Links to more information
I don't know about you, but isn't a vote a vote? And as long as someone is voting does it really matter if your national identity card doesn't match what you look like now?
It's kind of like the guy at the airport who took a look at my passport and then took a look at me, and then took a look back at my passport, to which I said "That's me", and then said back:
"It was once."
Not matter.
I still got to fly.
Economy of course.
"It is the latest in a series of gripes among members of the Trans-Female Association of Thailand which groups transgenders and transsexuals known collectively as "katoeys" or "ladyboys."Read it in full.
We have a big problem when we use our identity cards in banks, schools, hospitals and now when we vote," said Yollada Suanyoc, president of the 2,500-strong organization.
"The picture may show a woman but it says 'mister' on the card. Or the picture may show a teenage boy and the person now looks like a woman."
Everyone in Thailand has to carry a national ID card with them at all times from the age of 15. It is renewed every seven years [...]
But Yollada said the government had been slow to accept them and accused society of grouping transgenders, transsexuals and homosexuals as one and the same when each group had its own issues.
"The government says if they change our title and sex, it's going to make society confused," she said. "The government worries that they won't know about our past."
Earlier this week my friends down at Disgrasian had a great post on the Thai protesters at the airports, and as I was catching another article about how Thailand vows a peaceful end to the "siege", just thought I would post up some pics that I caught down at hurriyetdailynews.com - because it really is a peaceful protest (and if there's anywhere that should have a peaceful protest I'm thinking it has to be in Thailand where the noodles are always hot, the haircuts are incredible, and when you decide to cross the street oblivious to everything else because you just have to make last call, some nice person pulls you back and saves you from being hit by a taxicab):
When you're wearing the King Bhumibol Adulyadej shirts - no one's really going to pummel bullets into you.
I'd say that was good planning.
Even though there seems to be some unrest over whether or not the Samak government is really a puppet for Thaksin, or if the PAD is just plain crazy (and if you believe one survey the majority of folks in Bangkok think they are) - at least there hasn't been any explosions yet:
PM asks people to rethink before joining rally
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said he was the one who ordered police to retreat from the Government House on Friday afternoon to ease tension between anti-government protesters and police officers. "I was afraid that the two sides would clash so I ordered the retreat," he said. He also called on the Thais to re-think before deciding whether to join the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) rally, saying that the protest does not reap any benefit to the nation. He called on the people to be on the government's side to prove their love and respect to the royal institution. "Do you want the country to fall apart in front of your eyes?," he asked. "Or are you not Thais?"Rifts behind Thailand's political crisis
The PAD first emerged in September 2005. At the time it was a largely personal crusade by maverick media mogul Sondhi Limtongkul, once a passionate Thaksin supporter who turned on his former mentor after feeling abandoned when his business went bankrupt. But it picked up momentum at the end of that year as public unease grew over the tax-free sale of the Shinawatra family telecoms business for an estimated $2bn (£1bn) and escalated into a movement that helped bring the seemingly impregnable Thaksin administration down. Most Thais probably thought that was the last they would see of the PADThai protesters, police scuffle over court order
The alliance accuses Samak's government of serving as a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 coup and faces several pending corruption cases. Thaksin is in self-imposed exile in Britain. The crowd outside the compound swelled Friday afternoon. When the police pulled back, many demonstrators followed them to a horse racing track about 500 yards from the Government House. Sonthi Limthongkul, a protest leader, vowed Friday to continue the protests until Samak steps down. "We definitely won't leave the Government House until we can topple Samak's administration," Sonthi told the Associated Press. "He cannot stay on for long, I am very sure of that. You can see people coming more and more to join us."Thai Protesters Enter Prime Minister’s Compound
An estimated 30,000 protesters gathered outside several government ministries and entered the grounds of the prime minister’s office. To avoid them, Mr. Samak moved a scheduled cabinet meeting to the military headquarters. Protesters often gather outside the building, called Government House, but rarely enter the grounds. The crowd, which did not try to enter the building, appeared peaceful, television showed. Mr. Samak said he would not be provoked and would continue to take a soft line with the protesters. Continuing protests by the same group, the Peoples Alliance for Democracy, weakened Mr. Thaksin before he was ousted in a coup in September 2006. Mr. Thaksin is in London, where he fled 10 days ago from Beijing, to evade prosecution in Thailand for corruption cases. He is reported to have asked for political asylum together with his wife, Pojaman. The couple left Thailand after Ms. Pojaman was sentenced July 31 to three years in jail for tax evasion. After attending the Olympics in Beijing, they failed to return home for a scheduled court date. The Peoples Alliance, a loose grouping of pro-democracy advocates, anti-Thaksin forces and others, has accused Mr. Samak and his party of trying to amend the Constitution to help Mr. Thaksin evade the corruption charges.
If you're looking for a Thai horror flick to sink your teeth into when it comes out on DVD (if you can't catch it before then), a movie that's been doing well at the box office with crowds in Thailand is 4bia (aka See Prang). The film has four stories to it with one of the stories "In the Middle" directed by Banjong Pisanthanakun, part of the team that brought us Shutter and Alone.
Check out the trailer
For more on the movie go to Scheda Film, Chiangmai Mail and the official site.
This is bad - and things keep on getting worse. To everyone that has family out in the affected areas - I hope you got in contact with them and that everyone is safe:
A powerful earthquake toppled buildings, schools and chemical plants Monday in central China, killing more than 8,700 people and trapping untold numbers in mounds of concrete, steel and earth in the country's worst quake in three decades.
The 7.9-magnitude quake devastated a region of small cities and towns set amid steep hills north of Sichuan's provincial capital of Chengdu. Striking in midafternoon, it emptied office buildings across the country in Beijing and could be felt as far away as Vietnam.
Snippets from state media and photos posted on the Internet underscored the immense scale of the devastation. In the town of Juyuan, south of the epicenter, a three-story high school collapsed, burying as many as 900 students and killing at least 50, the official Xinhua news agency said. Photos showed people using cranes, mechanical hoists and their hands to remove slabs of concrete and steel.
During one of my lazy nights away I got a chance to finally see the Thai suspense/thriller 13 Beloved, and it didn't disappoint. Good story, tight scenes, and it makes you think about what you'd do if you were in the same situation.
Description from Wikipedia:
13 Beloved (Thai: 13 เกมสยอง or 13 Game Sayong, also 13: Game of Death) is a 2006 Thai psychological thriller and black comedy directed by Chukiat Sakveerakul and starring Krissada Sukosol Clapp. The story, about a man who is led through progressively challenging, degrading and dangerous stunts by mysterious callers from an underground reality game show, is adapted from the 13th Quiz Show episode in the My Mania comic-book series by Eakasit Thairaat.Check it out if you're looking for something good to watch.
As previously talked about in a summer post here’s some more info on The Contender Muay Thai that will be shown across Asia.
The latest trailer for the new series:
Here’s a sampling of the fighters and descriptions from mymuaytai.com - where you can get a full list and more descriptions on all the fighters.
Yodsaenklai Fairtex
Yodsaenklai is one of the biggest stars of Muay Thai
today. A former Lumpini Stadium and Toyota Marathon Champion, Yodsanklai is the current reigning WBC Muay Thai Champion. He currently fights for the Fairtex
camp, he’s a dynamic south paw fighter who’s known for his technical and
methodical fighting style. He has a 131 wins, 64 Losses and 3 draws.
John Wayne ParrParr is fighter based out of Queensland Australia. He’s started off life as a boxer and transitioned into Muay Thai. Parr was one of the original great “Farang” (Foreign) fighters who lived and fought in Thailand. Parr currently fights out of his own gym the Boonchu gym. Parr (66-22) is known for his explosive hands and an aggressive
fighting style. Some of his achievements include: IMF World Champion, S-1 World
Champion. Parr was also voted by the “Strongest Westerner in Thailand ‘97″ by
the sports writers of Thailand.
Naruepol Fairtex
Naruepol is another star in Fairtex’s stable of fighters, In addition to his 110 -41 record he’s a former Lumpini and Rajadomnern Stadium champion. Currently he’s the no.1 contender to challenge Nopadetch Choowattana for the WBC title. Naruepol is considered tall for a Thai fighter and is very effective with his knees and elbows.
Nice:
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In one of its worst aviation disasters in a decade with over eighty-eight dead, more information is starting to come out about the airport and pilot:
From the Canadian Press:
Probe into Thai plane crash focuses on wind shear; monks pray for dead
Buddhist monks chanted prayers Tuesday for the souls of the 89 people killed in a plane crash on the southern Thai resort island of Phuket as distraught relatives began identifying and retrieving badly disfigured bodies.
From the Bangkok Post:
Airline chief defends pilot of doomed Phuket flight
“He was not hot-headed by character and had plenty of aviation experience under his belt …He was very experienced, patient and very decisive,” One-Two-Go Airline chairman Kajit Hapananont told the Bangkok Post.
From the Guardian:
Survivors angry that pilot tried to land plane in monsoon storm
Survivors of the Phuket air crash expressed disbelief and anger yesterday that their plane had been given permission to land despite a monsoon storm with winds so fierce that they bent back palm trees.
