Thailand 'orders' Burma to release Suu Kyi
Also: Philippines makes record haul of crystal meth
+President Marcos accuses Duterte of 'doing a secret deal' with China
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My math teacher called me average. How mean!
Ex-prime minister Yingluck will return to Thailand by using 'the Thaksin model' of her big brother
Yinluck fled the country seven years ago, just before a court approved by the military coup authorities sentenced her to five years in prison for 'negligence' in her infamous rice scheme.
She will presumably have to enter prison as part of her deal to return. In August last, Thaksin was imprisoned for several hours after he returned but then was placed in the Police General Hospital in Bangkok.
Yingluck is the only elected female prime minister, and there have still been no female ruling queens in Thai history.
PHOTO above: Yingluck shopping last week, at a mall in London, England.
Thailand tells Burma to release Aung San Suu Kyi https://t.ly/ktR7d
It was a polite demand. The Thai ministry of foreign affairs said publicly that moving Suu Kyi from a prison cell to home arrest was "a positive step."
The Nobel Peace laureate was transferred out of Nay Pyi Daw Prison under tight security last Tuesday. The Myanmar dictatorship has refused to say where Suu Kyi, now 78, is being held in Yangon (Rangoon). Suu Kyi's ex-president
Her former president Win Myint was also moved to house arrest somewhere in the Bago region, his hometown.
Thai Foreign Minister Parnpree  Bahiddha-Nukara released a statement claiming that these two moves
 are a positive step in responding to the concerns of the international community.
 The Thai government calls for further positive steps in this direction leading to their immediate full release in order to advance the implementation of the ASEAN five-points consensus," Parnpree wrote.
Suu Kyi's prison sentences are not clear, but total more than 20 years. With more charges pending. She has not been charged nor censured in international fora for ordering/allowing the deaths of hundreds (or thousands) of Rohingya and razing their villages.
PHOTO: Suu Kyi and political allies at trial.
Somewhat Related
 Thai Police Seize 80 Million Baht in Cash Sent to Myawaddy by Scammers -- 3 million loonies.
Operation "The Purge" by Royal Thai Police, cyber division, resulted in the arrest of foreign nationals behind the hybrid fraud gang. PHOTO shows cash on the table... so tempting.
Scammers worked for Master Con Man Su Shaoxian, a Chinese citizen.
They tricked victims into investing in cryptocurrency through fake websites.
 Then, they instructed the victims to buy U.S. dollars and transfer it to a specific digital wallet address.
Sad Part: That's exactly what the conned, tricked, scammed victims did.
Khao Sod (Fresh News) https://shorturl.at/hzHVY
Thai police call for E-bids to buy 14,442 new motorcycles.
The new bikes will all be used for police patrols, the Royal Thai Police promise.
The procurement project for 14,442 motorcycles was approved by the Cabinet on October 3. The project would be committed under two fiscal years – 369.137 million baht from the fiscal 2024 budget and 1.476 billion baht from the fiscal 2025 budget.
https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40037248
Each cycle must have 150-160cc engines.
In addition, each bike must include two crash helmets and each three red flashing LED lights -- one at the front and two at the back.
OPINION OPED EDITORIAL
A Songkran Downer (Too, too true: The Bangkok Screw Job https://t.ly/wSKj2)
The government's handling of this year's festival paints a picture of confusion and constant miscommunication, which reflects a fundamental flaw with the administration.
 As a result, this year's 21-day Maha Songkran World Water Festival is nothing but the same as previous years, with water-centred activities concentrated between April 13-15.
PHILIPPINES CHINA SCS
Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (left, below) has accused his predecessor Rodrigo 'The Punisher' Duterte (right, below) of doing a diplomatic dirty deal with Beijing on the issue of the South China Sea.
Duterte struck 'a secret deal' with Beijing, Marcos charged.
Marcos alleged on Monday that Beijing's stubborn insistence on taking all of the Philippines sea territory proves the fact -- even though there is no existing record of such a secret agreement.
Duterte has not replied directly. Instead, he says that Marcos' continued reference to such a secret deal was proof that Marcos himself is deep in American pockets -- which also is Beijing's assertion.
RFA: https://shorturl.at/lrsR8
MORE on MARCOS-DUTERTE
Marcos praised PNP (the Philippines National Police) for making a record haul of crystal methamphetamine (ice; shabu in Tagalog).
Then he went un-subtle. "No one died," a reference to the hard-core and violent anti-drug policies of Duterte.
Police found and seized more than two (2) tonnes of the drug, with an estimated street value of 13.3 billion pesos (U.S. $242.29 million; 10 billion Thai baht in real money).
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/philippine/philippines-marcos-swipe-at-duterte-over-drug-bust-04162024045117.html
The ice seizure in Alitagtag, 80 kilometres south of Manila seems to explain at least one part of the massive drug production and smuggling of Golden Triangle cartels.
"This is the biggest shipment of shabu that we've [ever] seized," Marcos told reporters, referring to the crystal meth by its local nickname.
"Nobody died, there was no shootout, no one was hurt. This should be the approach in the drug war."
Meanwhile, in a mysterious middle kingdom far away...
 China is censoring bad news about its economy.
SHOCKED, SHOCKED, SHOCKED
For example,
 China's manufacturing activity contracted for the fourth straight month in January, an official factory survey shows.
 The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 49.2 in January from 49.0 in December, below the 50-mark separating growth from contraction.
If you are a loyal Chinese citizen, you don't say anything about the above.
Hotair.com: https://t.ly/54RwG
GARETH EVANS The Urgency of Palestinian Statehood
The former Australian foreign minister sets down his belief why formal international recognition is crucial to ending the intolerable status quo.
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/palestinian-statehood-formal-recognition-urgently-needed-for-negotiations-by-gareth-evans-2024-04
Related
Daoud Kuttab: Europe Must Recognise Palestine
JOURNALISM CULTURE QUALITY
These women aren't wrong but their rather vacuous reporting doesn't tell us who will define this 'rigorous and objective reporting'.
Quality Journalism Is More Important than Ever https://t.ly/7locG
Anya Schiffrin, et al. explain how policymakers can support rigorous, objective reporting, just as they provide other public goods.
What if America says, 'We don't want him!?'
Harry, prince of England, Duke of Sussex, official keeper of the Duchess of Sussex, fifth in line to succeed his dad, King Charles III, has formally told British royals that he is a resident of the United States.
Washington Times: https://shorturl.at/agzX5
SKYLAB II Well, Florida, man.
Space Junk. Advice du Jour: Keep an Umbrella handy
 Yes, a chunk of the space station crashed into a house in Florida; NASA confirmed the origins of the orbital junk that left a homeowner shaken 'in disbelief.'
Well he can believe it now.
https://www.popsci.com/science/space-junk-crash-florida/
A comfortable chair, perhaps even a sofa or (why not?) an old rocking chair. A kitten as warm companion, or puppy; we're all dog-people but we'll not judge you. And articles worthy of consideration. Such as
Victor Davis Hanson: Are Iran's Nine Lives Nearing An End?
Iran is incredibly weak and vulnerable.
Brand New NPR CEO Katherine Maher Is a Censor-Happy Parody of Wokeness. Except it's not parody.
NPR's Queen Of The Karens
The daughter of wealthy parents whose wedding was announced in The New York Times, Maher grew up in a wealthy white suburb of New York City before studying at the American University in Cairo, the Institut Français du Proche-Orient in Syria, and finally New York University.
https://twitter.com/ErichMSchwarz/status/1780582747100078400
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/tag/npr/