China Eastern Airlines confirms 132 fatalities in Boeing 737-800 crash
It's Tuesday, and another Kavi-Ann Day
But before that...
CHINA PLANE CRASH
China Eastern Airlines confirms 132 fatalities in flight MU5735 crash
Second flight also missing.
The airplane was a Boeing 737-800.
Boeing goes into Lockdown Mode; has nothing to say.
There were 132 people aboard Flight MU5735 when it suddenly went nose-down and flew into a mountain during a flight from Kunming to Guangzhou - 123 passengers and nine crew members.
"The company expresses its deep condolences for the passengers and crew members who died in the plane crash," the airline said in a statement.
https://bityl.co/BPvL
VIDEO:
Here is the best known video of the airplane's final minutes - descending at 31,000 feet per minute.
Question:
So if a large commercial jet suddenly goes nose-down and flies straight into the grounds, what's the likely cause?
One villager told a local news site that the plane had "completely fallen apart" and he had seen forest areas destroyed by the fire it caused when crashing into the mountainside.
The Chinese President For Life has called for "all efforts" towards the rescue and to find out the "cause of the accident as soon as possible", according to CCTV.
THAILAND INSURGENCY DEEP SOUTH
The slow-moving conflict in the South of Thailand is not stopping.
And it isn't likely to stop.
Man slain at Pattani tea shop
On Sunday night, armed raiders of the Barisan Nasional group shot and killed a 46-year-old man at a tea shop in Yarang district of southernmost Pattani province.
The slain man was Chari Yoso, 46, of Moo 4 village in tambon Mo Wawi.
Police found spent cartridges from a military-grade weapon at the scene after the raiders made a hurried exit.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2282559/
AIRLINES FLYING TIGERS CRASH
50 Years Ago and A Week
Good lord, this is so old I don't remember it.
The flight to Saigon had 107 people aboard. Then is disappeared.
Now, the story is that the Flying Tiger flight was "on a secret mission".
Sure.
 While Flight 739's final destination was known, the reason behind the secret mission of those on board still remains a mystery to their families.
 The airplane  - and all 107 people on board - disappeared over the Pacific Ocean before it reached a planned stopover in the Philippines, becoming the biggest aviation mystery to emerge from what would become a decade of conflict.
 On board the Constellation were 11 crew members and 96 passengers - 93 of whom were U.S. Army soldiers specialized in electronics, communications, and sharpshooting. Three Vietnam service members were also among the passengers.
PHOTO: The missing aircraft is identical to this Lockheed Constellation L-1049.
https://www.flyingmag.com/60-years-missing-the-mystery-of-flying-tiger-line-flight-739/
THAILAND ASEAN MYANMAR BURMA
ASEAN has nodded approval of Hun Sen's project to send his own foreign minister to Myanmar for "talks".
There is no head count but it's a large number of people.
 Opposition groups who said it showed deference to its military rulers and disdain for the will of the people.
Authorities in Cambodia, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), have been tight-lipped about the schedule of envoy Prak Sokhonn, which a spokesman said was "to ensure the smooth process of the visit".
Myanmar state media showed footage of the envoy meeting junta head Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at the beginning of the three-day trip, which aims to start a peace process the generals agreed to last year. Some Asean members are frustrated over the lack of progress and have barred the junta from attending summits.
PHOTO: Who were those masked men?
This handout photo from Myanmar's military information team taken and released on Monday shows Myanmar's armed forces (Tatmadaw dictator) Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (right) shaking hands with Cambodia's Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2282694/
Aung San Suu Kyi? Never heard of her. Any other questions?
Repeating the stories that you knew two years ago:
Aung San Suu Kyi's army Myanmar army committed genocide against Rohingya.
U.S. President Joh Biden and U.S. Secretary of State Don Tony Blinken have allowed their official spokeslaides to state:
"Violence committed against the Rohingya minority by Myanmar's military amounts to genocide and crimes against humanity."
Don Tony "Thailand Is A Democracy" Blinken personally ordered what he claims was a "legal and factual analysis".
 The analysis concluded the Myanmar army is committing genocide and Washington believes the formal determination will increase international pressure to hold the junta accountable.
"It's going to make it harder for them to commit further abuses," said one senior State Department official.
PHOTO: Rohingya refugees sit on wooden benches of a navy vessel on their way to the Bhasan Char island in Noakhali district, Bangladesh.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/biden-administration-rules-myanmar-army-committed-genocide-against-rohingya-report-2576216
https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/2282734/
The alleged 'government' of Thailand co-opts coronavirus for its mostly banned Songkran celebration
So-called 'medical experts' want 70% of wrinkled people to have their third anti-Covid Shots within two weeks
[The Songkan holiday will run from April 10-17.]
The Ministry of Public Health is aiming to administer a third booster shot to 70% of the country's elderly population ahead of the Thai New Year holiday next month, as they face a greater risk of infection and death from the coronavirus.
Wicharn Pawan, director of the general communicable diseases division under the Department of Disease Control (DDC), said Covid-19 infections and deaths sharply increased after last year's Songkran festival due to the limited vaccine rollout at the time.
"The ministry won't be taking any chances this year and will speed up the rollout of booster shots for the elderly before the holiday exodus begins," he said.
Dr Wicharn said seniors should get a third jab as it will help lessen the severity of symptoms and reduce the risk of death by 41 times.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2282223/songkran-visits-pose-risks-for-the-elderly
THAILAND CORONAVIRUS
The number of new cases of Chinese Covid-19 coronavirus edged downward by a tiny smidgen on Monday, for the second day in a row - from 24,996 on Sunday to "only" 23,441 on Monday.
 But the number of Covid-19 death rose yet again, to 88, four more than on Sunday.
The latest 88 fatalities were between the ages of 17 and 93 years and included one foreigner, from Myanmar.
But favipiravir is pouring in.
PHOTO: Boxes of the antiviral drug favipiravir bought by the Public Health Ministry to treat Covid-19 patients arrive at a warehouse in Samut Prakan province, just outside Suvarnabhumi airport.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2282551/
All very well. But WE'VE SEEN - AND EXPERIENCED AT FIRST HAND - THE LOCKDOWNS AND THE DAMAGE DONE:
 Alcohol-related deaths in the US spiked more than 25% in the first year of the pandemic, study shows.
https://www.wesh.com/article/alcohol-related-deaths-spiked-pandemic-study/39478930#
'Blood gang' women sentenced to prison
The woman, Areeya Komkratok, claimed that Chinese 'investors' in Cambodia were harvesting bags of blood after making her unconscious.
The woman was identified as Areeya Komkratok, who claimed that Chinese investors harvested and smuggled three bags worth of her blood while under anaesthesia while she was working in Cambodia.
She was charged in court on Saturday, police said, adding she was sentenced to prison without parole
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas went to the hospital due to flu symptoms. It's not covid and apparently he's doing well.
https://khn.org/morning-breakout/justice-clarence-thomas-hospitalized-with-infection/
So now that the junta has poured 2 billion-with-a-"b" Thai baht (US$60 million; 75 million loonies) into the corrupt and silly airport at the town of Betong in the Deep South of Thailand...
It's going to pay airlines and passengers and tourist-friendly hotels and restaurants to go there.
==
 'Discounts to boost Betong airport'
 Main subsidy targets: Malaysians
...Tourism operators claim they can offer Nok Air a guarantee of 75% on seat bookings and want to negotiate with the airline to slash airfares to resume operations at the airport by April Fool's Day.
Malaysians always have been the group that visits Betong the most often - but main by car.
The desperate Department of Airports (DOA), promises to have shops and kiosks at the airport within two months.
PHOTO: Locals take photos at newly opened but still non-operating Betong Airport - before all flights were cancelled.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2282702/
The decline of the Communist Party's Attempt to Re-Open Hong Kong
Sure, go ahead and book your travel to Hong Kong
Starting on April Fool's Day...
Citizens of only 125 countries are banned
Citizens of nine countries will be processed for entry
They will have to spend just 7 days in locked-down quarantine.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/hong-kong-lift-flight-ban-9-countries-april-cut-quarantine-7-days-travellers-2576666
Wait! Hold on! There's one country missing from the list of winners of the Hong Kong Lottery.
Australia, United States, Britain, Canada, France and India, Pakistan and the Philippines - and later Nepal.
"The circuit breaker ... is in operation now," said Peking mouthpiece Carrie "Silence of the" Lam.
NOTE: "Circuit breaker" is a flight ban.
Schools would resume face to face classes from Apr 19, after the Easter holidays.
The Chinese Communist Party had this great idea that the country should 'remain neutral' on the Russia-Ukraine dust-up.
That's not working out well for them.
 Siding with political ally Russia would make little economic sense for China, according to analysts, as the United States and European Union still consume more than a third of China's exports.
 "On the pure economic question, if China were to have to make the choice - Russia versus everyone else - I mean, it's a no-brainer for China because it's so integrated with all of these Western economies," said Chad Bown, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Peterson Institute for International Economics think tank who tracks China trade closely.
 China's ambassador to the United States, Qin Gang, on Sunday emphasised China's close relationship with Russia.
https://bityl.co/BPO6
But it gets weirder.
Former colonial powerhouse Japan now is calling for a strong response by, and for, Ukraine against Russia.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/japan-breaks-past-strong-ukraine-response-eyeing-china-2576511
DON'T TRUST CHINA, CHINA IS ASSHOE
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
 Mr Prayut, call your office.
We cannot get between the Ukrainian anvil and the Russian hammer.
Viktor Orban, prime minister of Hungary
promises to remain neutral in the war.
The impressively informed columnist Kavi Chongkittavorn takes a look around eastern Europe and all around Myanmar, and has this conclusion:
Preventing a proxy war in Myanmar
The (Burmese) resistance war could widen and might lead to escalation involving a clandestine foreign security presence.
PHOTO: Protesters march inside Myanmar's Kachin state to show support for the anti-military opposition National Unity Government.
There is a high risk that external powers might want to take advantage of the situation inside Myanmar.
SPORTS
Oooh! That hurt!
English women's rugby beat New Zealand once again. It looks like neither will be world champion this time around.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sport/fritz-credits-high-pain-tolerance-indian-wells-success-2576766
EUROPE RUSSIA UKRAINE HACKERS
TECHNOLOGY
Gone Forever.
Pay Attention. This is super-nasty!
POSTMODERN WARFARE:
 A Developer Altered Open Source Software to Wipe Files in Russia.
 "Two weeks ago, the node.ipc author pushed a new version of the library that sabotaged computers in Russia and Belarus, the countries invading Ukraine and providing support for the invasion, respectively.
 "The new release added a function that checked the IP address of developers who used the node.ipc in their own projects. When an IP address geolocated to either Russia or Belarus, the new version wiped files from the machine and replaced them with a heart emoji."
https://www.wired.com/story/developer-altered-open-source-software-to-wipe-files-in-russia/
Reminder
Cleopatra lived closer to the building of the first Pizza Hut than to the building of the first pyramid.
And other reminder charts that put time and history in perspective.
https://waitbutwhy.com/2013/08/putting-time-in-perspective.html
