the sign it was time to leave Dubai came early in 2009, when the financial crisis took its toll, plunging the emirate's main stock index down roughly 70 percent in a matter of months.

After speaking to friends and government officials, Goh decided to return to Asia, with the thought that Hong Kong, China or Singapore offered better job opportunities. Goh, 47, eventually got a job back home in Singapore.

"We just felt Dubai's economic climate was not very good and they had started to retrench people," said Goh, who works at the Central Chambers Law Corp in Singapore.

The flight of top foreign work talent from the Gulf's financial hub began in early 2009, and levelled off as the market recovered toward the middle of the year. But then Dubai dropped a bombshell in November, disclosing a delay on a massive debt pile.

The $26 billion debt debacle sank Dubai's markets and spurred many foreign professionals to hasten their retreat from the city-state for more job security.

Precise numbers of job losses is unknown, but estimates say thousands of foreigners have been fired or forced to leave Dubai this year.

The defection of executives from Dubai to places such as Hong Kong looks to reverse a trend seen about four years ago when financial and legal executives from Asia flocked to the emirate to capitalise on its rapid expansion and economic growth.

Dubai's zero percent tax rate also helped lure executives.

Not all foreign workers are shipping out.

But should the situation worsen, a further brain-drain from Dubai could have serious implications for its economy. Estimates say that expatriates make up more than 80 percent of Dubai's 1.7 million population.

On Nov. 25, Dubai requested a delay in payments on $26 billion in debts linked to conglomerate Dubai World and its two property units, Nakheel and Limitless. The news was especially bad for Nakheel, which cut 400 jobs in July on top of the 500 jobs it eliminated in 2008 after Dubai's property sector sank.

Stock indexes in Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Shanghai rose at least 50 percent this year. Dubai's rose around 13 percent.

Its stock index hit 8,500 points in November 2005, dropped, and rose back up to 6,300 points by February 2008. The index is now trading around 1,800 points.

Kara Keough, a marketing manager for an international real estate company, moved from Dubai to Singapore in September after completing a three-year contract with a major property developer.

"My husband and I decided to evaluate our long term options. Job opportunities in Dubai were becoming rare," she said.

Keough, 26, and her husband, who works in recruiting, moved to Dubai from Brisbane, Australia in 2006. The couple ultimately decided Singapore would be a better city to live and work in.

Still, others see promise in Dubai's economic future despite the recent turmoil.

Steve Brice, head of global markets for Standard Chartered in South Africa said fears of a large exodus of financial service professionals were overblown.

"Assuming you can keep your job in Dubai I don't see any problems of the long term viability of the region," Brice said.

Brice left Singapore for Dubai in August 2005 to become head of research at Standard Chartered for the Middle East and Africa.

"Obviously oil prices are still very high and don't look like they are going down significantly over the next 5-10 years," said Brice who moved away from Dubai for personal reasons. "In that environment I think the region is still going to thrive and Dubai is still the financial and trading hub for that region."

Brice's colleague Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce was also optimistic.

"Despite the noise surrounding Dubai's debt debacle, this region is still one of the most resilient and promising regions in the world," said Dauba-Pantanacce, a senior economist at Standard Chartered who has worked in Dubai for two years.

Where they are optimistic, others are however packing up.

A senior executive at a multinational company and his wife who have worked and lived in Dubai all their lives said they are planning to move to Singapore in 2010.

"We would rather experience the professional working environment in Asia," she said, adding that Asia's growth prospects were also a major factor.

A senior executive at the National Bank of Abu Dhabi who moved to Abu Dhabi from Dubai after 11 years said the prospects for Dubai are dim. Both the executives did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"Companies are unable to raise finance, job opportunities have disappeared, the real estate industry is in quagmire and tourism is down," said the executive.
 

Big cuts at the SCMP

30 December 2009

It is an unhappy new year for many at the venerable South China Morning Post.

Hong Kong's English-language daily the South China Morning Post on Tuesday laid off more than 30 editorial staff as part of a restructuring exercise, sources said.

The newspaper also closed its Bangkok bureau.

The layoffs affected many editorial divisions, including the newspaper's team in Bangkok, sources from within the company, who declined to be named, told AFP.

Many newspapers are grappling with declining print advertising revenue, falling circulation and the migration of readers to free news online.

At least four of those sacked came from the news, business and China desks. All had more than seven years' experience.

The SCMP Group this year booked an interim loss of HK$14.9 million, compared with a profit of HK$124.5 million last year. Its interim revenue from advertising dropped 43 percent to HK$264.2 million.

Qatar's growing network

30 December 2009

Qatar Airways always seems to announce the new routes that Emirates followers wish that their airline would fly to.

Now the Doha based carrier has announced that Copenhagen and Barcelona will join the airline’s route network from the end of March, 2010.

Commencement of four weekly flights to Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark, boosts the airline’s Scandinavian presence. Qatar Airways currently serves the neighbouring Swedish capital Stockholm non-stop from Doha.

In addition, it will boost capacity on its Stockholm route with frequency increasing to daily from March next year.

Emirates serves neither Copenhagen or Stockholm.

Barcelona will become Qatar Airways’ second city served in Spain, after Madrid, when daily services commence to the Mediterranean port city.

News of the two route announcements comes just days after Qatar Airways unveiled plans to launch flights to Bengaluru (Bangalore) in southern India, the Turkish capital Ankara and Japan’s capital city of Tokyo over an eight-week period starting in February 2010. The airline also plans to launch flights to Sydney, its second Australian destination, during 2010.

With six new routes on the horizon, Qatar Airways will increase its global portfolio from 85 to 91 destinations in 2010. Qatar is now very close to overtaking Emirates in terms of passenger routes served - although it is a much younger airline.

The Akmal Shaikh fallout

30 December 2009

Tensions are running high between Britain and China:

China has warned Britain that it must stop its fierce condemnation of the execution of Shaikh for drug smuggling, or risk harming diplomatic ties between the two countries.

The official statement from the Chinese embassy said the "strong resentment" felt by the Chinese public to drug traffickers was in part based on "the bitter memory of history".

I am not sure that history is a good excuse for failing to operate a transparent and open judiciary; nor is it an excuse for failing to uphold today's expectations of human rights.

On Tuesday, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry expressed China’s anger at the British Government’s response to the death sentence.

“Nobody has the right to speak ill of China’s judicial sovereignty,” said spokeswoman Jiang Yu.

“We express strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition over the groundless British accusations. We hope that the British side can view this matter rationally and not create new obstacles in bilateral relations.”

A re-evaluation of British government policy towards China is underway: “Changing our China strategy into one of non-engagement or isolationism is neither credible nor desirable and would be counterproductive,” said a government source. “But do we wake up this morning with a little less trust on our side? Yes, we do.”

But no one will care much what the British think. The government left it too late to raise public opinion and EU support for Mr. Shaikh. Their private behind the scenes lobbying was futile.

Britain has almost no power left in world affairs. Recent incidents with China only highlight our demise. Due to Britain's colonial past there are many who will enjoy the country's demise.As a new breed of superpowers grow in confidence Britain will take more abuse than most. Britain can no longer defend its nation or our citizens around the world. Either she is a tired, lost nation, unsure of its identity or role in the world. Or the country has to accept that its new identity can only be found by openly embracing its role in the EU.

Britain is politically and socially closer to its neighbours than ever before, and needs the political and economic strength that the EU offers. There is no point in looking to the USA. The UK is irrelevant to the USA. It is time for Britain to make some hard choices or be isolated and pointless.

China's message to Britain

29 December 2009

China's message to Britain is all too clear. We are big and powerful. You have had your time and it is past. Do not meddle in our internal affairs and do not tell us what to to.

Yet China is in so many ways a modern day post Britain imperial power using money and influence to acquire global resources irrespective of the nature of the regime they are dealing with.

Two recent events show this change in power and influence. The Copenhagen summit and the sad execution of Akmal Shaikh.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "appalled" after China dismissed pleas from Mr. Shaikh's family that he was mentally unsound.

Akmal Shaikh's relatives and the British government had appealed for clemency, arguing the former businessman suffered from bipolar disorder, also called manic depression.

The Chinese supreme court rejected the appeal saying there was insufficient grounds, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Shaikh had been given all due legal rights.

Brown condemned the execution in strong words that may raise diplomatic temperatures over the case.

"I condemn the execution of Akmal Shaikh in the strongest terms, and am appalled and disappointed that our persistent requests for clemency have not been granted," he said in a statement issued by the British Foreign Office.

"I am particularly concerned that no mental health assessment was undertaken."

Brown last week asked China not to execute Shaikh, who was born in Pakistan and moved to Britain as a boy. The British government made 27 separate appeals for clemency to the Chinese who basically raised a diplomatic two fingers in return. The Chinese Ambassador was also summonsed to the British foreign ministry for a dressing down.

The execution could harden public opinion in Britain against China. There is little sympathy for drug running but there is a strong sense of fair play and right and wrong in the UK. Capital punishment is not acceptable across the EU.

Meanwhile back in China the British outcry will also rile Chinese public opinion, resentful over what Beijing often calls "interference" in the country's internal affairs.

The two countries recently traded accusations over the troubled Copenhagen climate change negotiations.

"This is not about how much we hate the drug trade. Britain as well as China are completely committed to take it on," the British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said in a statement emailed to reporters. "The issue is whether Mr. Shaikh has become an additional victim of it."

Iran stands on the brink

With the regime and its emboldened opponents stepping up the pressure, Iran faces more bloodshed and instability

28 December 2009 - The Guardian

"The situation in Iran has reached the point of no return. The opposition has been calling for weeks for the downfall of the Islamic Republic and the removal from power of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His own supporters have demanded the "harshest possible punishment for the instigators of unrest". Judging by the video footage and photos distributed via the internet, despite the brutal clampdown of the last six months the opposition does not appear frightened. The demonstrators are directly confronting the police and security forces. Many police officers have been injured in the clashes of the last two days together with scores of opposition injuries and eight deaths on Sunday – Ashura – a day on which in Islamic tradition no blood is to be spilled. Some of the pictures of those killed on Sunday are as gruesome as last summer's images of Neda Agha Soltan.

Different layers of the opposition, the reformist Islamists as well as the more modern, possibly secular young activists and academics – and artists, musicians and journalists – have been enraged over the past few weeks. Students – always at the forefront of democratisation movements in Iran – were not allowed to mark their national day on 16 Azar (7 December); high-ranking reformist ayatollahs in Qom and Isfahan were not allowed to mourn the death of the highly respected Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri. Several ayatollahs and leading opposition figures who have spoken out in defence of human rights, the right to demonstrations, and for a free media, have been threatened with losing their positions, and accused of "collaboration with western conspiracy". Hundreds of high-ranking opposition figures were arrested on Sunday and Monday, and many who are in detention received long prison sentences.

However, despite their unprecedented techniques of distributing information and mobilising support, the opposition still lacks a clear statement as to where it is going and what it would do were it to topple the regime. It also lacks a leader accepted by all. Activists argue that if they did have such clarity the entire machinery of the state would ensure their leadership was obliterated. And it is true that the military arm of the regime is killing and arresting at random.

It is also true that Khamenei no longer has any of his seasoned advisers – such as former presidents Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, or the former speaker of the parliament Mehdi Karoubi. He sidelined them all when supporting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for the presidential elections. Over the past six months the supreme leader has also lost crucial links with the reformist ayatollahs and clergy in the holy cities of Qom, Isfahan and Mashhad.

The leader is now surrounded by the hardline clergy, right of centre politicians, Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia, who are calling for direct confrontation. This can only lead to further bloodshed. The opposition is now calling for more strikes and attacks at important centres of power such as the state TV, where clashes took place yesterday. And February sees the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Republic. There is talk of a military coup by the Revolutionary Guards if the situation does not settle down.

Iran is facing a long period of political instability; and with increasing tensions in neighbouring Pakistan, plus the volatile situation in Afghanistan and Iraq, regional security appears more precarious than any time in the recent past."

China, show mercy to Akmal Shaikh
As more witnesses come foward, it is clear that the Briton did not get a fair trial. China should reconsider his death penalty

28 December 2009 - Clive Stafford Smith in the Guardian

"Over the past several days, most of Britain has been feet-up-before-the-fire, enjoying the Christmas holiday. Not so for Akmal Shaikh's family, the British prisoner who is set to die in China tomorrow morning.

I spent most of Christmas Day making travel arrangements for Akmal's two cousins, Soohail and Nasir Shaikh, to fly thousands of miles around the globe to plead for his life. They were allowed an hour and a half with him this morning, and emerged despondent. Akmal had just been told he had 24 hours to live. "He was obviously very upset on hearing from us of the sentence that was passed. We strongly feel that he's not rational and needs medication," said Soohail.

Yet as so often with the death penalty, especially when prisoners without wealth have lawyers without influence, the final flurry of publicity is often when potential witnesses hear about the case for the first time. Today, I have received three emails from people who knew Akmal when he was homeless in Poland, each telling a sad story about his mental illness.

One witness, Luis Belmonte, is a Spanish photojournalist who followed Akmal for months as he slid from homelessness deeper into mental illness. Belmonte's pictures of an unshaven Akmal, sitting on a bench in a crumpled white suit and staring despondently across a homeless shelter, tell the story more eloquently than any lawyer could.

Two other witnesses were British teachers living in Poland. Paul Newberry and Gareth Saunders befriended Akmal, and past his crazy ideas they saw the gentle optimist beneath. Akmal was convinced that he would record a hit song that would usher in world peace, and his persistence paid off when he talked his way into a free hour at a recording studio. One Saturday, Akmal's two newfound friends could not refuse his plea to help him make a first cut of the record. Saunders was a musician and agreed to do backup vocals, Newberry offered his amateur bass guitar. They both agreed that the result was deplorable, but Akmal was not to be dissuaded from his mission.

These three witnesses provide compelling evidence of Akmal's mental problems. However, some less charitable people cottoned onto Akmal's vulnerability and made him their unwitting drug mule, hence the looming hour of his execution.

Nobody should accept my view that Akmal is innocent of any criminal act, but it is becoming increasingly clear that Akmal did not have a fair trial. His case underlines the dangers of fallible humans assuming omnipotence.

Death penalty is the ultimate exertion of the government's overwhelming power, flooding over the meagre capacity of the individual who is seated defenceless in his prison cell. Yet ultimately it betrays a national weakness as well, a government's failure to confront difficult issues which surround human rights. This is as true for China as it is for the US – whether in the context of the death penalty, or the excesses of the "war on terror". Let us hope that the Chinese authorities remember the quality of mercy in time to avoid a tragic mistake: "Tis mightiest in the mightiest, it becomes the thronèd monarch better than his crown.""

Mr Shaikh, 53, was arrested in September 2007 after being detained in Urumqi with 4kg of heroin in his suitcase. His family and lawyers claim that he suffers from mental illness and that he was duped into bringing the drugs into China.

Making a miserable experience even worse

28 December 2009

The trouble with flying long haul is that it is not much fun.

Now the overly paranoid US has decided to try and extend the misery. I suggest people vote with their feet (or their wings) and go somewhere more welcoming.

"When in fear, when in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout." This is the US response.

US authorities have kept their demans deliberately “unpredictable” to wrong-foot expected terrorists.

Hand baggage restrictions last imposed in the wake of the liquid bomb plot in 2006 were back in place on most flights to America while security staff were ordered to conduct full body searches for every passenger at departure gates.

But the most stringent restrictions came as aircraft entered US airspace, with passengers confined to their seats for the last hour of their flight, banned from having access to books, newspapers or even blankets or pillows.

Passengers were warned to expect the restrictions to remain in place "indefinitely".

Pilots have been ordered to switch off "moving maps" throughout the flight in an effort to conceal the exact locations of their aircraft. Passengers on some Virgin flights on Boxing Day were warned to buy books as in-flight films and other entertainment systems were also being disabled for the entire journey. In-flight entertainment had been restored by Sunday.

First and business class passengers on BA flights with flat beds were ordered to fold them up as they entered US airspace while elsewhere access to lavatories was also restricted, according to passengers’ accounts posted online.

In Paris passengers were told to check all hand baggage into the hold with anything essential for the flight placed into clear plastic bags usually reserved for liquids.

Meanwhile several Asian airlines disabled cabin telephones or internet connections on flights to the US.

Details of the restrictions emerged from passengers and airline sources rather than the Government or the airlines themselves after official requests not to disclose details relating to security measures.

Information was kept deliberately vague prompting confusion among passengers about what was allowed.

US Homeland Security Secretary stated that “these measures are designed to be unpredictable so passengers should not expect to see the same thing everywhere.”

While check-in and security queues were unaffected at British airports, there were long delays in departure areas as airlines were forced to impose a second set of checks at flight gates.

All passengers were subjected to body searches and baggage checks as they boarded flights, holding departures up by an average of one hour. At Heathrow some departures were delayed by up to three hours while at Manchester New York flights were two hours late.

Misery.

Thailand's unhappy new year for refugees

28 December 2009

Thailand has started forcibly deporting Hmong refugees back to Laos, prompting the US to call for a stop to the "serious violation" of human rights.

The US State Department expressed its deep "regret" over Thailand's decision to begin deporting Hmong refugees to Laos and called for the Thai government to stop.

"We deeply regret this serious violation of the international humanitarian principles that Thailand has long been known for championing," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said.

"The United States strongly urges Thai authorities to suspend this operation."

Military officials said 5000 soldiers and assisting civilian volunteers had entered the camp in Huay Nam Khao village in the province of Phetchabun to begin rounding up more than 4000 Hmong being held there.

"The operation started at 5.30 am (2230 GMT Sunday)," Colonel Thana Charuvat, who is coordinating the repatriation, told reporters at an army centre about 12 kilometres (seven miles) from a camp in northern Thailand.

He said 5,000 soldiers, officials and assisting civilian volunteers had entered the camp in Huay Nam Khao village in the province of Phetchabun to begin rounding up more than 4,000 Hmong being held there.

Media have not been allowed close to the camp. But security forces were seen heading towards the camp by truck armed with batons and shields, according to an AFP photographer at the army centre in Khek Noi village.

Local officials expect the Hmong to resist deportation attempts, warning that the situation could "turn ugly". There are few guarantees that they can expect safe or humane treatment back in Laos.

The Hmong were seeking asylum in Thailand, claiming that they face persecution by the Laotian regime for fighting alongside US forces during the Vietnam War, and Washington has voiced strong concern over the expulsions.

Thailand says they are illegal economic immigrants, but has come under fire from the international community for refusing to grant the UN Refugee Agency access to them to assess whether any are political refugees.

Mr Kelly said that both the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Royal Thai Government have deemed many of the refugees in need of protection because of the threats they might face in Laos.

He added that Washington also urged Laos to treat the returning Hmong humanely, give international monitors access to them and facilitate resettlement opportunities for any eligible returnee.

"We will remain engaged in this important humanitarian issue," Mr Kelly said.

New US air travel rules

27 December 2009

One idiot tries to set himself and his airplane on fire and as always the US authorities over react and try to deal with a particlutal threat after it happend rather than asking why it happened and dealing with the source of the problem.

As of today new security procedures are in place for all international flights headed to the United States.

The impact to travellers following the attempted attack on Delta/Northwest Flight 253 (NW253) on Christmas Day will be significant for some time to come.

I won’t discuss the details of NW253, if you have any interest in this story or the industry you will probably know what happened.

But all crew and travellers should be aware of what to expect in regard to these new security procedures set in place by the US Department of Homeland Security

As of today these are the following changes passengers should expect to experience while traveling from any foreign destination to the United States flying with a commercial airline:

- Extended security wait times, allow at least two hours for security at the gate. While this may be faster at some airports, you need to allow this time to ensure you won’t miss your flight

- A physical pat down/frisk by security at the gate prior to boarding all flights to the United States - a pat down sounds friendly. The TSA security people are not friendly. Expect the search to be thorough and potentially to offend some people.

- A complete physical inspection of all bags being carried on flights to the United States

- Requirement that all passengers remain seated in the final hour of flight into the United States - no visits to the washroom and no access to overhead lockers.

- No items allowed in your lap, including pillow, blanket, laptop, etc in the final hour of flight into the United States.

- All electronics be switched off in the final hour of flight into the United States

- No access to carry-on baggage stowed in the overhead on flights into the United States

Changes to security for flights to the United States are subject to change and some hopefully are temporary; some airlines are limited passengers to a single carry-on bag, others to a single personal-tem bag.

Currently Emirates has not adjusted its carry-on baggage limits. Passengers flying to the United States with Emirates are permitted one carry on bag and one personal item. A personal item is a briefcase, small backpack, laptop bag, camera bag or other similar item.

Culling Dubai Properties

27 December 2009

My least favorite company in Dubai, Dubai Properties Group, owned by the ruler of Dubai's holding company, has replaced several executives including its Chief Financial Officer on Sunday and pledged better corporate governance to improve operations.

They might do something about customer service, communication, honesty, integrity and credibility at the same time.

Changes at the property firm -- a unit of Dubai Holding, the private company of Dubai's ruler -- include new chiefs of financial affairs, marketing, legal affairs, operations and property development.

Dubai Properties, which owns the Jumeirah Beach Residence and Dubailand, the unfinished/barely started (depending on your point of view) $10bn (£6.3bn) fantasy land of theme parks, announced the appointment of David Anderson, an audit specialist with experience at Unilever and Cadbury Schweppes, as chief financial officer. The statement said he would bring experience in organising a "comprehensive, risk-based approach to finance". Presumably this is not what they had before!

Jayne O'Brien, the former head of marketing at British Airways, has been appointed as chief marketing officer.

A planned merger between three of Dubai Holding's property firms -- Dubai Properties, Sama Dubai and Tatweer -- with Emaar Properties was called off on December 9, adding to uncertainty about the debts of Dubai state-linked firms. Presumably to keep Emaar free of the Dubai Property debts.

Dubai Holding has about USD 1.9 billion of debt maturing in the first half of 2010.

Abu Dhabi to launch LCC

27 December 2009

An investment firm in Abu Dhabi plans to launch a low cost airline in 2010, U.A.E.-based Al Khaleej newspaper reported today without saying where it got the information.

The new operator will be the third low cost airline in the United Arab Emirates after Sharjah's Air Arabia and Dubai's flydubai.

The paper quotes unnamed persons in the U.A.E. capital as saying the company is scheduled to start operations by middle of next year. The new company will operate flights from Abu Dhabi's airport, the paper adds.

Local wags in Abu Dhabi already describe Etihad's A320 operations as an LCC - how much lower can another operator go!?

Samak Saghir

27 December 2009

A Nakheel sales consultant accepted bribes and embezzled almost Dh22 million (US$6m) from the Dubai World-owned company, the Dubai Criminal Court of First Instance heard yesterday.

The defendant, known to the court as SR, 31, a Canadia, is charged with accepting Dh16.6m in bribes from LS, 60, a Canadian woman who was a partner at Group Seven Properties, a Dubai-based company.

He was also charged with accepting Dh2.7m from a Bangladeshi business man, AS, as well as Dh2.5m from a Russian business man, SM.

Those two and two other suspects, BS, who worked with LS and SR’s Canadian father, RS are still at large.

In court yesterday, SR denied four charges relating to alleged bribes. LS also denied the charge of giving a bribe.

Four other suspects have yet to be apprehended: Bangladeshi AS; Russian SM and SR’s Canadian father, RS.

SR was arrested on March 31 after an audit by the Government’s financial audit department.

Yesterday, the trial was adjourned to present prosecution witness testimony and will reconvene on January 17.

SR is locally considered to be samak saghir, a small fish. In the Dubai property boom there were some significant "commissions."

Instrument Approach Lets Santa Land In Bad Weather

By Jason Paur  Wired Magazine  Christmas Eve

Everybody knows tonight’s the night Santa departs the North Pole on his round-the-world trip delivering presents. What you might not know is that because the weather at the North Pole can be challenging this time of year, Santa has an instrument approach procedure available for his arrival back home.

Pilots use an instrument approach procedure to guide them to an airport in lousy conditions like, say, an Arctic storm. When flying in clouds, known as instrument meteorological conditions or IMC, there are no ground references available to navigate by. Pilots must rely on instruments. Radio signals have been used for decades, but these days GPS is the most common navigation aid.

But following signals alone isn’t enough to land safely. Coming into an airport, an approach procedure is used to assure the pilot there won’t be any conflicts with terrain (such as failure to maintain clearance), and assure both pilot and air traffic controller that the aircraft will be in a predictable place.

Santa’s instrument approach procedure allows him to get himself and the reindeer back home safe and sound after a long night of flying.

Santa has the option of using a newer GPS approach as well as an old-school NDB (Non-Directional Beacon) radio approach as a backup. He can’t risk a satellite constellation failure, and thankfully the FAA hasn’t decomissioned his NDB approach.

Across the top of the “approach plate” you see the various radio frequencies Santa has available to receive weather information and talk to air traffic control. Who knows why there is a North Pole Unicom. This is typically the frequency to talk with other aircraft in the area. Perhaps there is a temporary flight restriction at the North Pole during Christmas.

Anyhow, Santa can make his approach down to 400 feet. At that altitude, known as the minimum decision altitude (MDA), he must be able to see part of the runway or the lights illuminating it. However, with Rudolph up front with his nose so bright, Santa probably has a bit of an advantage and might be tempted to bust minimums every now and then.

If Santa can’t see the runway or markers at 400 feet, he must execute a missed approach procedure that includes a climbing right turn to 1,500 feet then entering a holding pattern before making another attempt.

One convenience Santa enjoys is the simple heading to remember to get home. As the approach plate shows, as long as he follows a true heading of 360 degrees, he should find his way whether he’s coming from Sydney, New Delhi or London.

With a 5,739-foot runway, Santa has plenty of room to get his sleigh down in even the worst conditions. And at only 17 feet above sea level, thin air won’t be an issue affecting the performance of his nine reindeer.

Hopefully in the coming years, Santa will get a RNP (Required Navigation Performance) approach allowing him to land with lower minimums (cloud levels). The regulating authority at the North Pole is a bit slow — the precision approach technology is just now catching up with the red-nosed illumination landings Santa’s been making for a long time. At least he doesn’t have to rely on the NDB approach, which can frustrate even the most experienced pilots.

Meanwhile, you can track Santa and watch for the time when he pulls out his instrument approach plate and lands safely back at home.

EK to take A380 to Jeddah

24 December 2009

Emirates Airline is to open Airbus A380 services to Saudi Arabia, with operations to Jeddah early next year.

The Dubai-based airline will use the aircraft on the route to the pilgrimage gateway city from 1 February. It has a daily service to Jeddah but will operate the A380 four times per week.

Emirates will operate the 517-seat version of the aircraft to Jeddah. This will be the first of the EK A380s to be delivered without a crew rest facility. There are 28 additional economy seats compared to the first planes delivered. The jet will have 14 first-class, 76 business-class and 427 economy-class seats.

Emirates will have seven A380s in its fleet by the end of this year, and its network of A380 routes will cover Sydney, Auckland, London Heathrow, Bangkok, Toronto, Seoul and Paris.

Gulf News Urges Reporters To Tone Down Dubai Debt Coverage

23 December 2009 - Zawya Dow Jones.

"Gulf News, a newspaper part-owned by a senior government minister in the United Arab Emirates, has told its journalists to avoid using the words "bailout" and "default" when writing about Dubai's debt crisis, according to an internal memo sent to staff and seen by Zawya Dow Jones. Reporters for the paper, the largest English-language daily in the U.A.E., were also urged to steer clear of the phrase "debt crisis" and asked to "ensure the following politically correct terminology is used" - words such as "financial consolidation" and "fiscal support" - when describing the sheikdom's economic problems and the assistance it has received from Abu Dhabi, according to the note sent Dec. 14.

"This is a style guide," said Francis Matthew, the Dubai-based paper's editor-at-large when asked by Zawya Dow Jones about the memo. "We're trying to restrict people from using financially incorrect terms." U.A.E. officials have criticized international press coverage of Dubai's debt crisis since the emirate surprised markets on Nov. 25, saying it needed to freeze $26 billion of debt owed by one of its largest government-owned groups, Dubai World. Abu Dhabi bailed out Dubai on Dec. 14 with $10 billion, which the government used partly to pay off an Islamic bond due on that day.

Dubai's finance chief, Abdulrahman Al Saleh, this month blamed the media for spreading "blind panic" about the emirate's financial woes following the standstill request that triggered a downgrade of many of its banks and government-owned companies. The sheikdom, which closely monitors the media, has come under intense scrutiny as it struggles to contain the estimated $80 billion of debt, mostly racked up by its government-owned companies building speculative real estate and infrastructure projects. The Sunday Times was ordered off shelves in the U.A.E. on Nov. 29 after the paper carried a double-page graphic illustrating Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, sinking in a sea of debt. Its sister publication, The Times, was censored in the U.A.E. on Dec. 5 for a story that described Sheik Mohammed as a "benign dictator" and criticized his management of the economy. The Sunday Times and The Times are part of News International, a unit of News Corp., owner of Dow Jones & Co, publisher of this newswire.

Gulf News is published by Al Nisr Publishing, which is part-owned by the country's Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, who chairs the company. Abdulrahman Hassan Abdulhamid Al Rostamani and Jumaa Al Majid, two large merchant families in Dubai, are also part owners along with the Al Tayer Group, according to Zawya.com's corporate monitor service."

The end of the noughties

22 December 2009

It is not just the end of the year but also the end of the first decade of the new century. 100 years ago the period from 1900 to 1909 was a period of growing prosperity, international trade and rapid industrialisation. Man was just learning to fly. That was a decade of hope.

It was a time of peace. It was also the beginning of the emergence of the Americas as an influence in the world. It was also a time of building up military might; particularly in modernising Germany, Russia and Japan.

Now 100 years on who and what influenced 2000 to 2010. Rather than a decade of hope for many it was a decade of fear.

One man in particular has clouded the last 10 years. Osama bin Laden; who masterminded the 11 September 2001 attacks on the USA and changed the world for ever. He is still somewhere out there; unfound. And it is safe to assume that while he is alive he will be plotting his next attack on the west.

The 2005 London bombings were a reminder of the fear that terror brings.

But terror is not just man made. 26 December 2004 brought the Indian Ocean tsunami which devastated parts of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the islands of the Indian Ocean.

On the side of the good guys came Barack and Michelle Obama. For America and the world they express a profound breakthrough: the most powerful couple in the world are black, a fact that many Americans, and many others, never thought would come to pass in their lifetime.

In Britain Tony Blair dominated politics through the decade. But he was in the end a casualty of the fallout from 9/11. Iraq was his downfall. With false evidence he persuaded a reluctant parliament and people to join a war as part of an unwelcome and unwise alliance with George W Bush.

The noughties saw the rise and dominance of Google with an astounding mission - to organise the world’s ­information and make it universally accessible and useful. The company's impact is profound: on how we think, interact, manage and govern; on media, retail, education and the economy"

More than any other decade this has been the decade that brought computing and the internet to the world; China went from 8 million internet users to 359 million today and is now the world's biggest "Internet playground. The impact of the internet on China's future governance will be profound.

The rise in Internet access was also marked by a new form of interaction - social networking - an expression that did not exist 10 years ago; Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are powerful forces changing the way we communicate and share information.

It was also the decade of the blog; and of a new form of non professional citizen journalism. Even this website debuted in June 2002.

In 1999 I was still taking pictures on film. Now we have digital photography on our phones. And mega pixel digital slrs. A whole new way of taking and sharing pictures.

From the physical fear of 2001 the last two years of the decade have been marked by the financial crisis that started with the collapse of Lehman Bros on September 15 2008 and that still leaves much of the world in recession and so many people jobless and in debt.

The BBC has a UK centric poster of the events and people and technology of the noughties. You can see it here.

Turbulence hits EK flight to Durban

21 December 2009

Twenty passengers suffered minor injuries when an Emirates Airbus A330 encountered severe turbulence on a flight between Dubai and the South African port city of Durban on Saturday, a spokesman at Durban airport confirmed Monday.

Not surprisingly the good news UAE media has not yet reported the incident; but it is in the international press.

'The aircraft, as far as we understand, when it was about two hours outside of Durban, experienced some turbulence,' Colin Naidoo, communications manager for Durban International Airport, told the German Press Agency dpa.

The scheduled EK755 flight, which had 220 passengers on board, had been due to land in Durban at 17:30 local time (1530 GMT), he said.

Passengers reported (rather dramatically) a sudden fall in altitude and that trolleys, bags, passengers and flight attendants were thrown in the cabin hitting the ceiling and overhead lockers. Panels were allegedly broken, wires were hanging down from the ceiling, seats and armrests were broken.

Eight passengers went to hospital after landing. Three people received spinal injuries, one received a broken hand, the other 4 received minor injuries. All eight have been released.

The aircraft was able to depart for the return flight after a delay of 4 hours (total ground time 6 hours).

Emirates were not immediately available for comment. That's not good. Confirm the details and say you are providing all necessary assistance.

Just a reminder to keep your seatbelt fastened at all times. That said - while the cockpit crew and passengers have their seatbelt fastened the cabin crews are in the cabin at all times except when warned to sit by the cockpit crew.

UAE owner of the Thai arms plane

21 December 2009

The crew of an airplane grounded in Bangkok with 30 tonnes of weapons from North Korea are still being detained. The five men, four from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus, have been charged with illegally possessing heavy weapons and misstating details of the cargo.

The plane appears to have been heading to Iran.

Both North Korea and Iran are under UN Security Council sanctions forbidding other UN member-states to import weapons from them. The detention a week ago of the plane resulted from a US tip-off.

Thai officials say the plane flew to Pyongyang via Bangkok to collect its cargo, then returned to Bangkok to refuel on Dec. 11. It was seized during that stop.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a flight plan for the IL-76, obtained by researchers in the U.S. and Belgium, shows that after Bangkok the plane was due to make refueling stops in Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine before unloading its cargo in Tehran.

The apparent links among the military cargo, North Korea and Iran raise fresh questions about how nations try to evade international sanctions. It remains unclear whether Iran intended to use the weapons itself. Western governments have accused Iran of supporting militants in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Iraq.

Thai officials say they have received little information from the plane's crew. The crew say they were told the cargo was oil-drilling equipment and have denied knowing there were weapons aboard.

The flight documents apparently state that the cargo is "oil industry spare parts." The flight's planners appear to have worked hard to maintain appearances. A packing list includes eight categories of equipment, such as "Geothermal rigs spare parts -- model MTEC6".

Thai officials have said the actual cargo included shoulder-launched missiles, parts for surface-to-air missiles and electronic systems to control weapons.

A question still unanswered is who organized the weapons shipment. It appears the planners went to great lengths to hide their identities. The plane is registered to a company in the Republic of Georgia, Air West Ltd. Air West on Nov. 5 leased it to another firm, SP Trading Ltd., according to an Air West manager and a contract seen by The Wall Street Journal. SP Trading, registered in New Zealand, appears to be a shell company owned by other companies.

In another contract dated Dec. 4 and seen by the WSJ, SP Trading leased the plane to a Hong Kong-based company. The Hong Kong company is owned by a second Hong Kong firm, which is owned by a third firm, based in the British Virgin Islands, according to company registration documents. These companies appear to have organized the cargo.

An Air West manager said the company had leased the plane to SP Trading and he knew no more. Officials from SP Trading couldn't be located.

The Georgian-registered IL-76 plane is owned by a company based in the United Arab Emirates, according to information in the draft report confirmed by Georgian aviation officials. The company, Overseas Cargo FZE, is based in Sharjah, one of the U.A.E.'s seven emirates.

A U.A.E. official confirmed that the IL-76 landed in the country on Dec. 9. The plane refueled and took off with an empty cargo hold, the official said.

Overseas Cargo's registration documents describe it as an aircraft-handling firm and oil-services consultancy with one shareholder, Svetlana Zykova.

It really is the stuff or modern day espionage movies. And it does make you wonder just how much arms trafficking there is. My suspicion; a significant amount; the money is just too tempting.

Thailand in online crackdown as tensions simmer
December 18, 2009 Reuters

"When Tassaporn Ratawongsa, a 42-year-old radiologist arrived for work at a private Bangkok hospital recently, she expected to see her patients.

Instead, she was greeted by police who arrested her, searched her apartment and copied her laptop's contents. Her alleged crime: "Inputting into a computer system false information that undermines national security and causes public panic."

She was the fourth person accused of spreading rumors about the health of Thailand's revered monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, that sent stock prices tumbling in mid-October.

The arrests threw a spotlight on Thailand's Computer Crime Act, a controversial and wide-ranging law passed by a military-installed legislature following a 2006 coup.

Authorities say it is meant to close legal loopholes and tackle crimes in cyberspace. Critics label it a "witch hunt law" against political dissidents with provisions so vague they could be used against any web surfer.

Both sides agree it limits discussion about the country's 82-year-old monarch, who has been in hospital for nearly three months for what the palace describes as recovery from lung inflammation.

Foreign news reports on the stock slide were met with strong criticism by conservative media outlets and calls for the prosecution of "rumor mongers" by authorities.

While Thais revere the king, the world's longest-serving monarch, there is significant uncertainty about what lies ahead in politically divided Thailand when the reign of the only unifying figure and respected arbitrator comes to an end.

Violent street riots, mob takeovers of airports, the coup and an assassination attempt over the past three years have been vivid signals of the mounting tension between supporters and opponents of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was toppled in 2006.

Analysts say the crackdown on free speech in part reflects fear of Thaksin and his supporters, some of whom are accused of harboring a republican agenda, which they deny.

"What is most striking about the use of the law is the government's simple-minded emphasis on choking off expression and its failure to offer any serious vision for a contemporary information order," said Michael Montesano of Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Since 2007, Thai authorities have blocked almost 20,000 Web pages deemed insulting to the monarch, said Aree Jiworarak, head of Thailand's information technology supervision office.

His "war room," staffed around the clock by a team of bilingual civil servants and young professionals, tackles "systematic attempts" to undermine the throne, Aree said.

Court approval is needed to shut most websites. But for those offensive to the monarchy, his office approaches Internet Service Providers to block access before getting an official court order.

About 100 such pages are found a day, he said.

"It is not just about national security. It's about the hurt feelings among Thai people. Service providers cooperate because they love the country, too," Aree said.

However, critics say providers have another reason to work with authorities: the law could subject them to the same punishment unless they cooperate.

While authorities say the law is necessary to establish a safe cyber-environment, critics say it does just the opposite.

"It is creating fear that 'Big Brother' is watching," said Chiranuch Premchaiporn, who was arrested after a reader posted a comment allegedly critical of the monarchy on the Prachatai Webboard she facilitates. Police said she failed to delete it promptly.

"We still don't know how authorities get access to IP addresses of these people arrested because they did not ask webmasters," she said.

Sawatree Suksri, a lecturer at the law faculty at Thammasat University, said the law is ambiguous on several points, especially the use of terms "national security" and "public panic" which are subject to interpretation.

Other analysts say the clampdown is reducing the space for public debate and hurting investors' confidence in Thailand's $260 billion economy, Southeast Asia's second biggest.

"Investors who were previously unaware of the intensity of debate over Thailand's future have quite noticeably begun to voice increasing concern," added Montesano, a visiting research fellow at ISEAS in Singapore.

"These arrests are likely to reinforce this trend."

Because the throne is traditionally sacrosanct and open discussion of the monarchy is limited by lese majeste laws, which carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, mainstream media has largely practiced self-censorship.

But policing the often-anonymous world of the Internet is far more difficult. Chiranuch, of Prachatai, said fear of prosecution may lead some surfers to consider disguising their identities or altering their IP address when visiting political webboards.

Some rights groups said the use of the computer law may have gained prominence recently because authorities may be less inclined to use its harsh lese majeste laws on web surfers.

The computer law may be used "for the prosecution of any type of thought crime on the disingenuous pretext that the crime is one of technology rather than one of expression or of ideas," said private watchdog the Asian Human Rights Commission.

But police say it is crucial and effective.

"We don't want to have to invoke his majesty to prosecute cases which obviously threaten national security," said Police Lt. Gen Tha-ngai Prasjaksattru, head of the Criminal Investigation Bureau.

"We don't need to say it's libel because we have a law that says spreading lies online is a crime.""

Wogan signs off after 27 years

18 December 2009

Terry Wogan is 71; he has been presenting the morning show on the BBC's radio 2 for 27 years. And this morning was his last show.

Wogan is the prefect broadcaster; genial, talkative, amused, inquisitive and empathic to an audience that became his friend.

OK; he was a bit of a radio star for Britain's comfortable Daily Telegraph and Mail reading middle classes; I suspect but could never prove that he had limited minority appeal; except to his fellow Irish. But he is awfully good at what he does.

It is not easy talking to a microphone; avoiding painful silences; ad-libbing without saying something offensive; and engaging an audience of 8 million as though you are talking to each one as an individual. But Wogan can do that.

Almost every other one of Terry Wogan’s eight million listeners must have blinked a little at 9.30 today, as with a blast of The Party’s Over, Terry Wogan signed off from the Radio 2 breakfast show he first presented in 1972.

“There’ll be no senior moments and no blubbing,” Terry promised at the beginning of Wake Up To Wogan, before presiding over an unashamed blub-fest of tear-jerking songs, tributes from fans and favourite in-jokes with his anarchic studio team, newsreader John “Boggy” Marsh , Alan “Deadly” Dedicoat , Chris Nove and Lynn Bowles “The Totty from Splotty”. As usual there were the quirky emails from fans “I’ve just heard you on the radio. I’ll be listening to you every day from now on!” but unusually there were more fulsome tributes.

Those writing in included a Mr G. Brown of Downing Street, who said “Five decades at the very top of British broadcasting is a towering, indeed an unparalleled achievement” . A Mr D. Cameron also sent in a tribute, admiring Wogan’s tendency to focus on the positive and suggesting, “It is his ability to see a lighter, sunnier side of life which is why he is so loved.”

But it is the TOGs – Terry’s Old Geezers and Girls – who will miss him the most. The Queen and Prince Philip, who enjoy his breakfast show alongside their Tupperware tableware, had Terry to lunch recently to say a private thank you.

Wogan has become the deadpan voice of Middle England quietly poking fun at all those who take themselves too seriously and at excesses of every sort. There was no script and not much music; instead his show had become an interactive communication with his audience who moved from letters to emails; from current affairs to limericks.

Wogan wanted to retire from a daily show at the top of his game “while we’re still in love.”  But he will return in February with a Sunday morning show on Radio 2.“This is the day I’ve been dreading,” Wogan said in a tearful farewell. “It’s always been a source of enormous pride to me that you’ve come together in my name, to laugh with and poke fun at and when the world seemed a little too cruel, to shed a tear with. If anybody embodies the generous, warm spirit of this country it’s you, my listeners.”

Thai tales

18 December 2009

Source Thai Rath and Phuket Gazette - I missed this when the story was first released but it is not just New Zealanders with rabbits that we should be concerned about!

"PITSANULOKE: An errant monk was caught in a compromising position on November 5 after he suffered a stroke while having sex with a temple dog behind Sam Toei Temple in Wat Thong District.

Villagers were drawn to the scene by the howls of protest from the dog, which the monk had lashed to a tree.

After seeing the monk in flagrante delicto with the heavily pregnant Thai Bangkaew dog, villagers called the police.

By the time officers arrived on the scene, the excitement had obviously been too much for the 65-year-old monk to take.

He was found lying unconscious next to the animal. A bottle of dishwashing liquid was found next to the monk, presumably for use as a makeshift lubricant.

Rescuers rushed the monk to hospital, where he remains in a coma. Doctors said he had suffered a stroke and are not sure if he will survive.

The cleric was identified in Thailand’s best-selling daily newspaper as Phrapan Chitutasaro,

The abbot of Wat Sam Toei, Phramali Dhamachantho, said Phrapan had been at the temple for only a few days.

Temple authorities were preparing to ask him to leave because he had refused to provide references from his former temple.

Police did not say what Phrapan would be charged with if he regains consciousness."

Alas, poor Citibank

17 December 2009

I got a phone call from Citibank yesterday afternoon. No need to rush - after all it has only been 9 days since I wrote to them to complain.

The guy was from Citibank customer service and he needed details about the complaint as he did not understand the issue.

He said that the security officer was doing his job by blocking my card - and protecting me because I travel so much.

"Were you in Australia on 4 December?" he asks. "No" says I. "But you made a purchase there" he tells me. I say "I did not; how about he tells me the details."

"The purchase" he says "was from Wotif.com in NSW Australia".

Oh dear. There really is no hope for Citibank when even the supervisors are brainless.

I was very patient. Wotif.com is an internet site. Hence the dotcom. It is a hotel reservation service. As with most service acquired on the internet you dont need to be in the country to make the purchase.

With regard to the Thailand purchase he says the message that the merchant gets on screen says refer to bank. And the merchant is meant to call the bank and verify that it is me making the purchase. I guess most Thai sale staff dont know that; dont understand the procedure, or simply cannot be bothered.

Trying to get excited about climate change

15 December 2009

The trouble with the climate change conference is that it attracts far too many people who want to be seen to be there rather than changing the planet. Politicians, so called experts, and the uaual mass of protestors.

It is hard to tell which group is worst. The protestors do give climate change a bad name. That may be a dreadful generalisation but those are the scenes that play out on tv.

And between the violent scenes outside and the photo-ops inside it is not easy to see what the bigger picture might be. What will the kinds of commitments currently being discussed mean for the future temperature of the planet? And how optimistic should we be about the chance of avoiding runaway climate change?

It is not that I don’t believe in global warming, it is that I am having trouble making it a part of my daily thinking.

It is hard to get involved in the fate of the planet when you are thinking about what the next job might be; when you are alarmed at the immediate affect of the current recession rather than the longer term impact of carbon emissions.

The fact is that most people are not environmentalists. Most people still use incandescent light bulbs, leave un-used cell phone chargers plugged into the wall and let the faucet run while they brush their teeth. And changes in behaviour are few and slow to be implemented.

Living in big modern cities with plentiful food, water and air-conditioning it feels a long way from Bolivia, where the disappearance of glaciers is already forcing some people from their homes, or in Somalia where prolonged droughts are hurting both crops and livestock. The science behind global warming still feels remote. It needs to feel more real and plausible.

There appears to be some consensus that there is no deal being seriously considered by the major players in Copenhagen that can give the world an odds-on chance of limiting the temperature rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels – this is a widely accepted target for avoiding irreversible climate change.

It will be years before carbon emissions peak and China and India continue there breath taking growth.

There is a view at Copenhagen that with national and regional commitments proposed at Copenhagen, we should prepare for a 3.5C temperature rise globally by 2100. How damaging would this be?

Bad, the scientists say. Any deal out of Copenhagen will be a compromise that will fall significantly short of what the scientists demand. That doesn't necessarily mean imminent runaway climate change, but it does mean we'll be gambling with the future of the planet.

BA's 12 days of misery

15 December 2009

Unite, the union that represents British Airways' cabin crew, has balloted its members on strike action and is now calling 12 days of strike action between December 22, 2009 and January 2, 2010.

The Union could seriously maybe irreparably damage BA. And they seem to be avoiding both reality and necessity.

Some immediate concerns.

The ballot paper asked members to choose strike or no strike. It did not ask for how long and when.

It was the Union leadership that called for 12 days action at the busiest time of the year; and the Union leadership do not sit at check in counters or work on planes. The abuse that will be given to crew members over the next few days will be unpleasant.

Now the Union cannot force members to strike. BA can ask its crew if they are willing to work. Those that do work will have to cross picket lines to work. I suspect the Union may find more crew willing to work than the strike ballot suggested.

As with their last strike BA will try to keep the long haul fleet moving. It is short haul flights that will take the brunt of the strike action.

It's no secret that British Airways is in financial difficulty. Like other global airlines, it has been hit extremely hard by the slump in business travel brought on by the world recession.

The airline lost £400m last year and will lose at least as much this year; perhaps double that loss if the strike action proceeds.

There have been cuts across BA. Pilots have agreed a pay cut. Engineers have agreed more efficient ways of working. A third of our managers have accepted voluntary redundancy. 7,000 staff volunteered for salary reductions.

The CEO of BA, Willie Walsh argues that his cabin crew "have been disgracefully misled by Unite as to how our company-wide cost reduction programme would affect them."

Compared to other non union airlines BA's proposed cuts have been very limited. A one crew reduction in staffing on long haul flights, still significantly above minimum numbers required by the CAA. A pay freeze for two years. No pay reduction. 

Walsh says that there is no reduction in terms or conditions for existing crew. Our Heathrow crew will remain the best paid in the industry. Average earnings for cabin services directors are £56,000 on long-haul and £52,000 on short-haul. For junior crew, they are £35,000 and £26,000 respectively. According to the Civil Aviation Authority, average costs of BA crew are twice those of their Virgin Atlantic counterparts.

The airline has created opportunities for voluntary redundancy, and more than 1,000 crew have taken that option. Similarly, more than 3,000 crew have volunteered to switch to part-time working.

Walsh and his management cannot back down. The airline has to cut costs across the board.

It should be noted that there was a high turnout in the strike poll (80%) and a high vote (90%+) in favour." Was the poll honest about the union's intent. Are the crew really that militant? Are employee relations that disastrous at BA?

Brinkmanship. The Union may pull out of this strike before Monday - realising just how angry the public reaction is. Unite wants the public to be angry with BA management. That is how disconnected the union is with the real world. When the rest of us have all been laid off, have taken salary reductions or changes in terms and conditions, then we have no sympathy for BA's crew members. This is a collective death wish from the Union for its members.

If the strike does go ahead the airline will change forever.

In reality BA suffers like other legacy carriers from its age. BA has lifers that it does not want as cabin crew. BA wants, just like SQ or Virgin or Emirates, cabin crew to come, spend a few years enjoying the job and then go off to do something else. The good ones will be identified for ground and training roles in the company. A few 'senior' crew would co-ordinate the service. Instead there are long serving militant crew.

The cabin crew will not win this. BA will not survive unless they win. Which leaves BA's cabin crew as the most hated work group both within the company, and outside of it.

CAA 2008 UK Airline Personnel Numbers and Costs report (also known as why BA is in a hole !)
 

Profiting from the Abu Dhabi bail out

14 December 2009

On 6 December 2009 HH Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum, nephew of Dubai's ruler, was interviewed by Claire Ferris-Lay at Arabian Business. He said that  reports of Dubai's debt had been much exaggerated.

The news of Dubai World's debt hiatus caused stock markets across the world to tumble.

But on the same day that Gulf markets opened for the first time following the four-day Eid break, Sheikh Maktoum, who is also CEO of the UAE-based conglomerate Al Fajer Group, was buying up bonds for less than 50 percent of their value the previous week. He tells Arabian Business that he made a "significant investment" across three of the emirate's government bonds the first day Dubai's bourse opened following the news.

Sheikh Maktoum explained to Arabian Investor that "This is a great opportunity to pick up bonds on the cheap. If you buy the bond and if it is paid on Dec 14, you stand to make 100 percent. If they pay you in six months you still stand to make 100 percent return on investment. Even if they renegotiate and do a haircut reduction you stand to make up to 50 percent.

And guess what? Today the Nakheel bond was repaid. And in 8 days Sheikh Maktoum will have made 100% on his investment. Hmmm.

Abhisit - a year of disappointment

14 December 2009 - AFP

"In the year since he became Thai premier with no popular mandate, Abhisit Vejjajiva has underperformed on the domestic and regional stage and failed to reconcile a deeply divided nation, analysts say.

The Democrat party leader assumed power after winning a slim majority in a parliamentary vote on December 15 last year, following the downfall of a previous ruling party allied to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

After the constitutional court dissolved the People Power Party, prompting anti-Thaksin protesters to end a nine-day blockade of Bangkok's airports, the army helped to install a fragile coalition under the British-born Abhisit.

But analysts say the 45-year-old has failed to deliver on promises of national reconciliation in a kingdom still firmly split between supporters and foes of Thaksin, who was deposed in a 2006 coup.

"Thailand is further divided. It is further polarised," Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, told AFP.

"In his acceptance speech he said he would be a prime minister for everyone. But in fact he has not reached out to the other side."

Since Abhisit took office he has regularly invoked the tough Internal Security Act (ISA) when faced with protests by thousands of anti-government "Red Shirts" – Thaksin loyalists mainly from poor, rural areas in the north.

By contrast, during rallies by the rival, royalist "Yellow Shirts" who staged the airport siege that brought Abhisit to power, the prime minister has not enforced the ISA, Thitinan points out.

"The charges of double standards have been reinforced," he said, explaining that Abhisit had "leant back" on the yellows, a group tacitly supported by Thaksin-hating, Bangkok-based elites in the palace, bureaucracy and military.

Michael Montesano, a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said that equally worrying was the increased use under Abhisit of a strict lese majeste law. Under this law, insulting or defaming any royal family member is punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

"Those among Abhisit's foreign admirers who have always considered him a fellow liberal need to ask themselves how, if he's really such a liberal, he can preside over a government that so regularly uses this law," he said.

Paul Chambers, a senior research fellow in Thai politics at Germany's Heidelberg University, agreed the eloquent, Oxford-educated Abhisit had given Thailand "a presentable face on the international stage".

But he questioned the government's real effectiveness, for example in dealing with a separatist insurgency in the mainly Muslim south that has claimed 4,000 lives since January 2004.

"The Abhisit government has sought to place politics before the military... but any claims by the government that the insurgency is waning or that violence is down remain unsubstantiated," he said.

In terms of economic performance, Chambers recognised that Abhisit's approval of a one-time 2,000 baht (60-dollar) hand-out for the poor in the face of the recession "could be seen as a sort of plus for the government".

But while this seemed to ape Thaksin's populism, Thitinan said the Abhisit coalition had "got it wrong from the beginning" with stimulus packages that failed to address a desire for upward social mobility.

The twice-elected billionaire Thaksin has continued to loom large over the political landscape, despite living in self-imposed exile to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.

When Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed Thaksin economics adviser last month, angering Bangkok, the Thai premier showed a "cheap, anti-Cambodian" approach that "made clear that Abhisit is someone that loses his cool in international affairs," said Thitinan.

He said other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also found Abhisit "very difficult to work with", and blamed a lack of success under Thailand's chairmanship of the body this year on his domestic preoccupations.

"Abhisit has played the role he was assigned – to represent a group of interests whose politics are defined by hatred and fear of Thaksin – and he has not yet grown larger than that role," Montesano said."

Abu Dhabi to the rescue - at what cost?

14 December 2009

I can almost hear the rejoicing in Dubai as the knight in shining armour came bounding over the hill. Dubai's government has announced it has been given a $10bn (£6.13bn) handout from United Arab Emirates neighbour Abu Dhabi to help it pay off its debts.

From the media reports it is unclear whether this has been given to the Dubai government or to Dubai World the legal entity; which is a little strange given the insistence that the two are separate. It certainly makes for a welcome early Christmas present.

Immediately the $4.1bn Dubai World sukuk maturing today will be paid.  

Many see Abu Dhabi's intervention as a surprise. I highly doubt this kind of money has no strings attached
 
On 25 November, Dubai's government had said it would ask its creditors for a freeze on Dubai World's $26bn (£16bn) debt repayments.

In a statement today the chairman of Dubai's Supreme Fiscal Committee Sheikh Ahmed bin Saaed al-Maktoum said: "The government of Abu Dhabi has agreed to fund $10bn to the Dubai Financial Support Fund that will be used to satisfy a series of upcoming obligations on Dubai World."

He added: "We are here today to reassure investors, financial and trade creditors, employees, and our citizens that our government will act at all times in accordance with market principles and internationally accepted business practices."

Now the local media will turn around and say that the foreign press, investors and the markets over-reacted to the initial pre Eid announcement. But it is reasonable to argue that the immediate reaction of the media and concern about the long term damage to the UAE's financial credibility meant that Abu Dhabi had to step in.

Abu Dhabi must have decided that protecting the financial reputation of the UAE was critical. Although the sovereign states within the UAE operate completely separately from one another, the Dubai default issues have made the world financial community concerned about the stability of the region.

One this is certain. The money from Abu Dhabi was not “free”. Though it may be a long time before we know what the conditions are.

As a side note the Abu Dhabi announcement caught many investors by surprise. A default was assumed likely. The immediate impact was that Nakheel PJSC bond prices doubled. Nakheel’s Islamic bonds due 2011 surged to 81.4 cents on the dollar from 36 on Dec. 11, according to Citigroup Inc. prices at 9 a.m. in London. Prices on bonds due today rose to 109.5 cents on the dollar from 53 cents, the biggest gain in at least two years. Someone has made a killing - I wonder who was buying discounted bonds?

Emirates plus Etihad equals neo-federal UAE

13 December 2009 - Gulf News

(This is an opinion piece in today's Gulf News. Notable that the article is in a Dubai based newspaper. I do wonder whether these opinion articles are sometime used to test the waters - to see what the reaction will be)

"In May 2008, I wrote an article titled ‘One day there will be just a single city: Abu Dubai', in which I argued that the two cities would eventually become one integrated metropolis as they are too geographically close for anything else to happen.

Seventeen months later, Ahmad Bin Shabib, a friend of mine, posted the following on twitter: "Etihad and Emirates should merge and be called Etihad Emirates." I retweeted it immediately and replied to him: "HQ at the new Jebel Ali Airport complex".

Understandably, there is a lot of confusion and sensitivity about the sale of assets on Dubai's part. Equally, there is a lack of clarity on Abu Dhabi's part on how it can support and benefit from this process. The idea of selling assets still seems to be at the bottom of the agenda of Dubai's restructuring options; one can only wonder if a proposal for a merger of any kind would make it to the document at all.

Yet, despite all of this, the Emirates and Etihad conversation is still fathomable. It is an obvious win-win situation. Here are a few, of many more, reasons why:

• Emirates has 127 aircraft and 153 on its order book while Eithad has 46 aircraft and 205 on its order book, which means they will have 280 and 251 respectively. The combination of the fleets would make it the world's fourth largest airline by aircraft fleet.

• Emirates flies to over 100 destinations and so does Etihad, when you account for its code share destinations as well. They both service similar destinations and so a merged entity would be able to fly to even more destinations.

• Having one large airline in the country with a large airport complex such as Jebel Ali Airport would allow it to negotiate new routes from a much stronger stand point.

• The proximity to Jebel Ali Seaport would fundamentally transform the cargo business, allowing for the development of a mixed use hub where air freight and sea freight solutions can be creatively developed according to a cost and time matrix.

Yet the rationale for Emirates and Etihad to merge is more than just synergy. It is about bringing together two airlines that were set up to promote their respective cities and signalling a shift in the mentality of defining where one city ends and the other begins.

The UAE's area codes are 02 for Abu Dhabi, 03 for Al Ain, 04 for Dubai, 05 for mobile, 06 for Sharjah and Ajman, 07 for Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah, 08 is the Western Region (Liwa, etc.) and 09 is Fujairah. Yet where is 01? When the UAE was found in 1971, its Constitution was temporary and its interim capital was Abu Dhabi.

Very few people recall that there was a plan for a city to be built between Abu Dhabi and Dubai named ‘Al Karama' that would be the capital of the UAE. Al Karama was meant to have the 01 area code. Of course this never happened since the UAE's Constitution was ratified and Abu Dhabi was recognised as the permanent capital of the nation in 1994, with few changes, except the omission of the Al Karama clause.

We have seen how successful collaborations can be through the Emal project (an aluminium smelter joint venture between Dubal, a Dubai based aluminium smelter, and Mubadala, an Abu Dhabi government investment firm). What we hope to see is a complete merger of Emal and Dubal one day with the Investment Corporation of Dubai and Mubadala remaining as direct shareholders.

Emirates and Etihad could lead the way in this neo-federal school of thought. It would create a global player as opposed to, despite how both groups like to position themselves, regional giants.

It is quite easy to imagine a merged entity headquartered in Jebel Ali's International Airport, thereby creating a magnet that would bring the two metropolises, both geographically and strategically, closer together. Close your eyes, throw in a high-speed train that transports people to central Dubai, Yas Island and Abu Dhabi Island and consider Abu Dhabi's plans to move the federal government and its state institutions off Abu Dhabi Island and onto the mainland at what will be known as Capital District (near Musaffah) — it is not that unrealistic, right?

Jebel Ali Airport would be renamed as Zayed International Airport and the distance between the Capital District and Jebel Ali would be less than 80 kilometres. The distance in between would be easily filled by the expansion of existing industries and related accommodations and services, thus bridging the gap along the empty highway on the trip from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. This would be the ideal time to transform calls for integration from rhetoric to a measurable step towards strengthening the federation in a logical manner that benefits all and weakens none.

Abu Dhabi remains our capital and the 01 code transforms into a code of conduct from Fujairah to Liwa."

Mishaal Al Gergawi is an Emirati commentator on socio-economic and cultural affairs in the UAE.
 

Tiger's folly

13 December 2009

There is a certain irony in the public relations disasters that have hit Dubai and Tiger Woods at the same time. Both promised so much. Both created an image for themselves. And both have seen that image crumble over the last two weeks.

And of course there is a link.

The Tiger Woods golf course in Dubai was to be at the center of a £600million championship golf complex in Dubai. Originally the 7,800-yard Woods-designed course was due to open three months ago; it was then delayed for six months.

But the Emirate's debt problems have hit the development very hard.

The Al Ruwaya course, designed over 55 MILLION square feet of desert and four time the size of London's Hyde Park is still far from ready; indeed it maybe should be renamed Tiger's folly.

It is the first golf course in the world to bear Woods' name, but government-owned developers Tatweer are refusing to guarantee it will be completed before 2011.

The newspapers say that only four holes had been finished by the original September opening date and now all work has virtually ground to a halt. Builders at the site are simply making sure what has been created does not fall into complete disrepair.

The original plans included a £100million seven-star hotel, 197 palatial villas (ranging from £5m to £30m), a 130-hectare PGA practice ground, a 10,000 square foot swimming pool, a gourmet restaurant, a spa and 4,000 car parking spaces. The lavish hotel, spa and clubhouse are likely to be downscaled due to the lack of funding.

Foundations for 10-bedroom villas have been laid around the edge of the course and ALL of them were snapped up off-plan. However, with no firm date as to when they will be finished, many are starting to slip back on to the open market. And would anyone want a Tiger Woods branded home. The image is not what it was.

Developers were banking on Woods visiting the site in February as part of his contract to play in the Dubai Desert Classic. But his "indefinite break" from all golf has made this unlikely.

Kim wins in Dubai

12 December 2009

South Korean In Kyung Kim won the Dubai Ladies Masters in Dubai on Saturday, finishing two shots clear of American Michelle Wie.

Kim, in the lead since the second round, carded a final round 68 for an 18-under par total of 270 at the season-ending tournament on the Ladies European Tour.

Kim sealed the win with a birdie on the par five 18th.

"I'm very excited to win this week," said the 21-year-old Kim.

Kim had to hold off a strong finish from Wie who shot a superb final round 65, featuring seven birdies.

"Michelle had a great turn. She had six birdies until 13 and was very impressive. But I tried to keep playing my game, and I think, yeah, I did a good job," noted the winner.

Ms Wie, playing with all the aggression that was missing yesterday, tried to reach the 18th in two for an eagle or birdie to at least tie the course record of 64; but she found water, and hit a string fourth shot to escape with a par.

The invitees added glamour and quality golf to the European tour event and hopefully they will be back next year.
 

Tiger's fall

12 December 2009

Each day there is new scandal for Tiger Woods. He has not been seen since the accident with the hydrant. The only human face on this story are the women who say they've had relationships with him.

This is probably a bad move. People want to hear Tiger's version of events and to know he is sincerely contrite. But his silence means that all the accusations are assumed to be genuine and they are getting more lurid.

This story isn't going away on its own. Every day that passes, Woods stands to lose more. He should use the discipline and focus he's known for to get this mess under control.

The latest allegations are that he used a high-class escort agency and would pay £25,000 in a weekend for call girls, and often asked for at least two to join him for group sex.

Agency boss Michelle Braun claims the player always paid the huge sums in cash to book her girls for kinky sex. “He would request the college-cutie, girls-next-door look.”

And she added: “He could go for days. He’d pay a flat rate for an evening, but an evening would usually be extended.

“The girls would talk about his stamina.”

She added that she sometimes provided Woods with ten to 15 girls at one time. So the numbers have increased dramatically.

Tiger's reaction is to hide: he has decided to quit the game indefinitely to look after his family and this will have enormous implications for golf.

Players acknowledge the huge prizemoney, especially on the US PGA Tour, is a direct result of Woods's involvement. TV ratings of tournaments often halve when he is not in the field.

Allied with the faltering US economy, the golden days of the PGA Tour are almost certainly over.

Who knows when, or if, he will return to competitive golf. Mind you watching him has become a bore over the last two years. His behaviour on the course has been increasingly miserable.

The size of his fall is astonishing. What started with a minor car prang has turned into the most amazing change from ultimate sporting role model to cheating buffoon.

Surrounded by minders since his teenage years, Woods had the most meticulously manicured public image of any superstar.

Tiger was squeaky clean. Tiger was the sporting icon we could all believe in.

World leaders and the media fawned over him. Tiger was "Mr Perfect" on and off the golf course, despite a quick temper and bad mouth when he hit an ordinary shot. All was forgiven.

Surrounded by his management and staff that include a group of his old college buddies, Woods lived his lie behind an impregnable wall of manipulation.

Those close to Woods must been compliant and are as tainted as he is. If he is to earn redemption, they should all be kicked out of his circle of advisors.

Tiger lived and loved the image of Mr. Perfect. Which is why his fall attracts such media interest.

Bangkok's year before the storm

11 December 2009 - dpa

"By Thailand's tumultuous standards, 2009 was a fairly quiet year politically. No coups, no airport closures, no outrageous corruption scandals, no elections, no changes of government and just one prime minister for the entire year, compared with three in 2008.

There was trouble in April, when hundreds of anti-government protestors raided the venue of an Asian summit at Pattaya beach resort, forcing Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to cancel the event much to his embarrassment.

That was followed by a fairly restrained army crackdown on opposition protests in Bangkok, resulting in two deaths and a swift restoration of order.

Unlike in 2008, when pro-royalist protestors held seven months of non-stop demonstrations culminating in the seizure of Bangkok's two airports for almost a week, in 2009 the army kept a lid on civil disobedience.

But then, the army top brass is pleased with the Democrat-led coalition government under Abhisit, which it played a vital role in installing.

Thailand's military establishment has a long history of political involvement, dating back to the 1932 coup led by a group of officers who ended the absolute monarchy, installing a semi-democratic system under a constitutional monarchy.

The country's ragged path to true democracy has been marred by 18 coups, with long periods of military dictatorships interspersed with brief and unstable coalition governments whose propensity for corruption gave the men in green a good excuse to return to power.

There was great optimism that the pattern had changed irreversibly in 1992, when a brutal army crackdown on a middle-class backed pro-democracy movement brought the military to its political nadir.

The passage in 1997 of a liberal constitution designed to strengthen the political party system with checks and balances seemed to have set the foundation for a strong democracy.

Instead, it brought to power Thailand's most controversial politician to date, the billionaire former telecommunications tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra. His Thai Rak Thai Party won the 2001 general election on a savvy platform of populist policies that gave it a clear majority in Parliament that was reinforced by an even bigger win at the polls in 2005.

But Thaksin's monopolistic tendencies combined with mounting evidence of abuse of power led to a backlash that culminated in the September 19, 2006 coup, which left the country deeply divided and unleashed an ongoing debate over the very meaning of democracy in the Thai context.

The role of the military is part of the debate but not necessarily at the heart of the matter.

"Our democracy is under stress, not because of the military but because the civilians themselves who make it rather difficult for democracy to continue," Suchit Bunbongkorn, a well-known Thai political scientist, told a recent seminar.

Ironically, many of the middle-class protestors and intellectuals who supported the anti-military demonstrations of 1992, threw their backing behind the 2006 coup.

What happened between 1992 and 2006? The answer goes back to Thaksin and what he came to represent.

The coup can be blamed in part Thaksin himself, whose hubris, manipulation of the 1997 constitution and self-serving policies irked the Bangkok-based middle class and threatened the political elite.

"In 2005, when he was extremely popular, he was saying I'm going to run this country as a one-party state for 25 years and people reacted," said Chris Baker, a co-author with his wife, a Thai academic, of several books on the Thaksin years.

But Thaksin and his party's populist policies addressed the needs of Thailand's long-neglected rural and urban poor, for whom the man remains a hero and perceived saviour.

Whether motivated by a desire to recover 2 billion dollars in family bank accounts frozen by the government - and likely to be confiscated in January - or by a genuine vision of a more egalitarian, democratic society, Thaksin remained the Abhisit government's political gadfly throughout 2009, hovering on the sidelines as a fugitive from a two-year jail sentence for abuse of power.

Thaksin's supporters are expected to make an all-out push to bring down the government before it confiscates his family's wealth next month.

Even if they fail, as long as the disparity between Thailand's haves and have-nots remains huge, the Thaksin threat is unlikely to go away.

Some 20 per cent of the Thai population own 69 per cent of the country's assets while the bottom 20 per cent own only 1 per cent. Nearly 20 per cent of farming families are landless and another 20 per cent live on about 40 dollars a month, academics claim.

To their credit, the Democrats have proposed income-levelling legislation such as higher inheritance and land taxes, but scepticism is high that they will push it through in their term.

"As long as Thailand is ripe for reform, Thaksin will always be marketable," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Chulalongkorn University. "He is the agent of change that doesn't know how to go away and he cannot be got rid of.""

Moral hazard

11 December 2009

The Dubai Media and the authorities are reenforcing the line that domestic and foreign banks were lending to Dubai companies on a standalone basis and with no guarantees of support from the Dubai government.

When times were good it was truly hard to find the dividing line between the ruling families, the government and the companies they controlled. The same families were and are involved in all three.

The lenders made an assumption that Dubai or the UAE would stand behind Dubai Inc debt. From the lenders' perspective this belief was encouraged by senior people in Dubai / UAE, not by “careless” investors.

The banks will argue that the verbal message they received was always the same – “yes, we will stand behind the debt”, and the reason why written guarantees were not given was due to local cultural sensitivities i.e. my word is my bond.

Was it naïve to believe such verbal assurances? Or was it business? There are people in the investment community who feel deceived, which unfortunately will taint the image of not only Dubai, but the whole region.

Wie watch in Dubai

10 December 2009

Birdying the first three holes of her round Michelle Wie looked like taking the Majalis course apart today. Three more birdies followed; but there were also two careless bogies and a few missed chances. The course is playing short for the ladies; and the tee positions were friendly. This 20 year old student is gifted and goes into tomorrow's third round in second place.

Ms Wie and her friend and co-competitor Christina Kin entertained a small crowd on the driving range at the end of the day with a question and answer session and a few hits with some of the kids at the course. It was friendly and relaxed. Sure they need to do it for their sponsors. And they probably would have preferred a shower and meal. But they both appear to be having fun and they are good ambassadors for the ladies game and for US golf. There is a certain scowling tiger who could learn from these girls.

Yong Vui Kong to get new appeal

10 December 2009

In a hopeful sign from Singapore the Supreme Court  has given 21-year-old Malaysian Yong Vui Kong a longer reprieve pending the outcome of his appeal, which is expected to be heard next year.

On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal, comprising Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong and Judges of Appeal Andrew Phang and V. K. Rajah, decided to give Yong more time to file a new appeal.

Prosecutors had objected to the move, arguing that court proceedings had run their full course and the appeal court had no power to hear Yong's application.

But CJ Chan said that it was 'an unusual case where the Court of Appeal has not heard the merits of an appeal as it was "withdrawn" by Yong.

The CJ said that, after hearing legal arguments from Yong's lawyer, Mr M. Ravi, the appeal court was satisfied that it had the power to allow the appeal to proceed.
 

Spying for Thailand

9 December 2009

Thai engineer Sivarak Chothipong is an unlikely spy. But yesterday he was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment in Cambodia. The response of the Thai authorities has been muted. It appears that there is a consensus that he will receive a royal pardon in time for Christmas.

The trial lasted one day. Justice has been swift in Cambodia for many years.

Sivarak was an employee of the Cambodia Air Traffic Service which controlled air traffic in Cambodia. He denied that he sent the flight plans of Thaksin to the Thai Embassy's First Secretary Kamrob Palawatwichai.

Sivarak testified that on the day that Thaksin arrived in Phnom Penh, the Thai diplomat telephoned him and asked whether it was true that Thaksin arrived in the Cambodian capital.

"I am authorised to know that kind of information, so I checked it with a Khmer staff who confirmed Thaksin had arrived. That staff even gave me a copy of the flight plan," he said.

Sivarak said he did not pass on the copy to Kamrob. The court found that there was sufficient evidence to believe that the engineer had sent Thaksin's flight plan to the Thai Embassy.

An appeal will not be filed in order that the government can submit a petition for Siwarak to be pardoned. Now what did happen to the petition signed by millions of red short supporters for a royal pardon for Thaksin. The irony is obvious; but lost on the Democrats in government.

The seven-year sentence handed down by the court was the lightest possible for spying under Cambodian law. The maximum would have been 15.

Sivarak's the mother has made two visits to see her son in Cambodia. The second trip was with Puea Thai leaders who arranged for Cambodian Deputy PM Sok An to meet her at the airport and escort her to the prison. She said the visit had been made very easy and had come as a surprise to Sivarak.

She also thanked Pheu Thai Party for facilitating her visit - former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama (and still an advisor to Thaksin) used his connections in Phnom Penh to help.

Simarak previously visited her son last Friday with the assistance of the Thai Foreign Ministry, but later she attacked the ministry for being too slow in getting Sivarak out of prison.

This is all keeping Thaksin's name in the headlines and is making life difficult for Abhisit and his team. In her telephone conference from Phnom Penh, an emotional Simarak pinned the responsibility for her son's plight on Kamrob. "I want to ask Kamrob, where are you? If you had not called my son, he would not have been in this condition," she said.

"He is innocent. Why should he take responsibility on your behalf. So please come out to take responsibility for your actions. My son has been in jail for nearly 30 days and I cannot tolerate anymore seeing him handcuffed," she said.

I wonder why Kamlob was not called, or did not volunteer to give evidence. Were defense witnesses called. Was there any defense?
 

Thai Air's hopeless suit

9 December 2009

The Civil Court in Thailand has accepted the 575 million baht (US$ 14m) lawsuit filed against the People's Alliance for Democracy by Thai Airways for damages caused to the company after the group's protest forced the closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport from November 25 to December 4 last year.

Thai Airways International has filed its suit against Major General Chamlong Srimuang and 35 other defendants. Thai Airways claimed the PAD's protest against the Somchai Wongsawat administration inevitably forced the international airport to shut down temporarily. Hard to disagree with that given that access to the airport was barricaded and the airport terminal occupied.

Thai is claiming damages to the company' for loss of earnings, including 402 million baht spent on transferring passengers to other airlines, 59 million baht to cover the accommodation and food for stranded passengers and 17 million baht for employees' allowance.

The first hearing for this case is scheduled for August 3 next year at 9 a.m. at the Civil Court. Why does it take this long? By August next year Thailand could be under a very different administration.

Among the defendants is Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

Lawyer Bampen Sappasri, who was appointed by Thai president Piyasvasti Amranand, filed the lawsuit on Nov 24, the last day of the one-year statutory period. Why did it take so long? Was there political pressure not to file a suit?

Khun Piyasvasti was the Democrat's choice to become Thai President; he is a former Energy Minister.

The PAD's hilarious defense is that they did not close the airport, it was the airport authorities that closed the airport. The airport only closed after the PAD had breached police lines and were entering the airport. Their armed thugs roamed the airport. The PAD caused the closure. There can be no doubt of that.

I doubt this case will ever get heard. It will just get lost in the system.

Extreme politics and Bangkok's english media

9 December 2009

The new image of The Nation newspaper and imprinted above its name banner is "Insightful, In trend, Independent." There is little that is independent about the Nation! Both the Nation and the Bangkok Post happily churn out stories given to them by government politicians without any independent verification of the story for facts or honesty.

The saga  over the Protect the King website was a great example. At least the Bangkok Post admitted they got it wrong. Eventually.

The Thai monarchy is repeatedly reported to be above politics. Indeed people have been arrested for suggesting otherwise. But that has not stopped the media from using the King’s birthday speech (all three paragraphs of it) for political gain.

The editor of the Bangkok Post states that : “as the country is still celebrating the 82nd birthday of His Majesty the King, the UDD’s planned political rally this Thursday, Constitution Day, is improper and will certainly spoil the festive atmosphere.”

So the monarchy is used to stifle the constitutional right to gather and protest. The red shirts are portrayed as disloyal for rallying at this time.

But it was only on Tuesday that the government said it was willing to extend the birthday activities for the royal celebration until next Sunday. Clearly this was aimed at stopping tomorrow's red shirt protest.

The significance of Constitution Day is that it celebrates the first “permanent” constitution in 1932. Then, the People’s Party had finally managed to get a reluctant King Prajadhipok to accept the idea of a basic law for all. A very appropriate day for the red shirts to gather. The Bangkok Post's position is a little like telling the european labour unions that they cannot gather on Labour Day.

The Post continues: “Instead of holding a rally to mark Constitution Day, they should be reminded of HM the King’s birthday message to the Thai people — to perform their duty to their utmost ability, with conscience, wisdom and honesty, and putting the public interest above individual interests.”

Again the King's short speech is used as an anti red shirt device. So is the Monarchy above politics or not? Because the speech is being used by politicians. And the red shirts get tarnished as traitors and republicans for holding a red shirt rally on Constitution Day - the day after the birthday celebrations were officially and originally due to end.

Even Finance Minister Korn has “urged the UDD to heed His Majesty’s speech by calling off their planned anti-government rally on Constitution Day…”.

And without any supporting evidence Democrat Party spokesman Buranaj Smutharaks claims “there could be unrest during the demonstration despite the group’s claim that it would be peaceful.” Buranaj, who has portrayed himself as a loyal royalist, then freely uses the king’s speech: “The red-shirt group should heed the King’s speech and postpone its mass gathering in order to bring about national reconciliation…”. The King made no such request in his speech.

Meanwhile in The Nation yesterday's headline proclaims that the: “Red shirts plan to upset the atmosphere of celebration....The rally is improper, especially with the entire nation overjoyed at the improving health of His Majesty. Fugitive Thaksin Shinawatra has given his blessing to the rally, saying he would lead the red shirts in singing a song of praise for the King. So we know that Thaksin wants the rally. He can well imagine that such a move will hurt the feelings of those loyal to the King. Time and again, Thaksin has shown that his claims of loyalty are the opposite of his deeds and his negative comments about the revered institution.”

The Nation goes further, charging: “The red shirts can be suspected of wanting some sort of confrontation at the rally…there has been open talk about an ambitious scheme by elements loyal to Thaksin to end the monarchy.” That’s the so-called Dubai Plan, promoted by PAD, with no evidence, through the pro-yellow shirt media. There is no evidence of such a plan. Indeed Thaksin insists on his loyalty to the monarchy. The Democrats and their supporting media are creating a dangerous myth with an obvious purpose. All this will incite hatred and violence.

I really do fear for Thailand. The positions are get more extreme on either side.

Wie watch in Dubai

8 December 2009

It is hard to imagine that Michelle Wie has the time and energy for golf !

On Tuesday she became the first golfer to strike the ball from the 124th storey of Burj Dubai, the world''s tallest skyscraper, rising 824.55 metres into the sky.

Me, I was playing incredibly badly at Muang Kaew in Bangkok. I hear the Dubai weather was foggy and there was a dust storm so it probably was not the best day for being on the roof.

Michelle Wie was swinging at a specially-erected tee, 648 metres from the ground.

Miss Wie described her flight to Dubai as follows: "I flew in from San Francisco, the longest flight I ever had, 15 hours to be precise. Emirates really do know how to spoil a person, and the place is pretty awesome. I can't believe I am in Dubai."

On Sunday she headed out to the Jumeirah Bab Al Shams Resort and Spa for a spot of camel riding, falconry and sunset dining.

She tees off at 7.50pm from the 10th hole on Wednesday and 11.40am from the first on Thursday.

Why I hate Citibank today

7 December 2009

Dear Sir/Madam,

I so dislike your organisation I hardly know where to start.

I bought my wife's Christmas present this morning using my Ultimate Visa card.

Ultimate is the right word. It may end up as being my Ultimate purchase.

I tried to make another purchase an hour later. The card was rejected. What is the point in having a card and using it when you travel internationally?

Of course; you had probably called my Dubai mobile to check my purchase. Security etc. That is all well and good. But I did not have the phone with me. I mainly use a Thai mobile when I am here.

You could have looked at previous statements and seen that I am a regular visitor here. If you knew your customer you would know that my wife is Thai.

You could have tried to call later in the day.

You could have sent an sms asking me to call.

You could have sent an email asking for confirmation. After all you have no problem sending an email to me each month with my statement.

But no initiative was shown. None. It was easier just to cut off my card.

So I called your customer service number in the UAE. Long distance from Thailand.

The system is of course automated and totally useless if you are trying to do something urgently.

I do not need to listen to my account balance and last payment details. I do not need to listen to a Citibank promo tape. I need to hear a voice.

Eventually I get a voice. He then needs to confirm the morning purchase and then put me on hold for a minute (closer to three).

Total cost of the call is about US$25. What a waste.

I have often wondered why people hate the banks as much as they do. Now I know.

This was pathetic. Of course I understand security. I also understand common sense and knowing your customer.

You applied no common sense and have done nothing other than severely annoy this customer.


Yours faithfully,


Robert Scott

Singapore's hanging crimes

7 December 2009

The silence over the likely hanging of another young man in Singapore is dperessing.

Almost exactly four years ago - on 2 December 2005 Nguyen Tuong Van was hanged at 6am local time (9am AEDT) at Changi Prison after Singapore refused to commute his death sentence for trying to smuggle nearly 400 grams of heroin to Australia through Singapore.

The Singaporean authorities ignored appeals for clemency by Australian Prime Minister Howard together with Australian opposition leader Kim Beazley, Governor-General Michael Jeffery, the British Queen's representative in Australia, Pope Benedict XVI and European Union officials. The Singaporean authorities remained firm in their use of a mandatory death penalty.

Now the city state is ready to execute 21 year old Malaysian Yong Vui Kong. He was due to be executed last Friday but the Hugh Court granted a stay of execution with a an appeal hearing at the Court of Appeal tomorrow morning. If he loses that appeal his execution is likely to take place on Friday.

At some stage the killing have to stop. Clemency and compassion are virtues of society not vices. Amnesty International supports the campaign for clemency.

I have written to the President of Singapore; you can do the same. His email is below:

President
His Excellency SR Nathan
Office of the President
Istana, Orchard Road
Singapore 0922

Email: s_r_nathan@istana.gov.sg

Your Excellency,

Four years ago I appealed to the Prime Minister of Singapore and his Cabinet to urgently reconsider granting clemency to Australian man Van Tuong Nguyen who was executed on 2 December 2005 for drug trafficking.

I have now written to the Prime Minister in respect of Yong Vui Kong. But with his appeal due to be held tomorrow it is now only within your authority to grant clemency to this young man.

His friends and family will have welcomed the encouraging decision of the High Court to grant a stay of execution last week. I understand that his appeal will be heard tomorrow in the Court of Appeal at 10 am.

Once again I am asking the Singaporean authorities to grant this first-time offender a permanent reprieve from the death penalty, thereby offering Mr. Yong a chance at rehabilitation. Further I believe that you should consider and support legislation for an end to the mandatory death penalty.

The opportunity to show compassion is a great privilege of civilised, democratic society. As a sovereign nation Singapore has its rules and has responsibilities to its people. But you also have the opportunity to show compassion. Such an action in this case would gain Singapore great respect.

The death penalty takes away the greatest right that we all have; the right to live. Mr. Yong is a young man with no prior criminal conviction who does not deserve to pay the ultimate price for his mistake.

I understand that, under Singapore's Constitution, clemency can be granted in rare circumstances and that, as with the case four years ago, Mr. Yong has shown remorse, confessed at the earliest opportunity and cooperated fully with the Singaporean authorities.

Once again, I urge you to show compassion and grant clemency to this young man.

Yours faithfully,

Robert Scott
Dubai

The skirt is a Wie bit short

7 December 2009

Michelle Wie may be the first golfer to get arrested on a golf course with this skirt ! Ms Wie flew into Dubai from San Francisco on Saturday night. Presumably on the non stop EK flight. We need pictures from the crew !!

Keeping Tiger's score

7 December 2009

Tiger's scorecard is beginning to look ugly. There are strong rumours of more to come - a seventh woman, a porn star, and a fling with a British TV presenter. 

MSNBC says the number of women connected to Tiger Woods could exceed a dozen by week’s end, according to sources familiar with Woods’ behavior during his frequent trips to Las Vegas.

Cori Rist is the sixth woman to be named. She met Mr. Woods in a New York club last year. Apparently he would secretly fly her around the world. Seems he did that a lot.

Then there is Florida waitress Mindy Lawton. The Sun says that Mindy romped with Tiger under the nose of his blonde wife Elin, who was pregnant. Mindy said: "All he wanted me for was sex." 

Another alleged lover, New York socialite Rachel Uchitel, is reported to have sealed a million-dollar to keep quiet.

Jaimee Grubbs, who claims to have had a 31 month relationship with Tiger, and is in now in talks to pose naked for Playboy.

Then there was nightclub hostess Kalika Moquin.

One or more of these girls is going to sell their story for a large fee. Expect it to be embarrassing.

Thailand's shocking inequity statistics

7 December 2009 - Bangkok Post

"How will this political mess end? Will Thaksin Shinawatra finally return to haunt us with his bottomless greed? Or will the old, oppressive system that perpetuates social injustice prevail to suffocate us?

Is there any way out of this madness?

Ask historian/thinker Nidhi Eeo-seewong, and his answer is a resounding no. In his latest column in Matichon newspaper, he predicted that the proxy wars between the two ruling elite groups - one led by Thaksin, and the other by the old ruling clique - will not only continue to play out on the streets, but they would also get more violent.

"Thailand will never be the same again," he wrote. "There is no use in being nostalgic. Instead, we must put our heads together to find out how to minimise the damage."

How, indeed? How can normalcy return when the root problem of extreme economic disparity remains unaddressed?

How extreme? Prof Pasuk Phongpaichit did not leave room for doubt about our shamelessly unfair society in her recent keynote speech on "Towards a Fair Society" at the King Prachadhipok Institute conference. Among the glaring facts:

- The top 20% own 69% of the country's assets while the bottom 20% own only 1%.

- 42% of bank savings money comes from only 70,000 bank accounts holding more than 10 million baht. They make up only 0.09% of all bank accounts in the country. In other words, less than 1% of the people own nearly half of the country's savings.

- Among the farming families, nearly 20% of them are landless, or about 811,871 families, while 1-1.5 million farming families are tenants or struggling with insufficient land.

- 10% of land owners own more than 100 rai each, while the rest 90% own one rai or less.

- On income distribution, the top 20% enjoy more than 50% of the gross domestic product while the bottom 20% only 4%.

- The average income of the bottom 20% is the same as the poverty line at 1,443 baht per month.

- The gap between the richest and poorest family is 13 times, higher than all our neighbouring countries.

A fairer taxation system could reduce this economic disparity, she said. This can be done by expanding the base of direct taxpayers, introducing progressive land, inheritance, capital gains and interest taxes, for example. Unfortunately, the current taxation system worsens economic disparity by allowing easy tax evasion among the super rich while focusing on indirect taxation which treats the poor the same as the rich. Talk about justice!

State expenditure on free education, public health welfare, a comprehensive social security system and better agricultural policies have proven elsewhere to help bridge the gap, she said.

In Thailand, however, the amount of state expenditure is not only too small, most of them benefit the cities, thus worsening the gap between the rich and the poor.

The lack of political will among the power cliques and corruption are apparently Thailand's biggest obstacles. But the decline of public trust in parliamentary/money politics is no reason to debunk it, she insists. It is still the best system to allow democracy to grow more strongly, to effect fair taxation and state spending for the public good, to fight corruption and facilitate peaceful conflict resolution. "We just need to be patient."

Political scientist Seksan Prasertkul also offered his views on how to minimise Thailand's future pain. When society has become fragmented and pluralised by competing economic interests and globalisation pressures, the best damage-control strategy is to institutionalise participatory decision-making from the ground up, give political decentralisation a stronger push, and be more open to civil society voices.

As the clash of the titans looms, we should not let their cautionary advice go unheeded. For no matter who wins, their priority is to strengthen their interests and power. Without participatory politics, democracy will continue to be unstable. And without fixing the stark economic disparity through fairer taxation and state expenditure, the country's prospects ahead are indeed grim."

Thai excuses for incompetence

4 December 2009

The Bangkok Post loyally reported that the government is tracking computer hackers who infiltrated the "Protect the King'' website and replaced the webpage with a loan advertisement.

"We are tracking them down and are considering lodging a police complaint today,'' acting government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn said. PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey confirmed the website had been hacked.

The PM's Office learned about the hacking last night when a link to www.protecttheking.net from the government's official website, www.thaigov.go.th, showed a mortgage advertisement with a fairytale king illustration instead of the website's usual entry page. The ad is still there.

The government created the Protect the King website earlier this year to encourage citizens to make complaints about anyone who they think has committed an offence against the monarchy.

The website, operating on the parliament's server, featured background and commentary on His Majesty and the royal family.

All this is totally dishonest - but is a testament to incompetence.

It just needs a little research; carried out initially by BangkokPundit.

Check Whois.com and you will see that the domain name is now owned by another person (it is registered to someone called James Taylor). The domain was listed as expired on September 4, 2009 whereas the Whois.com now states the domain was created on "21 Oct 2009".

They had six weeks to renew the domain - instead the authorities failed to renew the domain name. They are lucky that the site was taken by someone advertising loans rather than porn.
 

Emirates goes Dutch at last

3 December 2009

At long last Emirates is to launch passenger flights to Amsterdam from 1st May 2010.

The airline is also promising further new route announcements in the coming months, supported by continuing aircraft deliveries.

The daily, non-stop service from Dubai will be operated with a combination of 777-200LR and 777-300ER aircraft, boasting a three-class configuration and the newest version of EK's in-flight entertainment system.

This is the fourth new destination to be announced this year by the Dubai-based carrier. Durban and Luanda were both launched in October and Tokyo was recently announced with a start date of 28th March 2010.

Amsterdam is already served by EK's freighters and there will be significant passenger traffic heading from Amsterdam to Dubai and onto Africa, the Indian Sub-continent, Asia and the Far East. 

Starting 1st May next year, EK 145 will leave Dubai each day at 0825hrs and arrive in Amsterdam at 1330hrs. From Amsterdam, EK 146 departs at 1530hrs, arriving in Dubai at 2359hrs.

As at aside the number of arrivals between 11.00pm and midnight must be getting near to saturation point and there are often 20 or 30 minutes delays while planes circle to land.

Tiger’s imperfect world

3 December 2009 - Dan Wetzel - Yahoo Sports

"In a perfect world, the public wouldn’t be obsessed with celebrity gossip.

In a perfect world, a golfer wouldn’t make a billion dollars.

Tiger Woods’ Cocktail Waitresses Across America tour took a new turn Wednesday with the release of voicemails, emails, text messages and the like from women claiming affairs with him. It got to be so much, Woods released another statement. He started strong by acknowledging his failures.

“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart,” he wrote. “I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves.”

More From Dan WetzelWoods embroiled in tabloid saga Dec 1, 2009 Tiger's unwelcome slam Nov 29, 2009 He should’ve quit right there.

With Woods, however, he can’t. He never can. It’s why all those boiler plate crisis management solutions were laughable when applied to Tiger. “Hold a press conference”? Please, feeding him to the media would’ve been the dumbest move possible. This guy can’t stay on message in a statement on his own website.

He immediately launched into a four-paragraph lecture about the horrors of celebrity news coverage, the invasiveness of a media free-for-all and how unfair it is that the public has an unquenchable thirst for dirt on the people they’ve made rich and famous.

“Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means,” Tiger wrote. “For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives.”

This rules out that Tiger was innocently going to 7-Eleven when he wrecked his Escalade at 2:23 a.m. last week. If tabloid scrutiny surprised him, he obviously hasn’t seen a checkout stand magazine rack in years.

His basic point is correct, of course. This is none of anyone’s business. He cheated on his wife, not on the golf course, not on his taxes, not while committing some other crime. The public is owed nothing.

In a perfect world, though, teachers and cops and construction workers wouldn’t have to pony up extra money to buy a shirt for their kid just because Tiger Woods’ name is on it.

In a perfect world, they wouldn’t have to break the bank for overpriced Nike shoes, with a hunk of it going to pay for Tiger Woods’ private plane.

In a perfect world, women in Asia wouldn’t be paid pennies an hour to stitch up his product.

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t be overwhelmed by rampant consumerism, false idol worship and mesmerizing advertisements – a trio of circumstances that Tiger Woods has played and profited from better than just about anyone.

So in a perfect world, yes, Tiger Woods cheating on his family would be a private issue. For many people, it still is. He’s a golfer and as long as he keeps entertaining them on Sunday afternoons in red, that’s enough.

As it should be.

Which is different than how it is. Celebrity gossip isn’t a new phenomenon. You might as well complain about death and taxes.

Tiger had the closest thing to a dream life anyone could imagine: untold wealth, a beautiful, healthy family, professional satisfaction and so on.

He got some of it from portraying himself as a model of clean-cut morality. Perfect shirt. Perfect smile. Perfect wife. Perfect life.

He was the family man, the teacher, the leader, the inspirer. “I am Tiger Woods,” children across the world repeated in one advertisement. In another, he starred with a talking stuffed animal/driver cover. He coveted the opportunity to be everyone’s role model, to speak to young people. He wasn’t Charles Barkley, smartly arguing against allowing kids to look up to him. He wasn’t Derek Jeter, happily living the bachelor life with every Hollywood starlet he could find. The public applauds those guys.

Tiger took every bit of the money his image delivered. And with great rewards come great responsibility. That’s the deal. You can’t have one without the other. You can’t have your image beamed relentlessly into everyone’s living room and then expect people not to be intrigued with your life.

You can’t release glowing pictures of your family and think the public isn’t going to seek information when it comes crumbling down.

It’s fine that he’s not perfect. It’s just that he had IMG sell him as such.

Tiger should’ve stopped after the contrite first paragraph. He should’ve hunkered down and tried to salvage what he can of his marriage. Maybe he still will.

The rest speaks to an athlete detached from reality, myopic in his view of the world which has surrounded him by yes men willing to do anything to keep Tiger the Brand believable.

The New York Post reported Wednesday that in 2007, the National Enquirer had a story of Woods straying from his marriage. According to a former executive at the magazine’s parent company, Woods’ marketing team worked a deal out that the Enquirer would squash the story in exchange for Tiger posing for the cover of sister-publication Men’s Fitness.

He did and they did.

In Tiger Woods’ perfect world, that’s how tabloids were dealt with, how trouble was escaped, how his privacy and marriage were saved. His fame and earning potential were always enough to bail him out.

Spare us the complaining, Tiger, now that it can’t."

Watford's financial woes

2 December 2009

Watford have until Christmas to secure new funding or they could be forced into administration and face a 10-point deduction. The cash-strapped Championship club's holding company revealed the severity of the situation yesterday, despite being loaned £1m by the club chairman three days ago.

Watford Leisure borrowed the money from Valley Grown Salads – which is controlled by the club's chairman, Jimmy Russo, and his brother, Vicenzo – to meet immediate cash-flow demands, but had to announce on the London stock exchange yesterday that an additional £5.5m would be needed in just over three weeks if the club are to stave off administration until the end of the season.

"The November loan will only be sufficient to cover the company's cash requirements until 22 December," the statement said. "In the event that further funding is not available to the club before 22 December 2009, then the board would seek a suspension of trading in Watford Leisure's shares pending clarification of its financial position."

Watford, who sit ninth in the Championship table with 27 points from their opening 18 matches, have outstanding loans of almost £5m, the vast majority of which is owed to Russo's Valley Grown Salads and secured against the club's Vicarage Road stadium.

The manager, Malky Mackay, has exceeded most expectations so far this season following a summer exodus that saw his predecessor, Brendan Rodgers, leave for Reading after just six months in charge. Rodgers took the midfielder Jobi McAnuff with him to the Madejski Stadium. The striker Tamas Priskin joined Ipswich Town and last season's top scorer Tommy Smith, along with the defender Mike Williamson, departed for Portsmouth as the Hornets tried desperately to cut their wage bill, which was estimated to account for more than three-quarters of their turnover.

There was some good news for the club on Sunday – from a financial, if not a football aspect – as they were drawn away to Chelsea in the third round of the FA Cup. The half share of the gate receipts from that tie at Stamford Bridge will provide a much-needed deposit to the club coffers, which are also boosted by the £489,000 the club receive in annual rent from the rugby union side Saracens. The singer Elton John, the club's honorary life president and former chairman and director, is due to perform a fundraising concert at Vicarage Road at the end of the season.
 

Is Thaksin hurt by UAE debt concerns?

1 December 2009

The Nation newspaper continues its anti Thaksin rant with an entertaining opinion piece that suggests Thaksin will be sufficiently hurt by Dubai's credit problems to need to ramp up his campaign to overthrow the Thai government.

The Nation opines, without any supporting evidence that Thaksin "stands to be affected immensely, either through investment or personal predicament."

The article continues: "The trouble in Dubai also means a lot of trouble for Thaksin, whose name and passport have been changed - from Thai to a strange-sounding name in his newly acquired Nicaraguan passport. For some years now, the fugitive has used Dubai as his base for investment and political campaigns to destabilise the Abhisit government, with marginal success."

The Nation suggests that Thaksin will have invested significantly in real estate projects, financial and debt instruments in order to gain the patronage the ruler of Dubai has provided for his refuge.

Again, no supporting evidence. It is unlikely that the authorities in Dubai worry much about Thaksin and that he has not been buying favour here. But that does not stop the Nation from alleging that in his "eagerness to please the Dubai investment community and make his presence felt as a billionaire, his investments must be sizeable, if not all of what he holds as assets. It could be billions of baht, if not far more, due to his faith in the city state and its future - which resembled gold in the desert, in the eyes of investors."

Bah! If you are going to make these sort of allegations you do need to offer some sort of empirical evidence rather than malicious speculation.

Now an even more tenuous suggestion - that Thaksin has a crystal ball. The Nation suggests that "the reason for him calling off a planned rally in Bangkok last weekend must have been partly influenced by Dubai's problems, which could imperil his stay in the city state. If he continues to incite trouble by the red shirts, the Dubai authorities could be pressed by the Thai government to deal with the fugitive."

The red shirt rally was called off long before the Dubai authorities announced the Dubai World restructuring last Wednesday.

The Nation thinks that the Dubai World problems will somehow further shrink the Thaksin war chest adding "that's why he will have to redouble his effort to reclaim that amount at whatever cost, including through political trouble by instigating the red shirts and other allies to force out the Abhisit government."

The Nation adds that "there have been disheartening rumours around town that he has offered up to half of the frozen assets to whoever is able to help him win the court case and reclaim the amount."

The more you read the Nation the more you think that this alleged newspaper is responsible for most of the rumours.