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The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Bomb Hoax Delays Thai Aircraft (Bangkokpost.com, Agencies) A bomb scare delayed a Thai Airways International flight to Dubai for three hours, affecting 270 passengers, the flag carrier said Wednesday. Flight TG 521 bound for Dubai via the south Indian city of Chennai was to leave Bangkok early Wednesday. It was delayed after a female passenger, an Indian national, claimed to the airline that she had received a bomb threat on her mobile phone. Thai Airways and security staff searched the aircraft, passengers' luggage and cargo for three hours, finding nothing, but decided to fly another aircraft as a security precaution, the company said. After hours of delay, the plane left Bangkok late Wednesday, it said. The passenger who informed the police about the bomb threat is under police investigation. It is virtually unknown for a passenger to receive a bomb threat instead of the airline or the Airports of Thailand, which runs Suvaranbhumi Airport. ____________________ The following two stories appear in THE NATION: _____ Bomb Hoax Scares Passengers on THAI Flight A transit flight of Thai Airways International from India to Brunei was delayed by four hours Wednesday morning following a bomb hoax at the Suvarnabhumi Airport, police said. A passenger informed airport officials at 10:30 am that she received a call to her mobile phone, saying there was a bomb planted on the TG521 flight scheduled to leave for Brunei at 11 am. The flight was from Chennai, India and stopped at the Suvarnabhumi Airport. At that time, some passengers have already boarded the plane. Tourist police and officers from Racha Theva police district station rushed to the airport and evacuated passengers from the plane. Police checked through all baggage but did not find any bomb. Passengers were later allowed to board the plane, which eventually took off. _____ Foreigner Held Related to Bomb Hoax at Suvarnabhumi An Indian Canadian has been held by police pending an investigation whether she had made a bomb hoax which delayed a Thai Airways International flight for about four hours Wednesday. Padmapriya Nataraja, 29, informed an official that she had received a call to her mobile phone that there was a bomb on the plane. She informed the official while she was about to board the flight at Gate D6 of the Suvarnabhumi Airport at 10:30 am. Her information prompted officials passengers from the flight, which had left India's Chennai for Brunei and stopped at the Suvanarbhumi. But officials checked and did not find any bomb in the baggage. The plane was delayed for about four hours before leaving for Brunei. The woman was taken into police's custody pending an investigation whether she had really received such phone call. Pol Lt Col Phakkhapong Sai-ubol said the woman would be charged if police did not find record that she had received such call.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Thai stocks index ends up 11% Thai stocks index (SET) closed 69.41 points, or 11.16 per cent higher at 691.55 in active trade of Bt55.21 billion turnover, as brisk rebound in blue chips stocks help SET index to offset much of Tuesday's 15 per cent loss. However, stocks analysts do not expect the SET index to rise much further on Thursday as it will be difficult to break the 700 level if foreign funds turn out to be mild net buyers. __________________ "What goes up must come down." No particular reason for that quote. It's my Christmas gift to Smiles.

JUst for the record, it's Center Condo, not Central Condo. You need to be a little more specific about how long you intend to stay. Few condos, if any, are going to rent you a room for less than a full month. However, even if your stay will be less than a month, it could still be less expensive to pay a month's rent than to pay a hotel.

You missed me again, Wowpow. Last night I was there again with a few friends, one of whom you know quite well. We enjoyed it very much again. We left about twenty minutes before you arrived. But I'm glad you enjoyed it too. By the way, News Cafe is also open for lunch. They open at 1:00 PM.

BANGKOK, Dec 20 (TNA) Buoyed by clarification on easing stringent government-imposed currency controls, the Thai stock rebounded sharply by the end of the Wednesday morning trading session after a historic fall on Tuesday. The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) composite index surged 66.03 points to close at 688.17, up 10.61 per cent from Tuesday, on turnover of Bt34.8 billion. The SET index plunged 14.84 per cent on Tuesday as investors sold almost across the board in trading that saw the index close at 622.14 points, down 108.41 points, which was the largest drop since the bourse was established 31 years ago. Tuesday's total turnover stood at Bt72.1 billion. Heavy buying on Wednesday morning came after Pridiyathorn Devakula, deputy prime minister and finance minister, said Tuesday night on television that effective Wednesday, both stocks and foreign direct investment (FDI) would be exempted from the new Bank of Thailand (BoT) rule, announced late Monday. He said the 30 per cent capital reserve requirement would remain intact on funds brought into the country for investing in financial instruments, as well as for borrowing. The new rule issued by the BoT is aimed at slowing the sharp appreciation of the Thai baht. Earlier this month, the central bank imposed several measures limiting foreign investment in short-term debt instruments to help slow the strengthening of the baht after it gained nearly 15 per cent against the dollar since January. Foreign investors became less worried after the clarification was made and entered the market Wednesday morning which would benefit the capital market, according to SET president Patareeya Benjapolchai. Mrs. Patareeya said the SET, securities firms and custodians had agreed at a Wednesday morning meeting to separate accounts and investment by foreign investors in the bourse which would enable the central bank to know the types of foreign money being invested in each business. The planned separation of accounts will cover investment by foreign investors on the SET, derivative and on initial public offerings. Touching on the over Bt800 billion liquidity which was wiped out from the stock market due to the sharp decline of market capitalisation, Mrs. Patareeya said it would take a while for a recovery. She said she was optimistic that foreign investors would return to the Thai bourse due to strong fundamentals and the fall of P/E ratio which slipped to 7.3 Tuesday from 8.68 on Monday, considered the lowest among Asia's regional markets. Admitting that she was worried concerned about new measures which might be issued in future, Mrs. Patareeya said she believed that the concerned authorities would more carefully consider before introducing any new measure following the historic fall of the market on Tuesday. (TNA)-E111

Deutchsland uber alles . . .

As long as the subject is being continued here, I don't thing the issue is who is right about what constitutes plagiarism. The issue is taking a published item and changing the words around in a blatantly obvious attempt to make it appear as ifit was written by someone else and the information was gathered by someone else. Maybe it's legal and maybe it isn't, but it's definitely not right. And nothing anyone can say is going to make it right.

Agreed. And enough is enough. The thread is closed.

If anyone can translate the above post into English, I hope you will. That way there might be a prayer of having any clue what this damned fool is talking about. I did get one aspect of it, though . . . the part about how you would be up all night writing all the things you don't like about me, as if I, or anyone else for that matter, could possibly care any less about what you like or don't like. In your case, nobody would have to be up all night. It would take less than a second. Of course they would be writing everything they do like about you. A blank page doesn't take long to write. See you later, Dr, Cyclops.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Panic as Stock Market Records Biggest Crash in 31-Year History The stock market yesterday crashed by almost 20 per cent, the biggest one-day fall in the bourse's 31-year history. It hit a two-year low on concerted sell-offs by foreign and local investors who were spooked by the 30-per cent reserve withholding on new capital inflow. About Bt820 billion worth of market capitalisation was wiped out in a single day, leaving the Stock Exchange of Thailand at Bt4.63 trillion. The composite SET Index plunged to 721.85 at the opening bell and headed further south, falling by 10 per cent at 11.30am. This triggered the first-ever implementation of the first-step circuit breaker to halt trading for 30 minutes by the SET since it was created in 1997. Panic selling continued even after the stock market resumed trading and it pushed the market down to almost 20 per cent to the day's trough at 587.92 before rebounding slightly to close the day at 622.14, or a 14.84 per cent drop. Turnover also marked an all-time high at Bt72.13 billion, excluding the Bt73-billion big-lot sale of Shin Corp on January 23 when turnover amounted to Bt94.06 billion. The second worst day was seen both in Bloody May in 1992 and on July 2, 1997, when the SET index slumped 8.8 per cent. The stock market yesterday took the hardest blow from the tough pill prescribed by the Bank of Thailand (BOT), while the foreign exchange market and the bond market were also hit - but not so severely. Yields of all maturity bonds yesterday rose 20 basis points acrossthe board, According to the Thai Bond Market Association, the bond market was blamed as the main source for the baht speculation. The baht at 6pm traded at Bt35.55 against the greenback. The knock-on effect impacted on stock markets in the Asia region, particular in neighbouring countries for fear they would follow in the BOT's footsteps. Indonesian share prices closed 2.85 per cent lower, KLCI lost 2 per cent, The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, fell 0.4 per cent, Singapore's Strait Times dropped 2.23 per cent, Hong Kong's Heng Seng was off 1.19 per cent and Taiwan's stock market closed 0.34 per cent lower. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont refused to comment on the crash yesterday, saying Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula would explain the issue. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the SET and brokers urged the central bank to review its tough measures to counter the baht speculators. SEC secretary-general Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala said in the first trading session the BOT measures had reduced the SET's market capitalisation by as much as Bt500 billion. He said foreign investors are concerned that the central bank may introduce more measures. However, he warned them to wait and consider the consequences before shifting their capital out of the country. Otherwise, they may lose investment opportunities. SET president Patareeya Benjapolchai said the central bank should review the measure and consider imposing controls at the root of the problem to prevent an impact on the overall economy. "The measure has had the worst impact on the Thai stock market and prompted us to employ the circuit breaker for the first time since it was implemented in 1997. The September 11 tragedy pushed the Thai stock market down 9.7 per cent during the day's trade before it recovered," she said. The SET's Board of Governors will today convene an extraordinary meeting to discuss the impact from the central bank's measure. The 20-basis point rise in yields of all maturity bonds, considered as an unusual movement, has taken place five previous times when the BOT announced it would raise the interest rate, said an officer from the Thai BMA, who asked to remain anonymous. However, there are no signs of capital outflow, he said.

Why won't you tell us how you really feel? It's too soon to predict where this is leading. Personally, I hope the baht fals further because it's costing me a fortune. Apparently it is also dcostin g Thai businesses a fortune. Several months ago we were reading about how the baht is expected to move to about 42 to the US dollar and stay there. Everyone, Thai and 'farang,' seemed quite comfortable with that. I hope that's where this is leading, but it's just too soon to make any predictions. Actually, making predictions about the baht seems to be an exercise in futility. Not one of the predictions I have ever read, including my own, has ever come to pass. However, here's a bit more: _____ BANGKOK, Dec 19 (TNA) Despite the Thai stock market plunges, the new reserve measures imposed by the Bank of Thailand on Monday and aimed at curbing short-term capital inflows will remain intact, according to Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pridiyathorn Devakula. Capital inflows in the form of short-term debt instruments during the past three weeks amounted as high as Bt100 billion as foreign investors believed that the Thai economy was quite strong while the P/E ratio was considerably low, said M.R. Pridiyathorn. Both the stock and debt instrument markets would be affected if no measures were imposed, he said, adding that the central bank's new measures which became effective Monday had helped weaken the Thai currency which would assist the country's exports. The first measure launched by the central bank earlier this month had failed to soften the Thai bah, so it was necessary to introduce harsher measures, he said. Under the new measures, financial institutions must deduct 30 per cent as a reserve requirement from short-term foreign exchange transactions against the baht. Customers whose funds have been withheld can request a refund of the reserve if the money has been in Thailand for at least one year. M.R. Pridiyathorn said it would be better to allow the Thai stock market to move along its mechanism and that he would not worry even if the market index would plunge almost 100 points because Thailand's economic fundamentals are still strong. He said he believed both stock brokers and investors could adapt themselves to the market movements while the government would concentrate on helping exporters. (TNA)-E111

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Use More Bamboo

I appreciate that, Catawampuscat, but the truth is I do believe that Ear Wig has the capability of providing all of us with valuable information and if he does that without the constant childish nonsense, the present perception of him held by so many would vanish. The problem I have with him is the methods by which he provides his information. I know this applies to me, and I think it applies to the majority of people who visit the web sites on which he writes . . . we can do without the bragging, name dropping, self-aggrandizement, the attempts to convince people he has access to information that others cannot get, the putting down of others, the threats, and all the rest that is consistent with his posts. I can even live with the poor spelling and grammar. If he would simply post his information, as the rest of us do, without having to constantly convince people he is some kind of a big shot, then I believe he would be an asset to any board upon which he chooses to post. I believe he has more of a need to convince himself rather than the rest of us. As I said on a post I wrote on Baht-Stop, few people appreciate the constant postings of a braggart. I would prefer to feel respect for and good will toward him rather than the feelings I have at present. If he'll simply leave out all the posturing, then I believe instead of all the animosity he'll gain all the admiration and respect he seems to so desperately need, and he'll have it without feeling the need to say it all the time.

So far, today, the baht has been steadily plunging. It is now a little after 5:00 PM in Thailand, so the closing rates today are as follows: US dollar: 35.74 Euro: 46.73 British pound: 69.575 Australian dollar: 27.7075 Canadian dollar: 30.7175 To avoid any confusion, when I publish exchange rates I am not publishing the bank rates. I am posting the actual rate you will receive when you exchange money at banks or pull money from an ATM. If you wish to keep track of the exchange rates yourself, you can find the latest rates at http://www.krungsri.com/thai/king.htm .

Gooooood! I see you're quickly moving toward the dark side of the force. Last month you were the leading authority on libel law. This month you're the leading authority on journalism. Toward this point in the month, our expert in journalism resorts to this kind of post. I can hardly wait for next month. It's not only the plagiarism that's at issue here. It's the changing of the words to suit his own purposes and the betrayal of trust, something that your posts thus far have failed to address. And that's why I no longer give a good goddam about what he thinks or what you think about anything at all.

Goodness gracious, don't you ever learn? Are you actually trying to portray this incident as your means of teaching Hedda a lesson? As long as we're at it, since you also seem to have no problem ridiculing the physical appearance of others, I don't think you will mind if the same is done to you. While according to you some of us have beer guts, commit the crime of wearing white socks, are balding, etc, have you looked in a mirror lately? I have to admit that whenever I see you I'm forced to stifle my little laugh. That's because I'm reminded of a movie I saw when I was a kid. It was entitled "Dr. Cyclops." http://www.scifi.com/sfw/issue142/classic.html

Not I. As a matter of fact, I couldn't care less. How do you like that?

Quite right, Wowpow. I checked this morning's exchange rates at 8:40 AM, Thailand time. There were already three rounds of exchange. The rates as of this moment are as follows: US Dollar: 35.70 Euro: 46.65 British Pound: 69.455 Australian Dollar: 27.6975 Canadian Dollar: 30.735 These are significant changes since yesterday and for the first time in months, the change is moving in favor of foreign currencies. Apparently this wil be quite an interesting week. I suppose we'll know soon enough where this is going. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ BAHT CRISIS BOT Bid to Limit Currency Dealings 30% of Big Cash Sums will have to be Deposited in Banks, it Says Foreign investors bringing in cash worth US$20,000 or more (approximately Bt700,000) would need to park 30 per cent of the amount in financial institutions. The money would be fully returned if the cash was taken out of the country after one year, the Bank of Thailand announced yesterday. The 30-per-cent reserve requirement on capital will take effect today. Thus, foreign investors who bring in more dollars than the amount would only be able to exchange 70 per cent of their money into baht. The reserve would be returned to them after 12 months. Tarisa Wattanagase, the central bank governor, said at a press conference yesterday the measure would help curb speculation that has made the baht volatile and appreciated above its fundamental level. "We think this measure will help slow down the short-term inflows as it would increase costs for speculators," Tarisa said. Yesterday's move is the most stringent since 1997 to counter baht speculators, who have brought in billions of dollars in the past few months and pushed the baht to a level that has damaged Thailand's exports. Last month, there were short-term inflows of US$300 million per week - that had tripled to $950 million per week this month, she said. Yesterday, the baht shot up to a nine-year high - Bt35.06 - 16 per cent stronger than the value of the baht at the beginning of this year (Bt41). The Thai unit opened at Bt35.21 to Bt35.25 to the dollar before closing at Bt35.30 to Bt35.35 after news of the BOT's new measure. The measure will not apply to foreign direct investment (FDI), as the reserve would be returned to investors as soon they arrive in the Kingdom. Exporters and Thai investors paid out of their foreign investments would also be exempted from the move. Foreign investors who bring in more capital than the criteria level and take it overseas before the end of one year would only be entitled to two thirds of the 30-per-cent reserve, or they would be charged 10 per cent of total capital inflow by Thai authorities. The central bank has threatened to introduce more measures if the baht speculation persists. The speculative inflows have pushed the Thai currency up by 16 per cent so far this year. Tarisa said the 30 per cent was calculated from profits expected to be generated by speculators. She said the new measure would effectively discourage speculative inflows and reduce baht volatility. However, the central bank would closely monitor the baht after the measure is launched today. She said the central bank might cancel the measure, change the reserve amount, or change the time limit depending on the situation. As a result, it is uncertain how long the measure will last for. The governor also ruled out tax moves to tackle baht speculation, saying there was no need. Such moves too much time to introduce and were less flexible than the reserve measure. Under the measure, financial institutions that withhold the reserve from foreign investors must submit the sum to the central bank on the 7th of every month. The BOT would make use of the capital to generate further returns. Tarisa said the move may also affect the debt market but the BOT did not want to see speculative inflows in the debt market either. Tarisa said several countries had implemented this measure to curb currency speculation. Chile used the 30-per-cent reserve for capital inflow for less than six months before cancelling the measure. She insisted it was not against development of the capital market. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula said before the BOT announcement that the new measure was positive news for exporters and investors. He admitted that the baht had been far too strong. Anoma Srisukkasem The Nation

It sounds like it would actually be safer without those, especially if pedestrians assume they are safe to cross. I drive through Pattaya every day and was not even aware of them until your post. I've never noticed them at all. While we're on the subject, it's a good thing Pattaya has no laws against jaywalking. If there were such laws, then it would be difficult to cross streets at all. There are pedestrian bridges at several intersections along Sukhumvit Highway, but within Pattaya the streets are too narrow to make them practical.

Not to be confused with the Ritz, of course . . . Khun Rit, of the popular Rit's Beach concession at Dongtan Beach in Pattaya, is hosting a free Christmas Day barbeque on Monday, December 25, at 1:00 PM, as his Christmas gift. The barbeque is sponsored by the Panorama Pub. There is one catch. You need a ticket. Although it's free, the tickets that have been given clearly state, "Please bring this card." If you'd like to go, then you'll need to ask Rit or one of his workers for a ticket. I'm sure he'll be glad to give you one. The reason for the ticket is because this is being hosted in the afternoon, when the beaches are full. He cannot accommodate hundreds of people who happen to be strolling by. So, get your ticket and join Khun Rit at the barbeque.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Justice to Amend Law to Make Alcohol Test Mandatory for Drunk Drivers The Justice Ministry is pushing for a traffic law amendment to force suspected drunk drivers to take an alcohol test and to permit police to detain those who refuse the test. Permanent secretary for Justice Charan Phakdithanakul said Monday at the launch of the "Young People Against Drink Driving" campaign the ministry had drafted two amendments to the Land Transportation Act 1979. The proposals would be presented to the Cabinet before being submitted to the National Legislative Assembly. They should be in effect for the next Songkran Festival, which is notorious for its annual road carnage caused by drinkdriving. The first amendment would force suspected drunk drivers to take a breath or a blood-alcohol test. Anyone who refuses can be automatically considered by police officers as being drunk, punishable by up to three months in jail and/or a fine of up to Bt10,000. Currently, refusal to take a test draws the lighter penalty of obstructing police, punishable by a fine of Bt1,000 compared Bt4,000 and a year in jail for drink drivers. The second amendment makes it mandatory for all involved in motor accidents to submit to alcohol tests instead of leaving it to a police officer's assessment, Charan said. Later, a fund would be established to help victims of drunk driving accidents. The Nation __________ Here's an example of why the new laws are considered necessary: The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Drunken Motorbike Taxi Driver Injures Passenger in Late Night Crash on Third Road We urge you to take care when employing the services of a Motorbike Taxi Driver here in Pattaya, especially late at night. The drivers will sometimes wait for long periods of time between customers which can tempt some to consume alcohol to pass the time. This crash which Police tell us was caused by a drunken Motorbike Taxi Driver took place in front of the Pattaya Fire Station on Pattaya Third Road in the early hours of Sunday Morning. It involved a motorbike driven by Khun Gitisuk aged 25 who was taking Khun Apon aged 37 from South Pattaya to her home in Central Pattaya. As the bike passed this location, the driver clipped the side of the pavement and crashed. Both the driver and passenger were injured but not seriously. Inside the bike were 5 whisky bottles hidden under the seat which were taken into evidence by Police. It appears that Khun Gitisuk

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: To view the photos that accompany this article, see: http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_18_12_49_2.htm _____ District Governor Orders Military Assistance as Pattaya

How about this one: Ear Wig = He's not a "TOTAL SHMUCK." - He's a . . . . (oh well, I can't think of anything else.)

I'm not sure of the source of that information, Wowpow, but today there were 12 rounds of exchange rates posted. Usually there are four or five. The currencies closed today as followis: US Dollar: 35.18 Euro: 45.95 British Pound: 68.565 Australian Dollar: 27.3475 Canadian Dollar: 30.235 There was also this: _____ Baht Appreciation Begins Affecting Thai industry BANGKOK, Dec 18 (TNA) Thailand

Thank you. And people keep telling me I have no sense of humor. I don't know why. I laughed once in 1972.