Blair should never be EU president

1 November 2009

I am not even sure there should ever be an EU President But if it has to be - the it cannot be Tony Blair, not now, not ever.

It is clear that France and Germany - Europe's unlikely bedfellows will between them annoint the European Union's first full-time president and although Mr Blair has never publicly declared himself a candidate for the presidency it has been the worst-kept secret in Brussels that the job interested him and that Britain's Labour government backed his cause.

The EU presidency will run for 30 months. The position is unelected; and for many Europeans, unwanted.

But now Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, has implicitly ruled Mr Blair when she told reporters on Thursday night that she would prefer the first president to come from one of Europe's smaller countries.

The British campaign suffered another blow when José Luis Rodríguez, Spain's prime minister, and José Sócrates, his Portuguese counterpart, indicated that they did not support Mr Blair.

Still more opposition came from Belgium and Luxembourg.

Blair is damaged goods. His alliance with the neo Conservatives of GW Bush that led to the invasion of Iraq is still widely seen as damaging and misguided. Blair will be  the central figure in the secretive Chilcot inquiry (into the Iraq War). The central issues are whether he took Britain to war in Iraq on evidence which he knew or suspected was false, and whether he sacrificed British national interest, and indeed lives, to the Bush administration's desperate need to go after "something really big" in order to assert American military supremacy after 9/11.

The reality has to be that Tony Blair deceived us on weapons of mass destruction and there should be accountability. He lied to his cabinet, to his government, to parliament and to us.

Blair also ignored Europe. He sided completely with Bush and America and paid no attention for instance to Jacques Chirac's opposition, or the millions of sensible people who marched through the capitals of Europe pleading with Bush and Blair to listen to them.

But the Brits do not want to be frozen out of the new European hierarchy; if there is not a Brit as president then how about a Brit as the EU's foreign policy leader. No nation can hold both positions at the same time. The EU foreign policy job will represent EU governments, serve as a European Commission vice-president, and control a big worldwide staff along with considerable financial resources.

The UK's existing foreign minister, the young and smart David Millibrand, is widely considered a good candidate. But if he ever has ambitions to lead the Labour Party and becone UK Prime Minister then this would be an ill-advised move for him.

Actually there is another key reason for disqualifying any Briton from holding the EU Presidency.  The UK is not in the Schengen Agreement, nor part of the Euro currency zone. These should be pre-requisites for anyone to lead the continent.

So who are the other presidential candiates; two leaders have indicated they would accept the job if it were on offer - Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg's prime minister, and Paavo Lipponen, Finland's former premier.

The names of three other men are also circulating - Jan Peter Balkenende, the Dutch prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy, Belgium's premier, and Fredrik Reinfeldt, prime minister of Sweden, the present holder of the EU's rotating presidency.

The pivotal players in the choice which is likely to be finalised at a special summit, perhaps on November 10 or 12, will be Ms Merkel and Mr Sarkozy.

Germany, the EU's biggest country and largest contributor to its budget, is not putting forward a candidate for the EU presidency or foreign policy post. This gives Ms Merkel scope to act the part of a stateswoman interested only in what is best for Europe.

As for Mr Sarkozy, a supporter of Mr Blair for many months, he has made it clear that he and Ms Merkel would support the same candidate - whoever that might be.

If I had to choose someone who understands Europe, diplomacy and who might give this role a credibility that goes beyond that of an unelected official - Chris Patten -  gets my vote.

EK winter schedule update

1 November 2009

Big news for followers of EK heading for Bangkok.

The fourth daily Bangkok flight is confirmed and there is also a third daily flight to Sydney.

Dubai – Bangkok EK374/375 is a new daily service from 3 December 2009 operated with a 3 class 777-300 and an evening departure from Dubai and an early morning departure from Bangkok.

Departure from Dubai is 23.10 arriving the next day in BKK at 08.10. The late night departure from Dubai allows evening connections from EK's Middle East network.

The return from BKK leaves at 09.35 and arrives the same day at 13.05. The arrival is well timed to connect with most of the afternoon departures to Europe.

Dubai – Jakarta Additional service, EK358/357 is now in effect, increased from 7 to 10 weekly. Additional increase throughout winter.
EK358 DXB1025 – 2130CGK 77W 136
EK357 CGK1745 – 2300DXB 77W 136

25OCT09 – 28NOV09 Day 136
30NOV09 – 28FEB10 Day x247
from 01MAR10 - Daily

Dubai – Sydney Planned 3rd Daily service, EK414/415 from 01DEC09, sees following adjustments:
01DEC09 – 31DEC09 Day x246 (Day x357 from SYD)
from 01JAN10 – Daily
 

EK A380 flight changes

31 October 2009

Emirates is amending some of its planned new Airbus A380 services, presumably to fit around aircraft deliveries. Details are as follows:

Dubai – London Heathrow:

The planned 2nd Daily A380 service, EK003/004, is postponed until 16 January 2010. The original plan was 4 weekly from 1 December 2009 then increasing to Daily by 1January 2010.

Dubai – Paris CDG

Planned A380 service on EK073/074 is now brought forward to 3 January 2010, instead of 1 February 2010.

3 January 2010 – 14 January 2010 Day 247
from 15 January 2010 – Daily

Dubai – Rome Planned A380 service from 28 March 2010, cancelled.

Dubai – Seoul Planned A380 service pushed back from 1 December 2009 to 14 December 20009.

14 December 2009 – 26 December 2009 Day 135
from 27 December 2009 – Daily

Cash at risk on delayed projects

31 October 2009

It is likely that many real estate projects in Dubai which developers claim are on hold have in fact been cancelled due to the collapse of the UAE’s property market.

Sadly developers do not want to admit this because then they will have to return investors’ money, industry observers say. And where is that money?

It is likely that some (many?) developers will be unable to repay investors when projects are finally cancelled, with the prospect of buyers losing millions of dollars.

Billions of dollars worth of developments were launched during the UAE’s real estate boom, which had seen property prices close to double by mid-2008 from the start of 2007.

The boom was driven by speculation and easy credit, with developers funding the construction of projects through off-plan sales.

When the global financial crisis gripped the country’s real estate market prices plummeted as financing and demand dried up, leaving developers unable to fund construction.

Many developers have put projects on hold or have said they are reviewing projects, but few have come out and outright cancelled projects. In the meantime the government has been consolidating its own real estate companies.

There is little transparency and such regulation as there is arrived too late. The number of real estate projects in Dubai cancelled or on hold stood at around $408 billion in September, up 18 percent from $346 billion in April, according to the Kuwait Financial Centre.

The Centre, also known as Markaz, said it expects cancellations to rise further in Dubai due to the continued lack of financing and uncertain economic outlook.

UAE real estate regulations vary from emirate to emirate, but currently there are no laws governing how long a project can be on hold before a developer must refund investors’ money.

In Dubai, the UAE’s most developed real estate market, authorities are in the process assessing which projects are unviable and should be cancelled, with the findings due out before the end of the year, according to the Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA)

Developers are not allowed to cancel projects in Dubai without the approval of RERA and the Dubai Land Department, RERA said, adding that if a developer does get approval to cancel a project it would have to reimburse investors.

Investors have become increasingly vocal in voicing their concerns about delayed projects, calling on developers to transfer their investment to another project or refund their money. Even contracts that might have repayment clauses in them do not need to be repaid under UAE law.

Larger companies such as Emaar Properties and Nakheel have set up schemes that allow buyers to swap their investments between projects, but smaller developers lack the project portfolio to offer an alternative, analysts say, leaving investors at risk of losing their money. So instead of the property that you wanted you do not get your money back but can have a property that may be of no interest to you.

Frankly there is little that has been done here to protect investors. An escrow account law came into force in mid-2007 requiring developers to hold buyers’ money in a special bank account until the completion of a project. But it was too late. Many projects had been launched prior to the law, and other emirates were even later in introducing similar regulations.

Too many hands in the Dubai till

31 October 2009

I had to laugh when I read of the charges against the Chairman of Dubai Properties. This is a government owned business. What were these people thinking. Sheer greed in a booming economy with no controls. regulations or accountability.

According to reports in The National newspaper, there are at least 11 court cases under way involving allegations of fraud in Dubai, while 34 company executives have either appeared in court to answer charges or are due to do so.

About $950m is alleged to have been stolen or used as bribe money, according to files from public prosecutors that give the first overview of the anti-corruption campaign.

Since March last year, lawyers appointed by the Dubai Government have been investigating executives from some of the emirate’s leading property and financial firms.

The first round of last year’s high-profile arrests and charges included top executives of three listed firms: Deyaar, Dubai Islamic Bank and Tamweel, the Islamic home lender. A second round concentrated on property developers.

Sama Dubai, now a part of the government-owned Dubai Holding, was the focus of an investigation last August, when four of its executives were detained.

In a separate case, a top executive of a developer was charged with allegedly defrauding 3,700 investors of more than Dh900m.

And two Australian executives of the Dubai Waterfront project (a Nakheel project - also government owned) are accused of defrauding the Sunland Group, obtaining Dh44m in illegal profits and giving false information about the ownership and value of a plot of land. The two were granted bail in Dubai earlier this month.

All of this arose from a massively booming economy with no effective corporate governance and legal system; and in reality it still is not there. At least the arrests that have been made even within the ranks of some of its largest companies have raised local awareness of the need to regulate these companies; but high-profile arrests have not turned into high profile sentences.

Ultimately, the need to attract and retain foreign investment may become the biggest incentive for regional governments to ensure that anti-fraud measures remain a top policy priority.

If Dubai is to be an international business center things like enhanced corporate governance, transparency and accountability are not just important; they need to be real and effective.

TTV testing on Sunday

31 October 2009

Noppadon Pattama, legal advisor to deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra said that Thaksin TV will make a test broadcast of two television channels at noon on Sunday. Apparently his internet delivered TV could have up to 100 channels.

As an internet delivered service you can safely assume that the Thai government will be looking to block access.

"The first channel is called “O Channel” which will run programmes on the “One Tambon, One Product” or OTOP schemes initiated by the Thaksin government”, Mr Noppadon said, adding that this channel will be for boosting sales of the OTOP products to help the economy.

According to him, the second channel is “Clever Channel” which will be a channel for supporting Thai students in education aspect and enabling them to stay competitive in the international community. This channel’s educational programmes will be supported the Thai Kom Foundation.

Mr Noppadon said from Sunday, all Thai people can directly contact the ex-premier via SMS and his twitter website. Strangely he never replies to me !

Noppadon told the government not to panic as Thaksin runs his TV channels for the benefit of the country and Thai people without any political purpose. He insisted the move will not affect national security.

The perils of buying property in Dubai

31 October 2009

Sadly I did buy from Dubai properties. In February 2007 I bought a two bedroom apartment off plan in teh Executive Towers development at Business Bay.

I wanted a first home for Tai and I; that we would live in for at least two years before we decided whether to stay in Dubai or move on. The building was reasonably well advanced and due to complete in quarter 1 2008.

Of the purchase price 10% was paid on booking; and a further 60% during 2007. The remaining 30% is due on Completion Date.

The building is still not ready to be occupied. Maybe by year end but I suspect quarter 1 2010; two years late. So what was supposed to take one year to complete has take three.

And not a word of apology or regret. And not even a notification from the company of the new completion dates or the delays.

Now, you might ask, is there any sort of compensation? Or can you get your money back?

Well in theory yes according to the contract. In reality under UAE property law - not a chance.

Relevant Clauses:

5 Ascertaining the Completion Date

5.1 It is recorded that the Anticipated Completion Quarter referred to in paragraph 7 of the Particulars represents the Quarter in which it is presently expected that the Completion Date will occur. The Seller reserves the right to postpone the Anticipated Completion Quarter by a further two Quarters calculated from the end of the Anticipated Completion Quarter, provided that the Seller shall advise the Purchaser of such postponement before the commencement of the Anticipated Completion Quarter.

This means that Dubai Properties could move the completion quarter to Q3 as long as they told me !

12 Default and Termination

12.1 If the Purchaser has fulfilled all his obligations in terms of this Agreement and the Seller is unable to achieve a Completion Date within six (6) months of the end of the Anticipated Completion Quarter, without prejudice to the provisions of Clauses 5.1 and 13, the Purchaser may on thirty (30) days written notice to the Seller terminate this Agreement and, upon termination, the Seller shall refund all amounts paid by the Purchaser to the Seller on account of the Purchase Price. The Purchaser shall have no further claim against the Seller for any damages, compensation or costs,

This means that if they had not completed by the end of Q1 2009 (one year late) DP was obliged to refund all amounts that I had paid provided that I gave 30 days written notice of termination.

The notice of termination was greeted with complete disdain by Dubai Properties who have no intention of refunding any investor's money. The contract really is worthless. There is no protection for the investor under Dubai law. My suspicion is that later contracts did not have these cancellation clauses in them.

So maybe we will move to the new apartment early next year. But it will leave a bitter taste of disappointed dreams.

The state of Dubai's construction sector

31 October 2009

In Dubai the roads seem busy again and the armies of labourers are back on some of the city’s building sites. Whatever the reality nobody thinks the UAE is about to turn back into the rocket economy that imploded so dramatically at the end of last year.

The downturn in the UAE came suddenly, particularly in Dubai, but the signs are that recovery will be more tentative. It is likely that the emirate will remain a regional hub for financial services, tourism, transport, trade and exhibitions. But it will have to deal with competition from Doha and Abu Dhabi.

The projects that are restarting are mainly in Abu Dhabi; these include a mixed-use project called Tameer Towers on Al Rheem island in Abu Dhabi, which has a project value of 7bn dirham (£1.2bn); a 400m dirham project to build a headquarters for the municipal government of Abu Dhabi’s western region; and a residential project of up to 1 million ft2 by developer Bloom Properties in Abu Dhabi.

New projects are getting under way as well. Arabtec, the UAE’s biggest contractor, which employs 42,000 people, has just won a number of deals. These include the 638m dirham Silverene Twin Towers, a residential scheme at Dubai Marina for Cayan Investment & Development; the Onyx development, a 686m dirham office scheme on Dubai’s Sheik Zayed Road; and the Nation Towers, a 1.6bn dirham mixed-use scheme on Abu Dhabi’s Corniche seafront.

Even in Dubai things are moving again. There are a number of hospitals, hotels and lots of infrastructure projects moving forward. There is also a lot to do in areas like Meydan and Business Bay.

It might not be surprising that Abu Dhabi is starting to pick up where it left off. After all, it has the world’s second largest combined reserves of oil and gas per head after Qatar, and the world’s biggest sovereign wealth fund – thought to be worth $400bn.

Unfortunately, it’s a different story for Dubai, which has no oil, relies on lending to fuel its development and is presently weighed down with debt. Its government-related entities (GREs), including top developers, collectively owe between $80bn and $90bn, of which $50bn is due by 2012, according to credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s.

The question commentators are asking is whether Abu Dhabi will bail out Dubai. One indication that it might is the $10bn (£6.1bn) fund that it has already provided. This came when Dubai issued the first half of a $20bn bond in February, which was bought by Abu Dhabi’s central bank. Dubai is expected to issue the remaining $10bn imminently and recent reports suggest it may seek a further $6.5bn of medium-term notes.

But Standard & Poor’s, which has downgraded its ratings for a number of Dubai’s GREs, warns that February’s deal, which amounts to a loan, is “insufficient to meet its debt”. There are still concerns in the construction industry that the bond money has gone out of the country to pay debts owed to foreign banks rather than to contractors and consultants working in the emirate.

In the meantime contractors and consultants still go without their fees. Estimates are that UK engineers are owed £500m in the UAE as a whole, and Dubai’s main arbitration body is struggling to process almost £3bn of disputes. Some consultants say privately that they are being forced to accept discounts on their fees of up to 50%, and what money is handed over is arriving late. 

While business may be slowly moving again but there will not be rich pickings for anyone in the property sector. Margins will be lower for everyone. Financing will be tight. Contractors say those they are making on new contracts have fallen from 15-20% 18 months ago to 5-10% now. Agreed payment periods are 60 to 90 days. As for payment up front, this is either a low percentage of the price or zero. Indeed, many deals being signed presently allow the client to make no payment at all for the first 120 days of the job, which will make it particularly tough to buy resources at the start of a project, especially given the dearth of bank loans.

The new projects will also be more basic than those of the boom years. The ostentatious hotels and theme parks so characteristic of Dubai will become rare, one-off projects. The new projects are for Holiday Inn Expresses and Premier Inns. This is a good thing and puts some balance in the market.

How far the UAE will recover is open to debate, but it seems unlikely that demand for property will ever hit 2007 levels again. Last month a report from real estate agent Colliers CRE said 25% of Dubai’s properties were empty. The report added that about 340,000 units would be on the market in Dubai by the end of 2009 and another 34,300 would be completed over the next two years.

The developers are unscrupulous - in too many cases they have buyers' money for projects that will never start and then use those funds to pay their contractors and consultants for other projects.

Dubai Properties chief arrested

31 October 2009

From Bloomberg

"Hashim Al Dabal, chairman of Dubai Properties, has been arrested on suspicion of embezzlement at the company, the emirate’s attorney general confirmed on Friday.

“Mr Al Dabal is accused of abusing his position and earning millions in illegal profit,” Attorney General Essam Essa al-Humaidan said in a phone interview.

“We are questioning him almost daily and Mr Al Dabal indicated he is ready to answer questions without having a lawyer present.”

Last year, Dubai began an investigation into corruption in real estate companies, which benefited from surging demand after foreigners were allowed to buy property for the first time.

Several officials were arrested, including Zack Shahin, former chief executive officer of the emirates’ second-biggest property developer, Deyaar Development, and Adel al-Shirawi, former CEO of mortgage lender Tamweel.

Bloomberg calls to Dubai Properties offices seeking comment weren’t answered on Friday. Al Dabal hasn’t appointed a lawyer and only family and legal representatives are allowed to talk with him, al-Humaidan said.

Al Dabal was arrested about 10 days ago, the attorney general said. No arrangement date has been set and the investigation is continuing, he said. Under Dubai law, he can be held for 21 days, after which he must appear before a judge.

Dubai Properties is a unit of Dubai Holding, a group owned by the emirate’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In August, Al Dabal was appointed as executive chairman at Dubai Holding’s newly created Property Vertical.

Emaar Properties, the UAE's biggest real-estate developer, said in June it was in talks to combine with Dubai Properties and two other state-controlled competitors, Sama Dubai and Tatweer.

The move is aimed at controlling the supply of new buildings amid a glut of homes that drove property prices in Dubai 50 percent lower.

Dubai Properties built Jumeirah Beach Residence, a 1.7km (1.05-mile) waterfront development that includes 36 residential towers, four hotels and retail space.

Emarat Al Youm earlier reported that Al Dabal had been referred for prosecution on suspicion of financial misconduct. It cited Yasir Amerey, the head of the financial supervision department at the Ruler’s Court.

Dubai Holding appointed Ahmad bin Byat as acting chairman of its real estate company, Zawya Dow Jones reported on Thursday, citing the company.

“Dubai Holding and all of its business entities are committed to the highest levels of corporate governance. As such we fully support the Dubai government’s initiatives to uphold these standards,” Zawya Dow Jones quoted the company as saying in a statement."

As an extra note the Gulf News reported that at least two suspects are being questioned by police for alleged financial irregularities at Dubai Holdings.

Rumour charges pending

29 October 2009

The Bangkok Post is reporting that police will charge four people with spreading the rumours about the health of His Majesty the King which led to the stock sell-off earlier this month according to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

"I heard that they will charge four people, but they have not informed me of their names yet," Mr Abhisit said. "Authorities will go ahead with the charges when they have enough information."

He did not know whether any politicians or businessmen were involved in the case.

The Bangkok Post says that the rumours led to a stock sell-off on Oct 14 and 15. The SET index plunged about 7%.

Last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said it was seeking trading information from two foreign brokerage houses.

Racism still haunts ASEAN

28 October 2009

I have written before about the fundamental racism that underlies the ASEAN states. There is no sense of belonging or sharing or aims or objectives. There is an ASEAN hierarchy. Thais resent those above them and look down on those below them. And it has never been more apparent that in the Nation's post ASEAN editorials and comment.

The Nation is a rag. And it could be ignored. But it is an English language newspaper and as such it is read internationally. And it does seem to be getting more extreme in its views.

Regional nationalism can be truly nasty. And Thailand can be better at it than most.

Various Thai regimes have long considered Cambodia and Cambodians as inferior and less civilized. As one historian says, “Thais have also felt considerable hatred for the Khmer…”. His article on the relationship is well worth reading at the Kyoto Review, from March 2003, prompted by the ransacking of the Thai embassy in Cambodia.

The Nation at its xenophobic worse wrote:

"Hun Sen himself might not find it easy to rub shoulders with people from the civilised world after spending half his life in jungles and around the Khmer Rouge killing fields....You can take the man out of the jungle but you cannot take the jungle out of the man, or so the saying goes. At this moment, that could be said about mercurial Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after the verbal sparring of the last few days....Those familiar with Hun Sen's unwashed manners have not been surprised."

"Thaksin is a billionaire. Such a man will be welcome in a not-so-civilised society that respects money more than honesty and clean hands. As the saying goes, there is no honour among thieves, and this particular case provides proof of that."

“Perhaps it would be better for Hun Sen to keep his friendship with fugitive Thaksin, and their mutual admiration, in the closet. It could be a case of twisted minds thinking alike.”

Just in case anyone wanted to compare the Cambodian government with the Thai government the Nation says that “the current Thai government came through a parliamentary process, not because of the 2006 coup.” Why does that sound so false.

No one would describe Cambodia as a model democracy, especially not domestic opponents of the regime. And one would expect Thailand to do better than Cambodia on most indices. That said, on both the Reporters Without Borders Index and the Transparency International index of the perception of corruption, while still ranked lower than Thailand, Cambodia is rising while Thailand is falling.

Cambodia has some reason to feel aggrieved. Border incidents, the racist attacks on Cambodians by PAD and the attacks on Hun Sen and Cambodia by Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya.

Has Hun Sen been provoked? Yes. As for history; the Thai government provided support of the Khmer Rouge and the military and provided other aide to prolong the conflict in Cambodia.

The PAD and its loyalists spout a dangerous nationalism; which makes talk of ASEAN unity almost laughable.


Desperate friends in Thailand

28 October 2009

I never cease to be amazed by Thai politics; and it really is never dull. But the political parties have no agenda; have no political platform and have no loyalty; either to their voter base, to their allies or from their own MPs.

The loyalty is almost feudal. Thai politicians are loyal to the hand that feeds them and even more loyal to the hand that feeds them more. Thai politics are convoluted.

And now they are getting messy and angry.

Earlier this month – former prime minister, retired General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, announced he was joining the Pheu Thai (For Thais) Party, the successor to deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's outlawed Thai Rak Thai party.

Other retired military types did the same. Much to the frustration of another ex-general and ex-prime minister Prem Tinsulanond, who now heads the Privy Council and is widely considered to have led the drive against Thaksin through the 2006 coup.

Is this the last throw of the dice for some has-beens? Or is it political opportunism. Chavalit then enlisted Cambodian leader Hun Sen to the Thaksin cause.

The current government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's Democrat Party survives due to the support of former Thaksin ally and rural power broker Newin Chidchob. Purchasing the support of Newin's northeast allies secured the government but added to general cynicism about politicians, not least those claiming to be cleaning up after the Thaksin era.

Chidchob has now been appointed by the Thai interior minister, Chaovarat Chanvirakul, who is also a BJT party MP, to head a committee responsible for organizing Bhumibol’s 82nd birthday celebration on December 5th.

This is the same Newin who has a history of banking, vote-buying, and public procurement scandals. This is a calculated re-branding effort to make himself more palatable for public consumption. A future Prime Minister? He certainly has the ambition.

There is little doubt that he will play a big role in how the political landscape develops as Thailand moves forward. For now the BJT needs the Democrats to maintain its influence in government and its hold on key government positions. The BJT continues to accrue various “benefits” from government projects such as the 4,000 LNG bus scheme and numerous Thai Strength projects linked to the government’s stimulus program.

When the next election is called Newin’s party will likely play a leading role in the next government’s formation and maintain control over key ministries. But how will the BJT fare in an election; its core support comes from the Puea Thai dominated north east. Could we see a BJT - Puea Thai alliance post election with Thaksin and Chitchob reunited?

Meanwhile the Democrats now face a challenge from a different direction. Yellow Shirt leader Sondhi Limthongkul, of PAD and airport occupation notoriety has established his New Politics Party. It may well draw more votes away from the Democrats than from other parties. Sondhi, a media baron, will continue to push his agenda through his newspapers, TV stations and websites.

The establishment appears to need Sondhi, who proclaims monarchism as his party's ideology, even if no one seems to like him.

Abhisit is now busy making friends this week with PAD connections. The Nation’s website had a picture of “PM Abhisit Vejjajjiva gives a bouquet of flowers to Jittanart Limthongkul, at the launching party of ASTV-Manager daily newspaper Tuesday. Jittanart, owner of the newspaper, is son of Sondhi, core leader of People’s Alliance for Democracy.”

All of this is about revenge for Thaksin hijacking the ASEAN meeting.

Now on one side we have PAD, BJT and the Democrats in an alliance against Thaksin who has recently enlisted Chavalit Yongchaiyudh and a bunch of generals, Hun Sen and (apparently) the Sultan of Brunei. All have embarrassed and challenged the Democrat Party-led government in recent days.

Hun Sen I have reported on elsewhere.

The Sultan of Brunei missed the opening ceremony at the ASEAN meeting and allegedly stayed in a house owned by Thaksin in Cha Am through the conference.

The government has decided to get personal and remove Thaksin’s former police rank and his royal decorations. Their decreasing arsenal of weapons to use against Thaksin still includes the frozen billions of baht sitting in Thai bank accounts, and commentators expect some government action on that as well.

Being seen as close to PAD and even to Sondhi Limthongkul seems to make political sense to Abhisit as Thaksin has made political gains over the past two weeks. As the Bangkok Post suggests, there is yet another “closing of the ranks” to fight Thaksin.

The government really has to leave the election date as late as possible and to muddle through.

The economic reality is that there has been little to choose between macro policies under Thaksin and those of his successors, both military and civilian. Abhisit has even expanded some Thaksin policies to try to win rural support at the next election.

So it comes down to political popularity not to policy. And there - even in absentia - Thaksin has a clear lead.

Underlying all of the political noise is the simple fact that class tensions have increased. The simplistic view often spouted by the government, through a compliant establishment media, is to blame Thaksin for everything. But among the Red Shirts there are plenty of aspiring radicals who have been demonstrating against the Bangkok-elite system rather than in favor of Thaksin the man.

The political mess of the last 4 years in Thailand is not going away. And it is impossible to predict the outcome.
 

RAK loses the America's Cup in a New York court

28 October 2009

The Emirates of Ras al Khaimah has lost the opportunity to host the 2010 America's Cup series after a US court ruled against the Swiss Alinghi team.

Now it is hard to get excited about a bunch of rich guys with expensive toys. But I do feel sorry for the people in RAK who had worked hard to host this showpiece sailing event.

Yesterday the Supreme Court in New York opined that Alinghi cannot defend sailing's most prestigious crown in the United Arab Emirates.

The Swiss syndicate announced earlier this year that it had selected the small Gulf emirate of Ras al Khaimah in the UAE for the February 2010 challenge from the U.S. challenger Oracle next February.

But in an increasingly bitter legal battle, the Oracle team, headed by billionaire software tycoon Larry Ellison, filed a lawsuit over the choice of venue.

It argued the proximity to Iran made it unsafe and crucially it was a violation of the America's Cup rules, drafted in the 19th century, which state that the competition cannot be held in the northern hemisphere between November 1 and May 1.

Justice Shirley Kornreich based her decision on that stipulation in the "Deed of Gift", the 19th century rules that govern the oldest competition in international sport.

Alinghi responded quickly saying that "this is a disappointing result as we were certain that Justice Cahn's May 2008 decision allowed the Defender (Defending Team) to chose Valencia or any other location'," the Swiss team's lead counsel, Lucien Masmejan said.

"Ras Al Khaimah has put enormous time and effort into this 33rd America's Cup project. We thank them and feel sorry for this unexpected result out of the New York court," he added.

Since Alinghi retained the America's Cup in Valencia in 2007, there have been a series of court battles over the rules for the next competition with rival syndicates to Alinghi, led by Oracle, claiming it was gaining an unfair advantage.

The court ruling is likely to mean the America's Cup will now return to Valencia.

The best-of-three series was scheduled to begin February 8 2010. Alinghi's choice of Ras al Khaimah had been contentious.  Soon after the Swiss picked Ras al-Khaimah in early August, the US team had raised concerns because the sailing would take place about 129 kilometres from Iran's coastline.

On Monday, BMW Oracle accused the Swiss of neglecting their duties as trustees of the race, saying Alinghi had shown "reckless and repeated disregard in its stewardship of the America's Cup."

Alinghi has been sailing its 27-metre catamaran, Alinghi 5, in Ras al-Khaimah for more than a week.  Meanwhile BMW Oracle Racing's 27-metre trimaran, which will be named USA, has been undergoing testing in San Diego since last autumn.

There has been a substantial investment in facilities for the racing at the Al Hamra harbour in RAK. But there is also a loss of face for RAK and the UAE over which the authorities really had very little control. Arab hospitality would have contributed to a global event and would have probably been fitting for these two millionaire teams.

Allegations about the unsafe location of the Middle East, accentuated by RAK’s proximity to Iran, will not help the image of the UAE, particularly among Americans.

Billionaire owners and high paid lawyers have hijacked the competition and they have lost thousands of disillusioned spectators and a host of sponsors.

The future of the Internet

28 October 2009

Google CEO Eric Schmidt envisions a radically changed internet five years from now: dominated by Chinese-language and social media content, delivered over super-fast bandwidth in real time. Figuring out how to rank real-time social content is "the great challenge of the age," Schmidt said in an interview in front of thousands of CIOs and IT Directors at last week's Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando.

Highlighted comments include:

Five years from now the internet will be dominated by Chinese-language content.

Today's teenagers are the model of how the web will work in five years - they jump from app to app to app seamlessly.

Five years is a factor of ten in Moore's Law, meaning that computers will be capable of far more by that time than they are today. Within five years there will be broadband well above 100MB in performance - and distribution distinctions between TV, radio and the web will go away.
 
"We're starting to make significant money off of Youtube", content will move towards more video. "Real time information is just as valuable as all the other information, we want it included in our search results."

There are many companies beyond Twitter and Facebook doing real time. "We can index real-time info now - but how do we rank it?"

It's because of this fundamental shift towards user-generated information that people will listen more to other people than to traditional sources. Learning how to rank that "is the great challenge of the age." Schmidt believes Google can solve that problem.

These are the areas that guide much of what Google is doing today. From Chrome OS to Google Social Search.

UAE plan to nationalise Private Schools

28 October 2009

According to the Khaleej Times today the UAE Education Minister Humaid Mohammed Al Qatami has affirmed that there is a vision to nationalise private schools in the UAE.

He intends to raise the issue at a meeting with the heads of private schools next month. This will raise alarm bells among all the private school owners and their financial backers.

The affirmation came in response to queries at the second ordinary session of the Federal National Council (FNC) on Tuesday. The Minister of State for FNC Affairs, Dr. Anwar Gargash, was present.

The queries pertained to the mechanism of control over private schools and prolongation of school hours.

Responding to FNC member Khalifa bin Howaidan, Qatami said that there were 474 private schools in the UAE at present, where nearly half-a-million students, including 85,000 nationals, studied.

He said that these schools followed 17 different curricula and educational approaches, but remained under the supervision of the education ministry.

He emphasised the ministry’s intention to restructure and regulate the division in charge of private education. The minister also drew attention to the principle of control over private education and the mechanism to upgrade it.

Further, the FNC recommended a review of foreign curricula in ‘Future Schools’ and making them compatible with the local environment and cultural identity.

Chaired by Speaker Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, the FNC session also discussed a report by a house committee on the education ministry’s strategy for Future Schools and English language teaching at the kindergarten stage.

Members said that the ministry’s strategic plan for overhauling the education sector should include the best international practices, yet be based on national, religious and cultural values.

They also called for developing subjects in the Arabic language and Islamic studies and increasing their duration.

Thai government losing the Twitter war

26 October 2009

The Thai government says that it plans to closely monitor the SMS messages that ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra sends to his supporters to see whether they represent a threat to national security according to Prime Minister's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoey.

This is funny. You can set up any Twitter account to read Thaksin's messages; you can even translate them to the language of your choice !

Mr Sathit admitted it was not easy to control text messaging. That must have been a revelation!!!

The government would also check the programme content of satellite broadcaster PTV, operated by the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), following complaints that the programmes gives misleading information. And of course other government controlled networks would never be misleading.

The political movement backing the fugitive politician was getting more vigorous, he said. He pointed to Thaksin's use of a leader of a neighbouring country to pressure the government last week, and the stress it caused. Or more accurately the embarrassment that Thaksin again was the news of the summit.

The Thai government is losing the Twitter war - or is that the war of the twits!?

Yemen claims plane shot down by French navy

25 October 2009

This just does not sound likely. More like a state news agency trying to cause a smokescreen for what really happened.

But the Yemeni news agency Saba is arguing that a rocket fired by the French navy training in the Indian Ocean caused the Yemenia Airways crash in which 152 passengers and crew were killed.

“Aviation experts and investigations into the flight data recorders confirmed that a rocket fired by one of the French naval ships in the region caused the disaster,” Saba said, citing the Almotamar.net website.

Almotamar is a Yemeni e-newspaper published by the General People Congress (GPC), according to the website.

The A310 plane from France plunged into the Indian Ocean on June 30 shortly after beginning its descent towards the Comoros carrying mainly French and Comoran passengers.

A 13-year-old girl was the only survivor. She was found by clinging to floating wreckage of the aircraft.

French officials said in September that investigators had found evidence indicating the crash was caused by pilot error landing in difficult weather into a difficul airport.

Previously some French officials had suggested that the plane was not safe, but no official explanation for the accident has been given.

Saba said Yemen plans to ask France to compensate Yemenia and the families of the crash victims.

Debt Watch in Dubai

25 October 2009
By Stanley Reed  Business Week

"On a sultry fall evening in Dubai, Mohamed Ali Alabbar proudly shows visitors the artificial lake surrounding the nearly completed Burj Dubai, at more than 2,600 feet the world's tallest building. As an Andrea Bocelli recording plays Time to Say Goodbye over the sound system, water sprays high in the air. Alabbar, chairman of Emaar Properties, Dubai's top real estate developer, explains how the fountains were designed to outclass similar waterworks at Las Vegas' Bellagio hotel and casino and cost more than $250 million. "I said to make it 20% better" than the Vegas version, he recalls.

Bigger. Faster. Taller. Better. For the last decade Dubai thrived on this I-want-it-now credo as the Gulf emirate turned itself into a premier business hub. Today construction crews still labor on Dubai's skyscrapers and malls, and the bars at swank hotels like the Fairmont and the Emirates Towers are packed. Yet Dubai Inc.—that collection of state agencies and state-backed companies that has powered the city forward—now faces a debt crisis as scary as anything that threatened the banks of the U.S. and Europe. It has to pay back or refinance almost $50 billion in four short years. Dubai's ability to pull that off now depends very much on outside bankers—and especially on the largesse of Abu Dhabi, the nearby oil-rich emirate that has long looked on Dubai with a mix of admiration, disapproval, and envy.

The key cluster of Dubai companies owes as much as $90 billion, or 126% of gross domestic product, much of it in short-term bonds and loans from the world's top banks. Dubai could get away with so much borrowing as long as real estate and other asset prices kept rising. But they crashed. Its residential real estate prices have fallen over the past year by a world-leading 47.5%, while office rates are also way off except in the choicest areas. Office and hotel space keeps piling up as the government of hereditary ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum presses developers to finish their projects. Dubai officials would not comment for this story.

Dubai's debt workout is reaching a pivotal moment. The most immediate concern is a $3.5 billion sukuk, or Islamic bond, issued by Nakheel, a branch of investment company Dubai World. Nakheel, which is building the spectacular palm-shaped artificial islands off the emirate's coast, must pay bondholders back or refinance by yearend. Further out, Standard & Poor's (MHP) figures that Dubai must pay off or refinance a total of $47.4 billion by mid-2013. Regional investment bank EFG-Hermes estimates key Dubai companies have $13.1 billion in debt due in 2010 alone.

Farouk Soussa, an S&P analyst in Dubai, figures the emirate has only $3 billion to $4 billion left of a $10 billion loan it obtained from the United Arab Emirates central bank earlier this year. Meeting the payments "is not going to be easy or comfortable," he says. The $10 billion Dubai borrowed earlier this year was supposed to be just the first half of a $20 billion financing program, a mix of central bank loans and publicly issued bonds. While spreads on Dubai debt are narrowing, bankers say there is little appetite in the debt markets for more Dubai paper. What gives investors pause is that they have not yet heard a clear plan from Dubai on how it is going to clear out the debt. "It is likely that Dubai will be unable to access fresh funding for quite some time," says Simon Williams, chief Middle East economist for HSBC in Dubai. The most likely source of the next $10 billion is up the road in Abu Dhabi, the largest and wealthiest emirate in the U.A.E., about an hour's drive southwest of Dubai. A major oil producer, Abu Dhabi has several hundred billion in cash and investments and no debt problem at the moment.

Abu Dhabi may prove a tough lender. Financial sources say its leadership, which in effect underwrote the $10 billion Dubai borrowed earlier this year, is not thrilled by the prospect of writing big checks to its profligate cousins in Dubai. Abu Dhabi has a corps of financial professionals at a web of funds that invest the bulk of the emirate's surpluses. Sources say these pros are pushing Abu Dhabi's leaders to insist on hard terms in exchange for fresh funding. One idea is for Abu Dhabi to take stakes in Dubai's crown jewel companies, such as Emirates Airlines, ports operator DP World, and Dubai Aluminum. Such deals could consolidate these companies with their Abu Dhabi counterparts, such as Etihad Airways.

So far, Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed has shrewdly fended off any grab of Dubai's equity. This summer he even pulled the plug on a sale of about 20% of DP World for some $2 billion to Abraaj Capital, the Dubai private equity firm, and China Investment Corp., Beijing's sovereign wealth fund.

FAMILY TIES
Dubai's leader has other cards to play. A debacle in Dubai would shake investor confidence in the entire U.A.E., Abu Dhabi included. The other emirates cannot let that happen. Moreover, the Abu Dhabi potentates have close ties to Dubai through everything from hotel investments to marriage. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for instance, who recently made $2 billion selling his stake in Britain's Barclays (BCS) bank and is considered the third most influential member of Abu Dhabi's royal family, is married to the Dubai sheikh's favorite daughter. "You can be sure Sheikh Mansour hears about this every weekend when he visits the palace," says a banker. A possible compromise: a mortgage held by Abu Dhabi on Dubai assets that would let the emirate regain equity if and when it pays off its obligations.

The debt overhang, meanwhile, is putting a damper on the economy. Credit may get even tighter for local businesses: As Dubai Inc. pays off foreign creditors, it will probably lean on local banks to shoulder larger shares of the debt burden. And despite his political skills, Sheikh Mohammed has lost stature in the U.A.E., especially with the Abu Dhabi elite. Both Abu Dhabi and gas-rich Qatar are following Dubai's example in building financial hubs and are poised to exploit its stumbles. If Abu Dhabi, which is more conservative than Dubai, ends up calling more of the shots on U.A.E. policy, it could force Dubai to tighten rules on the immigrants who bring in money and do much of the work. It could also push Dubai to crack down on the bars and clubs that offer a competitive edge for the freewheeling emirate. Abu Dhabi officials declined to comment.

The best thing Dubai can do now is recover its fast pace of growth. Recently a visitor, stuck in traffic in the financial district, phoned a banker's secretary to say he would be late. "That's great," she said. "Things must be getting better." More seriously, lower office rents help companies, and hotel rooms that once fetched $600 a night can be had for a third of that, making Dubai an affordable destination once more. It's still the place to discuss any business having to do with Iran or Saudi Arabia, which sport few amenities. "As long as conditions in Saudi Arabia remain hard, Dubai will thrive," says Khaled Al-Muhairy, CEO of Dubai fund management firm Evolvence Capital.

Can Dubai change? Many see the forced slowdown as a chance to plot a more restrained course. "This is an opportunity to do things differently," says Tarik Yousef, dean of the Dubai School of Government. That means, first of all, whittling down that debt."

Market for rumour

24 October 2009

(so good it is worth adding here - from www.prachatai.com/english)

"It’s hard going at the Department of Special Investigations (DSI) where the Detecting Scapegoats for Irresponsibility (DSI) Section is conducting a Detaining Suspicious Individuals (DSI) operation by the Doing Simultaneous Interrogations (DSI) process.

They have been told by the Minister of Finance, who would never dream of interfering in the DSI’s work, to find the source of the rumours that led to sharp falls on the stock exchange. Within the week. They have collected a number of likely suspects who are being questioned in adjacent interview rooms.

The work of the DSI is conducted to the highest professional standards of confidentiality and due process, so Prachatai can bring you only partial transcripts of the interrogations. Our own professional ethics forbids us from revealing the suspects’ identities. Nor can we disclose the exact nature of the rumours that started all this, of course, but we do hope he’s feeling majestically better.

Interview Room 1

‘Now according to our records, on October 14, you were one of the many people on the stock exchange who sold shares. Could you tell us why you did that?’

‘The index was falling. That’s why I sold.’

‘But why was it falling?’

‘Well, people say there were rumours.’

‘So you believed the rumours? These false, malicious rumours spread by foreigners deliberately trying to sabotage the Thai economy?’

‘I don’t think you understand how the stock market works. I don’t care if prices are falling because of rumours or anything else.’

‘So why did you sell? Did you think the rumours were true?’

‘That’s completely irrelevant. It doesn’t matter to me or to any other investor what the rumours are, whether they are true or not, or if other investors believe in them. All that’s important to us is what the market will do next, and that depends on what everyone else thinks the market will do next. If, for whatever reason, I think that people will sell and push prices down, I will react to that before it happens.’

‘But if you knew the rumours were false, there would be no reason to sell.’

‘Who cares whether they are false or not? You just follow the market.’

‘So if just one person hears the rumours and believes them and starts selling, then all of you will start selling?’

‘If we think everyone else will sell, yes.’

‘But that’s, that’s … unpatriotic.’

‘No, that’s capitalism.’

Interview Room 2

‘Did you hear any rumours?’

‘You mean about the health of …’

‘You do not need to repeat these filthy and scurrilous lies here. Just answer the question. Did you hear them?’

‘Oh yes, I thought everyone did. It’s not a crime, is it?’

‘Well, hearing them may not be, but did you believe them?’

‘Yes.’

‘You believed them? Why?’

‘Well, because I read about them in the newspaper.’

‘Ah-hah! Which dastardly and malevolent foreign newspaper did you read?’

‘The Nation.’

‘The Nation?! But they clearly said the rumours were not true.’

‘That’s right. But you can’t believe a thing the Nation says. So when they said the rumour mongering was all wrong, I knew there had to be something in it.’

Interview Room 3

‘Our investigations show that you were one of the first to start selling shares. What prompted you to do that? What made you think Thai companies were going to lose value?’

‘Ah, you see, when you’re playing the Thai market, you shouldn’t waste time on a company’s figures or its prospects or analyzing their share performance or anything of that stuff. Far too complicated and takes too much time.’

‘So what do you do?’

‘You just watch the big players. They can make the market move in whichever way they want. If you can anticipate what they’re going to do, and sell just before they sell, or buy just before they buy, you’ll make a fortune.’

‘I see. So how do you know who the big players are and what they’re going to do?’

‘There’s lots of ways, but personally, I had a good long look at the Assets Declarations that the politicians have to publish. That tells you exactly which shares they own.’

‘So you pick a politician, and trade in the same shares that he has?’

‘Exactly. And if I think he’s going to sell, I sell first. Which I did. And the market tumbled. Made a killing.’

‘But how did you know what this politician was going to do?’

‘Well, there was this rumour. But you only know it’s right by looking at what they say after it’s all over. They never say it clearly but you can read the signs.’

‘So who exactly have you been watching?’

‘It’s obvious, isn’t it? Who’s the richest man and biggest shareholder in the Cabinet? Who raised this huge song and dance about the stock market falling because of rumours that no one in his right mind would believe?’

‘So you’re saying the whole thing was started by …’

‘Right. The Minister of Finance himself.’

Absent Thaksin is still the talk of ASEAN

24 October 2009

There is no Thaksin in Hua Hin. His red shirted supporters are not allowed near to the city.

But Thaksin is still the talk of ASEAN thanks to his friend the Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen

In Phnom Penh on Wednesday the Cambodian premier told Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, the senior leader of the pro-Thaksin Pheu Thai Party, that he was prepared to proved residency to Thaksin, who fled Thailand in August 2008 to avoid a two-year jail term on charges of corruption and abuse of power.

“I consider Thaksin as my eternal friend. Cambodia will welcome him to stay here for anytime" said Hun Sen adding that “we have been great friends since Thaksin was a businessman, and the relationship has remained the same since he entered politics,” Hun Sen said.

In Thaksinlive, Thaksin tweeted in Thai: “I have to express deepest thanks to Prime Minister Hun Sen for saying in public that I am his friend."

Hun Sen’s invitation to Thaksin came two days before the Asean summit in Hua Hin, where Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is the host for Hun Sen and other Asian leaders.

Hun Sen is a hard nosed and experienced politician. He will have known that hosting Chavalit and offering residence to Thaksin would embarrass if not offend Prime Minister Abhisit.

Abhisit insists that his government would seek Thaksin’s extradition if he ever set foot in Cambodia.

On Friday Hun Sen further riled the hosts of the annual meeting by comparing the plight of the ousted Thaksin to that of detained Myanmar democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi. "Thaksin can stay in Cambodia as a guest of Cambodia. He can also be my adviser on the economy," Hun Sen said as he arrived for the summit.

Pointedly he added "millions of Thai people, the Red Shirts, support Thaksin. Why as a friend can't I support Thaksin? Without the 2006 coup these things would not have happened."

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva hit back by accusing Hun Sen of being a "pawn" and urging him to work for unity between the two countries, which have had a series of deadly border skirmishes in the past year.

Abhisit was rattled. He cancelled a press conference. He refused any bilateral meeting with the Cambodian delegation. Abhisit told reporters there was no comparison with the Myanmar opposition leader, whose house arrest was extended by 18 months in August to a chorus of international outrage. But he missed Hun Sen's point. Of course there is no moral comparison. But both Suu Kyi and Thaksin were elected and then deposed by the military. 

Abhisit pushed the ASEAN unity card - "We are here to build a community, which means solidarity, which means community," he said. Forget it. There is probably no other regional group so lacking in unity. The Burmese remain a human rights disgrace. And then their is the ASEAN hierarchy - each looking down on the other.

Hun Sen can smell weakness and he sees it in Eton educated privileged Abhisit.

Hun Sen was educated by the Vietnamese generals who crushed the American military despite taking two million casualties. Hun Sen then organised the defeat of Pol Pot and the fanatically brutal Khmer Rouge. No softness there.

While Thailand is disorganised and divided, Cambodia appears strongly united.  The Yellow shirts continue to argue over the Preah Vihear temple adding to the border tensions.

Hun Sen has enjoyed using the ASEAN platform to embarrass the hosts. Really this is so much more effective than the red shirt riots of Pattaya. Hun Sen will keep this up.

Crash pilot saved lives on ground

22 October 2009

Eyewitnesses at the scene of a devastating plane crash in Sharjah have described what they viewed as a heroic effort by the pilot to avoid populated areas on the ground.

The dead pilot was named as captain Mohammad Ali, a Sudanese resident of Sharjah.

Ramsey Yaseen, another pilot who flies commercial aircraft out of Sharjah Airport was playing golf close the scene of the crash. The experienced officer described to UAE newspaper Gulf News how he saw the plane struggling to take off.

"I noticed it and thought that he was not going to make it," said Yaseen. "I see this all the time with cargo planes. If they are heavy, it often takes the pilot a while to lift the nose of the plane to climb," he told the paper.

The Sudan Airways Boeing 700 managed to take off, but the nose would not lift, he said. According to Yaseen, the pilot appeared to pick his spot on the ground, pulling off a series of drastic manoeuvres before crashing into a quiet road.

"I'm almost positive that the pilot decided to take the plane down there because he knew he was not going to make it. He wanted to prevent the plane from crashing into a populated area so he nosedived onto a quiet road," he told Gulf News.

A second eye witness, Ahmad Yaseen, 28, from Pakistan, told Gulf News the plane appeared to be deliberately steered away from built up areas.

"The plane took off in front of us but was not balanced in air. I don't think it was the pilot's fault, the plane was probably overloaded. However, I did notice that the pilot tried to save the warehouses which it could have crashed into, and veered it to the barren land on its right," he told the paper.

Investigations into the cause of the crash continue. An official told Arabian Business on Thursday that it was unclear how long it would be before the cause of the crash was known
 

Cargo plane crashes at Sharjah

21 October 2009 - ArabianBusiness.com

A Sudanese cargo plane with six people on board crashed near Sharjah Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

The plane was taking off from the north runway, when it crashed to the ground two miles from the airport, Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi, director of civil aviation, told Arabian Business.

It is understood that the plane came down near the Sharjah Golf and Shooting Club off Emirates Road. The accident happened at around 3.30pm.

The name of the airline involved has not been disclosed but Arabian Business understands that it was a Azza Air flight from Sudan. Azza Transport is a cargo airline based in Khartoum, Sudan. It operates a cargo charter service throughout Africa and the Middle East and is planning services for Europe.

Martin Duff, director of the club, said: "Most of the plane came down on the other side of the road. There's a bit of debris spread on the perimeter. The golf course is not effected."

Golfer Bill Buchanan was on the course when he saw the plane hit the ground, exploding into a huge ball of flames.

"The plane was taking off and it banked to the right. It looked like it was struggling to get height and we thought it was going to land on the golf course. The pilot obviously thought he was so he banked tightly to the right and then the plane hit ground in a ball of flames and smoke.

"We were quite shocked when we saw it. It was quite scary."

Al Qasimi added that a full investigation would be launched into the crash, but declined to comment further. The plane was a Boeing 707.

In 2004, an Iranian plane crashed near Sharjah airport killing at least 43 people.

The Kish Airlines flight was coming in to land when it took a nosedive after asking for an emergency landing.

Hot web tv from Hong Kong

21 October 2009

Hong Kong has always been a great location for movies and tv. Now the city has a new series that has been made especially for internet television.

"Lumina" is an ongoing series of webisodes filmed in Hong Kong that is fast gaining popularity.

The cast is made up of English-speaking Chinese, including beauty pageant winner Ju Ju Chan and Chinese-Canadian Michael Chan. 

The series' premise centers on the character Lumina Wong, who falls in love with a man who appears in reflective surfaces. But the series reveals that Lumina's prince charming is actually a baddie......

It is very deliberately mysterious and melodramatic and the dialogue is contrived. Often, the tension-building sequences fail to actually build the intended tension and the whole episode plain drags along. Each episode is six-minutes and even that can drag....

But it has a wide network of viewers and maybe in Hong Kong a six minute episode is about right for people's attention span !

The series is shot in HD and looks great, even on a laptop. There are gritty Hong Kong street scenes that give the city an edgy-glam appeal and its endearing pointed cultural references sprinkled throughout (milk tea in a styrofoam cup instead of Starbucks, congee delivered to a sick friend's door, moms nagging daughters to go home for dinner).

Catch up on missed episodes of "Lumina" at www.luminaseries.com

Thailand's muzzled press

20 October 2009

Reporters without Borders published their 2009 press freedom index this week with Thailand slipping to 130th out of 175 nations.

Just 5 years ago (and who was PM then?) Thailand was ranked 59th.

At least Thailand ranks above Singapore in 133rd place - which is truely shameful for a mature city state. Hong Kong is up in 48th place.

The UAE was 86th. Nothing to be especially proud of either.

Petulance and the Prize

19 October 2009

International Herald Tribune (15 October) - By GARRISON KEILLOR

"Evidently some people were disappointed that Dick Cheney didn't receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and believe me, I sympathize — I thought Philip Roth should’ve gotten the literature prize instead of that grumpy Romanian lady with the severe hair — but it was Mr. Obama whom the Norwegians wanted to come visit Oslo in December and stand on the balcony of the Grand Hotel and wave to the crowd along Karl Johans Gate, and, face it, Mr. Obama is going to draw a bigger crowd than Mr. Cheney would have. When a man has shot somebody in the face with a shotgun, people are going to be reluctant to line up en masse in his presence lest he get excited again.

Going to Oslo in December and sitting through a black-tie banquet with a bunch of wooden-faced Norwegians and eating herring and delivering a speech larded with bromides about international cooperation and no jokes is not what I’d consider a whee of a good time, frankly. Oslo is rather dark and murky in December. The sun rises during the first coffee break and sets right after lunch and this does not make for a festive mood. Bell-bottoms were not invented in Norway, nor was the mambo, or the convertible. This isn’t Carnival in Rio.

Some conservative pundit suggested that the president should’ve declined the prize, but it is not gracious to reject a compliment, one should accept it with becoming modesty, as Mr. Obama did, that’s what your mother brought you up to do. The prize isn’t about you, it’s about Peace, or Literature, or Homecoming, or Champion Hog, or Male Vocalist of the Year, so walk up there and smile for the cameras, say thank you and sit down.

The wailing and gnashing of teeth that you hear among Republicans is 68 percent envy and 32 percent sour grapes. Here is an idealistic, articulate young president who is enormously popular everywhere in the world except in the states of the Confederacy, and here sit the 28 percent of the American people who still thought Mr. Bush was doing a heckuva job at the end, gnashing their teeth, hoping and praying for something horrible to happen such as an infestation of locusts or the disappearance of the sun, something to make the president look bad, which is not a good place for a political party to be, hoping for the country to slide into chaos. When you bet against America, you are choosing long odds.

A person can run down the list of all that’s wrong with this country, including the lobbyists who cross back and forth from public service to influence-peddling like alligators on the golf course, or the bankers who lost their minds in the great mortgage mania, but the country has a history of rising to challenges and turning away from demagogues and doing what needs to be done. Because we are a passionately patriotic people, infused with a love of our history and our land, and so we have limited patience for fools, such as the ones who now dominate the right.

Conservatism is a powerful strain in American life that ordinarily passes as common sense. Save for a rainy day. Don’t foul the nest. Don’t burn your bridges. Don’t sacrifice the future for short-term profit. But when it contradicts itself and becomes weighted down with bigotry and cynicism, then it doesn’t hold water any more.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” And conservatives tried to keep functioning through the Bush administration but the contradictions wore them down, and last fall, when the federal government wrote a blank check to stave off collapse of the financial sector, conservative principles came crashing to the ground, and now all they have in common is that they don’t like President Obama.

O.K., but resentment of an American president being honored by the Norwegians is not a good point from which to build a Republican revival. Petulant fury isn’t a winning hand in politics. Get over it."

Wrong message

18 October 2009

The Nation newspaper has a predictable rant suggesting that rumours about the King's health could have been started for political, even financial gain.

This, of course, is nonsense.

But the rumours do show how concerned Thais are now that their King has been hospitalised for one month. There is very little information coming from official sources; and the indications are that the early information about fatique was misleading. 

Strict control of official information, and the threat of legal sanction, does not stop the rumour-mill. Instead they make the rumours more likely.

Last week the Bangkok stock market tumbled two days in a row on rumours about the monarch's health.  The market later trimmed those losses to down 6.1 per cent.

The rumours were so widespread that the Palace was prompted late on Wednesday to issue a statement saying that the King's doctors asked him to stay in hospital "for dietary supplements and physical therapies". The statement said his "general condition is good. However, lung inflammation, which has reduced, will require some time to fully recover, as is the case for the elderly".

The Nation suggest that the rumours were also planted in the Hong Kong and Singapore markets. Welcome to the interconnected world. A single day fall of 8% in the Bangkok market will certainly get the attention of other Asian markets. And traders do talk to eachother. Indeed they have private email systems such as Reuters Messaging that allow them to exchange trading information.

Meanwhile the Royal Household Bureau said today that His Majesty the King's doctors administered a new dosage of antibiotics after his lungs were found still to be inflamed.
 

The Sarkozy dynasty

18 October 2009

The big news in Paris last week was of Jean Sarkozy; the young blond son of the current president.

The Hauts-de-Seine is the richest department (suburb of Paris) in France, with roughly the same GDP as the whole of Greece. The president's young son is positioning himself to take over this moneyed corner of western Paris's millionaire suburbia one day soon before moving on to the national stage.

France has a vibrant media and views on Sarkozy junior are polarised. He insists on trying to earnestly portray himself as a man of the people, pounding pavements and helping the working poor. Others see him as part of a power grabbing political dynasty.

He is only 23 and he has had a meteoric rise as France's youngest ever regional councillor. Despite a lack of political experience, and the fact that he's still only a second-year university student Jean Sarkozy now heads the rightwing majority on the regional council, presiding over some politicians old enough to be his grandparents, many of whom are his parents' friends.

But this week, the French political class has created a media storm at what it deemed the last straw in the "Sarkozy royal family" saga. Jean Sarkozy before even finishing his degree, is in line for election to head the powerful public body running Paris's La Defense, Europe's biggest purpose-built business district.

It is France's multi-billion-euro economic and architectural showcase, currently expanding to rival the City of London and Docklands. The critics regard this as nepotism worse than the Roman empire or the return of the French monarchy and aristocracy.

The image of the young Sarkozy is of political ambition that is as unbridled as his father's, but with more charm.

Political dynasties are nothing new in France, where the habits of the Ancien Regime persist, and republican presidents are still seen as elected monarchs. French leaders always kept it in the family: Jacques Chirac's daughter Claude ran his public relations strategy; François Mitterrand's son and adviser, Jean-Christophe, is now a defendant in the Angolagate trial over arms-trafficking and his nephew Frederic Mitterrand is currently serving as Sarkozy's controversial (travels to Thailand to meet young men) culture minister.

Yet Nicolas Sarkozy, a self-made man, was elected precisely because he did not come from France's tired political elite but promised a new "irreproachable republic" based on work, merit and the end of "birth privileges". He once quipped of the cosy political in-crowd that "heirs are made to have their heads chopped off".

A very French solution.

But the president is now dubbed "Sarkozy The First" and accused of running a royal-style court.

The Sarkozy father-son saga has also gripped the nation for its psychological subtext. Biographers and media psychiatrists have long described quick-tempered Nicolas Sarkozy's Oedipal complex and back-stabbing of former political father-figures such as Jacques Chirac, speculating that his extreme narcissism is the result of a lack of fatherly love as a small child, making him crave power, attention and beautiful women. Now the same observers are now having a field day with his lookalike son, asking if Jean has gone into politics to seek the approval of a father who walked out of the family home when he was two.

Jean Sarkozy is the president's second son from his first marriage to Marie-Dominique Culioli, a deeply Catholic, well-connected political activist in Neuilly-sur-Seine, where she supported her husband's quest to become France's youngest mayor at 28.

Sarkozy Junior is a ruthless networker, aching to prove himself yet convinced he deserves to be where he is, throwing soirees and political dinners in Neuilly and repeating his father's soundbites. His media strategy has been laid down for him by his father's top lieutenants. To shake off this week's row, he cut his hair into a conservative style and sharpened his suits.

Like his father, Jean Sarkozy is intrigued by the Anglo-Saxon way and the success of Blair's New Labour, quizzing Alastair Campbell on strategy. Both Sarkozys refused to back down this week. Jean described himself as an elected politician like any other, dismissing "sharks" circling around him. The president claimed his son had been unfairly "thrown to the wolves". Meanwhile, the ever-present gossip magazines await the next generation: Jean Sarkozy's young wife, a wealthy retail heiress, is expecting a child next month — the president's first grandson.
 

Thais use Hitler image again

18 October 2009

Here we go again. Thais regularly demand that foreigners have to respect Thai culture, customs and sensitivities. Yet when it suits them they can happily act without any sensitivity of consideration.

On the highway to Pattaya a billboard of Adolf Hitler that was used to advertise a new wax museum has been covered up after strong criticism from the Israeli and German ambassadors to Thailand

Louis Tussaud's Waxworks, which plans to open an outlet next month in Pattaya, apologized for the billboard that depicted the German dictator giving a Nazi salute, with the legend "Hitler is Not Yet Dead" written in Thai.

Museum director Somporn Naksuetrong said the billboard had been covered up after "a lot" of complaints poured in, including from the Israeli and German embassies.

Israeli Ambassador Itzhak Shoham said the billboard was "not only offensive to the Holocaust survivors but also to anyone who deplores racist behaviour".

"How this could happen is beyond my understanding and comprehension," he was quoted as saying by the Bangkok Post newspaper.

The Israeli embassy protested directly to the museum while the German embassy complained via the Thai foreign ministry, Somporn said. Embassy officials were not available for comment Sunday.

Time for Thailand

18 October 2009

From the UK media - the Observer I think - some holiday ideas for Thailand - which looks like increasingly good value now as the Euro continues to boom.

Family Thailand - Family Tour Leader, from Mae Hong Son

Thailand is a fantastic place for families because there is so much to see. Kids are never bored. There are basically two ways to explore with a family: start in Bangkok and then head out to the islands; or head up to the north of the country, to Chiang Mai and the mountain villages that characterise that area.

For older children this is a great adventure: some of the villages of the Karen and Lahu tribes are set up for tourism (hilltribeonline.com) and offer simple accommodation in village houses, where you sleep in dormitory-style rooms on rattan mats. It's something that works for the whole family – for parents it's a unique chance to meet local tribespeople and really get back to nature, while the kids love the feeling of camping out and meeting Thai children. A night's stay for a family costs £18.

Not all the villages are reliant on tourism though, so you'll get a taste of the traditional Thai way of life: meals are cooked over a camp fire and children can have a go at some of the handicrafts that the Karen people are famous for. In this area there are rice plantations to visit, where children can learn how to plant and harvest rice, and at the Elephant Conservation Centre (changthai.com) they can spend a whole day looking after the elephants.

If that sounds a little full-on, the other option is to book a comfortable hotel in one of the beach resorts and explore from there. The islands of Koh Samet and Koh Lanta are great for families as there is lots to explore besides the beach. On Koh Lanta Yai there are trips through mangrove forests and to pineapple plantations by longtail boat, plus fabulous snorkelling and diving.

The Saikeaw Beach Resort (samedresorts.com; doubles from £49 per night) on Koh Samet is very family-friendly, with cabins dotted along the shoreline. Koh Hai is also a good bet, with walks into the forested slopes of the Mu Koh Lanta National Park, where crab-eating monkeys and monitor lizards are often spotted. There are fabulous boat trips from Koh Hai to the emerald-green cave at Koh Muk, which has its own inland beach and natural pool.

Beaches and islands by the author of the Rough Guide to Thailand's Islands and Beaches

With more than 3,000 miles of tropical coastline, Thailand has a beach for just about every occasion. Koh Phi Phi is a party island: after sunset, the beautiful double bays of Ao Ton Sai and Ao Loh Dalum throb to beachfront beats at the rowdy Ibiza Bar, with mellower chillouts at Mojito Bar and the inevitable fire jugglers at Carpe Diem. Stay in one of the tightly packed clapboard cabanas at PP Casita (ppcasita.com; from £30) if you're clubbing till dawn, or away from the buzz at the plush chalets of Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort and Spa (ppisland.com; from £135). Ferries connect Koh Phi Phi with Phuket and Krabi, both of which have airports.

On full-moon nights, Koh Pha Ngan (fullmoon.phangan.info) is the island to head for: several thousand ravers descend on this Gulf Coast getaway for the monthly mega-sessions, when a score of Hat Rin beach shacks crank up their sound systems and everyone gets sandy. A special party boat runs from the nearby resort island of Koh Samui, or you could book in at Hat Rin's friendly Leela Beach Bungalows (leelabeach.com; from £6).

Families are well catered for on the busy islands of Koh Samui and Phuket, but those who wanta quieter scene choose Koh Lanta Yai, in the Koh Lanta archipelago. It's famous for its long beaches and offers snorkelling trips, elephant rides and plenty of shorefront restaurants – but jet-skis or girlie bars are not allowed. Southern Lanta Resort (southernlanta.com; from £34) on the "family beach" of Hat Khlong Dao, and Sayang Beach Resort (sayangbeach.com; from £19) on Ao Phra-Ae are popular small-scale places to stay. Access is by ferry from Krabi, two hours away.

And then there are the low-key islands, where it's more about hammocks than five-star spa treatments, and driftwood signs point you in the right direction. There are no cars on tiny Koh Phayam, but plenty of hornbills. Islanders tend their cashew-nut plantations and go fishing; visitors laze the days away on two wide, silvery strands.

The wooden beach bungalows at Phayam Coconut Beach Resort (koh-phayam.com; from £6) and Mr Gao (mr-gao-phayam.com; from £7) make lovely places to do just that. Koh Phayam is off the coast at Ranong, which has flights to Bangkok (airasia.com).

Koh Yao Noi sits in the middle of striking Phang Nga Bay, with breathtaking views of the surrounding karst islands and plenty of snorkelling and kayaking (kayakthailand.com). Most of Yao Noi's beaches get rocky at low tide so they're never crowded. Sabai Corner (sabaicornerbungalows.com; from £15) has rustic wooden bungalows and Lom'Lae Bungalows (lomlae.com; from £38) has posher versions. The island is an hour by boat from Krabi or Phuket.

Kayaking is also a great way to explore large, handsome, undeveloped Koh Kood. Rainforest drops down to the limpid blue sea, wide green rivers add to the wilderness feel and a stay at remote accommodation such as Neverland Resort (neverlandresort.com; air-conditioned bungalows from £32, fully equipped tents £7), feels refreshingly Robinson Crusoe. The nearest airport is at Trat on the mainland's east coast (bangkokair.com), then it's two hours by boat.

Inland Thailand - Tour Leader, from Bangkok

So many people visit Thailand and never see beyond the beach resorts or Bangkok, but you don't have to go far to really discover the authentic side of the country. Drive an hour or two from the city and you're in another world, with little towns and river communities where small-scale projects are starting to gently open up the area to tourists.

One of my favourite places to visit is the Ban Mai market in Chachoengsao province. There had been a market on the banks of the Bang Pakong for more than 100 years but it had closed down. In 2004, locals campaigned to reopen it and it has really come back to life, with lots of tea houses and food stalls and local people haggling over toys and clothes. While there I would also visit the nearby Chinese shrine at Wat Leng Hok Yee, with its two huge papier maché sculptures of Chinese gods.

One of the most beautiful places to visit inland is the Khao Yai National Park, which has beautiful waterfalls, lush scenery and, to the surprise of a lot of visitors, vineyards. It's the newest wine-growing region in Thailand, and you can taste the wines and stroll around the vineyards. There are some good restaurants – VinCotto in the Granmonte vineyard (granmonte.com)is a favourite – and an ideal place to stay is the Kiri Maya resort (kirimaya.com; doubles from £110). It's a great place to spend a few days seeing Thailand's natural side: you can go trekking and birdwatching, and watch elephants tramping by.

You can't come to Thailand and not visit a temple, and by far the most spectacular is in the city of Ayutthaya, Thailand's former capital. The buildings date back around 700 years and you need at least half a day to explore properly. There are tuk-tuks to hire: these are a fun way to get round, and mean you get to see the whole site without being exhausted.

Further up in western Thailand lies the tranquil province of Uthai Thani, with picturesque river plains bordering the Chao Phraya river and forested mountains. The capital of the province, Uthai Thani town, is a very peaceful, traditional town where you can hire bikes or take a cruise on a rice barge along the Sakae Krang river.

There's a lot of history in this region and it's worth twinning Uthai Thani with Kanchanaburi, which is the location of the Bridge over the River Kwai and full of historical sites linked to the second world war. The best place to stay in this area is the Hintok River Camp (hintokrivercamp.com; doubles from £55), a luxury tented camp right on the river bank.

Bangkok - Former Bangkok resident, publisher of Luxe City Guides (luxecityguides.com)

If you think Bangkok's all backpackers and girlie bars, think again. The Big Mango is now firmly on the style and jet-set circuit for its amazingly good value shopping, eating, partying, chilling, and even medical vacations. Getting around town is easy by taxi, and they're cheap as chips – though no meter, no go. At peak times, when traffic jams are at their worst, skip on to the elevated BTS Skytrain which affords wonderful bird's eye views of the chaos below. Either way, navigating Bangkok is easy and there's really no need for a tour guide. Rule of thumb: don't walk.

Brimming with five-star chains, Bangkok also leads Asia's boutique hotel pack. From a private suite in Chakrabongse House, a former riverside palace (00 66 2 622 1900; thaivillas.com; doubles from £145) to hard-to-believe-it's-newly-built colonial-style Eugenia (00 66 2 259 9011; theeugenia.com; doubles from £106), and painfully cool, apartment-like Tenface (00 66 2 695 4242; tenfacebangkok.com; doubles from £48), you'll get plenty of bangs for your buck and supremely comfy and stylish bowers to rival London and New York.

When you're ready to explore, two sacred sites are musts on any visitor's list. The Grand Palace and next-door Wat Pho, with its legendary massive reclining Buddha, are a magnificent complex of halls, temples, palaces and golden spires. While all the other tourists in town will be hammering off to entrepreneur Jim Thompson's house, for a quieter and more contemplative visit to an antique Thai house skip to M R Kukrit's Heritage Home, a garden oasis undiscovered by the simmering coachloads. Or, if culture's on the agenda, book a show at the Patravadi Theatre (00 66 2 412 7287; patravaditheatre.com), the home of Thai contemporary performing arts.

The most innovative, meticulous Thai cuisine in town is without doubt at Bo Lan (00 66 2 260 2962; bolan.co.th), courtesy of two alumni of David Thompson's Michelin-starred Nahm, but don't be put off trying the amazing street food at every corner. Zap to Sukhumvit Soi 38, opposite hip cocktail stalwart Face, and you'll see where Mercs park for very good streetside noodles. For air-conditioned comfort, try the food court at mega mall Siam Paragon at 991 Rama 1 Road.

Parched? You're spoilt silly in this town of vertigo-inducing rooftop bars, but to get away from the trippers, take a sundowner at the Arun Residence hotel on Soi Pratoo Nok Yoong (arunresidence.com), with views of the stunning Wat Arun temple across the river. For a cooler vibe, hang with the city's pretty kids on the terrace of Long Table (longtablebangkok.com) for city vistas, or at groovy lounge Pandanus.

The city is Shopportunity Knocks, and you'd be foolhardy not to bring a spare suitcase. Chatuchak weekend market on Kamphaengphet 2 Road is the classic bargain (and dross) spot, but get in and out early to avoid "fry while you buy" temperatures. Altogether more civilised are the local design emporiums Gaysorn (999 Ploenchit Road), Siam Discovery Centre and Siam Centre (989 and 979 Rama 1 Road). Look for names such as Lamont, Panta and EGG for seriously good home and lifestyle items, and Kloset, Fly Now, Sretsis and Headquarters for hip threads.

After all this shopping, stylistas will love retreating to the urban simplicity of the Como Shambala spa at the Metropolitan Hotel on South Sathorn Rd (00 66 2 625 3333; metropolitan.bangkok.como.bz), while those in search of a great, no-frills massage head to Ruen Nuad on Convent Road.

Exile and the kingdom

16 October 2009 - The Economist

Many a political revolt has been plotted from afar. In Japan Aung San dreamed of the demise of British rule in Burma. Sun Yat-sen, the founder of republican China, flitted between Japan and America. That Thailand’s former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, now resides in Dubai, a city of ostentatious, idle wealth, seems apt for a telecoms tycoon turned fugitive politician. But it is unlikely to be the final stop in a quest for power that has divided Thailand as never before. Neither side in what often resembles an undeclared civil war is ready to compromise. Millions of Thais want Mr Thaksin back. Over our dead bodies, comes the reply.

Mr Thaksin longs to go home. He says it need not be a political comeback, if the country is in good hands. He would like to be free to focus on his far-flung business interests, which he says now include gold exploration in Uganda. He says he wants to enjoy life. But, he insists, “the people need me” to restore democracy and justice, starting with the legal cases filed against Mr Thaksin and his family. He already has one conviction in the Supreme Court over the sale of public land to his wife. The same court is now deciding whether or not to confiscate 76 billion baht ($2.3 billion) of his assets frozen after a coup in 2006.

The money comes primarily from the sale that same year of Shin Corp, Mr Thaksin’s family-owned conglomerate, to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings. He clearly has plenty of money left—enough to retire comfortably out of the reach of Thai law. Over a lunch of fish and chips at his golf clubhouse, Mr Thaksin enthuses over new business opportunities in Africa and the benefits of Buddhist meditation. But he is still fuming over his downfall. Hell hath no fury like a tycoon dispossessed. So Thailand’s bumpy ride is far from over.

Indeed it may start to intensify, as Mr Thaksin’s red-shirted followers agitate for political changes that go beyond his exoneration. Another red-shirt rally in Bangkok is planned on October 17th to mark 60 days since Mr Thaksin’s supporters asked the revered king, Bhumibol Adulyadej, to pardon him. Over 20,000 last month defied tight security in the capital to protest peacefully. In the north and north-east of the country, bases of Mr Thaksin’s support, the movement is even harder to repress.

Rival yellow-shirts loathe Mr Thaksin. They have the ear of Bangkok’s royal establishment, which is blamed by red-shirted leaders for pulling the plug on democracy. Hovering over this stand-off is the prospect of an election, which Mr Thaksin’s Pua Thai party reckons it can win. This may be a tall order, as his parliamentary base has been battered by court-ordered dissolutions and breakaway factions. But it is taken seriously by the government, led by Abhisit Vejjajiva, who shows no sign of wanting to face the electorate.

Under Mr Abhisit, Mr Thaksin’s Thai passports have been revoked. He now travels on passports from Montenegro and Nicaragua and keeps a low profile when on the move in Asia. A man whose image and voice used to dominate Thailand’s media has been reduced to Twittering and collecting Facebook friends. Last month, a public-radio host who interviewed Mr Thaksin promptly lost his job. “We are a controlled democracy,” he complains.

Asked who is in control, Mr Thaksin points the finger at palace insiders who exert influence over state agencies and defy elected politicians. “They can even create any story and sack the government,” he says. The most senior of these is Prem Tinsulanonda, chief adviser to King Bhumibol and a former army commander and prime minister in the 1980s. His personal animosity towards Mr Thaksin is well-known. But Mr Prem has always denied allegations that he masterminded the 2006 coup. Red-shirts repeat them nonetheless.

That such a respected statesman is in their crosshairs is a sign that the red-shirts’ agenda contains the seeds of a social revolution. Some radical thinkers want to reform or do away with the monarchy after the passing of King Bhumibol, who is 81 and has been in hospital for the past month after a bout of flu. Other reds seem more interested in basking in Mr Thaksin’s popularity and milking his largesse. Thai security officials say he has spent millions of dollars to sustain the rallies. Mr Thaksin says he provides only “moral support”. A Thai newspaper dubbed the two camps “communist” and “commission” reds (ie, those, in effect, on Mr Thaksin’s payroll).

Some reckon the movement needs to escape Mr Thaksin’s long, dark shadow. This process has already begun. Alongside diehard Thaksinite protesters, stand middle-class Thais who do not care for Mr Thaksin but are disgusted by the political prestidigitation that toppled two elected governments. “We’re educated now. We know what’s right and what’s wrong,” says Cha-on Chaowankrang, a retired airline employee. Some protesters even confess to joining anti-Thaksin rallies in 2006 that preceded the coup. For his part, Mr Thaksin reckons that only around 25% of red-shirts feel so-so about him, with 75% partisans. A Thai academic who attends rallies in Bangkok puts the mix at 50/50.

A tricky question for the reds is what would happen if Mr Thaksin opts to call it quits. As the legal noose tightens around his assets, there have been persistent rumours in Bangkok of quiet talks with his opponents. Mr Thaksin skirts the topic but insists he is ready to make peace and return home. This “mess” can be fixed “overnight”, he says, snapping his fingers. Such a backdoor deal would presumably pull the plug on the rallies. But it would not stop the movement, says Jakrapob Penkair, a red-shirt leader who fled into exile in April and is digging in for a long war: “A lot of our allies out there are not dancing to his tune.”

It is not clear with whom Mr Thaksin could do a deal. Mr Abhisit says the law must prevail. Palace sources sniff at the idea of a settlement. He faces a two-year jail sentence, and has been indicted in a state-lottery case. He was forced to move to Dubai after Britain, his first place of exile, revoked his visa. Nor was his reputation helped by his fomenting of red-shirted riots in April, when he called for a “people’s revolution” in Bangkok. He denies advocating violence and blames pro-government instigators for the unrest. “I don’t even kill mosquitoes now,” he whines.
 

Thaksin's Economist interview

16 October 2009

Thaksin Shinawatra - In his own words - From Economist.com

This is the excerpted transcript of an interview conducted with Mr Thaksin in Dubai, on October 5th 2009. Mr Thaksin discusses his criminal conviction, personal wealth and current business affairs as well as the mass movements roiling Thailand and his view of the prospects for reconciliation or revolution

How has your conviction by a Thai court affected your ability to travel and speak freely? Do you intend to challenge it?

Every country knows this is politically motivated. The essence of the conviction is not a criminal case in other countries. The detail of the conviction is very strange to the whole world…What bothers me is the government, which is the nominee of the coup d’état, are trying to ask co-operation from different countries to not allow me to enter. They are trying to send the verdict to Interpol. This is politically motivated. It’s not a criminal offence. It’s a misdemeanor. They always lie. Even the content that they sent to Interpol is a lie.

The British government revoked your visa.

Yes. I’m very disappointed by the mature-democracy countries. I was ousted by a coup d’état. They should sympathise with governments that are toppled by coup d’états. But they don’t sympathise. They thought that this government really comes from election. Yes, they come from election. But there are smaller parties that managed to become [the] government because of the help of military.

The conviction was for the sale of land to Khun Pojamarn [Mr Thaksin’s ex-wife] while you were the prime minister. The rule states that the spouse of a state official cannot do this.

This is different because it’s a distressed asset under the rehabilitation office, which is an independent agency under the Bank of Thailand. They get rid of the distressed assets by an auction. The two other bidders were public companies. It’s very transparent. Before they award the contract to my wife, the legal department of BOT checked that no problem whatsoever. The National Anti-Corruption Commission at that time ruled that it was not related to Section 100 of the NACC rules. But after the military ousted me they set up a special committee that consists of all my political opponents. They do it by arranging the court. The proceeding system of the court, the special section for politicians, is a one-court system.

This is the Supreme Court for Political Office Holders, the judicial body that convicted you last year?

Yes. It’s a one-court system. You cannot appeal. Then they just follow the interrogation that was done by my political opponents.

That is one case. There are others against you, including the Shin Corp asset case.

They try to allege so many cases and say this is the law of state. For example, the excise tax on telecoms. The state is not losing at all. The state gains more. Those that lost is TOT [the Telephone Organisation of Thailand]. But TOT is 100%-owned by the ministry of finance. And TOT was about to divest the shares to the public. We take the money that TOT should take and go to excise department. The money is moving from left pocket to right pocket. In paying excise tax you must pay in advance. But paying dividends to TOT you must pay six months or one year. So they have more money to put in bank. So private sector lost. The government doesn’t lose…

If it had been a three-court system, I don’t worry at all. But it’s one court and it relied on the interrogation of the AEC [Asset Examination Commission], which consists of all my political opponents there. They’re not observing the rule of law in any interrogation. They threaten witnesses. They even bargain for those who come to witness. If you allege this, you will get this.

How do you know this?

They told me. The witnesses. They said it’s not fair. They feel very sad about what’s happening. So this is why I’m very upset that the mature-democracy countries are not concerned. It’s not like Zelaya [the ousted Honduran president]. Now the US is trying to put him back. I’m the first Thai prime minister in history that first time win half of parliament seats and second time win 76% of parliamentary seats and I was ousted because too popular.

Why do you think Thailand has become so politically unstable? What is the long-term solution?

The problem comes from the allegation that I’m not loyal to the monarchy. That is the root cause. It comes from this paranoia. The people surrounding the palace, that perceive that they’re close to the palace, exercise the power which isn’t in the constitution, because of the clout that they’re close to the monarchy. They thought that I’m not loyal to the monarchy. That’s not true. Look at what I’ve done for monarchy. I initiated the ceremony for His Majesty’s 60 years of ascension to the throne. I invite all the monarchs worldwide to attend. If I’m not loyal, why did I do this?

So where does this paranoia of you not being loyal come from? If you look back, is there something that you said or did that gave the wrong impression?

They thought I was too powerful because I got a too-strong mandate from the people. But isn’t that what democracy is about? Because you do a good job for the people, they trust you, they give you a mandate. When I had that result, they start to worry that I’m too powerful. Better get me out and make politics weak again. That is why we got the 2007 constitution.

You can see that we’re not a real democracy because we allow the people that are appointed by the elite, indirectly by elite, that elite can…sack the government. The check-and-balance is between the people power and the elite.

Define this elite.

Those that do not have the power by constitution but use the clout of being close to the palace and instruct the government official not to obey the politically elected government. If they don’t trust [them]. They can even create any story and sack the government. If you can see how they dissolve the PPP [People’s Power Party]. The Constitutional Court hear the testimony in the morning and hand out the verdict in the afternoon. This is the first court in the whole world that is so efficient.

What can Thailand do? What is the long-term solution to this political instability?

Reconciliation must be there. If you cannot reconcile the difference between the elite that stay behind the scene and the right of the people, that’s going to be forever chaos. It’s time to compromise, to allow more democracy. Those who are stay behind the scenes must hand off and observe the law.

In terms of reconciliation, what role can you play? Are you part of the solution? Some people think that you’re the problem.

No. You have to start with who started it first. I won the election landslide. Did I create the problem? I went by democratic principle. I went by the constitution. And I won the election. After I won, why did they create the yellow [shirts]? To try to instigate for those affected by my policy. For example the underground lottery operators. The drug traffickers and the military who lost the power. They come together. Sondhi [Limthongkul] is the one who ask everything from the government, try to blackmail the government. Then the so-called elite come in and the Democrats help them by sending their supporters to join. The military used that as an excuse to create a coup.

What’s your relationship with the red shirts?

They are my supporters. Every time they get together they ask me to say some words. So I give them moral support. That’s all. Some are my ex-MPs.

Do you give financial support to the red shirts?

I don’t have much money now. My assets have been frozen…You know how the red shirts come? They come by themselves they don’t have much money. They collect money from each other, they come and help themselves, bring sticky rice and papaya salad. They think that I’ve done a lot for them. Now is the time for them to help bring me back and restore justice for me. That’s the concept.

You must give them something.

No. I don’t have much money. Our assets have been frozen in Thailand for two years.

How much money are you worth?

The whole family? We don’t have that much cash. It’s hard to say. [Pause] About 200 million pounds. That’s the cash before we sell the company. In 1994, just before I became foreign affairs minister, Forbes [magazine] estimate me at $2 billion.

Surely you’re worth more now? Lets say you get back your assets.

If I was in business, I would be worth more. Because I enter politics, I stopped doing business. Now, if I were doing business outside Thailand, my worth would increase more quickly.

Are you doing business outside Thailand?

Yes. I do gold mining in Uganda. I start to get a licence. We’re not [doing] direct investment in production. We do exploration company. We set up company there. We have offshore company here for oil and gas.

How effective is the red-shirt movement in Thailand at making a political impact?

They will never give up. Someone said they have no money, will give up. No, will never give up because their hearts is there. They’re very, very disappointed at what’s happening. The more they squish me, the more the red shirts will come out.

But given where power lies in Thailand, can this really make a difference?

I think they will keep bringing truth to the world, to the public. If the world listen to them, it will understand what’s going on. They will sympathise that the majority of people in Thailand, especially those who struggle in life, have been bullied. They bully me, they indirectly bully them because for the first time in their life they’ve been taken care of and helped, they see the light at the end of the tunnel for their life and their children. So they start to see that…

You cannot solve these problems without reconciliation. Why don’t you negotiate, find a solution? You act as if you can squeeze the red shirts, that one day they will get tired of coming out. I don’t believe that. You see elders, middle-aged and young generation. They will not give up.

There is speculation in Bangkok that you are having negotiations with this elite that would allow you to come back and play a different role in society.

I probably cannot say anything. For sake of reconciliation and for people of Thailand I’m ready to help and bring reconciliation. I’m ready to talk to my supporters when the real justice and real democracy come back to Thailand. But if you want to talk to red shirts to stop, but justice and democracy isn’t there, I can’t do it.

It’s difficult to see how you can reconcile and who will guarantee this deal.

In Thailand, overnight it can become like this [snaps fingers]. Just overnight, like in 1992. That is Thailand. Even this, a mess for years, it can become overnight…We have to clap hands with two hands at the same time. It seems difficult but I don’t think it’s difficult.

And reconciliation would mean you moving back to Thailand. To do what?

Definitely. Well, I don’t have to do anything. If I were not to go back to politics, I’m very happy. I have no obligation. But now, the people need me. If someone can help me, say I don’t have to go back to politics, can be international businessman, I’ll be very happy.

Some Thais tell me that if you come back there will be a civil war.

I don’t think so. If the so-called elites hand off and agree with me to let democracy run its course, then there shouldn’t be anything. I don’t think there are too many hard-core yellow shirts, if not being supported by Democrats and by military, and the reason they were supported by military is because the so-called elite instructed them.

So what’s the incentive then for this elite to allow you back and do this deal? They have the upper hand.

Are you sure that they can have the upper hand forever? Time is on my side. I’m 60 and still energetic. But I prefer to live my life peacefully. I don’t have to go into politics if I don’t need to because actually I adjust myself very well outside Thailand.

What happened in April during Songkran created a negative international image of the red shirts. People saw on TV what happened. Do you feel responsible for what happened?

I feel responsible because many people came out. But I didn’t ask them to stage any kind of violence. They’ve been instigated and mistaken for government-sponsored militia. Look at where it started in Pattaya. When red shirts went to present a letter to leaders who attend the meeting. Simply that. But they’ve been infiltrated by [pro-government] blue shirts. The blue shirts hit red shirts and used stones. The next day they shoot at the taxis…

Everything was a plot by the government to announce the royal decree. And then [Abhisit] went to military barrack and stayed there. …The red shirts were the victims. Look at what happened in Din Daeng. The military with full battle uniform with M-16s, with live ammunition, they shoot at the people and dragged the bodies away. They take away all the films and cameras. Now we have injured people. You saw how they dragged the ladies. All the evidence is there.

There were also ordinary people who went out in support of you who were involved in violence.

They’ve been instigated. The violence started from the government side.

You were the one who told them to go out there. You called for a revolution. What is a revolution but violence?

Revolution doesn’t have to be violence. The people’s power should uprise and change Thailand back to full democracy. I quoted Mahatma Gandhi. He said that whenever he despaired he looked back in history and said that the victory attained by violence is tantamount to failure since it isn’t lasting, only momentary. He thinks we should use love and truth to win the fight. And that I quoted in my speech all the time.

Here’s what you said on April 11th. “I’d like to invite everyone to join hands and take the opportunity to make a people’s revolution to get true democracy for the people.”

Yes. But before that I quote Mahatma Gandhi. I never like violence myself. Now I do a lot of meditation. I don’t even kill mosquitoes now…. I’ve changed a lot because I’ve had time to observe Buddhism practice.

What’s your idea of a people’s revolution?

The people that come, there are no weapons. We have no weapons. If you look at October 7th, they come with ping-pong bombs and guns. Our red shirts have no weapons. They grab wood from street. They have no guns…

We keep telling the red shirts, no violence. We can win by peaceful means and truth. You have to continue giving truth to people even if they don’t understand now. The yellows just give lies. We have to counter the lies with truth. When the truth is revealed, things will be better. They will understand us better.

Would the red shirts continue without you? You must think sometimes you’ve had enough of fighting.

The red shirts would continue. But many of those who are supporting me would drop out.

What is your vision for the role of the monarchy in Thailand? In a modern democracy what role should it play?

Our monarchy is a constitutional monarch. His Majesty has dissociated himself from politics and the daily basis of government. But people who surround the palace try to make the people [they] coordinate with perceive that they represent the monarchy [and] give instructions, which is not good and they should stop doing that. They should allow democracy to work.

When you criticise privy councillors and say they should resign, that is seen as an attack on the king.

It’s straightforward. I attack their improper behaviour and meddling in politics. The Privy Council image is that they represent the king, but they’re meddling in politics. I want to make it clear. If the Privy Council has to exist, it should not be involved in politics.

Not so inspired by Santorini

13 October 2009

One of the downfalls of having had lots of chance to travel is that you can compare places and choose favourites.

And frankly Santorini comes in the nice but over-rated category.

And it does make you appreciate a Thai holiday.

Santorini can have a nice sunset - though not today - when the wind was blowing a gale and the cloud cover was nearly 100%.

You can hire a car and go for a drive. Santorini is about the same size as Koh Samui. You can drive the island in a day and see everything. There are no beaches to get excited about. You can find a nice restaurant by the water and have another plate of grilled meat or moussaka.

Generally the food is very average and severely over priced. Euro 25 for a small grilled snapper. And the food is the same more or less everywhere on the island. The trouble with eating almost anywhere on the cliff in Fira is that your meal is rather spoiled by the smell of fresh donkey dung ! It is everywhere.

We saw a scarf in a gift shop today. In Athens Tai bought the same scarf for Euro 5. In Santorini it was Euro 25. Simple - this is an expensive place to stay, eat or shop.

Fira, the main town, operates for the cruise ships. They arrive in the morning; the passengers are brought up the cliff to the town; where they can eat of tour the shops. An endless supply of expensive jewelry shops and some tacky gift shops. The tour boats then aim to leave by 9pm. So dinner is early compared to the rest of Greece. Or if you eat later the restaurants are quiet.

The tour season is short; May until the end of September. It is already quiet by mid October. This is not Thailand which is open for tourists from January to December. The people are friendly - and after a few days here we seem to already know lots of people in the town. In part that is because so many visitors are there for less than a day. We are here for four nights; and there may only be one or two other couples staying in our hotel. It is very quiet.

To be honest, July and August must be horrible. Four or five cruise ships a day unloading into the town. Hotel rates at their peak. Temperatures getting to 40C. It is nice to come at the end of the season; although it is too cool to swim. September would probably be nice.

I can see the attraction of combining Santorini with a number of other Greek islands on a holiday. But after 4 days here I am ready to move on.

And the donkeys - where else in the world would the donkeys be a tourist attraction? From the harbour to the town in 589 steps. There is now a cable car. 5 Euro each way. The donkeys are the same price. And there are a lot of them. And they smell. And they are bloody minded. They go where they want to go.

At least there was one priceless moment when Tai's donkey, nicknamed Rambo, tried to mow down an American lady with a bad haircut. She yelled at Tai to get control of her donkey. I dont think Rambo speaks Thai......there were a lot of passengers trying to get back to the harbour and walking down the hill to their cruise ship. But the donkeys go where they want and all that the walkers can do is get out of the way and hope they are not dumped on.

Ours decided to race part of the way up the hill - donkey derby! Then they stop when they have had enough or see there favourite donkey friend. At that point you have to walk the last few steps past animated donkeys and less animated donkey herders. There is not a lot of room. If the donkey wants to kick out - beware!

And the sneezing donkey probably has donkey flu.

UAE's growing population of foreigners

13 October 2009

The UAE media is reporting that the population of the country is now around six million with Emiratis making up just 16.5 percent, basically only 1 million.

The figures, up nearly two million on the 2005 census results, were based on two research projects carried out on visa registration and the number of people employed in the country, UAE daily Gulf News reported. The studies were compiled by the Department of Naturalisation and Residency, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Labour.

They revealed that the expatriate population in the UAE was rapidly increasing with the largest group made up of Indians, with 1.75 million currently residing in the country.

The second largest group was from Pakistan, with about 1.25 million while roughly 500,000 Bangladeshis live in the UAE, according to the studies.

Members of other Asian communities, including China, the Philippines, Thailand, Korea, Afghanistan and Iran make up approximately one million of the total population, the research showed.

Western expatriates, from Europe, Australia, Northern Africa, Africa and Latin America make up 500,000 of the UAE population.

Last week, the former director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) said the Gulf’s sprawling migrant workforce was potentially the biggest issue facing the region today.

But the reality is that the minority will always rule in the UAE. Foreigners are there for a monthly wage. And if they have no job they are expected to leave within 30 days. Simple as that. There is no citizenship entitlement. No representation. And a rather different set of rules.

That the place works and prospers suggests that in reality this is not a bad thing.
 

Tsunami may have inspired Atlantis legend
Scientists’ findings could gauge destructive potential of future disasters
By Charles Q. Choi - LiveScience - 11 October 2009

The volcanic explosion that obliterated much of the island that might have inspired the legend of Atlantis apparently triggered a tsunami that traveled hundreds of miles to reach as far as present-day Israel, scientists now suggest.

The new findings about this past tsunami could shed light on the destructive potential of future disasters, researchers added.

The islands that make up the small circular archipelago of Santorini, roughly 120 miles southeast of Greece, are what remain of what once was a single island, before one of the largest volcanic eruptions in human antiquity shattered it in the Bronze Age some time between 1630 B.C. to 1550 B.C.

Speculation has abounded as to whether the Santorini eruption inspired the legend of Atlantis, which Plato said drowned in the ocean. Although the isle is often regarded as just an invention, the explosion might have given rise to the story of a lost empire by helping to wipe out the real-life Minoan civilization that once dominated the Mediterranean, from which the myth of the bull-headed 'minotaur' comes.

The primary means by which the eruption potentially wreaked havoc on the Minoan civilization is by the giant tsunami it would have triggered. However, the precise effects of this eruption and killer wave have been a mystery for decades.

Now scientists find the tsunami may have been powerful enough to race some 600 miles from Santorini to reach the farthest eastern shores of the Mediterranean, leaving behind a layer of debris more than a foot thick by the coast of Israel.

Researchers dove as far as 65 feet deep off the coast of Caesarea in Israel to collect tubes of sediment, or cores, more than 6 feet long from the seabed.

"The work resembles a construction site with pneumatic hammers, heavy weights, floats to counter-weight equipment, hoses. Each time, we took the system down it took hours of surface preparation, planning and discussion," said researcher Beverly Goodman, a marine geoarchaeologist at Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences at Eilat, Israel.

Within the cores, they found evidence of up to nearly 16 inches of sediment deposited roughly about the date of the Santorini eruption. The range of sizes of the particles making up this deposit is the kind one might find laid down by a tsunami — storms, in comparison, cannot kick up the seafloor as much, and as such the range of particle sizes they generate is more limited.

The discovery was very much an accident, Goodman noted. They were actually researching the demise of the harbor of ancient Caesarea, the cause of which remains hotly debated, with culprits including earthquakes and tsunamis.

"I was testing how two later Roman and Byzantine tsunami deposits could be characterized by studying the different grain sizes — various sand, pebbles, rocks, ceramic pieces — in the deposit. Based on determining this 'signature,' I then noticed that there were more than the expected number of tsunami deposits," she explained. "I had no expectation that remnants of the Santorini event would be present in the cores."

These findings support the idea that the Santorini eruption and the side effects from it, such as the tsunami, were massive.

"In the case of the eastern Mediterranean, there seems to be a surprising dearth of archaeological sites along the coastline following the Santorini eruption event," Goodman said. Either archaeologists have failed to concentrate on this time span, "which isn't the case," she said, or the tsunami had a very real impact on coastal settlements.

The dramatic changes in life triggered by the tsunami "might have been part of the fabric of the Atlantis story," Goodman added. "The network of sea-based trade was rather sophisticated in that period, and colonies that were nearly solely dependent on those trade routes existed. It is hard to imagine that such a far-reaching disaster didn't cause them severe shortages in supplies, wealth and power."

Although Atlantis itself "is a myth and legend, it is informative about the experiences of the ancients," Goodman said. "It may very well be the case that those passing the story on had heard of or witnessed events in which coastal buildings went underwater because of earthquakes; beachfront towns were flooded during tsunamis; islands were created by underwater volcanic activity. There may be that grain of truth that lent legitimacy and a certain reality to the legend of Atlantis."

To better reconstruct the Santorini tsunami, the scientists plan to analyze deposits closer to the eruption, such as on Crete and in western parts of Turkey. Knowing the potential effect of tsunamis could be critical for the coastal planning and management, Goodman said, adding that the eastern Mediterranean is very highly populated and possesses considerable sensitive infrastructure such as power stations.

"I suppose there is always the question of whether I think another tsunami will occur in the eastern Med," Goodman said. "The answer is yes. I actually checked the elevation of the house I am moving to near Caesarea before agreeing to move there."

Goodman and her colleagues detailed their findings in the October issue of the journal Geology.
 

Socialists take control in Greece

11 October 2009

Greece's new Socialist prime minister took charge Wednesday, promising Greeks "time to breathe" before they face the realities of a rapidly cooling economy compromised by high state spending and a soaring public debt.

Prime Minister George Papandreou, 57, has announced a 100-day action plan to address the country's economic woes with a stimulus package of up to euro3 billion ($4.42 billion), tax reforms and infrastructure investment.

"We won't change Greece in 100 days," Papandreou told his first Cabinet meeting after its members were formally sworn in. "But we will give the country enough time to breathe, to gather its forces for the big leap forward it must take."

His PASOK party won a crushing weekend electoral victory over the scandal-battered conservatives, returning after five years in opposition with a comfortable 160 seats in the 300-member Parliament.

Orthodox Church leader Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens swore in the new government during a religious ceremony attended by President Karolos Papoulias.

The 36-strong new government walked to and from the presidential mansion, cheered by hundreds of people lining the street and jostling to shake hands with Papandreou.

As well as being prime minister, Papandreou will be responsible for foreign policy — a position he held in the last Socialist government.

A son and grandson of Greek prime ministers, Papandreou has merged several existing portfolios, created a new ministry for the environment and given key posts to women, five of whom will hold ministerial positions.

Speaking to his Cabinet, the U.S.-born prime minister pledged to crack down on corruption, increase government accountability and promote environmentally friendly development.

"There will be transparency everywhere, in all decisions regarding management of funds — down to the last euro," Papandreou said. "Citizens have the right to know how their taxes are spent.

"We must restore order to the public finances, slash state waste, support the less well-off ... (and) quickly revive the economy."

Papandreou has promised above-inflation salary rises for civil servants, and says he will boost state revenues by increasing taxes on the rich and fighting widespread tax evasion. A major challenge will be to reduce the public debt, expected to exceed 100 percent of economic output in 2008, and a budget deficit that could reach 10 percent of GDP.

Political analyst Giorgos Kyrtsos said the Socialists' landslide victory would ensure them enough breathing space to push forward their reform program.

"The main opposition party is weakened, so politically there will be a period of grace," said Kyrtsos, publisher of the City Press and Free Sunday newspapers. "The campaign agenda was tough, so nobody expects easy solutions, and the people have shown they are willing to invest in a new effort."
 

flyDubai launches Doha

6 October 2009

flydubai has announced new flights to Doha.flydubai, Dubai’s first low cost airline, announced on Monday that its first GCC route will be to Doha.

The state-owned airline, which started operations in June, will fly twice daily to the Qatar capital from October 18.

“flydubai’s new service is intended to benefit the economies of both the UAE and Qatar and help to increase passenger numbers overall by making air travel more accessible and affordable to a wider group of people,” the airline’s CEO, Ghaith Al Ghaith, said in a statement.

The new route marks flydubai’s seventh since it began operations. The low cost carrier already flies to Beirut, Amman, Damascus, Aleppo, Syria, Alexandria and Djibouti.

The Doha route will target peak travel times, departing from Dubai at 0730hrs and leaving 2020hrs. Return flights will leave Doha at 0830 and 2120hrs. One way tickets will cost from AED200 including taxes and one piece of luggage weighing 10kg said the statement.

In August, Ghaith Al Ghaith told Arabian Business that he expected the airline to operate between 14-16 destinations in the Middle East and Sub Continent by the end of the year.

The same month, the airline was forced to postpone three of its India routes citing operational issues. Despite the delays, Al Ghaith said the airline remained committed to its India routes. “India will be operational. We are committed to operating [routes] to India,” he said

How to rewrite history

6 October 2009

Recently published in Dubai by Azher Information Technology is a new hardback “Tackling Poverty” by Thaksin Shinawatra. Thaksin dedicates the book to the people of Thailand and is subtitled – The Policies that changed Thailand and how they can change the world.

The book also includes two Thaksin speeches and a commentary by Anil Bhoyrul on Thaksin and on Bhoyrul’s visit to Thailand ans the Shinawatra home.

The book was launched at a signing ceremony at Kinokuniya in the Dubai Mall – which coincided with Thaksin’s birthday.

The book was edited by Anil Bhoyrul in Dubai. Bhoyrul is a editor for Arabian Business magazine.

With naive simplicity Thaksin argues that global poverty can be eradicated in eight years. He says he has proven that it can be done because that is what he did in Thailand. There is more that a little selective re-telling of history!

“I guess you could describe what happened in Thailand when I was Prime Minister as a grand pilot project for the world, to prove that in a very short period of time a country’s economy can be completely over hauled and the levels of poverty dramatically reduced.”

“Brick by brick I effectively set about rebuilding the economy” he claims.

“This book will also cover my battles with the mafia. The effort I made to cracks down on corruption in the country….and examples on how doing so can quickly bring greater prosperity”

On the war on drugs he says – “one of my biggest battles wit the mafia was with drugs…I launched a campaign aimed at eradicating methamphetamine use in three months. I did this by making everyone in the process more accountable…for me the issue was never about whether I was right to take on the mafia and their drug barons, it was about how long it would take to succeed. I knew that in the process I would make many powerful enemies, it would cost my life (there were several assassination threats) and at the very least, it would cost me my job – which it did.”

“Looking back I was so busy looking after the poor people that I forgot to take care of the elite. And they are the ones who came back to bite me and force me out of power.”
 

Not really open - again

5 October 2009

Here we go again - another open but not really open statement. It is only a month or so since Emaar announced that the Burj Dubai would open before the end of the year now it says that a staggered rollout means only part of the silvery tower will be ready at first.

Ahmad al-Matrooshi, managing director of Emaar Properties' UAE operations, said the opening date is being kept secret to build excitement. Which presumably means he does not really know when it will open.

Burj Dubai, Arabic for "Dubai Tower," stands more than 2,600 feet (800 meters) tall. Emaar finished covering the building's facade just last week. It has yet to confirm the tower's final height.

Emaar say that the tower will open in phases to ensure smooth operation.

Meanwhile, work on Donald Trump's hotel and tower remains on hold. Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of the Trump Organization, said he would like to see work on the Trump International Hotel & Tower get under way in two years, but acknowledged "it's going to take some time" for the project to be restarted.

The Trump hotel was to be built by Dubai state-owned developer Nakheel. It stopped work on the glass-clad structure and numerous other projects, including some of its signature man-made islands, over the past year as property prices plummeted and cash dried up.

The slowdown was evident at the Citiscape gathering which opened for its eighth year in Dubai today. Exhibitors at this year's expo were taking an uncharacteristically cautious approach to the show.

Gone were the celebrity cameos and eye-popping project launches of years past, replaced instead by assurances from cash-strapped developers that they could deliver on their promises. "Committed to delivery" was the slogan touted by one builder at this year's show.

(Presumable that was not the Dubai Properties slogan. One day I will write about them!)

Organizers say exhibitors are taking up nearly a third less space than they did last year, and expect attendance to drop by 20 percent.

The biggest question hanging over the show is when the market will hit bottom.

Emirates vents anger at Aussie media claims

4 October 2009

Emirates responded to the Herald-Sun editorial with the following strongly worded press release.

This was almost certainly a mistake - it is the sort of statement that says too much - and where the reality appears to be very different from the high minded words of the airline's representatives.

It may have been better to say nothing at all; or at a minimum to simply say that the ATSB's initial findings did not indicate that fatigue was a factor and that the airline was co-operating in full with the authorities and awaited their final report.

Here is the EK statement in full:

DUBAI, U.A.E., 4th October 2009: Emirates strongly refutes press reports published in an Australian publication this morning regarding the airline’s management of fatigue risk. Emirates is surprised that objective data provided by it was not included, and one-sided articles were published based on statements from anonymous persons.

Emirates reiterates its absolute commitment to safety.

Emirates is a world leader in the management of pilot fatigue and alertness. Our Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) continuously monitors pilot alertness across a broad spectrum of international destinations, varying crew configurations and regulatory requirements. The system meets the regulatory requirements, and was the first to employ a Scientific Advisor on sleep research. Dr. Mark Rosekind, President of Alertness Solutions of the United States, is an ex-NASA scientist and researcher in fatigue mitigation, and his advice is a part of every FRMS study. Emirates’ programmes are of value to the world’s body on international aviation standards, as the airline was requested to provide technical advice on Flight and Duty Time standards during an upcoming session of the newly established panel formed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Emirates’ Flight Time Limitation Scheme is based on international industry norms. Objective testing of alertness and fatigue using scientifically-accepted protocols was conducted on our ultra-long range flights. Testing of alertness during the critical minutes prior to landing and approach indicated no reduction of alertness.

Unlike other carriers, Emirates uses 2 Captains and 2 First Officers on its long-haul flights. Most other airlines have only 1 Captain and 2 First Officers.

Responsibility for preventing the onset of fatigue rests both on the operator and crew. The crew of EK 407 (Melbourne-Dubai, 20 March) were allocated a 24-hour layover in Melbourne - a sufficient time period to use the rest facilities provided. When it released its preliminary report on the event, the Australian Transport & Safety Bureau indicated it had not found any evidence to suggest fatigue was a causal factor.

Emirates is operating under Federal Aviation Authority’s (FAA) Foreign Air Operators Certificate programme. This requires we meet stringent FAA regulatory requirements – including oversight by the body. The FAA notified us that they had found Emirates was in compliance with all FAA, General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and internal requirements relating to flight and duty time, and safety oversight.

Emirates has a positive and open reporting culture that helps management understand safety issues before they become significant concerns. - Ends

Now lets have a look at the EK statement:

"Emirates is in any way a world leader in the management of pilot fatigue and alertness." Like many airlines EK has been pushing the flight duty and fatigue limits for years. In EK it is compounded by irregular patterns and a mix of day and night pairings with minimum days off. Because of the high level of night flying it is common to be away for five nights, but only to be in bed for three; or away three nights with a bed for one.

There appear to be no non-management or line pilots involved in the Fatigue Risk Management System. If EK believes that these studies are worthwhile then why not publish the results.

Dr. Rosekind is a US consultant. He advocates caffeine and 26 minute naps to maintain alertness. 

Flight time limitations are not so much limitations but the maximums that crew are currently working to. Whether flight deck or cabin crew the flying hours appear to have increased for all. For the cabin crew this appears to be between 15% and 25% increase over 12 months ago.

Emirates only uses the above specified 2 captains and 2 first officer crews on its Ultra Long Haul flights. Further, the reason Emirates has 2 Captains and 2 First Officers on pairings such as DXB-MEL / DXB-SYD / DXB-BNE is because the 2nd set of crew (1 Capt and 1 FO) are physically required to crew the continuation flight (MEL-AKL / SYD-AKL / BNE-AKL) the following day.

And best of all - "Emirates has a positive and open reporting culture that helps management understand safety issues before they become significant concerns" - I doubt that anyone in EK's flight deck or cabin crew actually believes that. For a start there is no union representation at the airline and the UAE labour laws would hardly be described as pro-employee.

This really does look like a rather panicked response - one which EK did not need to make - and which when it was made should have been much simpler. A good pr company would help. Not the usual advertising types - but people who deal in crisis management.

Listen to the Emirates pilots

4 October 2009

The Melbourne Herald-Sun continues its strange campaign against Emirates Airline. An airline that does create significant jobs and tourism in Australia. I don't see similar concerns about Qantas despite a number of high profile incidents this year.

The ATSB even said that fatique was not an issue in the EK incident. A distracted and over crowded four person cockpit appears to have been a part of the problem.

The crew flying were well rested. The augmenting crew had taken the plane to NZ the previous day while the other two crew rested in Melbourne - so they had a two day rest.

Now things may in fact have got worse at EK over the summer - there is no doubt that crew are flying longer hours now.

But if you look at EK flights compared to say QF, SQ or CX you will find less long haul and ultra long haul flying and less time zone changes.

Pilots complain - often with cause. But read the pilots forums and you will see the same issues at CX, EK, SQ, the Indian carriers etc etc.

Fatigue is an industry wide issue - not just EK. Yields are collapsing - airline bottom lines are hurting. So airlines save costs by getting the most out of existing crews. Singling out EK based on one incident makes no sense - unless there is another agenda....

Anyway here is the Herald-Sun's editorial - under the headline - Listen to the Emirates Pilots.

"TODAY, the Sunday Herald Sun exposes a frightening problem within one of the world's biggest airlines.

Emirates is the airline. Pilot fatigue is the issue.

Using US Freedom of Information laws in Washington DC, we have obtained documents that lift the lid on the true extent of this critical safety issue.

Among the documents are a formal complaint to US and Australian aviation authorities and internal emails between Emirates pilots and airline executives.

In the detailed complaint, dated December 21, 2008, the author says the document is written on behalf of Emirates pilots, stating: "There has been continuous pressure from the commercial department ... according to their (the pilots) opinion flight safety is becoming increasingly impaired."

In other words, Emirates' pilots accuse it of putting profits ahead of the lives of passengers and crew.

In an email to Emirates executives, one senior pilot issues this blunt warning: "I am very concerned that the Commercial versus Safety balance in this airline is tipping in the wrong direction."

The pilot goes on: "The sad thing is that in the event of the worst happening it will be the Fatigued Pilots who will be in the dock, dead or alive, and not the people in management ... "

And another pilot warns pilots are suffering from "micro-sleeps" while landing aircraft. This is not the first time the Sunday Herald Sun has highlighted safety concerns at Emirates.

On April 12, we revealed an Emirates Airbus carrying 275 passengers came within 70cm of crashing at Melbourne Airport. The pilot had slept for only 3 1/2 hours in the previous day and was close to his maximum allowed 100 flying hours in the previous month.

Then, in May, we spoke to three Emirates pilots who all raised serious concerns about fatigue.

What the US documents reveal is that despite the safety concerns, the American Federal Aviation Authority has no powers to investigate Emirates, stating it is a foreign carrier.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the Tullamarine incident, but it has not launched a broader probe into pilots' fatigue claims.

How absurd. Emirates flies to our cities, carrying more than 1.6 million passengers annually. The planes laden with fuel fly over our suburbs.

It is incumbent on Australian and US aviation authorities to immediately investigate Emirates.

No other major airline flying in or out of Australia is facing this level of dissent from its pilots.

The reason their claims must be investigated by an independent safety regulator is this: His Highness Sheik Ahmed Bin Saeed al-Maktoum is chairman of the Emirates Group, which owns Emirates Airline. He is also the president of Dubai's Civil Aviation Authority. He is also on the board of the General Civil Aviation Authority of the United Arab Emirates.

In May, an Emirates pilot, speaking on the condition he not be identified, told the Sunday Herald Sun: "I don't want to see a smoking hole in the ground with an Emirates tail on it, but the way we're going that's highly probable."

Let's hope that pilot is not proven right.

But if he is, aviation authorities the world over cannot claim they were not warned."

Thailand update

3 October 2009

There has been a lot of news coming out of Thailand in the last week; much of it is confusing; much of it is just more of the continuing battle against anyone or anything that is connected with Thaksin.

So these are just the main stories from the week.

The German influence in Thai politics

3 October 2009

There are lots of stories in the Thai media and in Thai blogs about the German influence in Thai politics.

Rather than repeat it all I will just point you at Bangkok Pundit's blog -

Looking at the Police Chief Appointment : German Connection, Powerful and Mighty Backer and Secret Signals

Everyone is very cautions about the German link. But here is a picture taken on 23 August at Dusseldorf airport. The plane was also seen in Munich on 29th and 31st August and in September in Innsbruck, Austria and Verona, Italy.

Letterman's creepy confession

3 October 2009

David Letterman is quite an advertisement for heart surgery.

He makes some US$30 million a year (apparently) for his highly rated late night chat show. But this week he admitted, on Thursday night's "Late Show"that he had sex with female employees from his show (note the plural) and that he was the victim of an extortion attempt to reveal his affairs.

It made for very strange and rather uncomfortable television. The audience was expecting the usual laughs. Not a personal and rather perverse confession.
Except: he was portraying himself as the victim. Honestly this is a mess of his own making. 

Letterman is a TV genius. He reinvented the talk show. He is also known to be intensely private, supposedly almost obsessively so. So this confession and the threat to him and his family must have hurt. Worse still to acknowledge such a thing in front of millions of people.

But it was still unpleasant to watch.

After his usual monologue, Letterman told the audience that someone threatened to write a screenplay and book that would reveal "terrible" things that the late-night host had done. As he told the story the audience was still laughing and even applauding, even as he acknowledged having sex with women who worked for him.

There is a sordidness that's impossible to shake. Letterman always seemed to exist outside of the Hollywood cliche factory (literally so, taping his show in New York). He was a survivor. And he always was a proud family man. Although only married a few months he has had a long-time relationship with the woman who is now his wife (and with whom he has a 5-year-old son).

But Letterman, like other late-night hosts, makes a living making fun of people who get caught doing exactly this kind of thing. The Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky story was his meal ticket for years. Now, granted, Letterman is a talk-show host, not the President of the United States.

But how is he going to go after the next politician or minister or other public figure who is disgraced in this fashion? Pot calling the kettle black? David Letterman, he of the mischievous grin and wicked wit, is now in the same boat as the elected officials whose misadventures gave him such rich comic fodder for his "Late Show" on CBS.

Amid all the laughter there should be some serious questions. The fact that he screwed his own staffers should raise serious ethical questions. While Letterman seems to be in no immediate risk of losing either his family or his job (ratings from last night's telecast will likely be stratospheric), his troubles may not be over. Having sex with people who were his employees or whom he managed could leave him, or CBS, open to a sexual-harassment lawsuit. It's certain the comedian has given the network's lawyers plenty of reasons to be up at night.

And it may be time for him to accelerate his retirement plans. Any more jokes about the affairs of other public figures are going to look suitably hypocritical. As for the other late night hosts - most wont tough Letterman - but Stewart and Colbert might be interesting.

The creepiest part of this whole mess was the confession!

Schocked in Schicago !

2 October 2009

Chicago was a favourite for the 2016 Olympics. Yet, despite a high profile pitch from the Obamas the city was the first of the four contenders to be eliminated.

Why? Well, of the more than 300 million people in the United States, including a majority of Chicagoans, most polls show that either most people didn't want the Olympics or don't even know anything about it. If the polls say that you don't want the Olympics then we wont give it to you was the IOC members view.

Funny that. Because for 2008 I am sure all the Chinese polls gave overwhelming support to the Beijing bid. But then the polls would never have said anything else - even if polls were genuinely conducted. A free and open press is sometimes unhelpful.

The Republicans lost no time in mocking the Obamas. They jeered the president, saying he had demeaned his office by acting as a pitchman for his hometown while the country struggles with a sagging economy, Congress debates healthcare reform, and generals in Afghanistan await a strategic review.

But lets face it - the same conservative critics would have blasted the president if he had stayed home.

After all the PM of Japan, the King of Spain and the president of Brazil were all pitching in Copenhagen. Obama really had not choice but to be there.

At least Chicagoans are used to disappointment in sport: The beloved Cubs baseball team has not won a World Series championship since 1908.

Meanwhile after the Rio party its people can look forward to seven years of massive construction chaos.

EK ups 380 capacity

1 October 2009

Emirates is due to receive its first higher-density configured Airbus A380 in November. The aircraft will fly on shorter routes from Dubai to destinations such as London. Meanwhile, earlier plans for a version equipped with more than 600 seats may be revived.

Emirates, which has five A380s in service and will introduce 10 more through to the summer of next year, is still suffering "niggling delays from Toulouse", says the airline's president Tim Clark.

"Our next A380, which arrives in November, will be MSN007, one of the flight-test aircraft," he says. "This will be the first equipped with 517 seats."

The airline's first five A380s have a three-class, 489-seat layout, but the next batch will be 517-seaters. The latter version does not include the crew rest compartment on the main deck as it will be flown on sectors of less than 12h, and the freed space provides room for another 28 economy seats.

Meanwhile, Clark says that the plan for a third, higher- density A380 configuration with "roughly 620 seats" in a two-class layout for use on shorter sectors to the Indian subcontinent, has been put on ice. This configuration "was struck out, but now I'm revisiting it", he says.

Emirates is taking two of the five flight-test A380s: MSN007 - which was originally a Rolls-Royce Trent 900-powered version and has been re-engined to Emirates specification with Engine Alliance GP7200s - and MSN009, which was the first GP7200-powered version to fly.

Cyberspace meets the ancients in Thailand

1 October 2009

Sometimes the most interesting commentary on Thailand appears in the most unlikely of places. This article was published in the Bangkok Post's database section on 30 September 2009. The most interesting parts are the comments on how the military censorship apparatus works.

"Some people seem to have this idea that the structure of Thai society is so weak, liable to crumbling at the slightest wind of change, that we need to protect it by closing our eyes, ears and then, as a precautionary measure, putting our head into the sand.

Yet, there are some corners of society, some children who, having grown up in a connected world, see things so very differently from the ancients who are trying to protect us from ourselves.

Take the topic of language. Closing our eyes and ears all started in the communist era when studying in a foreign language (as opposed to studying a foreign language itself) was made illegal to prevent separatism and force racial integration. Today, things are much more liberal and people fear that the Thai language will wither away and die, to be replaced by a generation of English speakers who spend their days online in an English-denominated Internet polluted and corrupted by Western culture. Of course, it was possible to find some poor soul who had lost his way online and become an Internet zombie to prove that point, but by and large, Thailand survived and showed the world that it was not to be a pushover.

Perhaps the best example is the way any girls (and it seems to be more the women than the men) ending sentences in ka, a Thai word with no particular meaning in itself except to show respect and politeness. This happens a lot on email as well as on IM or Twitter. More rare is the guy who also ends his otherwise English language email sentences in the masculine form, krab. Far from Thai culture being washed away by the tide of Western globalisation, the new generation of Digital Natives (Gartner) or Screenagers (IDC) has found a way to accommodate Thai cultural norms in a language that is devoid of such constructs by using these words in a pidgin, ad-hoc style way.

Ending every sentences with the words "with respect and politeness", would be so cumbersome compared to the elegance of simply adding ka, albeit at the cost of making every foreigner wonder what on earth a ka is.

Earlier this year I sat down with some high school students to discuss the whys and wherefores of what happens when cyberspace meets the ancients in their traditional Thai silk dresses and carbon-intensive piles of paperwork and what they had to say was eye-opening; a real balance without any absolutes but yet with a trust in what we can do given the chance to be left to ourselves. The above example of language was one example of what our new generation think, the other being censorship.

These international school pupils, who asked not to be named for fear of being grounded by their parents more than anything else, had recently returned from their national service army training. Being from an international school and with a perfect command of the English language (I am a bit biased here, as I also graduated from that same school), I was told that on one occasion, one of the students had fallen ill and, after taking him back, rather than returning to training, the teacher instead took them to a computer lab where they were told to search the Internet for sites that violated the monarchy and should be censored.

Yes, I was told by a few 18-year olds that they were taken to a secret room in an army training camp where, as part of their military training, they had to scour the Internet for sites and comments in English that had to be censored. Obviously English is still too hard a language for normal Thai recruits to effectively work in.

The room itself was full of posters of His Majesty doing good things, as if to encourage the workers on with their task of defending the Crown. The system had a database with a hard-coded local IP address where entries for sites, forum postings and media such as YouTube clips were listed. Each page had 20 entries and the database was over 100 pages long.

I tried being cheeky. I asked what we had to do if they said bad things about government. The government isn't the King, right? The Sergeant said that this Government is representing the King and if you insult the government, you are indirectly insulting the King, the first kid told me.

In an hour I found four or five such sites, but only submitted two. The guys were really stupid. The others were more balanced critical comment rather than verbal thrashing, a second kid said.

I've got 10 more friends who are able to confirm this story, the first kid told me after I started to wonder if this was all for real.

Of course, they would be nothing sinister in the army compiling a list for forwarding to the MICT to submit to the courts for a court order to block them. However, my young friends had thought of that and told me that some of the links on the database had already been blocked, some as fresh as two days old, which would not have been enough time to go through the official procedure of getting a court order to censor the site.

That said, the young men in front of me seemed to be ambivalent about the need for censorship.

Some of the really stupid ones need to be censored, but the type that present a credible argument need to be shown and we need to balance our reasons as to why we love the King. If you censor it, we can't defend it, one said.

But who decides on what is right? Whether this website is destructive or whatever? This leads to the whole idea of a big brother government in control of our lives, another argued.

I think society draws the line. With forums, you have posts and comments. People can click on a plus of minus and the Internet will decide for itself what is on view, the first responded.

I am sure these arguments will resonate in the hearts of many, as we have been reluctant to speak our minds and ask why the Emperor has no clothes on. As Jedi Master Yoda once said, truly wonderful, the mind of a child is."

Thai King remains in Hospital

1 October 2009

What was initially announced a fatique and a loss of appetite appears to be rather more serious and there must be serious concern now for the health of Thailand's revered King.

Inevitably this concern becomes part of the political debate about the succession.

It is sad that the Thai authorities have struggled to be honest with the Thai people who’s love and concern for the King deserves to be treated with equal respect.

Two days ago the Royal Household Bureau announced that the King has recovered from a lung infection and fever and is in a good condition in general.

This was the first mention of a lung infection.

The announcement also said that His Majesty's fever subsided after he was administered a new type of antibiotic and fed intravenously. The reference to a new type of antibiotic is worrying; it sounds experimental.

He continues to be fed intravenously.

He was admitted to hospital 10 days ago when the Thai people were told His Majesty the King was undergoing treatment for fever at Siriraj Hospital yesterday after feeling fatigued.

The lack of transparency in the information being given to the people inevitably fuels rumours and concerns.