Mong Pru calls me a “dubious expert.”
The point is if I am “dubious” how come at the same time, I would be an expert? This is called oxymoron in which he is contradicting himself. I understand his reasons for frustration. Mong Pru as expected is a prejudiced person; because even when my role here as the author of a book on Burma, ” BURMA’S MISSING DOTS” I am a researcher, and a professor in Canada but to him that I am not from his racial Rakhine background, I must not be trusted, I must be a “dubious” person, I could never go to Arakan for my research and my research got to be funded by Middle East money. What a great observation by a person who fails to understand what he is talking about!
This is the problem in Arakan, the prevelance of xenophobia due to the lack of education. Mong Pru is not the first person to express himself showing intolerance toward the Rohingyas and towards researchers like me. Their problem is their anger that instead of taking their side I am explainning with factual backups, the early signs of genocide in Arakan. Lately I has worse online encounters with several gentlemen one is named Aye Chan who is by profession is a teacher but called me a “Bengali” and a “Dog” not a researcher. It was on record. The notorious Aye Chan called the Rohingyas as being “Influx Viruses “implying that they are needed to be exterminated before the Rohingya virus exterminate the Rakhine-Moghs.
Arkhong says he is innocent, and yes, the Thais for the most part give this near illiterate grandfather the benefit of the doubt. Thaksin too says he is innocent (and loudly too he redeclared his innocence going so far as inciting last year’s near anarchic very violent Red protests-cum-arson to punctuate his innocence), and for the most part the Thais, save the Reds, disbelieve this fugitive.
Both are seeking pardon. I’m betting the innocent will languish in jail while the fugitive terrorism-prone guilty will get his amnesty, in Y2012.
@chris b 46
I would believe that deliberations held “in camera” would be private. So if the attorney did all that you suggest and more, but it was disallowed by the judge, we would not know this.
The presumption of guilt here looms very large in my perception. If chris b has identified exculpatory evidence that was not allowed, that would be even greater evidence of a serious miscarriage.
But, unless I am missing something, we won’t know.
Abid Bahar, a dubious expert on Arakan, who has never visited Arakan in life, is a Bengali xenophobe from Bangladesh. With his personal links with some of the socalled Rohingya extremists and their dubious funders in the Middle East, has always written misinterpreted stories on Rohiingya. The links he has submitted on this article are misinterpreted and with a sinister planning …
I’ll ask a question which I posed before but which the moderator chose to
delete. If Akorn doesn’t know how to write and send an SMS, why didn’t his
lawyer ask for a list of SMSs sent from the phone to be produced in evidence? Equally, why didn’t the prosecution ask for it to show that other SMSs had
been sent?
The 3Rs (Race, Religion, Royalty) strategy will always remain effective to sway the Malays in the country. In fact, don’t be surprised if Malaysia becomes the 1st country ever in the world to be ruled by the same party for 100 years and beyond.
Agreed. it’s all very simple, he pleaded not guilty because he’s not guilty and even if he was ‘guilty’ of the so called ‘crime’ he would still be innocent.
I have just been discussing ‘fang muk’ with my Lao husband, who grew up in Vientiane. Apparently ‘fang’ (bury) ‘luk bpee’ (marble) in Lao language is still discussed and possibly practised in Vientiane, or was around 7-8 years ago. My husband was a tuk tuk driver and predictably the conversation among the drivers often turned to matters carnal, with a number of them indicating that they were interested in getting fang luk bpee inserted. They believed that they small marbles inserted under the skin at the head of the penis would increase sexual pleasure for the woman. Not sure how easy it is to actually get this procedure done in Vientiane but interesting that the idea is still around.
I wonder if Akong, who does seem to be quite a simpleton, was indeed set up by his lawyer to plead not guilty in order to draw a stiff sentence and become a cause celebre for the reform of Section 112. If so, he was certainly a perfect choice – intellectually incompetent, not fluent in written Thai, a loving grandfather who took his grandchildren to sign the king’s “get well” book at Siriraj. Combined with the lawyer’s certain knowledge that a Thai court would not hesitate to convict some one without money or powerful connections on the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence in a case like this, it is a fairly compelling argument.
[…] dubious sentence against Ampon “Uncle SMS” Tangnoppakul, despite doubtful evidence. The 62-year old grandfather is now being jailed for 20 years, five years for each alleged SMS sent. On December 8 Thai-born US […]
People keep talking about how Laos is what Thailand used to be 20 years ago but the influx of goods from Thailand making it to appear more and more like a Thai suburb.
“The height of rabid anti SPDC aka Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the answer. An era when damn the Myanmar citizenry plight is also the unspoken norm”
The SPDC looking for supporters anyway it can, commit this deal as well as others, here to the detriment of the part of citizenry, the Kuki.
Now instead of helping to solve the problems it helped created, the West will soon be using the accepted PC forums such as Wild Life Preservation, Minority rights and such not making any difference to this ongoing tragedy.
How long before this turn into another chance for now near useless save Daw Aung San Suu Kyi groups and such to make hay or a buck?
The West is responsible to an extend yet to be determined by historians, due to it useless careless policy.
Hugging a common house wife, in a country where the citizenry has taken the brunt of an unjustifiable punishment meted out, solve nothing.
How about innovative ways to avert evolving tragedies like this one described here and the many others truly humanitarian ones such as on going consequences of extreme childhood poverty in Myanmar?
I’ve taken my time to read through Maylee Thavat’s paper and though his findings are based on research of 1 project, he clearly identifies that romance and agricultural development are not marriageable partners. Yes, organic agriculture can be a process in which farmers gain access to markets, however as always western markets with their high quality demands and their fickle nature are not always the best options for rural development to move forward. However there is some merit in getting farmers familiar with common market features.
I’ve experienced the same in Thailand’s north east, back in 2005 where I visited an organic rice project complete with certification and successful marketing of the produce in Germany. The farmers seemed quite content despite whatever way it was calculated lower returns. the only reason why they would accept these was the overall programme of the local NGO which provided literally a wealth of initiatives for the village’s involved. Lower rice returns was just a slight drawback compensated by other activities, notably in investing in rubber.
But despite this there are probably other organic projects which do become successful. However neither a success or a failure are reasons to not initiate organic agricultural projects, but should be regarded on their own merits. But policy makers and increasingly development professionals are constantly required to show results in the short term rather than in the more important long term. The need to ‘show-off’ and the creation of a feel good factor are important considerations alas. Not the hard work of getting the rural populations involved in developing their own destiny.
US$150 billion of black money a year disappeared from Malaysia, that’s RM 400 million a day.
Reports: According to the Washington-based financial watchdog Global Financial Integrity (GFI), in 2009 alone RM 150 billion (US$47 billion) in illicit money was illegally siphoned out of Malaysia.
The latest GFI report, ‘Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries Over the Decade Ending 2009′, is penned by economists Sarah Freitas and Dev Kar, who is a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund. They stressed that these illicit outflows are basically “unrecorded capital leakages through… illicit transfers of the proceeds of bribery, theft, kickbacks and tax evasion.” In other words, it refers to corruption money or black money that is obtained illegally and worse, not even re-circulated into our economy.
$150 billion of black money a year disappeared from Malaysia, that’s RM 400 million a day.
Reports: According to the Washington-based financial watchdog Global Financial Integrity (GFI), in 2009 alone RM 150 billion (US$47 billion) in illicit money was illegally siphoned out of Malaysia.
The latest GFI report, ‘Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries Over the Decade Ending 2009′, is penned by economists Sarah Freitas and Dev Kar, who is a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund. They stressed that these illicit outflows are basically “unrecorded capital leakages through… illicit transfers of the proceeds of bribery, theft, kickbacks and tax evasion.” In other words, it refers to corruption money or black money that is obtained illegally and worse, not even re-circulated into our economy.
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BBC under fire on Rohingyas
Mong Pru calls me a “dubious expert.”
The point is if I am “dubious” how come at the same time, I would be an expert? This is called oxymoron in which he is contradicting himself. I understand his reasons for frustration. Mong Pru as expected is a prejudiced person; because even when my role here as the author of a book on Burma, ” BURMA’S MISSING DOTS” I am a researcher, and a professor in Canada but to him that I am not from his racial Rakhine background, I must not be trusted, I must be a “dubious” person, I could never go to Arakan for my research and my research got to be funded by Middle East money. What a great observation by a person who fails to understand what he is talking about!
This is the problem in Arakan, the prevelance of xenophobia due to the lack of education. Mong Pru is not the first person to express himself showing intolerance toward the Rohingyas and towards researchers like me. Their problem is their anger that instead of taking their side I am explainning with factual backups, the early signs of genocide in Arakan. Lately I has worse online encounters with several gentlemen one is named Aye Chan who is by profession is a teacher but called me a “Bengali” and a “Dog” not a researcher. It was on record. The notorious Aye Chan called the Rohingyas as being “Influx Viruses “implying that they are needed to be exterminated before the Rohingya virus exterminate the Rakhine-Moghs.
Thailand’s Fearlessness: Free Akong
Arkhong says he is innocent, and yes, the Thais for the most part give this near illiterate grandfather the benefit of the doubt. Thaksin too says he is innocent (and loudly too he redeclared his innocence going so far as inciting last year’s near anarchic very violent Red protests-cum-arson to punctuate his innocence), and for the most part the Thais, save the Reds, disbelieve this fugitive.
Both are seeking pardon. I’m betting the innocent will languish in jail while the fugitive terrorism-prone guilty will get his amnesty, in Y2012.
Thailand’s Fearlessness: Free Akong
@chris b 46
I would believe that deliberations held “in camera” would be private. So if the attorney did all that you suggest and more, but it was disallowed by the judge, we would not know this.
The presumption of guilt here looms very large in my perception. If chris b has identified exculpatory evidence that was not allowed, that would be even greater evidence of a serious miscarriage.
But, unless I am missing something, we won’t know.
Thailand’s Fearlessness: Free Akong
In reply to Marteau c.43. I live in Thailand and use my own name on this blog so, yes, it must be a mystery for me.
BBC under fire on Rohingyas
Abid Bahar, a dubious expert on Arakan, who has never visited Arakan in life, is a Bengali xenophobe from Bangladesh. With his personal links with some of the socalled Rohingya extremists and their dubious funders in the Middle East, has always written misinterpreted stories on Rohiingya. The links he has submitted on this article are misinterpreted and with a sinister planning …
Thailand’s Fearlessness: Free Akong
I’ll ask a question which I posed before but which the moderator chose to
delete. If Akorn doesn’t know how to write and send an SMS, why didn’t his
lawyer ask for a list of SMSs sent from the phone to be produced in evidence? Equally, why didn’t the prosecution ask for it to show that other SMSs had
been sent?
Malaysia’s madness
The 3Rs (Race, Religion, Royalty) strategy will always remain effective to sway the Malays in the country. In fact, don’t be surprised if Malaysia becomes the 1st country ever in the world to be ruled by the same party for 100 years and beyond.
Thailand’s Fearlessness: Free Akong
Agreed. it’s all very simple, he pleaded not guilty because he’s not guilty and even if he was ‘guilty’ of the so called ‘crime’ he would still be innocent.
Thailand’s Fearlessness: Free Akong
I have an alternative theory, Marteau. Perhaps the lawyer pleaded “not guilty” because he was so transparently not guilty.
Linga bell, linga bell, jingle all the way
I have just been discussing ‘fang muk’ with my Lao husband, who grew up in Vientiane. Apparently ‘fang’ (bury) ‘luk bpee’ (marble) in Lao language is still discussed and possibly practised in Vientiane, or was around 7-8 years ago. My husband was a tuk tuk driver and predictably the conversation among the drivers often turned to matters carnal, with a number of them indicating that they were interested in getting fang luk bpee inserted. They believed that they small marbles inserted under the skin at the head of the penis would increase sexual pleasure for the woman. Not sure how easy it is to actually get this procedure done in Vientiane but interesting that the idea is still around.
Thailand’s Fearlessness: Free Akong
Tom, is it really a mystery to you why this case had not been reopened?
Thailand’s Fearlessness: Free Akong
I wonder if Akong, who does seem to be quite a simpleton, was indeed set up by his lawyer to plead not guilty in order to draw a stiff sentence and become a cause celebre for the reform of Section 112. If so, he was certainly a perfect choice – intellectually incompetent, not fluent in written Thai, a loving grandfather who took his grandchildren to sign the king’s “get well” book at Siriraj. Combined with the lawyer’s certain knowledge that a Thai court would not hesitate to convict some one without money or powerful connections on the flimsiest of circumstantial evidence in a case like this, it is a fairly compelling argument.
New Mandala’s 2011 Christmas Elves
Thailand closed the year 2011 with a ‘splash’ and we’re still wet, wild and angry (at Yingluck’s flood blunders) with that lingering foul hangover.
Ah Kong and his family
[…] dubious sentence against Ampon “Uncle SMS” Tangnoppakul, despite doubtful evidence. The 62-year old grandfather is now being jailed for 20 years, five years for each alleged SMS sent. On December 8 Thai-born US […]
Chinese merchants of Vientiane
People keep talking about how Laos is what Thailand used to be 20 years ago but the influx of goods from Thailand making it to appear more and more like a Thai suburb.
Forced relocation and impoverishment of ethnic communities: Myanmar’s Tamanthi Dam
“the official agreement was signed in 2004”
“The height of rabid anti SPDC aka Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the answer. An era when damn the Myanmar citizenry plight is also the unspoken norm”
The SPDC looking for supporters anyway it can, commit this deal as well as others, here to the detriment of the part of citizenry, the Kuki.
Now instead of helping to solve the problems it helped created, the West will soon be using the accepted PC forums such as Wild Life Preservation, Minority rights and such not making any difference to this ongoing tragedy.
How long before this turn into another chance for now near useless save Daw Aung San Suu Kyi groups and such to make hay or a buck?
The West is responsible to an extend yet to be determined by historians, due to it useless careless policy.
Hugging a common house wife, in a country where the citizenry has taken the brunt of an unjustifiable punishment meted out, solve nothing.
How about innovative ways to avert evolving tragedies like this one described here and the many others truly humanitarian ones such as on going consequences of extreme childhood poverty in Myanmar?
Malaysia, truly Asia
Very confusing post.
Cambodia’s rice conundrum
I’ve taken my time to read through Maylee Thavat’s paper and though his findings are based on research of 1 project, he clearly identifies that romance and agricultural development are not marriageable partners. Yes, organic agriculture can be a process in which farmers gain access to markets, however as always western markets with their high quality demands and their fickle nature are not always the best options for rural development to move forward. However there is some merit in getting farmers familiar with common market features.
I’ve experienced the same in Thailand’s north east, back in 2005 where I visited an organic rice project complete with certification and successful marketing of the produce in Germany. The farmers seemed quite content despite whatever way it was calculated lower returns. the only reason why they would accept these was the overall programme of the local NGO which provided literally a wealth of initiatives for the village’s involved. Lower rice returns was just a slight drawback compensated by other activities, notably in investing in rubber.
But despite this there are probably other organic projects which do become successful. However neither a success or a failure are reasons to not initiate organic agricultural projects, but should be regarded on their own merits. But policy makers and increasingly development professionals are constantly required to show results in the short term rather than in the more important long term. The need to ‘show-off’ and the creation of a feel good factor are important considerations alas. Not the hard work of getting the rural populations involved in developing their own destiny.
The Sarawak Revolution!
US$150 billion of black money a year disappeared from Malaysia, that’s RM 400 million a day.
Reports: According to the Washington-based financial watchdog Global Financial Integrity (GFI), in 2009 alone RM 150 billion (US$47 billion) in illicit money was illegally siphoned out of Malaysia.
The latest GFI report, ‘Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries Over the Decade Ending 2009′, is penned by economists Sarah Freitas and Dev Kar, who is a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund. They stressed that these illicit outflows are basically “unrecorded capital leakages through… illicit transfers of the proceeds of bribery, theft, kickbacks and tax evasion.” In other words, it refers to corruption money or black money that is obtained illegally and worse, not even re-circulated into our economy.
The Sarawak Revolution!
$150 billion of black money a year disappeared from Malaysia, that’s RM 400 million a day.
Reports: According to the Washington-based financial watchdog Global Financial Integrity (GFI), in 2009 alone RM 150 billion (US$47 billion) in illicit money was illegally siphoned out of Malaysia.
The latest GFI report, ‘Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries Over the Decade Ending 2009′, is penned by economists Sarah Freitas and Dev Kar, who is a former senior economist at the International Monetary Fund. They stressed that these illicit outflows are basically “unrecorded capital leakages through… illicit transfers of the proceeds of bribery, theft, kickbacks and tax evasion.” In other words, it refers to corruption money or black money that is obtained illegally and worse, not even re-circulated into our economy.