Burmese dictator denies that the army was committing genocide
HELLO WORLD The jiffy-calendar in my toolbar says it is Friday March 25, 2022, which is probably correct.
Explication: So I was working, sweating on Thursday morning and suddenly the internet disappeared. After discussions, my ISP assured me that full service would resume "real soon now", which it wasn't.
Accounting assures me that every paid subscriber will receive a full refund for the day's loss, real soon now.
Black box of crashed Boeing 737 found
Search teams have found a black box of the China Eastern airliner that crashed on Tuesday.
As expected, there are no survivors of the crash.
Investigators will try to focus on the main question: What happened?
Until now, flight experts believe the jetliner was flying normally - until it suddenly went nose-down and carried all passengers and crew to their deaths, at 320 miles per hours.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/china-eastern-airline-crash-black-box-mu5735-2581351
THAILAND DRUGS MARIJUANA
Thailand's Royal Thai Police got a national lecture on Thursday about cannabis.
Last Sunday, the coppers arrested two women, including a sick granny, and threw them into the slammer for the crime of tending one (1) flower pot of marijuana.
Hey, for heaven's sake, said Police Lieutenant General Yanyong Wet-osot, chill out. He told local cops "to avoid enforcing the law too vigorously," as his office put it.
THAILAND POLITICS ECONOMY
Current account blowout
Thailand is heading for a rare back-to-back current-account deficit as the outlook for tourist arrivals becomes less rosy with a flare-up in Covid cases globally and energy import bills ballooning amid soaring oil prices.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2283734/
We were just discussing this last week, and it suddenly popped up.
A popular local actor, Papangkorn "Beam" Lerkchaleam-pote, 25, died in his sleep Tuesday night, after a couple of hours of playing soccer and then a late-night snack. He was found Wednesday morning by his mother, but was dead as a hammer.
He was 25 years old, and had just completed his first major drama series for Netflix.
There was no sign of struggle or violence.
An attending quack says he reckors it was Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome or SUDS).
https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/2284546/
One of Thailand's best-known social media stars has died, aged 9.
Thanakorn the tiger died at his home at Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Uthai Thani province.
Veterinarians had reported weeks ago that the tiger was mortally wounded in a fight with another tiger, apparently over territory.
https://thethaiger.com/news/national/endangered-tiger-tracked-by-thai-wildlife-officials-dies-aged-9
Bangkok governor resigns
Retired Police General Aswin Kwanmuang was appointed to head Bangkok's City Hall in 2015.
He has decided he wants to run in the election for governor, probably in May.
A family 'kingdom' slows, fades away
Pattaya mayor quits
Sonthaya Khumplome will not run for another term as Pattaya mayor, reportedly to spend time steering the Palang Chon group back to glory in national elections.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2284670/
Related
Poramese to run for Pattaya mayor after Sonthaya quits
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2284670/
Thais and visiting foreigners ordered PANIC PANIC
Freak Covid-19 mutant Deltacron on the move'
72 cases registered since December
Thailand yesterday reported 73 cases of the Deltacron variant, a hybrid of the Delta and Omicron strains of the new coronavirus, and all patients had fully recovered, according to the Department of Medical Sciences (DMS).
DMS director-general Supakit Sirilak said Deltacron was found in the ministry's weekly genomic sequencing and the discovery was submitted to Gisaid, an international genomic database.
He said:
"The full genome sequencing showed the 73 cases fit the profile of Deltacron. This usually happens when the Delta and Omicron variants are spreading. The samples weren't from the past one to two weeks and most were from December last year and January this year, when the two variants were spreading."
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2284010/
YEAR 3: SONGKRAN CANCELLED
Songkran despair
Tourism operators are increasingly resigned to the prospect of yet another quiet and loss-making Songkran, thanks to rising inflation and widespread restrictions imposed on the upcoming (April 10-17) Thai New Year water festival.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2284310/
RIP
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Dies at 84
Albright was the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State
There is another lockdown in China - 9 million people of Shenyang.
But the Chinese Communist Party denies it will lock down Shanghai.
And everyone knows the reliability of Chinese Communist Party promises.
But there's something going on.
Political forces inside China (and that includes Hong Kong) are calling on all citizens:
REFUSE QUARANTINE!
It remains to be seen how effective that will be.
China's pathetically useless 'World Health Organization' said on Wednesday
(true story)
"We don't know if the new hybrid Deltacron variant will behave like Delta or Omicron."
Or maybe something else?. As the great Charles Brown has explained: Good Grief!
Statistics, as of Thursday midnight, of the world's worst-affected Covid-19 coronavirus nations and territories.
What would we do without Experts?
Experts: Deltacron is rare, similar to Omicron
THAILAND CORONAVIRUS STATISTICS
As of midnight on Thursday, the 24-hour Covid-19 tally was:
27,024 confirmed new Covid cases
There were 26,978 local cases and 46 imported ones.
82 additional fatalities
SUMMARY
Since the pandemic began in January of 2020, there have been 3,450,980 Covid-19 cases, including 1,227,545 this year, with 3,186,052 complete recoveries to date.
The death toll stands at 24,579 since the beginning of the pandemic, including 2,881 so far this year.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2284694/
CORONAVIRUS CORRUPTION GRAFT
Washington opens the funny-money floodgates
Records show Reditus CEO amassed a fleet of luxury vehicles and 2 private planes.
The owner of a lab that made hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money for running COVID-19 tests has amassed a fleet of luxury cars and at least two private planes
[NOTE]
Redditus operates in Thailand, so the junta's "government" helped the man get richer.
PHOTO: Aaron Rossi, who used Thailand to run Covid-19 tests.
https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2022-03-23/records-show-reditus-ceo-amassed-a-fleet-of-luxury-vehicles-and-2-private-planes
https://www.wcbu.org/state-news/2022-03-18/lawsuit-alleges-reditus-ceo-is-pillaging-the-company-to-fund-lavish-lifestyle
How much is that in crypto?
BACK-DOOR SOCIAL CREDIT SCHEME:
The coming federal weaponization of banking.
The largest shake-up in finance since the formation of the Federal Reserve is nearly here. The establishment of a government-backed cryptocurrency is a threat to the freedom of commerce and would give Washington the ability to weaponize banking against political dissent, or even block Americans from accessing their own money altogether.
https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/599057-the-coming-federal-weaponization-of-banking
RIP
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT
The first woman to serve as U.S. Secrtary of State died in California, aged 84.
U.S.A. SPORTS
Wait! What? I thought everyone knew that if you played sports you couldn't get Covid-19.
... New York City Mayor Eric Adams says professional athletes, performers are now exempt from vaccine mandate.
"The news came down right before the start of a new season by Major League Baseball.
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/live-updates/eric-adams-vaccine-mandate-pro-athletes-performers-kyrie-irving/
Related, in case your U.S.A. visa is for Arizona:
... Governor Ducey announces Arizona is no longer under a COVID emergency.
https://bityl.co/BT0r
Yes! Now do Thailand.
Airline CEOs call on Biden to lift mask mandate, Covid-test requirement for air travel.
https://bityl.co/BT1C
U.S.A. POLITICS
Apparently we are going to know much more about this book than we need to know.
This is the book.
Reminds me (as many things do) of Vietnam.
The country invited Jane Plemmianikov and her butt-stupid husband. One time.
When I asked a Vietnam Communist Party leader in 1978 if they would invite her back again, he spluttered and laughed. Finally said "No. Uh-uh."
These people are Useful Idiots, and nothing more.
Thaksin's daughter moves closer to becoming Thailand prime minister.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/2282139/
[N.B. Pheu Thai ("for Thais" is the third major version of the populist party found last century by Thaksin, and known as Thai Rak Thai ("Thais Love Thais).]
[Successive attacks by the Thai army and elite have forced the name changes, but party policy continues. And its popularity.]
[The first party leader was Thaksin, who won the biggest majority vote in Thailand's political history in 2001. In 2011, his sister Yingluck took the party to another electoral victory, and became prime minister.]
Here's the text of a brief in the currently most active U.S.A. censorship/copyright case:
It seems to me that it is the most promising response to Big Tech manipulation of the nation's political, religious, cultural, and scientific debates.
https://galileosociety.org/about-web-censorship
Collection of briefs:
https://galileosociety.org/
DON'T TRUST CHINA, CHINA IS ASSHOE (but I repeat myself)
Well, look... to be frank anyone who has trust China's word on the Covid-19 novel virus is a fool.
An eye-catching headline in the international media on Monday ready, "Something Very Suspicious Is Happening With China's Latest COVID Reporting."
The last time China recorded a COVID death was January 2021, and if you really believe China's numbers, then you're not a serious person.
https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2022/03/20/something-very-suspicious-is-happening-with-chinas-latest-covid-reporting-n1567985
Sometimes once in while occasionally the foreign MSM is dumber than the American kind.
Belarusian rail workers allegedly cut off rail links to Ukraine. (Deutsche Welle / MSN)
Which is an interesting article because it tells you absolutely nothing about what actually happened. There's no rail traffic between Belarus and Ukraine, but that was already true because the Ukrainians aren't idiots and cut the lines on their side of the border.
https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/ukraine-belarusian-rail-workers-reportedly-cut-connections-live-updates/ar-AAVh3Ar
You could look up this stuff, you know.
I've often heard it said that "All the chips not made in China are made in Taiwan", but how true is that?
TSMC of Taiwan is the world's largest chip manufacturer, but there are major factories operated by various companies in Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the United States.
In fact,
China produces 0% of leading-edge chips - their latest production lines are at 14nm where TSMC and Samsung are already at 4nm.
WALTER RUSSELL MEAD:
Sanctions on Russia Pit the West Against the Rest of the World: Woke Democrats are less welcome than Trumpian populists in many countries.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-west-vs-rest-of-the-world-russia-ukraine-dictators-south-america-asia-africa-11647894483?mod=opinion_featst_pos1
Related. Believe It Or Else.
Coming Food Shortages? Doubt It.
https://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=50934
U.S.A. MYANMAR BURMA GENOCIDE
The Department of Least Surprising Developments reports
The ruling Tatmadaw regime denies all reports of genocide against Rohingya people.
Including the orders given by (imprisoned) Aung San Suu Kyi.
PHOTO: The Suu Kyi government had two orders for the Tatmadaw in western Rakhine state: kill them, or drive them out to Bangladesh.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2283866/
The accusations of genocide and human trafficking look certain to re-open the 2015 cases against both the Thailand and Myanmar regimes.
EDITORIAL
US Secretary of State Don Antony "Thailand is democratic" Blinken made
the formal accusation on Monday at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington where an exhibition on the plight of the Rohingya is being held.
Blinken said: “The day will come when those responsible for these appalling acts will have to answer for them.”
Even though the condemnation carries no particular punitive action, levelling such charges as genocide and crimes against humanity at Myanmar's military (Tatmadaw) will increase the likelihood of holding those who are responsible for the atrocities accountable.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) launched a full investigation into Myanmar's alleged crimes against humanity in 2019.
The case revolved around operations by Myanmar's military in Rakhine in 2017 that forced hundreds of thousands of mainly Muslim Rohingya to flee to neighbouring countries.
THAILAND ENERGY RATION
Thailand's junta is worried enough about inflation and energy prices to begin rationing them.
The military's alleged government demanded a 20% cut in electricity and fuel use by every government agency - starting next week.
Minor example:
Instead of meetings, the civil service will schedule online sessions and email.
Meanwhile, by coinidence:
The annual Motor Show began at Impact Plaza at Muang Thong Thani.
Supposedly,
Star of the show is Rolls Royce Black Badge Ghost priced at 43.9 million baht.
For the public
the Thailand regime ordered massive cuts to near zero in monthly social security payments, for both workers and emplyers.
From May until July, monthly Social Security Fund (SSF) contributions for salaried employees (Section 33 of the Social Security Act) will be reduced from 5% to 1% and former employees (Section 39) who continue to contribute to the SSF after leaving their jobs will see their payments lowered from 9% to 1.9% over the same period.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2283378/
THAILAND WEATHER
Directly from the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD).
Yellow means a lot of rain. Red means "your umbrella won't help".
There was a shocking reminder on Monday that for all the gains that have been made, terrorism hasn't and isn't going away.
While Muslim faithful were praying at a 500-year-old Shia mosque in the Kocha Risaldar area of Peshawar, Pakistan, ISIS or similar shot the mosque's guards and set off explosives.
Including one demented suicide bomber. The carnage was dreadful - 62 people dead, 7 of them children below the age of 10.
One of the faithful was Sher Ali, a Pakistani army veteran. His response deserves a memorial:
"What is our sin? What have we done? Aren't we citizens of this country?"
The local branch of ISIS demanded credit for this. Note: "credit".
PHOTO: One suicide bomber, 62 people killed.
AIRLINES CORONAVIRUS CHINA
Hong Kong-to-Bangkok flights by the extremely troubled Cathay Pacific will resume, date unknown, at much high prices (8,410 baht for steerage) and under massive lockdown rules ordered by the Communist Party of China.
First, there will be one (1) Cathay flight to Bangkok and back every two weeks.
Second, new rules mean CX flights will be cancelled, indefinitely, if
one, or three or four (depends) passengers is diagnosed to have Chinese Covid-19 at a special test station.
The rules will apply to all CX flights to (and from) all countries.
PHOTO: The outlook for flights from, and into Hong Kong remains bleak.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-22/cathay-to-fly-just-once-every-14-days-when-u-s-u-k-ban-lifts
WIKILEAKS ASSANGE
A rare sign of surrender by Julian Assange, the Australian founder of Wikileaks:
He is about to marry his lawyer and "long-time partner" Stella Morris inside his London jail.
Assange is wanted by U.S. authorities to face trial on 18 counts relating to WikiLeaks' release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables.
The 50-year-old, who denies any wrongdoing, has been held at Belmarsh prison since 2019 and before that was holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for seven years.
While living at the embassy he fathered two children with Moris, a lawyer more than a decade his junior, who he met in 2011 when she started work on his legal team. Their relationship began in 2015.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-to-marry-partner-stella-moris-in-london-jail-today-2837635
ECONOMY RECESSION
A group called Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) it taking up some old issues in a discussion that will wind up supporting the efforts of Thailand's junta to get rid of cash and wind up with a 'digital economy'.
To be honest, efforts have proved to be as successful as the junta's other major effort on the economy - Electric Vehicles, or EVs.
In any case the AIC has issued a general invitation to join their discussion, a week from today.
You can register for the 3 p.m. discussion at
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ioYBl2cxRzO2RkEdXWRGnw
Billionaire Carl Icahn says markets are in for a 'rough landing'
'Might be a recession but might be even worse'
PHOTO: Well, at least he's still smiling
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3816188-billionaire-carl-icahn-says-markets-are-in-for-a-rough-landing
Chinese tech stocks score more gains as upward run continues
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3816191-chinese-tech-stocks-score-more-gains-as-upward-run-continues
U.S.A. SECURITY
For the 25th year in a row, the U.S. F.B.I. is caught
Totally useless F.B.I. forced to admit (again) that it can't do anything about Russian hackers who attack the U.S. critical infrastructure.
Director Chris Wray said during a paid speecch to the Detroit Economic Club, claimed, "I told you so."
His top assistant at Homeland Security advised the nation to change their passwords, maybe that'll do it.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/fbi-concerned-russian-cyberattacks-critical-us-infrastructure-wray/story?id=83604956
U.S.A. CORONAVIRUS
The ginger White House spokeslady Jan Psaki has just caught Chinese Covid-19 virus for the second time in five months.
President Joe Biden will be forced to travel all the way to Europe without her.
All of her assistant and deputy spokesladies said Jen was "fully vaccinated" and refused again to define the term.
"Today, in preparation for travel to Europe, I took a PCR test this morning. That test came back positive, which means I will be adhering to CDC guidance and no longer be traveling on the President's trip to Europe," Psaki wrote to the media.
https://bityl.co/BRBr
The unmatchable Australian academic Carl Thayer, like most people with brains, is flabbergasted by the Joe Biden regime' decision to tell ASEAN to take a long walk off a short pier.
It's a typical academic's title:
The Elusive U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit: A Chronology, Are There Lessons from the War in Ukraine Applicable to Asia?
In short:
It is an assessment of how the Russian war in Ukraine might re-shape U.S. military plans, deterrence strategy and combat preparedness in Asia to meet an aggressive China.
As usual, you'll have to go through Scribd if you want to read or download it
https://bityl.co/BRAN
From K-pop to Global pop
This is a short biography of Buriram's extraordinary singing star Lisa "Lalisa" Manoban of girl-group Blackpink.
The World Music Awards, which tracks popular recording artists, said on Twitter that Lalisa was the fastest-breaking video ever by a female K-pop artist, having topped 30 million views in five hours and 30 minutes. Views had reached 42 million and were climbing nine hours after the launch.
Lisa loves her job, and has dreamed of becoming a star performer since she was a little girl
Thailand's alleged 'prime minister' has tried to exploit young Lalisa. She has rebuffed him and his so-called 'government'.
STORY and VIDEO at
https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/2283062/
If I ever go back to live in the U.S.A. Northwest, I'm getting at least two of these.
Blue Coolers Blue Seventy-Two
72 Hour Emergency Backpack Survival Kit for 1 Person
Survival Kit for Roadside, Earthquakes, Tornado, Hurricane, and Other Emergencies
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Coolers-Seventy-Two-Earthquakes-Emergencies/dp/B084D3GT9Z
Does anyone have an update on the number of Canadians arrested for sedition or similar so far this year?
There is a massive conspiracy to cover up the story. Apparently financed by the Canadian embassy.
INSPIRATION
