Thai Government Urges Thaksin to Return

The ex Prime Minister has had terrorism charges leveled at him this week in Bangkok. He stands accused of inciting the violence that scarred the capital city in the past few weeks. Government spokesman Panithan Wattanayagorn said “”The government is just following the legal process.  It’s best for Thaksin to return and fight it out in the court, which will deal with the case fairly”.

Apparently the Thai government hasn’t heard the old adage, let sleeping dogs lie. Knowing full well that Thaksin will never return with these charges and a previous jail sentence hanging over his head,  what then is the purpose of bringing more bad blood to the surface when things are starting to calm down?

We all saw what happened when the Red shirt leaders turned themselves into the authorities, what does the Thai government think will happen if Thaksin magically appeared in Bangkok and they took him into custody? What we saw in the last few weeks would be childs play compared to the carnage that would ensue if Thaksin were arrested.

The Thai government would do well to work on healing the nation that is so deeply divided instead of chasing ghosts they will never catch. If the Prime Minister wants to move forward then he has to start fixing the problems that have led to this juncture. It might do well for the Thai government to make good on their promise of November elections, while the outcome of those elections will doubtfully change anything in Thai politics it might go a long way of regaining the trust of the Thai people.

Brit Lands in Jail Over Youtube Diatribe

All sorts of people are drawn to Thailand, unfortunately some are of lesser brain capacity than others. Such is the case of British National Jeff Savage who found himself alongside a few other foreign nationals in a Thai courtroom this week facing charges ranging from violating the State of Emergency Decree to visa violations.

Mr. savage was captured on film during the height of the protests in Bangkok when he stated:

We’re gonna loot everything, gold, watches, everything, and then we’re gonna burn it to the ground

Speaking of the burning and looting of the Central World shopping mall before the actual event happened. Now, any foreigner living in Thailand, as Mr. Savage has for 9 years, would certainly know to keep his thoughts to himself regarding the Thai government but to parade around the street as he did, joining the protest and saying such things when you know it is being filmed takes a special kind of stupid. On top of that he had overstayed his visa as well.

If you watch the video ( below ) you will see that Mr. Savage is very into the moment when speaking of the burning and looting yet to come. A more sober savage was led into the courtroom in leg irons and later told the press that he was wound up during the protests and was under stress due to being under sniper fire. He then went on to say that his comments were “meant to be sarcastic” The best he saved for last:

I am being stitched up, being fitted up. I thought (my arrest) was just for overstaying my visa, but now this is serious I said it using old British sarcasm. I was being the caricature of the British soccer hooligan.

Hooligan indeed, if only he was that high on the evolutionary ladder. Darwin had it right about natural selection, he just never took into account people pissing in the gene pool. Luckily for Mr. Savage his crimes only merit a six month jail term at most with probable deportation and black listing. I don’t envy him even one day in a Thai prison but he should have thought of that before he opened his mouth.

Linping Turns 1

Hudreds visited Chiang Mai zoo this week to pay their respects to Linping who turned one year old on May 27th. After years of unsuccessfully trying to get her parents to mate, even going as far as using Panda Porn, Linping was a surprise to zookeepers who had all but given up hope.

Even though the Elephant is Thailand’s national symbol this once little panda stole the peoples hearts. The panda has been so popular in the past year that a contest to name her drew over 22 million entries and she even has her own 24 hour television station following her every move.

Linping was born to eight-year-old giant panda Lin Hui just three months after receiving semen from nine-year-old partner Chuang Chuang. The mates had shown no interest in reproducing normally since they both arrived on a 10-year loan from China in 2003. Linping officially belongs to China but can stay in Thailand for another year. In 2006, Chuang Chuang, who had been deemed too heavy to mate with Lin Hui, lost weight on a low-carbohydrate diet and was then shown 15-minute video clips of successful panda couplings, but to no avail.

A monk’s blessing, a panda birthday cake and an ice carving of her name and age were among the gifts for the 36-kilo (79-pound) cub, who has five keepers devoted to her care, before an evening celebration for guests.

Happy Birthday Linping…