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From BBC Travel For years, the Moravia neighbourhood of Medellín was the city's rubbish dump. But in recent years, this former landfill has blossomed into a thriving arts and cultural centre. Stroll through Medellín's working-class Moravia neighbourhood on any given morning and you'll see a hawker belting out "aguacates!" through a small loudspeaker while dragging a wooden wagon of gigantic avocados behind him. Scents of deep-fried cheese-and-dough fritters swirl from heated buñuelo displays. Glancing up amid the winding sea of humble brick-and-cement abodes, a grandma hangs her clothes out to dry on a thin wire on her balcony. Amid it all, motorcycles, delivery trucks and stray dogs do a delicate dance while navigating the narrow roads. This multisensory experience may not seem entirely out of place elsewhere in Colombia, but it was unfathomable here just years ago. That's because, not only was Medellín dogged by its reputation as the world's unofficial "murder capital" for years, but Moravia once had a particularly undesirable reputation within the city: it was its rubbish dump. Medellín is just three decades removed from its designation as "The Most Dangerous City" in the world by Timemagazine. In 1991, the homicide rate peaked at a world-high of 380 per 100,000 people as the country's drug war oozed into the streets and facets of everyday life. Today, those years appear to be long gone. The homicide rate is roughly one-fifteenth of what it once was, there's a genuine sense of revitalisation in the air and public projects are breathing new life into the city. The Morro de Moravia (Moravia Hill) enlivens the urban landscape of Medellin (Credit: Alcadía de Medellín) A squeaky-clean Metro system now whizzes above ground, cable cars string into hillside barrios, and public escalators wind through the once-unnavigable Comuna 13 neighbourhood. Each of these is not only a picturesque way for visitors to take in the city's skyline and sky-high Andes Mountains vistas, but they also connect those in some of Medellín's poorest and hardest-to-navigate neighbourhoods with the centre city and job opportunities. Medellín's central 'mountain' When viewed from above, beige-and-brick structures dot Medellín's landscape. The northern half of the city is enclosed by mountains, but there is one noticeable green heap in the centre of town just north of the Parque Norte amusement park: the Morro de Moravia (Moravia Hill), which is blanketed in grass, walking paths and gardens and is punctuated with a large greenhouse on top. Yet, walking up the mountain, you're greeted with large signs and historical photos showing what life was once like on this now-serene hill: black-and-white images reveal a vast landscape of dirt, hand-made shanties built from rubbish and locals picking through the city's dumped debris. When the Ferrocarril de Antioquia regional railroad connected Moravia with the surrounding countryside in the 1960s, it brought displaced families forced to relocate to the safer confines of the city. Their once-quiet lives outside Medellín had been made dangerous by right- and left-wing militarists engaging in a partisan war over land and goods. Settling in Moravia – which formed in the early 1900s as a linear settlement bordering the railroad and slowly expanded out from it – was a safer bet. In the 1970s, the city authorised the area to be used as a municipal landfill, which led this slowly new barrio to explode into a mountain of garbage. As a result, a number of the previously displaced families were relocated to the western hills of Medellín. Other families resisted further relocation as the trash began piling up all around them. Of the families that resisted and remained, many operated recycling operations out of their homes to make a living. Continues with photos https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210713-moravia-colombias-unexpected-green-oasis

From Thai Enquirer / WSJ The latest wave of the coronavirus outbreak caused by the Delta variant may be too contagious for existing social distancing measures, experts say. The latest data reported by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) this week adds to these findings, with researchers telling the paper that the Delta variant may be so transmissible that they are “worried the virus could leak out easier and require harsher lockdowns.” As of June 22, 2021, more than 4,500 sequences of the variant have been detected in at least 78 countries, including Thailand. Hotel quarantines, according to the WSJ article, may no longer suffice. Australia’s lockdowns Researchers cite a case in Australia where two people who quarantined in adjacent hotel rooms and opened doors within seconds of one another to fetch their meals was infected with the Delta variant. This led to another outbreak and lockdown Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest metropolis. Health authorities believe that those brief seconds of exchange from one hotel room to another could have been enough for the virus to spread via airborne transmission. On June 28, Australia locked down two more of its major cities – Sydney and Darwin – due to the Delta variant. Japan’s Olympic ban Japan, which is set to host this summer’s Olympics, is also going through another emergency due to the highly infectious Delta variant outbreak. Last Thursday, the organizers revised previous plans and said that the Olympics will now take place “without spectators” in Tokyo, as the country has once again declared a state of emergency in the capital. Citizens are also being told to not gather for events in public spaces such as the triathlon, although some venues outside the capital may allow some spectators. Japan’s Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga explained that it was especially vital that Tokyo, where the Delta variant is now spreading rapidly, does not become the new epicentre of another outbreak. There are also concerns that with the rate of infections soaring in the capital right now, the virus could also spread to the rest of the country, the Prime Minister added. “We absolutely must avoid Tokyo being the starting point again of another spread of the infection,” Suga said. Israel’s new strategy Israel, for the majority of the past two years, was incredibly successful in containing the virus and rolling out the vaccine. The country has been at the heart of what analysts say is “one of the world’s fastest vaccination programmes.” But 10 days after it had ditched its mask-wearing policy and celebrated its no social distancing, Israeli authorities reversed course on June 24 on mask wearing due to the spread of the Delta variant. The recent surge of the Delta variant has had authorities concerned that even its vaccination drive, which was able to control the virus for the most part of the past year, may no longer work. With around 60 per cent of Israel’s population having received at least one jab of the Pfizer vaccine, the government has decided earlier this week that they will begin offering a third booster shot for those with compromised immune systems. With new daily Covid-19 infections running at about 450 cases a day in Israel, the Delta variant now makes up about 90 per cent of the cases. South Korea’s new wave South Korea, another Covid-19 success story, had managed to curb its hard-hit coronavirus outbreak since last year. However, authorities now believe that their encouragement for the country to “open” back up and for its inoculated citizens to go mask-free outdoors may have been premature — due to the latest surge in cases surrounding the Delta variant. On July 9, health authorities in Seoul announced that they will be ramping up lockdown restrictions throughout the city, urging everyone, vaccinated and not, to wear masks outdoors and limiting the size of gatherings. As of July 12, the country has imposed strict social distancing measures in Seoul and its surrounding regions. Schools will go remote, nightlife and entertainment venues will be closed, and evening social gatherings will be limited to only two people. Rallies are banned and only family members can attend weddings and funerals. https://www.thaienquirer.com/29793/delta-at-the-heart-of-new-infections-worldwide-may-require-new-lockdown-protocol/

From Thai Enquirer Twitter bans account of prominent Thai hospital administrator Twitter banned the account of a prominent Thai hospital administrator on Wednesday, although no reason was given for the ban. Dr Suwadee Puntpanich, a director at Thonburi Bamrungmuang Hospital, was a prominent Twitter presence in Thailand with her account noted its criticism of the government’s Covid response and praised for finding hospital beds for hundreds of Covid-19 patients. Suwadee’s regularly tweeted updates about government vaccine policy and had criticized the government for now allowing private hospitals to bring in their own vaccine. Suwadee has also spent the last two weeks helping out Covid-19 positive patients on Twitter find a bed due to lack of hospital space in government facilities. Her activism has resulted in Troll campaigns mounted by unknown actors and has been the subject of criticism from government officials. https://www.thaienquirer.com/29849/twitter-bans-account-of-prominent-thai-hospital-administrator/

From Channel News Asia / Reuters TOKYO: Japan will make additional donations of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Taiwan and other Asian neighbours this week, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday (Jul 13). Japan will ship out 1 million doses each to Indonesia, Taiwan and Vietnam on Thursday as part of bilateral deals with those governments, Motegi told reporters. An additional 11 million doses donated through the COVAX sharing scheme will be sent this month to Bangladesh, Cambodia, Iran, Laos, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, as well as various Pacific Island states, he said. This is the third batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines Japan has donated to Taiwan, taking the country's total donations to Taiwan so far to almost 3.4 million doses. "The friendship between Taiwan and Japan is unwavering. The Foreign Ministry once again thanks our partners in freedom and democracy for their warm assistance and strong support," it added. In a statement, Vietnam said it would receive a million doses from Japan on Friday in the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City, where it is fighting its largest outbreak yet after months of successful containment. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/japan-donate-1-million-more-covid-19-vaccines-astrazeneca-taiwan-15210604

From The Thaiger The Thai Immigration Bureau is warning foreign residents and the general public to be careful of people who are impersonating as immigration police officers and asking for bribes or other payments. Apparently, the people posing as immigration officers are approaching individual foreigners and are inspecting establishments like factories, which tend to employ migrant workers. If approached by someone claiming to be an immigration police officer, the bureau says to ask to see a police identity card. Immigration Bureau would like to inform you that if you see those with such behaviours or suspect someone is impersonating an immigration officer, please ask for a police identity card containing personal information such as a police rank, name, surname, organisation name for primary examination. https://thethaiger.com/news/national/public-warned-about-immigration-police-impersonators-asking-for-bribes

From Thai Enquirer The government will pass an emergency decree this week aimed at battling disinformation but critics say the act is open to abuse and could be used to silence dissidents. According to the government, this emergency decree, emergency order number 27, is meant to suppress harmful information that could cause the public to panic during the coronavirus pandemic. The government has said that misinformation about its policies have caused undue panic and unwarranted criticism, something it wants to cut down on. However, critics warns that the way the act is written means that the government could use it to silence critics and dissidents. “The new order is very vague,” said Yingcheep Atchanont, a leading activist at the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw). “The government does not define what kind of information could be deemed as information that is “creating fear amongst the public.” He said that a similar order which came out last year clearly identified fake news as news that would cause undue panic among the public. However, this new order changes the wording from “causing the public to panic” to “creating fear amongst the public” and they have left out the part which said that such information must not be real. The new order also bans information that would “detablise the state” which is broader than the previous order. “With the changes in the wording, the new order is even broader than the last one,” Yingcheep said. He said in a normal situation, a bill must pass the parliament’s scrutiny before it becomes law. However, the emergency decree allows the Prime Minister to come up with executive orders that bypasses the legislature. https://www.thaienquirer.com/29749/government-to-pass-new-information-decree-this-week-critics-calls-decree-problematic/

From Bangkok Post Sinovac-produced antibodies 'halve every 40 days' Antibody levels in people fully vaccinated with the Sinovac vaccine decline by half every 40 days, according to findings from a joint study between Thammasat University's faculty of medicine and the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec). The findings were revealed by Anan Jongkaewwattana, director of Veterinary Health Innovation and Management Research Group of Biotec. Mr Anan wrote on Facebook that their study of 500 people, who received two doses of Sinovac, indicated that the level of antibodies drops by 50% every 40 days. The level of antibodies in people who received a second jab more than 60 days after the first was on average lower than that of those who got the second dose in less than 60 days, he said. Mr Anan said the vaccine potency within 60 days of the second shot is between 60%-70% against the original strain. The potency against the original strain declines to about 50% in those receiving the second shot for over 60 days. However, no data is available about the potency of two doses of Sinovac against variants, especially the highly contagious Alpha and Delta strains. The overall level of immunisation is likely to drop in older people, he said, adding those aged over 40 showed lower antibody levels than those younger. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2147667/sinovac-produced-antibodies-halve-every-40-days ===================================== Govt lambasted for wasting early success The government has mismanaged the Covid-19 pandemic and supply of vaccines, which has plunged the country into a crisis and stifled opportunities to recover, according to new research by the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). The institute has also called for the setting up of an independent committee to study the mishandling of the pandemic with the aim of drawing up a blueprint to prevent similar mistakes occurring in the future as it evalues the government's performance after two years in office. Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said the government will hold a press conference to respond to the TDRI's assessment on Tuesday. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2147583/govt-lambasted-for-wasting-early-success

"I cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel." That's the quote that registered with me right away and stayed with me. On my best days, I think that the situation will gradually stabilize and we'll soon return to life as it was before the virus. On my worst days, I feel that I'm witnessing the end of the world in slow motion. Even in the countries where much progress has been made, there are signs that that progress may only be a temporary phase. The video may be about the Klang Valley in Malaysia but it truth I think it's still possible that it could happen anywhere. There are simply too many unknowns. We need to see the world without nationalities, without borders, without prejudice. We all live in Klang Valley.

From BBC Culture Lil Nas X and pop's gay sexual revolution Lil Nas X has put his sexuality front and centre of his image, as part of a mission to help normalise queerness (Credit: Getty Images) The rise of Lil Nas X is representative of an era where gay sex is taking up more space in music than ever. Other younger pop stars who have put their sexuality front and centre in their work recently include Olly Alexander, the former frontman and now sole member of British band Years & Years. He also subverted the homophobic association between homosexuality and sin in the lyrics and video of his 2018 single Sanctify, a song about sex with a man who is still in the closet. Australian pop star Troye Sivan's 2018 album Bloom featured numerous references to sex with men. When it comes to female artists, meanwhile, Hayley Kiyoko has been described by fans as a "lesbian Jesus" for her sexy pop bops, while pansexual singer and actor Janelle Monáe's hyper-sexual, vagina-themed video for 2018 PYNK catapulted her to queer icon status. More recently, bisexual rapper Cardi B's record-breaking, joyfully lascivious WAP, contained the most-googled lyrics of 2020. Of course, the LGBTQ+ stars of today are part of a long lineage of gay pop icons, stretching back to the likes of Elton John, George Michael and Freddie Mercury. When these musicians first hit it big, it was a very different era: in the 1970s, disco had allowed queerness in pop to flourish for a brief moment with US acts such as Sylvester and The Village People, while in the UK punk group Tom Robinson Band released the seminal gay protest anthem Glad to be Gay in 1978. But as the Aids pandemic worsened in the 1980s, gay men became tabloid targets, and while speculation over stars' sexuality was rife, they remained in the closet, prevented from expressing their sexuality in their work in any overt ways. As critic Alfred Soto wrote in a 2016 tribute to Michael following his death, fans back then were "fine with queerness so long as the artists didn't ask or tell". David Bowie – who traded on an androgynous aesthetic and a hedonistic public persona – had found this out the hard way. He regarded coming out gay in 1972, then bisexual in 1976 (before re-assigning himself as a "closet heterosexual" later on) as one of the biggest mistakes of his career. Bowie said in a 2002 interview that bisexuality made things "a lot tougher" in the "puritanical" US and "stood in the way of so much [he] wanted to do". In a 2007 interview, Boy George also attributed the downturn of his career in the US with coming out as bisexual on television in the 1983, before coming out as gay years later. There were exceptions, who capitalised on controversy relating to their discussion of gay sex. Frankie Goes To Hollywood's iconic 1983 hit Relax, a song about anal sex with a video set in a leather club, was famously banned from TV and radio by the BBC, but it still became one of the best-selling singles ever in the UK. Meanwhile, British synth-pop trio Bronski Beat's successful 1984 debut album highlighted the unequal age of consent for gay men in the UK at the time. The group headlined the famous Pits and Perverts concert in London's Electric Ballroom to raise funds for campaign group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, an event which was portrayed in the 2014 film Pride. However while these acts were able to make a momentary splash as gay provocateurs, expectations were different for big-name artists hoping to carve-out long-term careers in the mainstream, whose public image was more tightly monitored by record label bosses. Continues at https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210708-pops-gay-sexual-revolution

From Bangkok Post Protesters shift aim to coalition parties A person flashes a three-fingered salute on the skywalk at Ratchadamri intersection in Bangkok in support of the "car mob" urging coalition parties to pull out of the coalition on Saturday. (Photo by Wichan Charoenkiatpakul) A "car mob" has shifted its target to pressure coalition parties after several anti-government groups before it failed to urge the prime minister to resign. The anti-Prayut demonstrators, led by activist Sombat Boonngam-anong, on Saturday staged another car mob, called “Sombat Tour”, in Bangkok after one was held last Saturday. The caravan visited the headquarters of Democrat and Bhumjaithai parties in the afternoon. They urged the pair to pull out of the Prayut Chan-o-cha coalition government, reasoning their departures would undermine the government’s vote base in the House and trigger a chain reaction. They hope it would lead to the resignation of Gen Prayut, the dissolution of the House or at least a no-confidence debate that would pave the way for the nomination of a new prime minister. The protesters also visited Palang Pracharath (PPRP), the main party set up to support Gen Prayut, but did not leave a letter there like they had done at the offices of the Democrats and Bhumjaithai. Instead, they poured flour, a well-known symbol of shady activities involving Thamanat Prompow, the new secretary-general of the party. “We don’t have a letter for them and what we did here symbolises the party’s controversial image both at home and abroad,” they announced. Flour has over the past few years become the symbol of Deputy Agriculture Minister Thamanat Prompow, who had been convicted of drug-related charges in Australia in the 1990s. He had told Parliament during a censure debate on him last year that the substance that led to his imprisonment was not heroin. “It’s flour,” he had said. The demonstrators later went to the Ratchaprasong intersection where Mr Sombat gave a short speech. “Gen Prayut claimed the country had been in crisis so he had no choice but to stage a coup. He then promised he would not stay long. But seven years have passed and we wonder whether he has a clock in his house. Now it’s clear the one who instigated an unprecedented crisis is Gen Prayut himself,” he said. The prime minister had said on Friday that he would donate his salary for three months following criticism about his handling of the deteriorating Covid-19 situation where he has single command. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2146627/protesters-shifts-aim-to-coalition-parties

From The Thaiger Vaccines for foreigners: 105k AstraZeneca, 150k Pfizer While the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced increased testing, more field hospitals, quarantining at home for mild infections, community quarantines, and even the application of traditional Thai remedies to supplement modern medicine, vaccination is still the most effective solution to winning the battle against Covid-19. Their deputy spokesperson laid out the plans for the 1.5 million Pfizer vaccines en route, and the 1.05 AstraZeneca doses already arrived in Thailand as a donation from Japan. It had been announced earlier that the vaccines would be focused on the greater Bangkok area residents, especially those over 60 years old or at risk due to one of 7 designated health conditions but now included others including foreigners. The CCSA added frontline workers to the list of those most in need, and also people like students, diplomats, and athletes that need the Pfizer vaccine to travel abroad. And they singled out foreigners living in Thailand, especially those with cancer or chronic diseases, as in dire need of vaccines. And so the government gave some exact figures on distribution this week. They say 945,000 AstraZeneca vaccines will go to Thai people while 105,000 are earmarked for foreigners. Aside from Bangkok and the surrounding 5 provinces, some will be made available in Chonburi, Phuket, Rayong, and Chachoengsao. https://thethaiger.com/news/national/vaccines-for-foreigners-105k-astrazeneca-150k-pfizer

From Thai Enquirer Telecom surveillance orders just a part of growing digital authoritarianism in Myanmar larming orders from Myanmar’s Posts and Telecommunications Department (PTD) back in June warned that senior executives of major telecommunications firms in the country would not be allowed to leave the country without the permission of the military junta. In pursuit of the junta’s goals of creating a digital surveillance state, telecom companies were told that they had until July 5 to implement technology on their systems that would allow government authorities to spy on calls, messages, and web traffic, as well as to track the whereabouts of users. While these recent initiatives by the military junta come as the country faces growing instability due to widespread public protests, a growing armed opposition, and economic upheaval, the broader strategy of digital authoritarianism predates the February 1 coup d’état. The implications of this strategy are far-reaching. Before February 1, the Tatmadaw not-so-covertly obtained technology that allows them to conduct surveillance on their own citizens through purchases that were sold under the guise of modernizing the country’s law enforcement agencies. With the former National League for Democracy (NLD) government out of the way and largely detained, the military government now has access to surveillance drones, electronic devices that can crack iPhones, and sophisticated software that can hack into computer systems and extract their data. In other words, the same technology that was designed to help modernize Myanmar during its democratization period is now being used to crackdown on civilians as well as gain control over some domestic and foreign corporations based in the country. https://www.thaienquirer.com/29694/telecom-surveillance-orders-just-a-part-of-growing-digital-authoritarianism-in-myanmar/

From Bangkok Post Sinovac dumped as second-dose vaccine in favour of AstraZeneca In a major policy change, the Public Health Ministry has decided to use the AstraZeneca vaccine for the second jab for those who received Sinovac as the first dose. Public Health Minister Anutin Chanvirakul announced the change on Monday. AstraZeneca would be administered as the second shot three or four weeks after the Sinovac inoculation. A combination of the two vaccines would provide a better defence against the Delta variant of the virus, he said. Mr Anutin did not say what people who have had two doses of Sinovac should do when the change in policy comes into force, or how it would affect people awaiting their first or second dose of the Astra Zeneca vaccine. The change was announced after a meeting of the National Communicable Disease Committee as part of measures to cope with Delta, the highly contagious variant of the virus first detected in India and rapidly becoming the dominant strain in Thailand https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2147511/sinovac-dumped-as-second-dose-vaccine-in-favour-of-astrazeneca

From AFP / BP Members of Myanmar's Karenni People Defense Force take part in military training at their camp near Demoso in Kayah state. KAYAH STATE, Myanmar: In their camp hidden in the forested hills of Kayah state near the Thai border, Myanmar anti-junta volunteers practice firing their homemade weapons, do physical training, and play guitar in between skirmishes with the military. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in February and launched a bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protests. In some areas civilians have formed "defence forces" to combat the State Administration Council, as the junta dubs itself, often using hunting rifles or weapons manufactured at makeshift factories. "I've been away from my family more than three months," one member of the defence force at the camp told AFP on condition of anonymity. "I will return home after this revolution." During that time the group of roughly 60 has fought around twenty skirmishes with the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, he said. Communication is patchy in the country's eastern states, and AFP was unable to verify the number of clashes. Since the coup, fighting between Myanmar's military and rebel groups in the east of the country has displaced an estimated 100,000 people, the UN said last month. Locals in Kayah state have accused the military of using artillery shells that have landed in villages. That has only hardened resolve to take up arms. "We will never forget and forgive till the end of the world" reads a tattoo across the neck of one volunteer. The wooden rifle of another has "Spring Revolution" carved into the butt and barrel in Burmese script. In a mixture of combat camouflage and T-shirts, the volunteers go on patrol, navigating single track paths through the jagged hills. They practice firing their motley assemblage of weapons at a makeshift firing range. During downtime, one plays guitar on a bench while another resting inside a tent checks his weapon. More than 890 people have been killed by the junta's security forces since February 1, according to a local monitoring group. As well as the rise of local self-defence forces, analysts believe hundreds of anti-coup protesters from Myanmar's towns and cities have trekked into insurgent-held areas to receive military training. The civilian fighters are often outnumbered and outgunned in clashes with Myanmar's military -- one of Southeast Asia's most battle-hardened and brutal. But the volunteers are determined to fight on. "If we all fight, we will win," one told AFP. "I believe we can win." https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2146959/walking-with-myanmars-anti-junta-fighters

Again, the emphasis on illegal actions by the dead. You do indeed have much respect for what's illegal in your native land and I find that admirable. I'm sure you have equal respect for what's considered illegal in the LOS and never violate it.

Regardless of how you've tried to present it, you're still intent on making the 39 deceased complicit in their own deaths. You want people to believe that they all had a death wish. Apparently you'll rest better if everyone shares your viewpoint.

Oh, I get it. Your new plan is to prove them guilty my pretending that they never died. That gives you carte blanche to rewrite history and show just what true criminals the 39 actually are. I have to admit it's a compelling argument. Use alternative facts and presto: 39 felons instead of 39 bodies. It's a very Trumpian view (Biden wasn't elected, I was!). Very clever indeed, Peter.

Hard to believe, but you are making it abundantly clear that your prime objective is to show that the dead are guilty. Prepare yourself for a shock: as much as you wish to, you cannot prosecute the deceased. And I thought you might actually know that.

To believe that the victims suspected that they could end up dead as they reached their destination is a ridiculous assumption. That they paid traffickers to take them on a fatal mission is preposterous. You think you know what was in their minds? Read the transcripts of the cell phone messages left for their loved ones. Somehow they just don't sounds like scheming criminals to me. No one is against prosecuting all those connected with the the incident. You can't, however, prosecute the victims any more than they already have been. To try to do so here after they are no longer with us is particularly cruel. This discussion started with the false claim that they tried to "smuggle themselves" into the the UK. They didn't choose their manner of passport or agree to be locked in a sealed refrigerator from which they would never escape alive. Attempts to demonstrate their complicity in their own deaths only succeed in defiling their memory. Their bodies are now beyond further injury.

It's not disputed that the traffickers in Vietnam set this in motion. Those convicted in the UK, however, were much more than just unfortunate middle men in the taking of 39 lives. For most of them, this was not the first time they had smuggled people into the UK. It was the first time they were caught. Without their direct actions, the 39 would not have died. That's the way I see of apportioning the blame correctly. They didn't willingly agree to be killed. You're content portray them as collateral damage, not victims. You forget that it was you who first took the tread off topic when you said: "Even further up the list, people from Vietnam were attempting to smuggle themselves into the UK in the back of a truck a couple of years ago. It the UK made it easy to get visas, the ones intending to try illegal immigration would simply get a visa, fly here, then abscond." You cavalierly made light of it, crediting the state for not making it easier for those Vietnamese to arrive. Somehow I don't think it was at all that easy to slowly suffocate. But that's just me. Then you proceed with a litany of reasons that should serve to discourage others. Again, you go out of your way to make light of the incident, referring to "cute young lads" and the political correctness of it all. You fail to acknowledge the tragedy that befell them, opting instead to down play it. Go back and take a look at those 39 faces. Those were fellow human beings robbed of their lives at an early age. We are no better than any one of them. We are the fortunate who, by accident of birth of happenstance, were born into a country where we became better educated, acquired good-paying jobs and maybe some semblance of wealth. None of that gives us the right to look down on anyone of these young people who wish for the same things. These are the people who enter our countries--legally or otherwise--and harvest our produce, toil in our food processing factories and do physical labor our own citizens prefer not to. They deserve to be acknowledged for their contribution which is typically rewarded with low pay and few if any benefits.

Turning victims into criminals is a classic and regrettable way of redirecting blame. It may assuage the conscience of those who wish to deflect attention from the fact that the act would not have been even possible without the direct overt acts of the true criminals who were found guilty in this matter. There are many ways to belittle and disparage those very same people we hope to meet in our travels. In other words they're good enough to satisfy our desires while were in country but perish the thought that we should permit them into our home nations. Employing double standards that meets our needs in one set of conditions but we find distasteful in others seems remarkably convenient. In this case, it precludes the possibility that young Thais may indeed have aspirations other than a career in the sex business.

It's worth reminding readers that the 39 Vietnamese who were suffocated to death in the refrigerated lorry in 2019 were not smuggling themselves into England. They were smuggled in by others. All of those convicted of manslaughter or smuggling them into the UK were citizens of the UK, Ireland or Italy. These are the faces of those young people who suffered the agonizing death. R.I.P.

From Bangkok Post Record 91 Covid deaths, 9,326 new cases Ninety-one Covid-19 fatalities and 9,326 new cases were reported on Saturday, according to the Public Health Ministry. Of the new cases, 9,134 were found among the general population and 192 among prison inmates.

As my post was meant in jest, I'd certainly agree there's no need to become a super sleuth in order to date a guy, whether you're a newbie or veteran. It's pretty much understood that the older man is always the patron. He's expected to pick up the tab and compensate the younger man for his time. Sure, many of us can recall guys we met at Babylon back in the day who weren't MB's. But even then, you still brought him a drink--and probably dinner. It was just expected and always appreciated. Over all these years I've found that the more I begin from a position of trust, the better l make out in the end. I'm not saying that some guys won't disappoint you but I believe by far it has been a more rewarding track for me to take. Nevertheless I acknowledge that everyone has their own take on this.

I was wondering where China fit into the index. By checking the Henley & Partners website, I found that China shares 72nd place with Suriname and Namibia. If you don't see your country you can find it here at https://www.henleyglobal.com/passport-index/ranking