PeterRS

You gave that post a laughing emoji. Why! What do you find so funny about the endemic corruption in Thailand, especially among politicians and others in power?

Thailand's political farce just becomes even more unbelievable. The new Prime Minister, deputy prime minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit, will rule over parliament for all of - wait for it - 24 hours. He will then be replaced by incoming Interior Minister Phumtham Wechayachai. I would try to explain the reason but just find it some form of Thai jiggery-pokery. Roll on a new election!

Why do you keep barking up a tree that has no branches? It appears you simply cannot read what I have written. The statement was far from unwise. It is the truth and I am perfectly happy for it to be left on the Board. If the moderator wishes to take it down, I will naturally accept his decision. As I trust you will if he decides to leave it up.

I only knew him as Dr. Phil whom I would only very occasionally see in a daytime talk show when in the US. He appeared friendly and was I believe popular. Now no more, in large part thanks to Trump whom he endorsed. Well, no thanks to Trump really, because Dr. Phil was one of his major supporters. 18 months ago he formed Merit Street Media (MSM) with an agenda not all that dissimilar to parts of Fox News. A Dr.Phil-type show was the backbone of its broadcasting. To finance the venture, Dr. Phil went into partnership with another of Trump's glorious army, Trinity Broadcasting which is best known for its Christian programming. Two Trump acolytes. What could go possibly wrong? A great deal apparently. Just days ago MSM filed for bankruptcy. OMG! How could that happen? Well, MSM is suing Trinity for abuse of power and breach of their agreement on the basis of Trinity's failure to provide agreed access to its national distribution network. Not mentioned in the suit but clearly a part of the proceedings, MSM had a deal with the Professional Bull Riders Association. Well, that kind of fits, doesn't it? Trump, church, bulls! A bit like Fox! MSM apparently purchased the rights to air the Bull Riders on its channels, but the Bull Riders claim they pulled those rights because they had received no fees from MSM since November 2024. Clearly an unholy Trumpian mess! https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/dr-phil-merit-street-media-bankruptcy-1236305002/

Thanks for posting - looks nice.

After all the priase for the movie "Oppenheimer", one director claims it rather missed the boat with certain omissions. He intends to rectify them. While praising Chritopher Nolan's multilpe award winning movie, James Cameron has called it a "moral cop out". He feels Nolan should have spent more of the film on the after effects in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "I felt that it dodged the subject," he claims. My own view is that "Oppenheimer" was about the making and internal political consequences of the bomb rather than its effects. Cameron, though, is ploughing ahead with another bomb movie adapted from a forthcoming non-fiction book "Ghosts of Hiroshima" which brings together testimonies from victims and survivors. Although we have seen endless videos of the scenes on the ground after the bombs dropped, I wonder how Cameron will treat the subject without making today's audiences feel almost sick. Still, Spielberg made the Nazi concentration camps into an engrossing movie which had audiences in tears but hardly sick.

Although slightly off topic, this is horribly similar to the gangs who murdered gay guys in Sydney. Most occurred in 1989 and 1990, although the rampage went on for years before and after. Police estimate that as many as 88 gay men were thrown off cliffs to their deaths. Some were just teenagers and most of the gang members were school-age teenagers. At the time, the police wrote off the deaths as suicides. Some of The Alexandra Eight, The Bondi Boys, The Tamarama Three and various other unnamed gangs were eventually caught and jailed. Today there is a memorial to the victims in Marks Park near Bondi Beach.

The very first time my boyfriend even went near to a gay bar was when his close friend suggested they go to Soi 4 to see what it was like. Both boys are cute and they chose to sit at the bar. Soon an elderly farang came over and asked how much they would charge if he took both of them off for the night. They were shocked and quickly left. When he told me later, I said the way to get rid of unwanted advances was very simple. Just tell them, "You can't afford us. It's Bt. 20,000 for the night - each!"

Weren't the tears usually followed by Jim suggesting she sing a song to lighten the mood? That usually seeemed to me the reason for the tears in the first place 🤣

What nonsense! Everyone in Thailand was made perfectly well aware that Thaksin bribed his way to power. He was ultra-ambitious, having been Deputy PM he wanted the top job. The facts could not be more simple. In order to hide his massive wealth, he parked US$50 million of his assets with his housekeeping staff and drivers who then technically owned them. They later publicly alleged they knew nothing about this! Thaksin was accused of massive corruption. The case was referred to the National Anti Corruption Commission. It voted 17-1 that he had deliberately filed a false declaration of assets and was guilty of corruption. 17- 1 against! Not a close run thing. Not 10-8 or 11-7. A virtually unanimous decision. But the case had to be referred to the Constitutional Court. Before the Constitutional Court, Thaksin argued that the handing over of US$50 million to his staff and not declaring it was "an honest mistake". Huh? How do you divest yourself of such a massive - repeat "massive" - amount of money and actually believe you had made an "honest" mistake? That is pure b/s and almost everyone in Thailand agreed. But - when appearing before the Constitutional Court, the ruling was 8-7 in his favour. How on earth does a 17-1 majority in the Corruption Court suddenly become a 7-8 minority? Through corruption. It was perfectly well known at the time - and @khaolakguy was either blind or one of the army of fans of Thaksin not to be even aware of it. But it was some time later stated in the media that some members of the Constitutional Court had been bribed - primarily because Thaksin was a hugely popular figure in Thailand. Indeed many regared him as the coutry's saviour after the July 1997 economic debacle. Had they voted against him, the country would have been in uproar. So - you had corruption and vast popularity. As I stated earlier, it is very, very difficult to find on the internet items from a quarter of a century ago. Besides, that Constitutional Court was abolished in 2006. I am not prepared to spend hours and hours trying to find more information for @khaolakguy whose eyes and ears appear to have been closed at the time. But there is another point that has escaped @khaolakguy. Perhaps he can explain to readers why four of the Consitutional Court judges were then dismissed? This from Thaksin's wikipedia entry - "there is still a part of society that is skeptical of the court's decision and sees Thaksin as disrupting the justice process, leading to the complaint and removal of four Constitutional Court judges." Let me repeat - "leading to the complaint and removal of four Constitutional Court judges". If he wants exact details of these evictions, he can find them here - พ.ต.ท.ทักษิณถูกมองว่าแทรกแทรงกระบวนการยุติธรรม Now @khaolakguy, please withdraw your stupid allegations.

You've been around on this board for over 20 years and must be perfectly well aware of events surrounding Thaksin and his wife's corruption. If they tried to bribe a court official in his wife's court case with a paltry $60,000 and he had hidden $50 million in order to become first Deputy Prime Minister, the amount paid to certain Constitutional Court members was very substantial in order to gain an 8-7 verdict! There was even a thread about it on this Board which you can check. If you can tell me where else to find Thai media from 2001 on the internet, I will happily provide sources. Presently this exists on one site - The issue resurfaced ahead of the 2001 general election when Thaksin had founded the Thai Rak Thai Party. A petition was filed with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) requesting an investigation into Thaksin’s asset declaration during his tenure as deputy prime minister in Chavalit’s administration. The complaint alleged that Thaksin may have filed a false asset declaration, as billions of baht worth of shares were still officially registered under the names of domestic workers and drivers. The NACC unanimously ruled that Thaksin had deliberately filed a false asset declaration and referred the case to the Constitutional Court for a verdict. Despite this controversy emerging just before the 2001 general election, Thaksin’s popularity was at an all-time high, leading Thai Rak Thai to a landslide victory and securing Thaksin’s first term as prime minister. During his defence before the Constitutional Court, Thaksin famously argued that he had made an “honest mistake”. In a highly controversial 8-7 ruling, the court found that Thaksin had not intentionally filed a false asset declaration, despite heavy public criticism at the time. An honest mistake? Parking $50 million with domestic workers? Absolutely no one believed that! https://asianews.network/tracing-the-shinawatra-hidden-assets-controversy/ And this from Thaiger on December 26 2000 - BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand’s anti-graft watchdog ruled today that leading prime ministerial candidate Thaksin Shinawatra was guilty of filing a false declaration of his assets, an offence that could result in him being banned from politics for five years. The nine-member board of the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) voted 8-1 that Thaksin “intentionally filed a false statement of assets”, said NCCC president Ophars Arunin. He added that the case will now be referred to the Constitutional Court, which must ratify the NCCC’s decision before the ban can take effect. The inquiry into Thaksin covered shareholdings in 17 companies that he failed to disclose in declarations made during a brief stint as deputy prime minister in August 1997. It also investigated the dubious transfer of shares in several other companies to a group of his relatives and servants. https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/Thaksin-found-guilty-false-declarations#google_vignette

Wasn't Oral Roberts one of the first who preached - quoting parts of the Bible if I am not mistaken - that God wanted everyone to be rich? He made that ridiculous appeal about requiring cash to save his life when his faith-healing medical centre ran short of funds. He raised almost twice as much as he sought. Funny, though, the medical centre went bust two years later. Surely the most ridiculous were Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. They were another of the God wants you to be rich brigade. They even opened a Christian-type of Disneyland. They called their ministry PTL (Praise The Lord!) and persuaded a massive amount of gullible viewers to make montly pledges to become PTL partners. Where the money went I cannot recall but they lived a fabulous lifestyle - private jet, 2 Rolls Royces, several homes etc. Then Tammy Faye had a breakdown and when high on drugs she pranced around naked. Jim was discovered to have had sex outside his marriage and paid off one of the girls with ministry money. What the elders - if there was anyone other than the Bakkers looking after the massive amounts of cash - did not know was that the Ministry was essentially broke. Jim was said to be secretly gay. He also had a breakdown but was sentenced to serve 8 years in jail. He got probation after 5. Even then, he started a new ministry advocating the end of the world and sellling end of the world products. That anyone actually believed these con men always confused me! But as a postscript, this sort of get rich evangelism was not confined to the USA. There was a huge scandal in Singapore in 2015 that enveloped the mega-City 'prosperity' Harvest Church with around 30,000 members and its 'pastor' Kong Hee. In an attempt to boost his wife's singing career and gain souls for Christ, the pastor effectively stole US$34 million of Church funds, housed her for a few years in a $28,000 a month Hollywood mansion, financed at considerable cost a recording with David Foster which totally bombed - well, no need to comment futher. But in this case Kong Hee's church did have elders and most had agreed with the plan to spread Christianity through his wife's singing. (To spread Christianity in the USA? How could anyone have been so utterly gullible as to believe that?) End result of the scandal: Kong Hee and five others were jailed for up to 3 years. But the madness did not end. Who took over as pastor of the church? The dud singing wife 'sensation' who had converted no one in the USA to Christianity!

Why not? It's been quoted in the media.

On my early visits to the USA, I could never understand the appeal of televangelism. If I turned on the television on a Sunday morning, I could not escape channel after channel of seemingly rabid men all but screaming about God - and of course the need to give God money. Many ran their own 'ministries' and most of that cash flowed into their own pockets, one way or another. One of the most outpoken was Jimmy Swaggart. He was once confronted by a gay man. He then said if ever he was looked at again "like that - I will kill the man and tell God he died!" But like many of them, Swaggart was a total hypocrite lining his own pockets. In 1986 alone, that ministry business made US$146 million. In 1988 he was discovered in a hotel wth a prostitute. Both alleged they did not have sex (!) He only paid her to pose nude! And if you believe that, then in 1991 police in California caught him with another prostitute in his car. He had been driving on the wrong side of the road. The prostitute said he had not been in full control of the car as he was stuffing pornographic magazines under the seat. Swaggart died yesterday. His son Donnie, perhaps unsurprisingly, has followed in his footsteps and is also an evangelist. In a radio message he said of his father, "There's been no greater example of a good and faithful servant than my father. No ifs, ands and buts about it. A man who lived his life for the cause of Christ." And if you believe that . . . .

In the bars they might either think you are a celebrity - or blind! LOL

I was only in Amman for less than 24 hours, but my driver/guide was great and took me to several of the main sights. But the traffic was horrendous! I wish I had had a little more time to visit Wadi Rum.

I have never raised any objection to this topic. My only question was why it was deemed necesary to have a very large number of individual posts all on the exactly the same subject in one thread because it rarely happens elsewhere on the Board. The usual practice if that threads are continued by adding posts to existing threads. But isn't it rather funny that @ @khaolakguy defends this large number of individual posts when he himself wrote this last year - "Much better to add your question to an old and very relevant thread than to start a new one"

Agreed. We know some of its members were bribed by Thaksin. On the other hand, it banned duly elected Pita for exactly the same reason it removed Thaksin's brother-in-law. Very sadly for this country, Pita and/or his handlers had not done all their detailed due diligence or they would have discovered and declared the old holdings of shares at one time held by Pita. That was the basis of his disbarment. On the other hand, even if that ancient shareholding had been declared in advance, I am certain the elite would have found another way of disbaring him. He is presently in the USA and thankfully has vowed to return to Thai politics. I have a feeling that whenever the next election is held, his new party will gain such a big majority it will be difficult for the elite to get rid of him.

Thanks for that. I had forgotten about the brother-in-law, perhaps because according to the Constitutional Court he only served as the duly elected PM for 18 days in 2008! That same Court then found him guilty of violating the Constitution and banned him from taking part in politics for five years. His wife, Thaksin's sister Yaowapha, was also an MP and she was also given a 5-year ban. Strange now to think that neither ban had any effect at the time on Thaksin senior's popularity.

The Pheu Thai party is the third incarnation of the Thai Rak Thai party which her father founded. If the PM is ousted it can hardly be expected to continue. Sic transit . . .

I remember your post. But I thought circumcisions in Africa are more similar to standard circumcisions practised around the world. Are some similar to the sort of single slit that is practiced in The Philippines?

I like the way that article ends. Doesn's sound as though he will be much of a help to Orban in his anti-gay movement. Szájer also hopes that his name will not be “remembered only by the inglorious end,” even if the “orgy” scandal has turned him into a meme and has become a stain on his reputation he will never get rid of. “I want to prove that I am more than the caricature that has been made of me and that has made me famous, even around the world.”

It's a typical case of how the mighty are fallen with changing times. Thaksin senior came to power when the country was almost at its lowest ebb following the disastrous economic mess left by the government at the start of the Asian Economic Crisis in July 1997. Although he was a crook and should never have become Prime Minister - having parked over US$50 million shares in his company with his gardener, drivers and housekeepers who knew nothing about it, and then bribed the Constitutional Court - he was hugely popular in his fan base in the north and east. And being frank he did get the country moving forward economically again. Some of his policies were very beneficial, including the cheap health scheme for all Thais. But power, probably never far from his mind, took over. I suspect he never forgot what he must have perceived as a huge embarrassment when dethroned by a coup when out of the country. Then the media discovered about the lunchboxes filled with cash handed over to lawyers as his wife attempted to escape from her court charges. Fleeing first to Beijing and then Dubai, no doubt he assumed, as most in power do, that he could still retain his grip, the more so after two relatives took over the post of PM. But each was dethroned. In the meantime, the Hun Sen issue which has largely sparked the present crisis, started when Thaksin became a special advisor in exile to Cambodia in 2009. Hun Sen refused all attempts to deport him back to Thailand where he and his wife were facing court cases. His younger sister Yingluck came to power on the basis of utterly ridiculous policies - first car rebates for up to 600,000 new cars yet no new roads, a tablet for every child (a huge number arrived from China defective and most kids just used them to play computer games!) etc. Worst of all was a rice pledging scheme promising farmers a minimum price for their rice, a price that was way above the world average. This resulted in a huge scandal. Massive mismanagement and corruption led to this costing the government a total of around US$19 billion with Thai warehouses stuffed with rotting rice which could not be sold. Thailand lost its position as the leading rice exporter with Vietnam and India quickly taking over this position. After being tried and found guilty by the Constitutional Court, like her parents Yingluck also fled the country to avoid imprisonment. Before then, though, yet another military coup had taken the reigns of power. Now the Shinawatra influence in Thailand seems finally to be at an end. But this is Thailand. No one really knows what the future will bring.

This is an interesting article about the background to the particular form of circumcision in The Philippines. Apparently there is a circumcision season! Perhaps this should be obvious as it is during a school holiday break and the boys would have to heal before term started again. And one reason for almost every boy wishing the procedure done is to avoid what is usually considerable ridicule from their peers. Other reasons are more debatable - as in it helps ensure penile hygene and reduces the risk of urinary infections! Against that, one midwife points out that the foreskin is far from useless as it contributes to "lubrication during intercourse, safeguards the glass from abrasions and infections, and enhances pleasure for both partners." Not that these issues are likely to change anyone's mind in that country. Although the article does not make this point, despite the government making circumcision free, in the countryside it is often a mass circumcision ceremony by an unqualified or less than qualified medical expert. https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/arts-culture/filipino-male-circumcision-practice-medical-procedure-tradition-stands-strong/