CrazyExpat

Have any of you that live in that area noticed any security changes in the area or has it been business as normal for the most part? CHA-AM, Thailand — Leaders of 16 Asian countries met Sunday in Thailand for talks on economic cooperation, disaster management and climate change. The East Asia Summit followed Saturday meetings of leaders from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations with heads of government from China, Japan and South Korea. Sunday's expanded talks brought in Australia, New Zealand and India. The 16 leaders represent almost half the world's population and more than a third of the global GDP, according to Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Sunday's expanded summit was a closed-door affair, and an official account of the proceedings was not immediately available. Japanese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Kazuo Kodama told reporters that leaders were expected to raise concerns over developments in North Korea and Myanmar at a working lunch. He said Japan was interested not only in North Korea's denuclearization, but also what ASEAN has called "humanitarian concerns," which Kodama said referred to a series of abductions carried out over many years by Pyongyang's communist government, largely of Japanese citizens. Leaders were also discussing broader global issues, including climate change and the international financial and economic situation, said Kodama. Southeast Asian leaders on Saturday called on Myanmar to conduct free and fair elections next year when the junta has promised to hold the first polls in two decades. Activists criticized the bloc for failing to take a tougher stand against one of the world's worst human rights offenders. A statement from the leaders did not mention detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, sparing the junta a public scolding. It only "underscored the importance of achieving national reconciliation and that the general elections to be held in Myanmar in 2010 must be conducted in a fair, free, inclusive and transparent manner in order to be credible to the international community." Kodama said Tokyo hoped the discussions held here over three days could "prepare the ground for a wider economic partnership encompassing the whole region." "The nitty-gritty we have to work out later," he said. ASEAN countries have haltingly tried to integrate their economies, and are seeking to eliminate trade barriers within the group to bring about a European Union-style grouping by 2015. The ASEAN bloc is also following up on China's $25 billion initiative to promote infrastructure development in Southeast Asia, Japan's program on the use of efficient energy, and a $100 million South Korean project to help the region respond to climate change, conference documents said. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jKGSctnevG9LndlMcz4Twj6Kt4jwD9BHVCAO1

HUA HIN, Oct 25 (AFP) - Myanmar's prime minister told Asian leaders Sunday that the ruling junta sees a role for democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi in fostering reconciliation ahead of elections in 2010, Thailand said. Premier Thein Sein's comments to a regional summit in Thailand came after the government allowed the detained Suu Kyi to have a rare meeting with a minister, and as the United States sought to engage the regime. Nobel peace laureate Suu Kyi, 64, was placed under a further 18 months' house arrest in August, effectively barring her from taking part in elections promised by the ruling generals in 2010. But Thein Sein "feels optimistic that she can also contribute to the process of national reconciliation," Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva quoted his Myanmar counterpart as saying at a briefing to Asian leaders. He did not say if Thein Sein indicated whether this meant she would be allowed to take part in the electoral process. Thein Sein was quoted by Japanese officials as saying on Saturday that the conditions of Suu Kyi's detention could be relaxed if she behaves. She was convicted in August over an incident in which an American man swam to her lakeside house. Abhisit said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was pleased that the United States, which maintains strict sanctions against Myanmar, was now following its lead in trying to engage the junta. "The one thing we all agreed on is that we welcome signs of further engagement in response to some developments in Myanmar. ASEAN has always argued that engagement is the right approach," Abhisit said. Rights groups earlier criticised ASEAN for failing to mention Suu Kyi in their final summit declaration and for devoting just three lines to the military-ruled nation's political situation in the nine-page document. Suu Kyi has been detained for 14 of the last 20 years since her party won a landslide victory in Myanmar's last democratic elections. The regime refused to recognise the victory. (AFP) http://www.mysinchew.com/node/30617

BANGKOK — A senior Thai prosecutor rejected pressure from Washington Thursday over its appeal for the extradition of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the "Merchant of Death". Bangkok's appeals court is considering an appeal by the Thai government against the criminal court's ruling in August that Bout should not be sent to the United States to stand trial. A US official said Wednesday that US President Barack Obama on his Asia trip next month will press Thailand to go ahead with the extradition. "Every country's justice system is sovereign and no one can interfere or pressure the judges," Sirisak Tiyapan, executive director of international affairs at the Thai Attorney-General's Office said. "This case is under deliberation by the Court of Appeal... To extradite or not is up to the court," he said, giving no details of when a verdict could be expected. Bout's colourful life is said to have inspired the Hollywood film "Lord of Death" and he is accused of peddling weapons around the world, including to Al-Qaeda. Kurt Campbell, the assistant US secretary of state for East Asia, said that US officials including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have raised the case in every meeting with Thailand. "We are pressing it as hard as we possibly can," Campbell testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Obama heads next month on his first presidential visit to Asia. In Singapore, he will take part in an Asia-Pacific summit and meet leaders of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which includes Thailand. "I will certainly make sure that this issue is raised within the context of his trip to Southeast Asia," Campbell said. Bout, a burly former Soviet airforce officer, was arrested in March 2008 at a five-star hotel in Bangkok where he was allegedly arranging to sell surface-to-air missiles to US agents posing as Colombian guerrillas. A Bangkok court ruled that it did not have the authority to extradite Bout because the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia was not listed as a terrorist group in Thailand -- a decision praised by Moscow. The nickname "Merchant of Death" was coined by a former British foreign office minister and also used for a 2007 book on Bout's alleged activities. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hKSGRzFPUoxieRfwryFcajTgJdlQ

HUA HIN, Thailand (Reuters) - Thailand's embattled government on Thursday played down Cambodia's offer of asylum for fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, as an anti-government campaign again cast a shadow over a Thai-hosted regional summit. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday described Thaksin, ousted in a 2006 coup, as an "eternal friend" and said he had a residence waiting for him, state television reported. Thailand is seeking to extradite Thaksin to serve a jail term for corruption. The billionaire has business interests in several countries, including neighbouring Cambodia, where he has invested in the telecoms sector. "If former prime minister Thaksin moves to Cambodia, surely that will have some effect on our relations," Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya told a news conference at a regional ASEAN summit in the Thai resort of Hua Hin. "Hun Sen would know how to take all these considerations into account. It is not possible that the relations between two individuals would be more important that the bilateral relations between two countries." However, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban said it was unnecessary for Thailand to issue a protest. Hun Sen, he said, would not have said Thaksin had been unfairly treated if he had been properly informed. Thailand and Cambodia have long had fraught relations. Hun Sen caused a stir this month when he ordered troops to shoot any Thai crossing illegally into Cambodia, as tensions mounted over an 11th century temple the neighbours have contested for decades. Pitch Pongsawat, a political science lecturer at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, said relations with Cambodia had worsened under the Thai government of Abhisit Vejjajiva and that Thaksin stood to gain popularity by mending their ties. For the rest of the story: http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-43350320091022

CHA-AM, Thailand — Thailand has mounted one of its biggest security operations in recent history with more than 36,000 military and police to prevent anti-government demonstrators from overrunning a summit of Asian leaders, an official spokesman said Thursday. The government is still smarting from the storming of the East Asian Summit in April in the seaside city of Pattaya where protesters charged through thin police ranks and forced the evacuation of several leaders by helicopter and boat. Leaders of 16 Asian and Pacific nations, including Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, will gather Friday for an annual conference of the Association of South East Asian Nations in Cha-am, a beach resort 200 kilometers (120 miles) south of Bangkok. About half of the security forces mobilized have thrown a security cordon around this summit venue, backed by 20 armored vehicles, said government spokesman Panitan Wattanayagorn. The others will be on alert in the Thai capital. "Security forces have also set up emergency escape routes by land, air and sea," he said. "We don't expect it to be necessary but we want to be ready and to assure leaders that they will be able to meet without distraction." Security forces have also been empowered to impose curfews and restrict freedom of movement around Cha-am and Bangkok. Roadblocks were thrown up around the summit venue Thursday. Sniffer dogs patrolled hotels and even local fishermen were stopped from going out to sea. Thailand has been rocked by years of protest and counter-protest by supporters and opponents of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup on accusations of corruption, abuse of power and disrespect to the country's monarch. Nearly 10,000 demonstrators took to Bangkok's streets last Saturday, demanding a pardon for Thaksin and that he be allowed to return from exile. The three-day conference includes the annual gathering of the 10-member ASEAN leaders and those of China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. ASEAN is due to unveil a human rights body for Southeast Asia, sign a declaration on climate change and discuss food security, disaster management, bio-energy and economic integration. The groups aims to set up an economic community by 2015. China wants to expand regional trade and investment and plans a $10 billion infrastructure building fund to deepen ties with its Southeast Asian neighbors. A free trade zone between China and ASEAN is slated to be completed by January 2010. As at previous ASEAN conferences, violation of human rights in military-ruled Myanmar, which joined the group in 1997, will likely cast a shadow over the proceedings. The international community is pressing ASEAN to pressure the junta to reform. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jKGSctnevG9LndlMcz4Twj6Kt4jwD9BFVNV00

Thailand's government threatened Thursday to seek the extradition of Thaksin Shinawatra if the fugitive former prime minister accepts an invitation for refuge in neighboring Cambodia. The reaction came a day after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pronounced Thaksin a "political victim" and said he was welcome in Cambodia — even adding that there's a house ready for him. Hun Sen's comments were bound to increase tensions between the often-bickering neighbors and clearly timed to rattle Thailand's current leadership. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is hosting an annual summit of Asian leaders this weekend under tight security to prevent protests by Thaksin supporters. At a previous summit in April, Thaksin supporters stormed the venue and leaders were evacuated by helicopter. "I would like to assure Thaksin and his supporters that Hun Sen will be his friend forever," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters in Phnom Penh on Wednesday after a meeting with influential former Thai prime minister, Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who recently allied with Thaksin as a member of the opposition Puea Thai Party. Thaksin has been living mostly in self-imposed exile since he was ousted in a 2006 coup after six years as prime minister. He was convicted last year of conflict of interest and sentenced to two years in prison, and Thai officials have revoked his personal and diplomatic passports. "Thaksin was a political victim. I respect and like him more now than when he was a prime minister," Hun Sen said, adding that he has prepared a house where Thaksin can stay at any time. Relations between Cambodia and Thailand have already been sour due to a border dispute over a parcel of land around an 11th century temple. Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban called Chavalit's visit to Cambodia an attempt to "create legitimacy for Thaksin." "If we find out that he is living in Cambodia, we will start a legal proceeding to ask for his extradition," Suthep told reporters in Bangkok, dismissing questions about potential damage to Thai-Cambodia relations. "It's a normal because they are friends," Suthep said, referring to Hun Sen and Thaksin. "But I am sure (Hun Sen) will differentiate between friendship and legal proceedings." Past extradition attempts to other countries have failed due partly to bureaucracy and an inability to locate Thaksin, the government has said. Since the coup, Thaksin has surfaced in Dubai, Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Liberia, and Montenegro in pursuit of investment opportunities. Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon, remains popular among the Thai poor who benefited from his populist policies, but he is reviled by many of the elite in Bangkok, where his administration was seen as deeply corrupt. Thaksin has repeatedly denied allegations of wrongdoing. Much of his fortune remains frozen in Thai banks, and he has been barred from several countries following diplomatic pressure from Thailand. Britain revoked Thaksin's visa in November last year, and Germany later revoked his residency permit. http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/breakingnews/cambodia:-thaksin,-you-re-welcome-a.htm Thailand-Cambodia spar over hospitality to Thaksin PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) - Thailand's government threatened Thursday to seek the extradition of Thaksin Shinawatra if the fugitive former prime minister accepts an invitation for refuge in neighboring Cambodia. The reaction came a day after Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen pronounced Thaksin a "political victim" and said he was welcome in Cambodia - even adding that there's a house ready for him. Hun Sen's comments were bound to increase tensions between the often-bickering neighbors and clearly timed to rattle Thailand's current leadership. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is hosting an annual summit of Asian leaders this weekend under tight security to prevent protests by Thaksin supporters. At a previous summit in April, Thaksin supporters stormed the venue and leaders were evacuated by helicopter. "I would like to assure Thaksin and his supporters that Hun Sen will be his friend forever," Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen told reporters in Phnom Penh on Wednesday after a meeting with influential former Thai prime minister, Gen. Chavalit Yongchaiyudh, who recently allied with Thaksin as a member of the opposition Puea Thai Party. Thaksin has been living mostly in self-imposed exile since he was ousted in a 2006 coup after six years as prime minister. He was convicted last year of conflict of interest and sentenced to two years in prison, and Thai officials have revoked his personal and diplomatic passports. "Thaksin was a political victim. I respect and like him more now than when he was a prime minister," Hun Sen said, adding that he has prepared a house where Thaksin can stay at any time. Relations between Cambodia and Thailand have already been sour due to a border dispute over a parcel of land around an 11th century temple. Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban called Chavalit's visit to Cambodia an attempt to "create legitimacy for Thaksin." "If we find out that he is living in Cambodia, we will start a legal proceeding to ask for his extradition," Suthep told reporters in Bangkok, dismissing questions about potential damage to Thai-Cambodia relations. "It's a normal because they are friends," Suthep said, referring to Hun Sen and Thaksin. "But I am sure (Hun Sen) will differentiate between friendship and legal proceedings." Past extradition attempts to other countries have failed due partly to bureaucracy and an inability to locate Thaksin, the government has said. Since the coup, Thaksin has surfaced in Dubai, Hong Kong, Nicaragua, Liberia, and Montenegro in pursuit of investment opportunities. Thaksin, a former telecommunications tycoon, remains popular among the Thai poor who benefited from his populist policies, but he is reviled by many of the elite in Bangkok, where his administration was seen as deeply corrupt. Thaksin has repeatedly denied allegations of wrongdoing. Much of his fortune remains frozen in Thai banks, and he has been barred from several countries following diplomatic pressure from Thailand. Britain revoked Thaksin's visa in November last year, and Germany later revoked his residency permit. http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/10/22/apworld/20091022140543&sec=apworld

Full results show AIDS vaccine is of modest help By MARILYNN MARCHIONE (AP) Fresh results from the world's first successful test of an experimental AIDS vaccine confirm that it is only marginally effective and suggest that its protection against HIV infection may wane over time. Yet the findings are exciting to scientists, who think that blood samples from the trial may show how to make a vaccine that does a better job. The results also hint that the vaccine may work better in the general population than in those at higher risk of infection, such as gay men and intravenous drug users. It was the first time an AIDS vaccine was tested mostly in heterosexuals at average risk, and doctors have long known that how a person is exposed to HIV affects the odds of becoming infected. "This study becomes a landmark. You can put it on a map and begin to figure out where you go from here," said Col. Jerome Kim, the U.S. Army doctor who co-led the trial. Last month, researchers announced that a two-vaccine combination cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in a trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand. Full results, published online Tuesday by the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at a scientific conference in Paris, include two additional analyses that merely suggest the vaccine is beneficial, rather than providing definitive proof. That's mostly because so few participants became infected — only 125 people, 10 times less than in previous HIV vaccine trials, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, director the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the study's main sponsor. Critics had leaked one of the analyses last week, saying it showed the original results may have been a fluke. A California-based AIDS advocacy group criticized study leaders for not giving a fuller picture when they held their news conference last month. "The bottom line is that those results are real," even though they are not good enough to justify using this vaccine now, said Dr. Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, an alliance of governments, AIDS scientists, the World Health Organization and funders such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "We, for the first time, have evidence of protection, and the nitty gritty (arguments) to me don't matter a damn," Bernstein said. Other scientists who, like Bernstein, had no role in the trial, agreed. "It's a consistent story. There seems to be some effect. And I think it is an important study. It redirects the field to look at a different kind of vaccine and different kinds of immune responses" than what have been the focus in the past, said Dr. Lawrence Corey of the University of Washington. He heads the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, an international group of scientists who test vaccines. The Thailand Ministry of Public Health conducted this trial, which used vaccines made from strains of HIV common in Thailand. They are ALVAC, made by Sanofi Pasteur, and AIDSVAX, originally developed by VaxGen Inc. and now held by the nonprofit Global Solutions for Infectious Diseases. The vaccines are not made from whole virus and cannot cause HIV infection. The combo was tested in HIV-negative Thai men and women ages 18 to 30 at average risk of becoming infected. Half received four doses of ALVAC and two of AIDSVAX over six months; the rest received dummy shots. All were given condoms and counseling, and were followed for three years after vaccination ended. New infections occurred in 51 of the 8,197 given vaccine and in 74 of the 8,198 who received dummy shots. That worked out to a 31 percent lower risk of infection for the vaccine group. In a smaller analysis of just the 12,452 participants who received all six shots exactly on schedule, there were 86 infections — 36 in the vaccine group and 50 in those given dummy shots. Though not a statistically significant trend, the vaccine appeared nearly twice as effective among those at low or moderate risk of becoming infected, versus people who share needles, have contact with prostitutes or engage in other risky behaviors. "Perhaps the requirements for protection against transmission in low-risk heterosexual persons are considerably different or less stringent," Dr. Raphael Dolin of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston wrote in an editorial published by the medical journal. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iBU4mmUL2UKH1gQcOkvVYoxay6dQD9BEN0D80

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's condition is good and he no longer has fever, the palace said on Monday, 30 days after he was admitted to hospital suffering from fever and fatigue. Concerns about the health of King Bhumibol, the world's longest-reigning monarch at age 81, led to a sharp fall in Thai stock prices and the local baht currency on October 14 and October 15. "His majesty the king's general condition is good. His majesty had no fever. He has a good appetite and can sleep well," said a statement from the Bureau of the Royal Household. The king, a figure of unity in polarized Thailand, is regarded as semi-divine by many of the country's 67 million people. His health is an extremely sensitive topic. Palace statements on his condition have often been opaquely worded and the royal household reported on Saturday that his lungs still showed some "inflamed abnormality." His fever subsided on October 1 but returned on October 16, according to statements. Investors remain on edge despite assurances from policymakers and the palace itself that the monarch is on the mend after a bout of pneumonia. Dutch broker ING advised clients on Friday to avoid Thai assets altogether. The health of the king, Thailand's single unifying figure during a long series of military coups and constitutional experiments, is followed closely in financial markets. Strict lese majeste laws in Thailand make comment on royal matters risky. But the king's disappearance from public view has raised concern in largely Buddhist Thailand where many of his subjects regard him as almost divine. http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE59I24020091019

Patong, you are getting screwed. That is too slow. Barely even workable IMHO. From ToT when I was there I was consistently getting 1.5MB download and 1MB download. That is almost 10 times what you are getting. I am not sure how you surf though a lot of sites like that. I assume that is a connection shared with your building and not something you are paying for?

Some very interesting points. Thanks guys. In my opinion, like GW Bush, he was elected. Yes, half the people hated him but he won. He should have been left to finish his term IMHO and let the polls do the rest.

Twenty-four people, including three soldiers, were wounded when a bomb went off at a busy market in the southern province of Yala on Monday morning, police said. According to police, the device was hidden in a motorcycle, which was parked in front of the market in the municipality. It went off at 7.30am, when people were shopping for food. Police believe the explosive weighed 7 to 10 kilogrammes. They are investigating whether it was detonated by a mobile phone. For full article: http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/157500/south-bomb-wounds-24-at-local-market And from the Phil Star: BANGKOK (AP) – Suspected Muslim insurgents detonated a bomb Monday at an open-air market in insurgency-plagued southern Thailand, wounding 24 people, police said. The homemade explosive was hidden on a motorcycle parked in front of the fresh food market in downtown Yala, said army spokesman Col. Parinya Chaidilok. Three soldiers patrolling the area were also wounded in the early morning blast, he said. More than 3,700 people, both Muslims and Buddhists, have been killed in Thailand's three southernmost provinces since an Islamist insurgency flared in January 2004. The provinces — Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala — are the only Muslim-majority areas in the predominantly Buddhist country. Muslims in the region have long complained of discrimination by the central government. A massive security presence has failed to stop the violence. Militants target both Buddhists and Muslims working with the government, including soldiers, police and suspected informants. They also stage attacks on civilians that are believed to be intended to scare the Buddhist community into fleeing. The insurgents have made no public pronouncements but are thought to be fighting for an independent Muslim state. The area used to be an Islamic sultanate until it was annexed by Thailand in the early 20th century. http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=515635&publicationSubCategoryId=200

YANGON, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein will attend the 15th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and related meetings in Hua Hin, Thailand, an official announcement from Nay Pyi Taw said on Monday without specifying the date of his trip. At the invitation of his Thai counterpart Abhisit Veijajiva, Thein Sein is to attend the summits scheduled for Oct. 23-25 in the southern Thai beach resort town. Thailand stands the 2009 ASEAN chairmanship. The last 14th ASEAN Summit in Hua Hin in February-March this year touched on the implementation of ASEAN Charter and regional and international issues, global financial crisis, disaster management, food and energy security, and regional and international situation. At the summit, the ASEAN heads of government signed the Declaration on Roadmap for ASEAN Community. Other agreements were also inked which are -- ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement, ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement, ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement, Protocol to Implement the 7th Package of Commitments under ASEAN Framework Agreement on Service, and three programs for mutual recognition of ASEAN Quality. A follow-up ASEAN summits with China, Japan, South Korea, India, East Asia and the United Nations in Pattaya in April were forced to cancel due to thousands of red-shirt demonstrators of the anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) stormed in the summit venues. Myanmar, which joined the ASEAN along with Laos in July 1997, ratified the ASEAN Charter in July last year. For full article go to: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/19/content_12268719.htm

Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Asian central banks are running out of ammunition to fight their currencies’ biggest rally since 1998, paving the way for South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand and India to help lead foreign-exchange performance next year. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s index of Asian currencies has risen 5.6 percent since its strongest two quarters in 11 years began March 31. Of 34 currencies ranked by Bloomberg forecast surveys, the won, Taiwan dollar, rupiah, baht and rupee will be among next year’s dozen strongest, median estimates show. The won has the best prospects and is the second-most undervalued of 16 major currencies as measured by purchasing power. The currencies are rising even as policy makers sell them, amassing record reserves on concern that too much appreciation will slow export-driven recoveries. Investors are fueling the rallies by seeking greater returns outside the U.S., where near- zero interest rates have made the dollar a favorite to sell in so-called carry trades. With Asia leading the way out of the worst global recession since World War II, 15 of its 18 country stock indexes are beating the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. “The money’s going to keep on flowing into Asian currencies, and central banks can’t continue to accumulate reserves indefinitely without some major side effects,” said Simon Derrick, the London-based chief currency strategist at Bank of New York Mellon Corp., the world’s biggest custodian of assets. “They have to let their currencies rise.” Longest Stretch Asia isn’t alone in facing unwanted foreign-exchange strength as investment capital inundates emerging economies from Eastern Europe to Latin America. Brazil’s real just posted its seventh straight weekly advance, the longest stretch since 2004. “I hear a lot of noise reflecting the government’s discomfort with the exchange rate, but it is hard to fight this,” said Rodrigo Azevedo, the monetary policy director of Brazil’s central bank from 2004 to 2007. “There is very little Brazil can do,” said Azevedo, who runs $1.8 billion at JGP SA in Rio de Janeiro, in an Oct. 16 interview. In the past month, five of Asia’s currencies were among the top 10 emerging-market performers against the dollar, with the rupee, won, rupiah, Malaysian ringgit and Philippine peso up between 2 percent and 4 percent. The rise has been propelled by an unprecedented net $47 billion that flowed into equities in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand in the last three quarters. That eclipses the previous full-year high of $33 billion in 2005, nine years of data compiled by Bloomberg show. Top Performers Median forecasts see the won gaining 7.4 percent against the U.S. dollar by Sept. 30, 2010. Taiwan’s dollar and the rupiah, baht and rupee may strengthen 4.6 percent, 2.2 percent, 1.9 percent and 1.7 percent against the world’s reserve currency, putting them in second, seventh, 10th and 11th place globally. They rank similarly against the other two top currencies, the euro and the yen. Japan’s cash is predicted to lose 6.7 percent against the U.S. dollar and 13.1 percent versus the won. Speculation that Asian countries will raise interest rates as their economies outpace the West is also boosting their currencies. China will expand 8.3 percent this year and 9.5 percent next as the U.S. contracts 2.5 percent and then grows 2.4 percent, median economist predictions show. Forecasts show Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines increasing rates sooner or more than the U.S., Europe and Japan by the end of next year. New Highs As South Korea fought the won’s rise by selling it, reserves grew 26 percent in the first three quarters, the fastest since 2000. Taiwan’s coffers rose 14 percent in the same period, the most since 2004, to a record $332 billion. Reserves in Thailand and Hong Kong also hit new highs as of Sept. 30. The central banks now find themselves in a conundrum. They can let inflation accelerate as they flood their economies with local currencies sold for foreign cash. Or they can raise interest rates to keep prices in check and become even more attractive as carry-trade investors use money from countries with lower borrowing costs to buy Asian financial assets. Taking funds from the U.S. and Japan, with benchmark rates of 0.25 percent or less, to buy won, rupees and rupiah, with rates between 2 percent and 6.5 percent, has produced an annualized carry trade return of 36 percent since Feb. 20 -- the most ever for that length of time, Bloomberg data show. Some governments are trying to soak up the local cash they’re printing by selling short-term local-currency debt, a process known as sterilization, but there aren’t enough buyers for the bills to finish the job. Mopping Up “The depth of financial markets in these currencies is not large enough to issue the bills to mop up the excess liquidity,” said Bilal Hafeez, the global head of foreign- exchange strategy in London at Deutsche Bank AG, the world’s largest currency trader. “That’s going to cause inflation unless they raise interest rates and let their currencies appreciate further.” South Korea’s reserves soared $22.5 billion to $254 billion in the third quarter as the country sold won and the amount of its so-called monetary-stabilization bonds outstanding fell 3.5 percent to $132 billion. The currency rose 8.1 percent against the dollar in those three months. Taiwan added $14.7 billion to its reserves in that period and issued about $1 billion in local debt as its dollar rose 2.1 percent. Even after the won rallied 33 percent from an 11-year low on March 6, it remains undervalued by 56 percent against the dollar, second only to Mexico’s peso among 16 currencies in the Organization for Economic Development’s purchasing power parity gauge. It’s even more undervalued against the euro and yen, also second to the peso. ‘Price Bubbles’ “Korea is paying the most” for its currency’s strength, said Mirza Baig, a Singapore-based foreign-exchange analyst at Deutsche Bank. “The pace of intervention, based on reserves accumulation, is very high, so that shows the currency is massively undervalued. Inflation is creeping up while money supply also looks high, and this leads to concerns about asset price bubbles.” Consumer prices in South Korea increased 1.62 percent in July, 2.17 percent in August and 2.2 percent in September from the year before, the first time the figure jumped two consecutive months since July 2008. Median forecasts show inflation rising in three of the next four quarters. Bets on continued foreign-exchange strength in Asia may lose money if governments impose restrictions on their currencies’ use. Malaysia limited the ringgit’s convertibility in the Asian financial crisis for a year starting in September 1998. Indonesia and Thailand employed capital controls in 2001. Thailand tried to curb the baht’s rise again from December 2006 to March 2008 by requiring investors to put 30 percent of their funds into bank accounts that penalized withdrawals after less than a year. The baht strengthened 13.9 percent in that period. Controls ‘Not Harmful’ Taiwan’s central bank sent a document to local media touting capital controls on Oct. 9, two days after the government reported a 13th drop in monthly exports. It quoted a United Nations report saying such limits are neither “ineffective nor harmful” to emerging-market economies. South Korea plans to restrict state-controlled companies from taking out dollar loans because foreign currency borrowed from local banks is helping drive up the won, a Ministry of Strategy and Finance official said last week, declining to be identified because the move hasn’t been announced. The won declined 0.6 percent to 1,171.2 per dollar today. China, which amassed a record $178 billion in new reserves in the second quarter, has effectively pegged the yuan to the dollar since July 2008 and probably will keep it there until mid-2010, according to the median of 26 forecasts in a Bloomberg survey. The currency is seen strengthening 2.5 percent to 6.66 per dollar in 2010 and 6.20 in 2011, from 6.83 as of Oct. 16. Yuan in Check After letting the yuan appreciate almost 18 percent in the three years to July 2008, China has kept it in check to help exporters weather the global recession. Shipments abroad fell a less-than-forecast 15 percent in September. “The Chinese will first apply administrative controls on the banks, then look at reserve ratios of banks, then raise deposit rates before allowing the currency to appreciate,” Hafeez said. Asia is more dependent than the West on exports, which become relatively pricier as the currencies of overseas competitors or customers weaken. Sales abroad were the equivalent of more than a third of 2008’s gross domestic product in 14 countries in the region, including China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and Cambodia, Asian Development Bank data show. In the U.S., exports were 11 percent of GDP in 2009’s second quarter. About 41 percent of developing Asian countries’ exports were shipped directly to the U.S., the euro region and Japan in 2007, the International Monetary Fund’s most recent data show. Hurting Profits Asian governments may find they can live with stronger exchange rates, said Peter Redward, head of emerging markets research for the region at Barclays Plc in Singapore. “It takes a relatively large change in Asian exchange rates to have an impact on export volumes,” he said. “As for exporter profitability, it clearly has an effect, but appreciation typically happens when global demand is accelerating and prices of exports are rising, such as now.” David Bloom, head of foreign-exchange strategy at HSBC Holdings Plc in London, said emerging-market central banks risk a crisis if they don’t let their currencies rise. “The model of exporting goods to the U.S. and building up foreign-exchange reserves has failed,” Bloom said. “It leads to excess buying of U.S. fixed-income paper, lowering the cost of capital in the U.S., which makes people more anxious for returns elsewhere. They can either change their ways now or they change them under duress.” http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aqn4S.oKSQqo

BANGKOK, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's railway labour union members threatened Monday morning to close the country's principal railway terminal, the Hualampong station in Bangkok, on Monday afternoon if the responsible officials refuse to negotiate, the Thai News Agency reported. The threat came after a four-consecutive-day suspension of southern local train services, as part of the railway unionists strike that left more than 4,000 passengers stranded at the Surat Thani station in southern Thailand. The Hualampong station carries not only thousands of international tourists to all parts of the country, but also is a conduit for thousands of Bangkok civil servants and office workers who commute to the capital daily. Union workers from the State Railways of Thailand (SRT) said many locomotives did not meet safety standards and did not pass inspection but SRT engineers denied this claim. Calling for repairs on at least seven locomotives on a priority basis while major maintenance for more than a dozen others, the union said drivers would stay off the work until the locomotives were safe to drive again. Minister of Transport Sophon Zarum Monday morning said that the ministry will try to end this situation "within one to two days," and urged the union to resume full rail services as SRT managers are ready to talk to resolve the problems. The absence of drivers and engineers in the south has affected 36 trains, but the SRT is replacing them with drivers and engineers from headquarters in Bangkok, according to the transport minister. For Full story: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-10/19/content_12270056.htm

Have Faith in an AIDS Vaccine By SETH BERKLEY Published: October 18, 2009 VACCINE researchers don’t often find themselves at the center of public controversies. But a storm has erupted over the announcement last month that an experimental AIDS vaccine tested in Thailand proved modestly effective. It was billed as a major scientific advance — the long-awaited hard evidence that it is possible to inoculate people against AIDS. But now the trial has been called into question in a way that is overblown and possibly destructive. At a biotech conference last week, I asked a major industry scientist what he thought of the Thai trial announcement, and, although no additional data had been presented, he replied simply, “I don’t believe it.” Unfortunately, such pessimism may be hard to dispel and may ultimately thwart other efforts to develop an AIDS vaccine. Even before this controversy erupted, it had been an effort to maintain sufficient support for AIDS vaccine research and development. In 2008, private and public spending on this vital mission declined by 10 percent from the year before. A few fanatical AIDS activists have even called for ending the American government’s considerable support for AIDS vaccine research, and spending the money instead on AIDS treatment. Patient care is vital, of course, but it alone can only mitigate, not end, the pandemic. This is why it is essential to clear things up. The Thai study was the largest AIDS vaccine trial yet, following 16,402 volunteers for six years. It was a collaborative effort by, among others, the United States military, the National Institutes of Health and the Thai Health Ministry. (The organization I head, a nonprofit that conducts vaccine research and development but was not involved and has no commercial interest in the candidates tested.) The trial partners initially announced that the vaccine combination reduced the risk of infection by 31.2 percent in a statistically significant analysis. A few days later, the trial collaborators began to brief researchers privately about additional data, including a second type of analysis that indicated the vaccine regimen had been slightly less effective than the first analysis suggested. This second analysis was not statistically significant, meaning that chance, rather than the protective effect of the vaccine candidate, might explain why fewer volunteers in the vaccinated group than in the placebo group were infected with H.I.V. Some researchers questioned why both analyses weren’t announced at the same time — which certainly would have been preferable — and suggested to reporters that the second analysis called the first one into doubt. The trial sponsors say they thought the complexities of the second analysis and all additional data were best explored in a peer-reviewed paper in a scientific journal and at a presentation at the AIDS Vaccine Conference in Paris this week. But with news outlets reporting that the trial results may be a fluke, there is a risk that they will be forever tainted, whatever the final analyses show. What’s more, the stain of dubiousness may remain on all AIDS vaccine research and development. That would be a shame. Although the candidate duo tested in the Thai trial did not prove to be a vaccine ready for the market, it may provide an unprecedented opportunity to learn how an AIDS vaccine can work. A comparison of blood samples from volunteers could indicate what specific immune responses the combination may have activated to provide protection. If so, this knowledge could help scientists improve upon the more promising candidates that have emerged since the trial candidates were designed a decade ago, and determine which ones are most likely to work. This illustrates why the controversy over statistical significance is exaggerated. Whether you consider the first or second analysis, the observed effect of the Thai candidates was either just above or below the level of statistical significance. Statisticians will tell you it is possible to observe an effect and have reason to think it’s real even if it’s not statistically significant. And if you think it’s real, you ought to examine it carefully. Even if the Thai vaccine regimen turns out, on examination, to have had no real benefit, researchers will still learn from the trial, as they do from every study. Moreover, other noteworthy advances featured at the Paris conference this week will offer fresh hope for an AIDS vaccine. Years of investment and dogged science are providing leads for solving one of today’s most pressing research challenges. Some 7,400 new H.I.V. infections occur daily throughout the world. Clearly we need better methods of preventing the spread of H.I.V., and no public health intervention is more powerful or cost-effective against infectious disease than a vaccine. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/19/opinion/19berkley.html?_r=1

I think that limit is 30 minutes. That gives the poster enough time to edit the post if they found mistakes or change their mind. What I have found is that if you leave an unlimited amount of time, the true conversations in the forum are not accurate.

BANGKOK (Agence France-Presse) — About 17,000 people rallied in here on Saturday to demand that the Thai government move forward with a petition for a royal pardon for former Primer Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in 2006. Thai authorities deployed 2,000 police officers and invoked a harsh internal security law to ensure that the rally in front of the government offices did not turn violent. The demonstrators, known as “red shirts,” want the government to speed up the process of their petition, which they say at least 3.5 million people signed in support of Mr. Thaksin. He fled Thailand in 2008 to escape a two-year jail term for corruption. “Red shirt people are rallying today to ask about the progress of our petition,” said Jatuporn Prompan, a protest leader. “We are here to send a signal to the government.” The government has said it needs at least two months to process the petition, which must be submitted to King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The nation is still deeply divided between Mr. Thaksin’s supporters and his foes. He enjoys huge support among the poor, particularly in Thailand’s rural north, but he is opposed by the Bangkok-based elite. The king, who has been hospitalized for almost a month recovering from a lung infection and a fever, is considered the only figure able to unify the country. Rumors last week that the revered king’s health had deteriorated sent the Thai stock market tumbling, but his daughter Princess Chulabhorn said late Friday that his condition was improving. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/world/asia/18thai.html?_r=1

Then, you are living the good life!

BANGKOK — Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej's condition is improving and he is in no danger, his youngest daughter has said, allaying concerns after rumours that his health had deteriorated. Princess Chulabhorn made the comments at the Thai embassy in Berlin, broadcast on Thai TV, after speculation about the 81-year-old monarch's well-being sent the nation's stock market tumbling earlier in the week. "Therapy is being performed so the king can stand and walk about normally. It will take some more time. That's the reason why his majesty has not been discharged from hospital, but doctors said there is no danger," she said late Friday. The princess said that during his first week in hospital, her father was confined to bed with a fever, which weakened him, but now his temperature had come down and he was also no longer being fed intravenously. "His majesty speaks and takes his meals almost as normal," she added. While the queen remained at Bangkok's Siriraj hospital with her husband, Princess Chulabhorn made the trip to Germany this week to receive a medal for her work in science. For the full story: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jjRzfJ__1SXCpILCIzOA31-P1suw

Homeschooling can be great for the right child and parent. I think the social interactions that occur between a child and school mates are very important and many life lessons are learned this way. I understand the desire to protect your child. I would suggest making sure you are open and active daily discussions are held as well as staying VERY active at your child's school and knowing all the other parents, teachers and children. If you are in the loop on everything, it may be better than homeschooling. For me, the threat was always Military School as I was a little bastard. My mother would not have wanted me at home all day.

I think once banned, their profile shows as banned. But, I think all of his posts were also deleted as all were just commercial links. So, I am not sure how to find it on the front end of the site.

Welcome Mr. Bean! As I have loved all the movies related to your moniker, I am looking forward to your postings. Any videos?

I have rented Jet Skis in Phuket 20 times or more and never had an issue. I wonder if it is a certain group they target?

I think it is possible to live on 30k a month there but think 45k plus would make it quite a bit easier. With 30k, is there a contingency for any medical issues that may arise?

Being an IPhone geek, I love my Iphone which is meant for 3G. USA does not even have it right yet. Last trip to Thailand, True said they were testing it. Can't wait to test myself. True Corporation, the parent company of the mobile operator True Move, has produced a well-prepared alternative funding source for its 3G investment with a strong financial backup from major shareholder CP Group. "With cash of up to 9 billion baht plus annual cash flow of 7-8 billion baht and a variety of avenues of full funding including recapitalisation and a strategic-partner approach, True Move is financially ready for the 3G battle," said CEO Supachai Chearavanont. True Move plans to spend 20 billion baht on its 3G network in the first three years with 90% population coverage. "We will fight until the end, until the last breath, to win a 3G licence no matter how high the bid prices will go and with an unlimited budget," said Mr Supachai. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has proposed a minimum reserve price for a licence for 10 MHz of 3G spectrum at 10 billion baht. The regulator wants to call bids in mid-December and hopes to award four 3G licences by the end of this year. Three licences would be for 10 MHz each, and one for 15 MHz, which would cost more. For the rest of the story: http://bangkokpost.com/business/telecom/25723/true-confirms-3g-readiness