Movie pirates want sniffer dogs Lucky and Flo whacked

March 22, 2007 - 3:33PM

Malaysian movie pirates have reportedly put a bounty on the heads of two sniffer dogs who busted a fake DVD ring with a seizure of discs worth about $3 million.

Lucky and Flo, two female black Labradors deployed by Malaysian authorities in their crackdown on pirated movie DVDs and music CDs, carried out their first major successful operation in Johor state on Tuesday.

The New Straits Times said syndicate bosses had offered an unspecified reward for the killing of the two dogs.

"As a result of the extent of loss to the pirate syndicate, we have information from the domestic trade ministry that the Johor syndicate is intent on killing Lucky and Flo," said Neil Gane, an official of the Motion Picture Association.

"The Malaysian authorities are taking this threat seriously and the security around the dogs' current location has been beefed up," he said.

In Tuesday's raid, the two dogs helped seize a cache of around a million pirated game and movie discs in the southern city of Johor Baru, neighbouring Singapore. At least six people were arrested.

The fake DVDs, replicating machines and other tools used to make and sell discs were hidden in concealed spaces and secret compartments spread over four floors of an office building.

Malaysia, which figures on a U.S. watchlist on piracy, has dramatically stepped up efforts to rein in copyright pirates as it negotiates a free-trade pact with the United States.

The dogs are being given a month's trial by Malaysian officials in a joint effort with the Motion Picture Association, which groups six major Hollywood film companies.

The dogs are trained to sit down when they smell plastic. Until now, the animals have been used mainly to check containers in cargo hangars.

Reuters

Malaysia Awards Medals to DVD Sniffer Dogs

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Two dogs trained to sniff out DVDs received medals from the Malaysian government on Monday for a five-month campaign that crippled movie pirates.

Lucky and Flo, black Labradors trained to detect the chemicals used in making DVDs, were the first animals to receive the outstanding service awards for finding discs stockpiled by pirates, the Motion Picture Association of America said in a statement.

The canine campaign led to 26 arrests and seizures of illegal discs worth over $6 million.

The success of Lucky and Flo has prompted the ministry to set up its own canine unit to fight the pirates, and the MPAA, which arranged for their trial by Malaysian officials, plans to donate two new dogs to the unit by the end of the year.

Movie pirates even put a bounty of 100,000 ringgit ($28,560) on Lucky and Flo after they busted a fake DVD ring in southern Johor state in March, the MPAA said. Since then, the dogs have been closely guarded.

Lucky and Flo's next stop on their crime-fighting tour is a visit to New York, followed by a trip to Toronto for an appearance at a film festival, said the MPAA, which groups six major Hollywood film companies.

The MPAA groups Walt Disney Co.'s (DIS) Buena Vista; Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc (VIA); Sony Pictures, a unit of Sony Corp. (SNE); Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of News Corp (NWS); Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co's (GE) NBC Universal Inc; and Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc (TWX).

The group estimates that copyright theft cost its members about $1.2 billion in lost revenue in the Asia-Pacific region last year, with annual worldwide losses of $6 billion. REUTERS

Randy sniffer dogs get the sack

Mon Jun 11, 2007

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Two Thai street mutts who became ace sniffer dogs at an airport near the notorious "Golden Triangle" opium-producing region have been fired for urinating on luggage and sexually harassing female passengers.

The pair, Mok and Lai, had been plucked from obscurity under a program initiated by King Bhumibol Adulyadej to turn strays into police dogs, the Bangkok Post said on Sunday.

Although they won plaudits from police for their work in sniffing out drugs at northern Thailand's Chiang Rai airport, near the border with Laos and Myanmar, so many passengers complained about their behavior they had to be fired.

"He liked to pee on luggage while searching for drugs inside," Mok's former handler, Police Lieutenant Colonel Jakapop Kamhon, said. "He also liked to hold on to women's legs."

"Both were just as good as foreign dogs trained for use in drug missions," he added. "But they were stray dogs, so their manners were worse than those of foreign breeds."

Mok and Lai now work on a farm, herding chickens and pigs, the paper said.

Monkey ban lifted

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia has lifted a ban on the export of long-tailed macaques in a bid to thin the population of the monkeys, which are becoming a menace, Bernama said yesterday. Malaysia is negotiating to export the animals to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan, where they could end up as food. “The cabinet has decided to lift the ban which was imposed in 1984 on the capture and export of this type of monkey,” said Environment Minister Azmi Khalid.

“These monkeys create havoc in urban areas, not only stealing food from houses but also attacking people.” REUTERS

Source: Bangkok Post – Thailand, 18-8-2007

Collected by: Antoni P. Uni, Bangkok 22-8-2007

No other ways mr. Khalid??

When is Japan finally civilizing a bit more?

Tortoise smugglers held

Phnom Penh: Two Cambodian soldiers face up to 10 years in jail each if convicted for allegedly trafficking more than 300 kg. of tortoises, a court officer said yesterday.

The two men are being detained after they were formally charged with illegal transportation of the animals on Thursday, said Pen Sarath, a provincial court prosecutor. He said the two ,em had told him the tortoises were smuggled from Thailand. The two men were transporting 51 tortoises in a car from a north-western province to Phnom Penh, but were arrested in Pursat province. AP

Source: Bangkok Post – Thailand, 18-8-2007

Collected by Antoni P. Uni, Thailand 22-8-2007

So there are severe “leaks” at the Thai borders! I cannot find any comment concerning the Thai source!?!?!

China less tough on crime

BEIJING: China, which executes more criminals than the rest of the world combined, may show leniency to minor offenders, including poor people who steal just “occasionally”. As long as they do not hurt anyone. Prosecutors have set new standards that spare five categories of minor offenders on condition that their crimes cause “minimal social impact”. The official Xinhua news agency said yesterday. The agency did not give a reason for the leniency. REUTERS

Source: Bangkok Post – Thailand, 18-8-2007

Collected by: Antoni P. Uni, Thailand 22-8-2007

Not enough prosecutors or jails??

Sonthi given top Singapore military award

Singapore – Singapore yesterday awarded its top military honour to outgoing army chief and chairman of the Council for National Security Sonthi Boonyaratkalin.

Gen. Sonthi received the Meritorious Service Medal for his role in enhancing “strong ties”between the Thai and Singaporian armies, the Defence Ministry here said.

Gen. Sonthi had previously angered Singapore when he suggested the Citystate could be using telecom satellites Thailand had sold Singapore to eavesdrop on private conversations of the Thai military.

He ordered military officials to give up their cell phones in favour of walki-talkies to prevent any espionage, and suggested the Thai government should take back the four satellites.

However, he later admitted the accusations against Singapore were simply part of a strategy to try and stir the Thai people into becoming more protective about the country’s assets>

Singapore had strongly denied the eavesdropping allegations, but yesterday praised Gen. Sonthi for his contributions to enhancing military links. AFP

Source: Bangkok Post – Thailand, August 18, 2007

Collected by Antoni P. Uni, Thailand 22-8-2007

NO COMMENT!

Thai man dies wearing wife’s bras

August 22nd, 2007

ROI ET: — A 43-year-old Thai man was found dead wearing 15 bras and a mini-skirt belonging to his estranged wife, news reports said Wednesday.

J.K. was found dead Tuesday from a suspected heart attack at his home in Roi Et, 400 kilometres north-east of Bangkok, the Thai-language Khao Sod newspaper reported.

Relatives of J., who formerly worked as an optician in Bangkok, told police he had been suffering from depression since his wife left him for another man and had been taking painkillers washed down with coffee several times a day.

Doctor Thanakorn Klangsaeng of Roi Et Hospital said he suspected J. had died of a heart attack. There was no immediate explanation as to why the deceased was wearing his wife’s clothes, which he had brought back with him from Bangkok after the couple’s separation.

–DPA 2007-08-22

what a waist in a country with so many lovely women!