Thailand's human trafficking back to normal
Gidday all y'all, it's another danged Monday after a weekend that lasted just three (3) days.
Ah well, in beautiful downtown Nong Bon Thailand it's a nearly chilly 82 American degrees, with just about no breeze. So off to the mine face we go.
This may be a shortened edition of the Fishwrap on account of the old la my lovely wife and self have some government-type maintenance chores. But will try to squeeze in the best stuff.
THAILAND IRAN ESPIONAGE ISRAEL
Iran has stepped up espionage efforts, and ASEAN members have increased security alerts.
Thailand is especially concerned that the new Tehran spying efforts may be targeting the next Apec summit, scheduled for November, in Bangkok.
“We can't afford to let any unrest or violence happen,” the source said, adding authorities wanted to avoid a repeat of the Sukhumvit 71 explosion of February 2012," according to "sources" of the Bangkok Post.
In that incident, Thai Special Branch tried to arrest at least five Iranian bombmakers, but the Iranians resisted. One of them blew off his own legs.
Iranian terrorists have targeted Bangkok on at least four known occasions since 1994, when they bungled an attempt to plant a truck bomb at the Israeli embassy - because the driver had an accident with a motorcycle driver.
Iran's proxies of Hezbollah also have targeted Thailand.
The alert, now ASEAN-wide, was triggered by the arrest in Indonesia of known Iranian agent Ghassem Saberi Gilchalan.
CORRUPTION HUMAN TRAFFICKING
It is a sad and disgusting truth that things have returned to normal in human trafficking.
Thai police discovered on Sunday that traffickers had literally dumped 59 Rohingya off the coast of Satun province in the South.
ATTENTION IRONY ALERT
The national police dispatched Assistant National Police Chief, Lieutenant General Surachate "Big Joke" Hakparn, to help investigators get to the bottom of the case.
'Big Joke' was directly involved in the last surge of mass murders and trafficking in 2015.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2321042/
Somewhat, a little bit, extremely discouraging
The United Nations itself warns that the Taliban of Afghanistan have given al-Qaeda an 'extensive training area' which is likely to lead to long-distance attacks once again.
Or: It's 2000 all over again.
The U.N. report (link below) says Afghanistan is once again becoming a training haven for the terrorist group.
U.S. and NATO forces had kept al-Qaeda away from Afghanistan, but they're all gone.
Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri, formerly bin Laden's assistant, has taken full control of the terrorist organisation.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/03/al-qaida-enjoying-a-haven-in-afghanistan-under-taliban-un-warns
U.N. warning:
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N22/333/77/PDF/N2233377.pdf?OpenElement
THAILAND CORONAVIRUS
Thailand's ruling junta continues to say that the number of new infections and deaths must decrease.
But they don't.
The depressing, 24-hour statistics for Sunday, June 5:
3,236 new, confirmed Covid-19 cases
28 deaths attributed to the coronavirus
32,253 active cases
775 serious cases
5,011 recovered
Airport regulators: 'Shape up'
Unacceptable
The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) has ordered airlines and airports to make urgent adjustments after seeing long queues for flights at Suvarnabhumi airport.
A passenger on a Thai Airways International (THAI) flight departing from Suvarnabhumi posted a video online on Friday depicting a lengthy queue for check-in, claiming some people had to wait over three hours to board while others missed their flights entirely.
PHOTO: This was the third day in a row of outlandish lines at Suvarnabhumi airport.
Cambodia holds local elections
Cambodians rarely get a chance to vote,
But this week, the country will hold elections at the local level, and threats and intimidation are growing.
The (not-very organised) opposition to Hun Sen and Son emerged on Sunday, with an Arnold like: "We're back".
Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party is certain to sail to easy victory again following what the U.N. Human Rights Office charged Thursday was a pattern of "threats, intimidation and obstruction targeting opposition candidates."
No way, said Hun Sen's delegation at Geneva. That's, well, "erroneous, politicized and selective."
PHOTO (above) A policeman in Takhmua area near Phnom Penh drops his ballot into the box, as voting gets under way.
https://www.voanews.com/a/cambodians-vote-in-local-election-amid-intimidation-threats-/6603895.html
The Monday Morning Joke
President Biden visited a remote Native American reservation. With news and camera crews following him around as they tour the place, the President asks the Indian chief if there is anything they need.
"Well," says the chief, "We have three very important needs. First, we have a medical clinic, but no doctor to run it.”
Biden whips out his cellphone, dials a number, talks to somebody for two minutes, then hangs up. "I've pulled some strings. Your well-trained doctor will arrive in five days.” "Now what was the second problem?”
"We have no way to get clean water. The local mining operation has poisoned the water our people have been drinking for hundreds of years. We've been flying bottled water in, but it's terribly expensive.”
Once again, Biden dials a number, yells into the phone for a few minutes, and then hangs up. "The mine has been shut down permanently per my orders, and the owner is being billed for setting up a water purification plant for your people.”
"Now what was that third problem?" asks Biden.
The chief stared at him and said, "We have no cellphone reception up here!" [h/t Ace of Spades]
CANADA U.S.A. GUNS
[AFP] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has warned all Canadians that his government will soon enact the toughest guns laws in that country's history.
Over the weekend, Canadians in record numbers headed for gun stores to buy weapons - particularly handguns.
"Sales have been brisk," said Jen Lavigne, co-owner of That Hunting Store in a strip mall on the outskirts of the capital Ottawa, nestled between a barbershop, a Chinese buffet restaurant and a conservative lawmaker's constituency office.
https://tinyurl.com/2p9dwvmm
Meanwhile:
Over the last 60 years, the number of beds available at psychiatric hospitals in America has dropped by 96 percent.
https://bit.ly/3Nn3fOm
SPORTS TENNIS HOCKEY BASEBALL
Rafael Nadal won the French Open in a romp at Roland Garros. It was Nadal's 14th French Open win, and he now has won 22 Grand Slams.
The (former) Quebec Avalanche shut out the Oilers 4-0 on their way to another Stanley Cup.
Several Tampa Bay Rays players showed personal pride by refusing to wear rainbow logos for Pride Night. It was their personal "faith-based decision," said pitcher Jason Adams, although he did not say what faith that was. Guess.
GAY PARADE
Thailand had its first ever 'pride parade' down Silom Road in Bangkok.
To be clear, same-sex marriages are still illegal, i.e. not recognised in Thailand.
Related
Burger King Austria's @burgerkingaustria new Pride sWhoppers have two tops and two bottoms and Gay Twitter™ has thoughts.
https://www.queerty.com/burger-king-austrias-new-pride-whoppers-two-tops-two-bottoms-gay-twitter-thoughts-20220603
POLITICS GENERATION CHANGE
The 'It Girl' muscles in on Elizabeth Warren's territory.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) recalls the moment she was suddenly awakened to her 'indigenous heritage.'
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rep-ocasio-cortez-indigenous-heritage-standing-rock
GLOBAL WARMING
Doomsday prophets warning that "the end is near" used to be rare and fringy; now they're cutting-edge climate activists.
On Friday, during the third set at the French Open tennis tournament as Norway's Casper Ruud led Croatia's Marin Cilic 4-1, the match was interrupted for fifteen minutes.
Just as Ruud was about to serve, he instead watched incredulously as a "climate activist," that is, a brainwashed lunatic, ran onto the court and tied herself by the neck to the net, to save the planet or something.
NOTE: This and smearing the Mona Lisa have apparently failed to alter the climate.
Happy Platinum, Yer Majesty!
