Thailand sour over coup a year on

By Jonathan Head
BBC News, Bangkok

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7003285.stm

A lot of hogwash

A baby hedgehog survived an hour long spin in a washing machine in Bognor Regis, West Sussex.

The animal, now named Persil, ended up in the machine after wandering into a house and taking a nap in the laundry basket.

Luckily the 10-week old hedgehog was cushioned by the clothes and the washer was on slow spin and half load.

Now Persil is being cared for at a wildlife hospital in nearby Sidlesham.

Manager Penny Cooper said: “she is a miracle. She came out clean with shiny spikes. Usually when we get hedgehogs we have to take off the fleas.”

I was not so lucky and lost in this way the beloved cat "Bolletje" who sneaked through the open door of the already loaded washing machine and started comfortably sleeping. Unfortunately it was his last resting-place causing a lot of sadness for me. Since that day I was very cautious in checking the laundry before starting the process not wanting to lose any other of the cats.

Source: Bangkok Post – Thailand, 19-9-2007
Collected by Antoni Uni – Bangkok 20-9-2007

Paiboon Paphan, the rescuer-in-yellow

Paiboon Paphan, a Thai survivor from the plane crash, whose spine was injured, was brought on a wheelchair to visit an Australian survivor Mr Robert Boreland who he saved after the crash. Being treated at the Bangkok Phuket Hospital Robert suffered broken bones and burns, but he requested to see Paiboon to thank Paiboon for saving his life. After the crash caused fire flames, Paiboon pulled Robert out of the plane wreckage. At that time Robert only knew it was a man in yellow. Paiboon said he was proud to help save someone’s life and that it has been reported worldwide that a man in yellow saved a foreign tourist. He said he wore yellow in honor of His Majesty the King of Thailand.

Yellow is the King’s color and many Thai are wearing very frequent a yellow shirt with the Royal Weapon to express their admiration and honor for their King

Source: http://www.thaisnews.com/news
Collected by Antoni P. Uni – Bangkok, 20-9-2007

COUP “ANNIVERSARY”: 19-9-2006 / 19-9-2007

Yesterday we enjoyed the first anniversary of the last of the frequent coups in Thailand.

As normal a coup which brought a lot of mixed feelings and question marks but luckily this time the coup was bloodless.

I cannot judge enough, I can only see and hear what is happening around me, my (local Thai) environment, clients, acquaintances, friends and not as being a pensioner but “in business” with my, also local Thai, partners.

And what I have seen is not very positive, not at all. Financially, I think, it affected lots of people, either they cannot spend the money anymore or they are very careful in spending it. I see our (local Thai) restaurant almost empty and the clients don’t spend their money and consume minimum. Our other business is not much better. I see a local Shopping Mall suffering of fewer visits, I see local restaurants closing down, I see shops in that specific Shopping Mall closing down, I read about thousands of people sacked due to financial reasons, I hear taxi-drivers/owners complaining about less work and so on and so on. All this started after September 19, 2006.

Thailand has to try to continue surviving until the promised election at the 23^rd of December this year, if it will not be delayed as local Thai are already afraid for because it has been said that the present people-in-power want to finish first a certain “job” they where already after since the coup started.

Everybody hopes that the sun rises from dawn after these elections and that the consumer starts getting more confidence again.

Yesterday I bought Bangkok Post and I can only admire their open vision which they seem to publish without fear! Perfect!

My hope, as an outsider not knowing enough about this all, was already not very positive whilst informed by the local insiders around me and the newspaper was not able to change that. I finish with only mentioning the headers in that “anniversary”-issue:

“The new charter will mean weaker government, and a weaker democratic system will only turn back the clock” and “As a nation, what have we achieved since the coup? Has it mended the division in our society? Is our democracy ready to develop further? Do we have a new constitution that will stop politicians from misusing power?”

And seeing a header: “Sept 19 won’t be the last putsch” than I start asking myself is it not time to make Thailand, also MY COUNTRY, a REAL democracy where the people themselves can change in a electoral way their government and not by meaning of military coups d’etat?

Antoni P. Uni

The Phuket-tragedy

“Wind shear alert was down

Officials say system not crucial for landing”

I just read an article of the Bangkok Post reporters with above mentioned heading. (no comment)

“Systems to detect dangerous winds at Phuket international airport have emerged as a new factor possibility linked to the horrendous crash of the One-Two-Go flight on Sunday.

Wuttichai Singmanee, director of air safety at the Civil Aviation Department, said three of the six wind shear alert systems at the airport had problems.

“Three out of six low-level wind shear alert sustems were not working at the time,”Mr. Wuttichai said in a report by the AP.

An official at Phuket airport who declined to be named told the Bangkok Post that the system run by the Meteorological Department had not functioned for months.

The systems detect sudden strong winds, also known as wind shear, which could cause trouble for a plane landing at the airport.

Officials responsible for the system would normally alert air traffic controllers to warn pilots about the situation on the ground.

These systems are installed at all international airports in Thailand. They are located in areas around the airport.

With investigators still trying to determine the cause of the tragedy, it was unclear yesterday whether the accident, which left 89 people dead and 41 injured, was due to pilot error or weather conditions.

But Mr. Wuttichai said even though the wind shear detection system was not fully functional, this would not necessarily lead to an accident.

The airport at Phuket was also equipped with its own, separate wind detecting system and could inform incoming and outgoing planes of the situation the official said.

“The wind shear alert system is not a requirement for an international aviation standard,” he said.

A pilot of Thai Airways International (THAI), who asked not to be named, agreed with Mr. Wuttichai, saying the wind shear detection system was not crucial for landing or take-off.

Most passenger aircraft nowadays were equipped with their own wind detection equipment, which the pilot could refer to, he said.

Transport permanent secretary Chaisawat Kittipornpaiboon, who is heading the inquiry into the disaster, said wind shear had not been ruled out and it had been the cause of several major airline accidents.”……………..

………………”Khanit Promsathit, a THAI pilot, said Phuket airport is a difficult place to land especially at night or in bad weather.

Two critically injured passengers were yesterday flown to a hospital in Bangkok for intensive burn treatment”………………

Extract of an article in Bangkok Post – Thailand 19-7-2007
Collected by Antoni P. Uni