Top Stories of 2024 for Thailand bring small surprises
Not just 'Hello' -- Congratulations! To all of us!
Everyone reading Fishwrap today has survived another complete trip around the sun.
RING IN 2025/2568B.E.
Not just the founder and publisher but everyone here at the prestigious and frequently envided headquarters of Fishwrap at beautiful Nong Bon sends hopes and wishes that the 2568 New Year sees prosperity, family love and good food. And for many future years.
This is the first edition of the first day of the New Year, 2025.
THAILAND NEW YEAR UNG-ING
Oopsie, almost forgot...
The world's youngest prime minister wished you and yours and especially every Thai a Sawatdee Phi Mai.
Her four cornermen are daddy Thaksin, auntie Yingluck, uncle (ex-PM) Somchai and also ex-PM Srettha.
MYANMAR CHINA CRIME
Not the Golden Triangle crime-busting everyone was hoping for
YANGON (formerly Rangoon)
The Myanmar military dictators have handed over several Burmese-Chinese citizens to face charges in China of international fraud all the way up to murder.
PHOTO: Recent arrests include father, mother and three daughters of the notorious Ming crime family (left). Courtesy Chinese 'ministry of public security'.)
China appears serious about a crackdown on ethnic Chinese citizens, but the Golden Triangle drug lords and traffickers remain untouched. For more than 40 years, leading drug traffickers reportedly make huge payments to the military dictators.
There also (FISHWRAP exclusive) remains the mystery of how the genocidal Aung San Suu Kyi supported herself and her political supporting group for more than years as Head Girl of Burma-Myanmar.
Starting in 2012, Beijing claimed it is attempting to stop cross-border crime from the Southeast Asian region.
In 2013, after drug smugglers killed entire crews of Chinese commercial and police ships, China arrested executed the alleged murderers of the Naw Khan gang.
THAILAND TOP STORIES
Love conquers all, including the biggest fraud in Thai history
Moo Daeng the baby hippo was Top Story Number 1 in 2024 in the Kingdom.
No. 2 was the far less interesting iCon Siam multi-billion fraud that still is running.
PHOTO: Mama and baby pygmy hippopotamus share a moment at the zoo, southeast of Bangkok.
Our girl Lisa-Lalisa Manobal of Buri Ram was the No. 1 'soft power' generator of the year for Thailand -- a far bigger star than the millions of tonnes of Thai durian shipped to China.
As already reported by Fishwrap Lisa was the star attraction at IconSiam -- bigger than the mall's fireworks over the Chao Phraya River.
KOREA AVIATION MYSTERY
Black Box of crashed Boeing missing 'critical component'
Well, it's Woeing... Boeing, isn't it?
MUAN, KOREA: The flight data recorder didn't work. It seems it wasn't plugged in correctly.
PHOTO: Korean soldiers search 'for any clues' that might help in the crash investigation.
That's the blackened tail section of the Jeju Air Boeing 737 flight that killed all but two of the 181 passengers and crew.
U.S. government and Boeing 'experts' have flown in to try to control the investigation.
Early reports... CAUTION... Early reports say that a bird strike may be the major cause. The plane's landing gear also did not fully deploy.
The pilot of the flight from Bangkok called 'Mayday' two minutes before the crash and fire.
erm... UM: Health Officials investigating possible link between Ozempic and Eye-Rotting Condition.
https://people.com/ozempic-may-be-linked-to-eye-rotting-condition-8764224
CANADA POLITICS
Canada's doing to Trudeau what America did to Biden
Business leaders, MPs push Trudeau to decide on his future
'There's chaos at the centre'
The caucus of down-East Atlantic Liberals: 'We need new leadership'. (Who knew there was old leadership)
NOTE: 'MPs' means members of parliament, i.e. elected representatives
https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/there-s-chaos-at-the-centre-business-leaders-mps-push-trudeau-to-decide-on-his/article_f1f49bb2-c6ea-11ef-84ba-67cfb97cbc5a.html
Shambling vacationer Biden announced that he would unilaterally give nearly six billion in taxpayer dollars to the country that bribed him, Ukraine.
The Biden-Harris administration announced a sweeping $5.9 billion aid package to Ukraine on Monday...
Still Sharp as a Tack After All These Years
Joe Biden is on vacation in the Virgin Islands. Nothing surprising about that; he has spent around 40 percent of his term on vacation. And that is the official White House tabulation.
USA ECONOMY CYBERWAR
Chinese hackers successfully invaded the U.S. Treasury
The threat actors 'found' a key that was used by a ever-so-carefully selected vendor that was contracted to help the U.S. Treasury Department.
Treasury Department 'officials' on hand for the holiday week notified the Senate Banking Committee of this “major incident” in this manner:
The use of security “keys” is obsolete technology on which, unfortunately, we continue to rely.
NOTE: This news report is from Limeys, not from America.
Not that there is any cover-up, but there also is no word on what got penetrated and how much -- if any -- U.S. Reserve cash is missing.