Thailand recalls ambassador to Cambodia (Update) Nov 5, 2009
BANGKOK: Thailand recalled its ambassador from neighbouring Cambodia on Thursday after former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a fugitive from justice, was named an adviser to the government in Phnom Penh ... His supporters say the Bangkok-centred elite is ignoring the mandate Thaksin won in two democratic elections because it feels its own privileges are threatened. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- News)
Little Laos relishes its big moment Nov 5, 2009
A government spokesman told the Bangkok Post, "The SEA Games in Laos is a magnificent example of what sports can do ... and Laos has joined the giants in this respect.". Here the issue is less about showcasing the nation to attract tourism and investment, than demonstrating the munificence of the ruling party-state. (Asia Times Online)
Envoy says US ready to improve Myanmar ties Nov 5, 2009
It's going to take some time to see how they respond," Marciel told a public forum on Thursday in Bangkok, capital of neighbouring Thailand. "We are willing to move ahead in terms of bilateral relations but we are only going to do that if there is real progress. " The trip came two months after the administration of US President Barack Obama changed its policy on Myanmar, saying it would push for engagement with the military government because sanctions on their own had failed to bear fruit.... (Channelnewsasia.com)
In Indonesia, police go toe-to-toe with anticorruption agency Nov 5, 2009
Bangkok, Thailand - A power struggle between Indonesia's police force and an independent anticorruption agency is roiling President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, just two weeks after he began his second five-year term. The row has raised questions over Indonesia's commitment to fighting chronic corruption and provoked a public outcry at the hardball tactics of the police, which is going toe-to-toe with the anticorruption agency. (Christian Science Monitor -- World)
* Top US diplomats arrive in Myanmar Nov 4, 2009
The two men touched down in the remote administrative capital Naypyidaw on a US Air Force plane from Bangkok in neighboring Thailand, US embassy spokesman Richard Mei said. They are due to meet with senior government officials today [yesterday. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
U.S. Officials Engage Burma in Major Policy Shift Nov 3, 2009
The American diplomats flew Tuesday from Bangkok, in neighboring Thailand, to Burma's administrative capital of Naypyitaw in a U.S. Air Force plane, Mei said. The embassy spokesman said Campbell will be continuing talks he began in September in New York with senior Burma officials, the first such high-level contact in nearly a decade. (Fox News)
* Travel fair closes on a positive note Nov 3, 2009
The airline had just moved into Taiwan by introducing flights to Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. A lot of people came and asked why we could provide flights with such economic fares, said Pauline Shan (_T), AirAsias public relations representative. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Waiting Game Over As #4 Irish Tip Off Exhibition Slate Tuesday... Nov 3, 2009
She went on to earn MVP honors at both the McDonald's and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) High School All-America Games (joining former Tennessee guard Alexis Hornbuckle as the only players ever to pull off that double) and she was a co-captain on the 2009 USA Basketball U19 World Championship Team that won the gold medal at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Bangkok, Thailand, back in August. Irish Enjoy Successful '09 European Tour In May, the Notre Dame women's basketball... (Und.com)
Transsexual wins apology over passport Oct 31, 2009
When she arrived at Bangkok airport, a passport control officer asked her to account for the discrepancy between her appearance and the gender on her passport. At the top of his voice in front of a hall full of people he looked at me and looked at my passport and said, 'Male or female. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Phra Pradaeng Bangkok, Thailand's... Oct 24, 2009
Phra Pradaeng Bangkok, Thailand's Secret Oasis. Phra Pradaeng Bangkok, Thailand's Secret Oasis ... Discover Bangkoks Hidden Natural Areas. (Suite101.com)
China may push for yuan at Asean Oct 24, 2009
BEIJING: China is set to use the Asean meet to sell the idea of making the yuan an in 00004000 ternational currency. It is using the sense of uncertainty over the US dollar to sell a new dream of enlarged regional trade, financial support from Beijing and reduced dependence on the volatile dollar. (India Times)
US zeroes in on China's clout in Myanmar Oct 24, 2009
BANGKOK - A high-level American delegation will travel to Myanmar in coming weeks on a fact-finding mission as part of the United States' new engagement policy with the military ruled country. The talks will center on improving Myanmar's human-rights situation and its claimed intention to move towards democracy, but the subtext will be improving diplomatic relations and fostering influence in a country widely viewed as a key regional ally of China. (Asia Times Online)
Maryland Tops Johns Hopkins Oct 24, 2009
Eddy Zandee took second in a pair of events Friday afternoon (Hopkinssports.com)
Best Parks of Bangkok, Thailand Oct 24, 2009
Parks in Bangkok Offer An Escape From the City. Family friendly parks in Bangkok are celebrated for providing a variety of activities for athletes and quiet grounds for lazing away the day ... Often described as an urban jungle, Bangkok actually possesses a large number of parks for visitors and locals. (Suite101.com)
PM looks to fast-track Asean talks Oct 22, 2009
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh 00004000 is likely to ask the ten-member Asean grouping to speed up bilateral negotiations on opening up markets in services and investments during the East-Asia Summit and the India-Asean Summit in Bangkok this week, a government official has said ... Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is likely to ask the ten-member Asean grouping to speed up bilateral negotiations on opening up markets in services and investments during the East-Asia Summit and the... (India Times)
Holes in AI's cost-cutting plan Oct 21, 2009
"For instance, AI used to operate a night flight from Delhi to Bangkok and Singapore that reached Singapore in the morning. people would take this flight, finish their work and take the same flight back home at night. This flight's time was changed to night. Who will reach Singapore at night, check into a hotel and then do his day's work. This time change benefited other foreign and private Indian carriers," said sources. AI also gave a break-up of its total cost fuel: 38%, others: 36%, wage... (India Times)
World must cut emissions Oct 20, 2009
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the veteran negotiator said: "This is a strange thing. I don't know what's going on. "We had a written brief for the last round of (climate) talks in Bangkok which said very clearly that the Kyoto Protocol must be protected at all costs ... At this month's talks in Bangkok in preparation for the climate summit in Copenhagen this December, the European Union and Australia proposed ditching the Kyoto Protocol and coming up with a new global treaty so that the US... (India Times)
Congress distances from Centres proposed shift on climate change Oct 20, 2009
At Bangkok, negotiators were confronted by US and EU representatives, who held that what the Indian officials were saying did not echo with what the Indian minister for environment had told them (US/EU) personally. BJP suspects an underhand deal between the Manmohan Singh government and the US. The party has questioned if the views expressed in the letter were Mr Rameshs personal views or was the environment minister a stalking horse on behalf of a larger lobby. (India Times)
Pooling health care’s best ideas Oct 20, 2009
Health professionals from Bangkok to Baltimore follow thousands of standard protocols in daily pursuit of improving the delivery of health care services and patient care. But today, the vast majority of our global health decisions are being made largely on an ad hoc basis. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Thaksin Shinawatra: In his own words Oct 19, 2009
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. (The Economist)
Thailand 14-day adventure from $1,199 Oct 17, 2009
Explore Bangkok, Chiang Mai and more ... Traditional and modern, this visual tour shows off the many sides of Bangkok ... Begin your tour in bustling Bangkok, home to remarkable sites like Wat Po Temple, housing the renowned 150-foot-long reclining Buddha. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Bali escapes tide of recession Oct 16, 2009
Pioneer budget airline Air Asia flies direct to Bali from ASEAN hubs Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bangkok, with one way fares starting as low as US$60. As reported by website BaliDiscovery. (Asia Times Online)
SRI LANKA: Fighting over fish Oct 16, 2009
Activists from the Fisherfolks Federation in Sri Lanka, Philippines and Thailand demonstrate in front of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok September. . (AlertNet)
Opinion: A golfing season that never ends Oct 14, 2009
Woods played seven times in eight weeks, a schedule that began in Virginia with the Presidents Cup, took him south for Disney and the Tour Championship, then to Spain for the final PGA Tour event and over to Bangkok for the Johnnie Walker Championship. After a week off, Woods hosted his own tournament in Arizona before going to Argentina for the World Cup. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Indian Ocean nations test tsunami warning system Oct 14, 2009
(AP) BANGKOK - Countries bordering the Indian Ocean were conducting a test Wednesday of a warning system set up after the 2004 tsunami, which killed some 230,000 people across the region. The exercise in 18 countries was intended as a simulation of a tsunami similar to the one sparked by the 9. (OregonLive, OR -- News)
Thai man confesses to decapitating 5-year-old boy Oct 14, 2009
BANGKOK A part-time Bangkok taxi driver confessed to the gruesome murder of a 5-year-old boy, saying he shot, decapitated and dismembered him after a lover's quarrel with his mother, whom he also murdered, police said Wednesday ... The man said he committed the murders over the weekend while he was driving the woman and her two children in a borrowed taxi, said Bangkok Deputy Police Commissioner Maj ... "There are many holes and inconsistencies, so we are not going to base the case solely on... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- World)
Holland America Line's Volendam Returns to Asia and Down Under in 2011 With a Widespread Array of Itineraries - Including the Great Barrier Reef Oct 13, 2009
Three overnight stays ensure that guests are able to explore Bangkok with it's abundance of palaces and Buddhist wats; the cosmopolitan city of Hong Kong with its tea shops and street markets, and Shanghai with its soaring skyscrapers and unforgettable Yuyuan Gardens. 17-Day Japan and Alaska. (Yahoo! Wire -- Entertainment News)
Rich world undercut climate talks: China Oct 11, 2009
Su Wei, who led Beijing's delegation to climate treaty talks in Bangkok that ended on Friday, said splits over the framework for a new pact to fight global warming remained "quite large", just two months before negotiations culminate in Copenhagen ... His warnings came after a chorus of similar rancour in Bangkok, where senior delegates from developing countries walked out of a session this week saying they would not discuss a future without the Kyoto Protocol climate pact. (India Times)
* World News Quick Take Oct 11, 2009
The country is to host the 15th ASEAN summit from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25 in Prachuab Khiri Khan Province, 130km southwest of Bangkok ... The tight security measures follow an embarrassing incident in April, when protesters stormed the venue of a summit ASEAN planned to hold with China, Japan and South Korea in Pattaya, 100km southeast of Bangkok, forcing Abhisit to cancel the event. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Jetstar Considering Southeast Asia Base to Support Flights to Europe Oct 9, 2009
Bangkok has the advantage of being closer to Europe, while costs in Malaysia are lower, he added. Jetstar is doubling the size of its Airbus SAS A330 fleet to 12 planes to support the push into long-haul services. (Bloomberg -- Australia & New Zealand)
AirAsia, named Best Asian Low-Cost Carrier Oct 9, 2009
The awards were held at the 20th Annual TTG Travel Awards 2009 Ceremony and Gala Dinner in Bangkok yesterday. About 700 travel industry professionals attended the event. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Business)
Thai gov't take security measures for ASEAN Summit Oct 9, 2009
BANGKOK, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) held a meeting on Friday morning to discuss security measures to ensure security at the forthcoming ASEAN Summit's venues ... The government will also monitor anti-government rallies in Bangkok, while they can organize a peaceful protest and abide by the law ... Both the red-shirted and yellow-shirted groups have planned to host several mass rallies in capital Bangkok in this month. (Xinhuanet, China)
'Climate talks still stuck on key issues' Oct 8, 2009
BANGKOK: Talks to finalise a climate treaty in time for December's Copenhagen summit are still stuck over key issues of the extent to which industrialised countries will reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and how much they will pay developing countries to deal with global warming, India's top climate negotiator said on Wednesday. As the Sep 28-Oct 9 preparatory talks here neared their final phase, Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change Shyam Saran said: "There is no agreement... (India Times)
Asian markets gain Oct 6, 2009
BANGKOK: Asian stock markets mostly rose Tuesday after the U.S. services industry, a mainstay of the world's No. 1 economy, showed its first growth in a year and Australia's central bank raised interest rates. Gains in Japan were tempered as the dollar weakened against the yen, 00004000 weighing on exporter stocks. (India Times)
Review: Tokyo Days, Bangkok Nights Oct 4, 2009
Tokyo Days, Bangkok Nights originally appeared as two separate comics in Vertigo Pop ... Bangkok, and are only loosely related by the theme of Americans abroad ... Jonathan Vankin s stories are engaging enough, but it s the visually stunning style of the artists that make Tokyo Days, Bangkok Nights worth perusing. (Suite101.com)
India, other developing nations resist binding emission norms Oct 3, 2009
At ongoing meeting of the Ad-hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action in Bangkok, the United States suggested that some common mitigation actions could be placed in national schedules of all countries and these would be subject to international review ... At Bangkok, the Indian negotiators sought to drive home the point that Indias offer was one of showing flexibility in order to ensure a positive outcome at Copenhagen ... The US proposal in Bangkok sought to bring mitigation actions... (India Times)
Beware of the push pocket scam Oct 3, 2009
In July this year, the Bangkok Post reported that Thai Transport Minister Sophon Zarun had ordered Airports of Thailand to step up measures at Suvarnabhumi and other airports to prevent extortion scams. Reports said passengers were being detained every month in the duty-free area on suspicion of shoplifting. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
EU backs US bid to corner India Oct 3, 2009
NEW DELHI: Differences between the rich and the developing countries have turned into entrenched battle lines at the ongoing climate negotiations in Bangkok, with the EU backing the contentious proposal of the US to do away with the Kyoto Protocol -- the compact that binds industrialized nations to emission reduction targets under the UN convention ... India is leading the charge along with other key developing countries against the move at the ongoing negotiations at Bangkok ... While India and... (India Times)
China warily watches US-Myanmar detente Oct 2, 2009
BANGKOK - The border dispute between two close allies, China and Myanmar, has now been compounded by concerns over the junta's future relations with the United States, which this week announced a policy shift towards engagement with the military junta. The past few weeks have seen a flurry of diplomatic activity between the two states, with Beijing even issuing some unusually forthright criticism of its Southeast Asian neighbor. (Asia Times Online)
Burma Rejects Suu Kyi's Appeal of House Arrest Oct 2, 2009
Aug. 11: Activists holds a banner calling for the release of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi outside the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok. Aug. 11: Activists holds a banner calling for the release of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi outside the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok. (Fox News)
Thailand, air/11 nights, from $1,199 Oct 2, 2009
The Real Deal: Round-trip airfare on Korean Air to Bangkok; a flight from Chiang Mai to Bangkok on Thai Airways; three nights at the in Bangkok; one night each at the in Phitsanulok and the in Lampang; two nights at the in Chiang Rai; four nights at the ; breakfast daily and a welcome dinner; visits to the giant statue of Wat Mongkol Borpith, the pagodas at Wat Phra Sri Sanphet in Ayutthaya, and a textile museum in Sukhothai; a boat trip on the Mekong River; all local transportation and... (MSNBC -- Travel)
A perfect ending to 'Tastes of Thailand' trip Oct 1, 2009
The next morning it was a change of venue and change of focus as we flew to Bangkok which is a street food haven ... A Bangkok hotspot is the Khao san road where dozens of carts serve up all manner of short eats. (India Times)
US bids to erase its Lao past Sep 30, 2009
BANGKOK - A United States Justice Department decision this month to drop charges against former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) collaborator Vang Pao clears the 79-year-old ethnic Hmong leader from a possible terrorism trial in an alleged plot to overthrow the Lao government ... Brian McCartan is a Bangkok-based freelance journalist. (Asia Times Online)
US takes a radical turn on Myanmar Sep 30, 2009
BANGKOK - The Barack Obama administration has broken ranks with its recent predecessors in announcing its intention to engage Myanmar's ruling generals while also maintaining economic and financial sanctions against the military regime ... Brian McCartan is a Bangkok-based freelance journalist. (Asia Times Online)
Feds award grant to South San Francisco ferry Sep 30, 2009
Whether you're touring Bangkok or Boston, thrifty rides can extend the borders of your travel budget. Here are a few of our favorite ways to travel with convenience and affordability. (Fresno Bee -- State)
PAUL KRUGMAN: Ignoring climate change Sep 30, 2009
U.N. climate talks kicked off Monday in Bangkok with leaders calling for delegates to break the deadlock over a global warming deal and warning failure to act would leave future generations fighting for survival. Negotiations on a new U.N. climate pact have been bogged down by a broad unwillingness to commit to firm emissions targets, and a refusal by developing countries to sign a deal until the West guarantees tens of billions of dollars in financial assistance - something rich countries have... (Fresno Bee -- Opinion)
Airplanes, oxygen and the media Sep 26, 2009
From Bangkok to Timbuktu, a visit to the world's most impressive, historic or otherwise curious terminals. Part 3: Airlines. (Salon)
Thrifty rides can extend your travel budget Sep 25, 2009
Whether you're touring Bangkok or Boston, thrifty rides can extend the borders of your travel budget ... In Bangkok, river buses provide access to numerous points of interest without the stress of street traffic. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Mystery, Magic, Malaysia Sep 23, 2009
A small local industry has been built around the final mysterious moments of Jim Thompson, a Bangkok based American silk trader some say spy who vanished on Easter Sunday in 1967 while on a hike in the jungle here. To this day, nobody knows what happened did the alang, aboriginal people living in the jungle, shoot him with a poisoned blow dart. (Concierge.com)
Leading the way Sep 23, 2009
Jon , Bangkok, Thailand. This is the kind of political leadership that will be necessary to break the current deadlock. (BBC News -- Americas)
Got the pink-slip? Take a trip Sep 22, 2009
And once they set off on their two-and-a-half-week journey through Bangkok, Phuket, and more, feeding and bathing baby elephants at a rescue camp in Chiang Mai proved to be a particularly potent distraction ... Traditional and modern, this visual tour shows off the many sides of Bangkok. (MSNBC -- Travel)
Oil below $70 in Asia after big tumble Sep 22, 2009
BANGKOK: Oil prices wallowed near $70 a barrel Tuesday in Asia after falling steeply overnight amid news that China's crude consumption fell in August ... 97 a barrel by early afternoon Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. (India Times)
Oil falls below $72 in Asia Sep 21, 2009
BANGKOK: Oil prices fell below $72 a barrel Monday in Asia as high crude stockpiles and weak demand tempered enthusiasm about recent signs 00004000 of improvement in the world's largest economy ... 64 a barrel by midday Bangkok time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. (India Times)
Best from Sunday Sep 21, 2009
BANGKOK - As thousands of demonstrators marked the anniversary of a 2006 coup in the Thai capital Saturday, a rival group of protesters clashed with police and villagers near the Cambodian border, showing the country's long-running political crisis is far from settled. KABUL - The Taliban's reclusive leader said in a Muslim holiday message Saturday that the U.S. and NATO should study Afghanistan's long history of war, in a pointed reminder that foreign forces have had limited military success in... (Athens Banner-Herald)
Ceaseless deaths of the famous mark summer `09 Sep 21, 2009
On June 4, the "Kung Fu" actor David Carradine, 72, was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room. On June 23, Ed McMahon, the loyal "Tonight" show sidekick to Johnny Carson, died at the age of 86. (Chippewa Falls Chippewa Herald, WI)
Aboriginal elder's death sparks protest Sep 16, 2009
ALEISHA PREEDY AND WARWICK STANLEY. September 16, 2009 - 6:34PM. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Storm have different focus: Smith Sep 16, 2009
September 16, 2009 - 4:04PM. Melbourne captain Cameron Smith says winning a fourth straight NRL minor premiership was never a target for the Storm in 2009. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
A holiday in Pakistan? Sep 14, 2009
"We were really expecting, on the basis of what happened through '04, '05, '06, that they might get over the million mark very soon," he told AFP from Bangkok, where PATA is based. Instead, Pakistan has become sucked into fighting Islamist radicals. (iAfrica.com)
Living hand-to-trunk in Thailand Sep 14, 2009
I had traveled on an overnight train from Bangkok to see and experience the curious creatures in the wild - instead of at the zoo or the circus - and was peacefully gazing at several clusters of elephants when the ground started to shake ... After the government banned logging in the 1990s - the main source of employment for elephants - many were out of work, and their handlers (or mahouts), who often stay with one elephant for life, lacked options: sell their elephants to a trekking company or... (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
How to be a better traveler Sep 13, 2009
I once had a stopover in Bangkok for two days and hadn t bothered to learn any Thai before I arrived because it was such a brief stay. Not being able to communicate at all was awful, though, and after I learned how to say a simple Sawat dii ka (the feminine form of Hello ), I got a whole lot more smiles than I did with my blank stares. (Boston Globe)
Thailand want Robson to replace Reid as their new coach Sep 12, 2009
BANGKOK: Thailands FA said yesterday they expected former England captain Bryan Robson to take up an offer to replace Peter Reid as coach of the national team. FA chairman Worawi Makudi said on the bodys official website that he had contacted the former Manchester United skipper and is waiting for a reply. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
China, Myanmar border on a conflict Sep 10, 2009
BANGKOK - An ominous lull has fallen over northern Myanmar since the military government's defeat last week of Kokang ethnic insurgents ... Bangkok previously supported ethnic groups along its border as a buffer against Myanmar but now commercially engages with the regime, including the import of crucial natural gas supplies ... Brian McCartan is a Bangkok-based freelance journalist. (Asia Times Online)
Read Indepth Article Sep 7, 2009
TIM PORTER: STILL LIVES / Photographs Portraits from The Collection of The Congdon Anatomical Museum, Bangkok - La Petite Mort Gallery - absolutearts ... "TIM PORTER: STILL LIVES / Photographs Portraits from The Collection of The Congdon Anatomical Museum, Bangkok" 2009-09-05 until 2009-09-17 Ottawa, ON, CA Canada ... La Petite Mort Gallery presents Tim Porter: Still Lives / Photographs Portraits from The Collection of The Congdon Anatomical Museum, Bangkok - in Collaboration with the Ottawa... (AbsoluteArts.com)
TIM PORTER: STILL LIVES / Photographs Portraits from The Collection of The Congdon Anatomical Museum, Bangkok Sep 7, 2009
In 1988, Tokyo-based photographer Tim Porter gained access through special permission to a very privileged space: the Sirirai Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. For one week only, he had the opportunity to photograph surreal specimens of humanity conjoined twins. (AbsoluteArts.com)
ACC Women's Basketball Players Shine on World Stage Sep 6, 2009
The 2009 FIBA U19 World Championship featured 16 national teams from around the world and was held in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the first time Johnson had ever been outside of the U.S., where she was exposed to a different culture and different way of life. (Theacc.com)
