Presenting Thailand's Most Corrupt Ministry
G'day All Kids, All Kinds, Everywhere. If you're a kid, c'mon in!
The Big People claim they are two days away from the greatest annual party of Earth but Fishwrap calls it Amateur Night.
The Worst Job in Thailand
Recovery teams found yet another 3 bodies of Royal Thai Navy sailors who were trapped and drowned when huge waves overturned and sank the corvette HTMS Sukhothai, 40 metres below the Gulf of Thailand off Hua Hin.
And the job's not over. There are another 5 "missing" sailors. Divers have entered the sunken corvette [underwater photo, below] but bodies have been found in an area of 10,000 square miles.
NOTE for Canadians = That is exactly 10,000 sections. Or just over 3,072,000 square rods.
The toll so far: HTMS Sukhothai lost at sea; 76 of 105 crew rescued; 24 confirmed dead with autopsies continuing. And the five still listed officially as "missing".
PHOTO: Royal Thai Navy underwater photo via Matichon newspaper
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2470962/
The arrest of the Bangkok-bound director-general put this Ministry of Wildlife etc. near or at the top of the junta's most corrupt, most violent ministries.
CHINA TAIWAN WAR
Taiwan extends compulsory military service to from 4 months to 1 year amid China threat.
The rule will begin on January 1, 2024.
President Tsai In-wen also raised the monthly salary of draftees from NT$6,510 (US$212) to NT$20,320 - 23,000 baht in real money.
National Parks chief arrested, charged with demanding bribes. (And getting them)
Counter Corruption Division (CCD) agents raided  the headquarters of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant yesterday morning.
They burst into a meeting between director-general Rutchada Suriyakul Na Ayutya and subordinates who were all presenting the boss with "gift baskets" for the New Year.
The cops told Rutchada to open his safe - where they found and seized more than five (5) million-with-an-"M" baht.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2470094/two-more-dead-sailors-from-htms-sukhothai-found
PHOTO: Anti-corruption agents perp-walked Rutchada, left, in the yellow golf shirt.
UPDATE
 The Wildlife director's arrest is now, officially, Thailand's newest 'Corruption Scandal'.
- Rutchada is out on cash bail of 400,000 baht - roughly US$11,500. Begging the question - Could you come up with 11,000 bucks in an hour, just in case you were arrested?
- He was officially charged with demanding and receiving huge bribes from his staff
 So the whole department and the entire ministry is massively corrupt.
Which in fact is a surprise to no one.
NEW ADDITIONAL FAMILY-SIZED UPDATE
Prayut, in his role of Chief of Everything, fired Rutchada, as as they put it in the Thai bureaucracy, "moved him to an inactive post".
The [forlorn] hope is that the arrested man and his supporters will not influence or bribe witnesses.
THAILAND ECONOMY EXPORTS
The value of exports from Thailand declined in November.
For the second month in a row... and the future is bleak.
Export value contracted by 6% to US$ 22.31 billion in November due to the slowdown of the global economy, the Ministry of Commerce reported.
This was the 2nd consecutive month of decline in exports after a 4.4% dip in October.
https://tinyurl.com/yjke86k9
Thailand suffers a case of Be Careful What You Wish For
After three solid years of kvetching and blaming and literal praying for the return of millions of Chinese to mob up the empty Suvarnabhumi airport (below) and all tourist sites, Thailand's wish is about to come true.
China will reopen its gates and allow foreign visitors, tourists and business opportunists by January 8.
But not all is well in Mangoville.
There are fears about 'A Wish Come True'. Because of course.
Chinese tourism influx raises fears
There are Concerns over Thai healthcare system Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2470325/chinese-tourism-influx-raises-fears.
THAILAND POLITICS TOURISM CHINA
ANALYSIS: Thailand should look to impose restrictions on tourists arriving from China, demands opposition Pheu Thai
 The so-called "government" of Thailand should look at imposing preventive measures to test or restrict travelers from China and countries where a lot of Chinese tourists have visited.
https://www.thaienquirer.com/47137/thailand-should-look-to-impose-restrictions-on-tourists-arriving-from-china-demands-opposition-pheu-thai/
Hong Kong's tourism sector has struggled to secure more manpower and coaches ahead of a proposed full reopening of the mainland Chinese border next month and needs government subsidies to recover from from almost three years of Covid-19 travel curbs.
But anyway, the malls have Christmas-y decorations.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2470864/
Can we all just try to be a little upbeat here, eh?
Russians flock to Thailand as tourism rebounds from collapse
Here is the unverifiable information from Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT):
Thailand is receiving an influx of Russian visitors, with data showing monthly arrivals doubling in November and up nearly seven times than September, far outpacing rises from other countries.
Overall, in addition to Russians and without any information about Chinese:
The country is seeing a much-needed tourism boom, with 1.75 million visitors in November, quadruple the number received for the whole of last year when flights and foreign arrivals were limited by the pandemic.
PHOTO: Yes, they all are Russian, at Layan beach, Phuket.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2470937/r
New Year's Festivities for the Fuzz
The Royal Thai Police announced a new bounty programme. They will pay 10,000 baht, which is 390 loonies in play money -- for each of the seven best videos or dash-cam videos of the New Year's weekend's Seven Worst Drivers.
PHOTO: The holiday weekend hasn't officially started but these folks on Highway 2 just outside of Korat are eager to get the party under way.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2470870/
Tales from the Bureaucracy 2022
Excerpt from an actual press release by the Traffic Police Division of the Royal Thai Police, issued on Tuesday
 To facilitate New Year traffic, police will have 3,771 checkpoints nationwide and position tow trucks to clear traffic lanes when needed.
Not so fast there, White House.
The U.S. Supreme Court explained to the president and others that they had no right to cancel Trump's "Title 42" programme at the southern border.
The justices ruled, by 5-4, that the Biden administration can't touch that law, at least until February.
The so-called "Title 42" was actually a public health, anti-Covid regulation when Covid-19 was just beginning to surge in the United States.
It allowed and still allows bureaucrats to gather and expel huge groups of illegal aliens even before they can make an appeal to stay.
https://tinyurl.com/2pns7n4c
Explanation of The Gobbledygook of the Day: What is Title 42? Not unbiased:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/title-42-amid-backlash-biden-administration-defends-trump/story
Also from America
CRIME ECONOMY
The Season Of Five Finger Discounts: Shoplifting A $100 Billion Problem For US Retailers
http://www.zerohedge.com/markets/season-five-finger-discounts-shoplifting-100-problem-us-retailers
Florida, man!
According to the latest figures from the United States Census Bureau, Florida has become the fastest-growing state in the United States -- for the first time since 1957.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-fastest-growing-state-us-first-time-since-1957-census-bureau
ICYMI
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, who was in Bangkok a month or so ago, and her "Second Gentleman" Doug Something-or-other wish you and billions of others a -- in their own words, "Happy New Year".
And took video of themselves doing it.
NOTICE: Kamala does not actually cackle.
NOTE: Kwanzaa is fake. There is no such celebration anywhere.
WEEKEND READS
It's going to be a long weekend. Four days in Thailand.
Take some time and read a recent Judith Miller thriller. (See that? I'm a poet and didn't know it!)
A Biosecurity Failure
America's key lab for fighting infectious disease has become a Pentagon backwater.
https://judithmiller.com/23962/biosecurity-failure-usamriid
Also worth a read and a serious 'Hmmm':
Isla: Where I've come out pretty clearly on higher education is that it cannot be reformed from within.
https://legalinsurrection.com/2022/12/where-ive-come-out-pretty-clearly-on-higher-education-is-that-it-cannot-be-reformed-from-within/
Oh, what a shame. He was known in the neighbourhood as "such a nice young man".
 Doctor U.S. Navy four-star Admiral Rachel Levine demands that Big Tech be forced 'to clean up misinformation on sex change'.
 Now who could the admiral have in mind to provide and enforce the only acceptable information on the subject?
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/dec/26/dr-rachel-levine-slammed-after-calling-big-tech-cl/
TECHNOLOGY
Google is now (finally) informing users of Google Chrome web browser: Upgrade your Microsoft Windows or else!
Bill Gates is pleased as punch. So is Melinda used-to-be Gates.
ENTERTAINMENT MOVIES VIDEOS
At Pundicity, Judith Miller claims she has found the 10 Best Movies of 2022.
This is one:
 "Elvis" follows the life and early death of Elvis Presley and the financial abuse of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Starring the gorgeous Austin Butler as Elvis and Tom Hanks as Parker, "Elvis" was a commercial success, grossing $286 million globally, the second-highest grossing music biopic of all time, second only to "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2018.
https://judithmiller.com/26642/2022-best-movies
Worst of the Worst
Rotten Tomatoes Say [Says?] That These Are The Top 5 Worst Hollywood Films Of All Time. Could be true. Probably is true.
https://tinyurl.com/5y4nn3bb
5. Pinocchio (2002) The Italian film. Very bad.
4. Gotti (2018) Is it possible to butcher a story about John Gotti's life with the mob this much? Yes, yes it is. For one thing it "stars" John Travolta.
3. A Thousand Words (2012). Eddie Murphy must be hard-up for cash. He, the writers and director make a worse movie than... than anything.
2. One Missed Call (2008) Can anything be worse? Why yes, yes it can.
1. Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002). The title doesn't even sound interesting. And the movie lives up to that expectation. It features one more Asian than Biden's White House but it's horrible.
https://tinyurl.com/3kzb9t6y
https://newarena.com/entertainment/according-to-rotten-tomatoes-these-are-the-30-worst-movies-of-all-time/26/
Oh lord, talk about coincidence. At this exact morning of 29 December, the community fridge of the editorial department of Fishwrap has 11 of these on milk and juice boxes, except most are plastic straws inside the plastic inserts. No one likes paper straws a-r-r-g-g-h yucko
