"Hæren i Thailand tar makten for 12. gang siden 1932"

Den aktuelle situasjonen i Thailand

Sist oppdatert: 22.05.2014 // Den thailandske hærsjefen erklærte torsdag 22. mai at de militære har overtatt makten i landet. Regjeringen er avsatt. Militært personell er utplassert på sentrale steder og det er innført portforbud mellom kl. 22.00 og 05.00. Situasjonen i Bangkok og landet for øvrig er fortsatt rolig, og det har foreløpig ikke vært særlig dramatikk forbundet med kuppet. Det er foreløpig ingen grunn til bekymring for norske borgere og interesser. Ambassaden følger situasjonen nøye. BTS ("Skytrain"), MRT (undergrunnsbanen) og Airport Rail Link fungerer fortsatt som normalt og Bangkoks to internasjonale flyplasser, Suvarnabhumi og Don Mueang, er ikke berørt. Nordmenn i Thailand anbefales å holde seg oppdatert gjennom f.eks. lokale media som The Nation og Bangkok Post, vise generell aktsomhet og etterkomme anvisninger fra lokale myndigheter og ikke minst overholde portforbudet.

 

http://www.emb-norway.or.th/Norsk/Land--og-reiseinformasjon/thailand/reise/Den-aktuelle-situasjonen-i-ThailandKambodsja/

Thailand army chief announces military coup

General Prayuth Chan-ocha announces that military commission will take control of country's administration

Thailand's army chief announced a military takeover of the government on Thursday, saying the coup was necessary to restore stability and order after six months of political deadlock and turmoil.
General Prayuth Chan-ocha announced in a statement broadcast on national television that the commission which imposed martial law on Tuesday would now take control of the country's administration.
"It is necessary for the Peace and Order Maintaining Command – which includes army, navy, armed forces and police – to take control of governing the country," he said.
The development followed two days of army-mediated meetings between the country's rival political leaders that failed to break the impasse. The meetings were held at an army facility in Bangkok.
Shortly before the announcement was made, armed soldiers in military vehicles surrounded the building, apparently to block those inside from leaving.
Thailand has been gripped by bouts of political instability for more than seven years.
The latest round of unrest started in November, when demonstrators took to the streets to try to force the prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, to step down. They accused her of being a proxy for her popular billionaire brother, former PM Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a 2006 military coup and now lives in self-imposed exile to avoid a jail sentence on a corruption conviction.
The coup announced on Thursday was the 12th since the country's absolute monarchy ended in 1932.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/22/thailand-army-chief-announces-military-coup  

”The weather forecast for Khao Sadao looks promising”

for the weekend. If some necessary works at home are finished I think I want to go there. Some bushes and grass on takeoff need trimming. There might even be some flying. More and more I have the impression that you have to start from Khao Sadao if the wind is favourable. If you wait for better conditons you very often get no flights.

It is very different from Northern Europe where in a ”normal” day the thermals increase till they gradually stop in the evening some time.

”Militært kupp med et smil?”

I det såkalte ”Smilets land” har Hæren tatt over styre og stell, men de vil ikke kalle det et militærkupp.

Landet har fremdeles et forretningsministerium i påvente av nytt valg fordi Konstitusjonsdomstolen underkjente valget for en tid siden. Dersom det er behov for det, burde det ikke være noe problem at dette forretningsministeriet fortsetter, om mulig med større fullmakter enn i dag på grunn av den spesielle situasjonen som opposisjonen og Hæren har skapt.

Dersom ”noen” (og ”noen” arbeider veldig hardt i disse dager) sørger for at en utpekt (ikke folkevalgt) regjering får makten inntil et mulig(?) valg en gang i fremtiden, har det i realiteten skjedd et militærkupp. Uansett hva ”noen” sier.

Selvsagt er det hyggelig at noen smiler. Men det er viktig å forstå at smilet også har en annen hensikt enn å være døråpner. Når folk fra Øst-Asia smiler, er det også for å unngå konflikter. Selv om konfliktene er ”feid under teppet”, er de der like fullt. Uansett hvor mye det smiles.

”Four flights from Khao Sadao”

There was no wind, not too much wind, and very much wind, sun, rain, and thunderstorms. At least I got a flight or two every day. On Friday I sprayed bushes with glyfosat hoping to make it easier to keep some of the vegetation down in the rainy season.

Maybe a good idea to solve the crisis in Thailand?

”Group comes up with plan for interim govt leader

Academics call on both sides to agree upon impartial leader during 'reforms'

BANGKOK: -- A group of academics and peace advocates yesterday urged rival political camps to forget about appointing a "neutral" prime minister through Article 7 of the Constitution and jointly select an interim non-partisan deputy PM to act as head of government temporarily so that the country can move forward with reform and a general election.

The group includes Surichai Wungaeo and Chantana Banpasirichote, Chulalongkorn University political scientists; Chaiwat Satha-Anand, founder and director of the Peace Information Centre at Thammasat University; and General Ekkachai Srivilas, director of the Office of Peace and Governance at King Prajadhipok's Institute.

For sustainable democracy and a victory for all Thais, both sides should establish a common ground and step over conflicts that could plunge the country into civil strife, the group said.

Both movements should agree upon three objectives - seek a way out of the stalemate that stays within the scope of the charter, find a "non-partisan" person who can manage the country at this critical juncture, and draft a pact to ensure that all sides will join forces to "reform" the country.

Then both camps should agree not to take recourse to Article 7 to get a non-partisan prime minister, because critics harbour doubts that this would be legitimate.

Under the group's proposal, both the pro- and anti-government camps would agree on putting in place a "non-partisan" PM who does not have the full authority normally held by a sitting prime minister. Both then should agree on coming up with clear reform proposals that will be legally binding on the next government. The reform proposals must be drafted before the general election is held.

Both political camps must decide how they would select such a non-partisan leader. Once they come up with a candidate, the present acting prime minister would nominate him as a deputy PM for royal endorsement.

The caretaker Cabinet then must resolve to have that deputy PM serve as acting PM, replacing the current one.

The Pheu Thai Party, Democrat Party, United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship and People's Democratic Reform Committee would nominate three candidates each, who have demonstrated that they are "neutral" in behaviour and actions, possess a clean track record and are widely accepted as having the ability to manage a crisis.

The non-partisan acting PM would then appoint a non-partisan minister to coordinate reform efforts. Not more than 35 ministers would be appointed by the opposition or neutral bodies to resolve the political crisis.

Reform proposals would be submitted to the Election Commission, which would hold an election and a referendum on the same day to save costs and time. The referendum results would be legally binding on the next government.

Both camps should sign an agreement that whoever wins the next election will be in power for one year and the House of Representatives will be dissolved and a snap election called again.”


-- The Nation 2014-05-14

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/725968-group-comes-up-with-plan-for-interim-thai-govt-leader/?utm_source=newsletter-20140514-0758&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

"Is this a judicial coup?"

Quite confusing/amazing what is going on in Thailand these days...

"Is this a judicial coup?
Nirmal Ghosh
The Straits Times
Asia News Network

BANGKOK: -- Enraged pro-government red shirts, in their strongholds in North and Northeast, burned coffins symbolising Constitutional Court judges on Friday, two days after the court disqualified Yingluck Shinawatra as prime minister.

The Thai judiciary has come under increasing scrutiny since 2006, when the courts annulled the April 2 election that the opposition Democrat Party had boycotted. Five months later, a military coup ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on grounds of corruption and disrespecting the monarchy.

In May 2007, the Constitutional Court dissolved Thaksin's party, Thai Rak Thai, for electoral fraud during the 2006 election.

The People Power Party (PPP), which succeeded Thai Rak Thai, also did not last long. The first PPP prime minister, the truculent Samak Sundaravej, was disqualified for receiving a small payment as expenses for taking part in a television cooking show.

In December 2008, amid anti-Thaksin protests by royalist yellow shirts, who also seized Suvarnabhumi Airport, the PPP was dissolved.

That pulled the rug from under then prime minister and Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat and paved the way for Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to become premier through a parliamentary vote.

Yingluck's disqualification was thus the third time since 2008 that a prime minister of Thailand has lost the position through a court order. And since 2006, two elections have been annulled and two of Thaksin's parties have been dissolved by court orders.

To independent legal analyst Verapat Pariyawong, the May 7 judgement that dislodged Yingluck was not a surprise.

In an e-mail to media, he wrote: "The court today made a reference to the infamous 2008 case in which the court (which comprised almost the exact same members as today), decided to remove the late prime minister Samak who went on a TV cooking show, deeming such an act as constitutional conflict of interest".

That was a "most serious encroachment by judicial power on the executive branch", he said. And as for current developments, he added: "This is a full-blown version of judicial coup with long-lasting impact on the balance of powers."

And Dr Ekachai Chainuvati, deputy head of the law faculty at Siam University in Bangkok, was quoted by the New York Times on Thursday as saying: "This is what I would call a juristocracy - a system of government governed by judges."

Benjamin Zawacki, an independent analyst, told the Straits Times: "The question is not so much the law; it is not as if people are taking issue with actual cases. It is about the consistent and almost predictable nature of these decisions."

Thaksin supporters, like those who were burning coffins in the streets on Friday, see the judiciary as an arm of the conservative royalist elites.

Said Zawacki: "People have been reluctant to criticise the judiciary. It is seen as a redoubt of the elites."

But that hesitation is fading.

Songkran Grachangnetara, a London School of Economics and Columbia University graduate who is now an entrepreneur, said: "The Constitutional Court in order to be the last resort in a conflict has to act with total - and perceived - responsibility."

He added: "But I must say the evidence is really stacking up to what a lot of academics are calling a judicial coup.""


-- The Nation 2014-05-13

”Windy at Khao Sadao”

Most of the thermals drifted too much. There were thunderstorms around. Still I got 5 short flights. The last one was just to check out how windy it was; the wind was changing between 0 and 8 meters on takeoff, maybe because of wave activity/turbulence from Khao Phrik (westerly winds). I took off when I saw the wind was increasing downhill. And increase it did. I went up with 6 m a second and drifted back. At 10 meters I went forward and down almost to where I stood a few seconds before. Then I went up and backwards one more time before I got out. In the air it was quite turbulent and the glider made some noise from time to time above my head. A top landing seemed impossible, but somehow I managed to come down, the other pilots waited for an evening flight; I chose to go home…

”Spotlanding i konkurranser – en farlig aktivitet”

Etter å ha deltatt i en asiatisk World Cup-konkurranse er det konklusjonen min.

En pilot trakk for mye brems, vingen kollapset  og han gikk i bakken med ryggen først, spratt i været og blødde fra nese og munn (halvhjelm). Han ble kjørt til sykehus, men ble trolig ikke alvorlig skadet.

Vi startet med 90 sekunders intervaller fra en smal åsrygg hvor vind og termikk skiftet fra side til side rett som det var. Vi fløy ut på høyre side av ryggen; når den ustadige vinden kom fra venstre, ble det mye synk for mange og en del trelandinger. Selv startet jeg kun i to av seks omganger.

I forgårs var jeg klar til å legge ut skjermen. Flere piloter hadde dårlige starter og noen landet i trærne før jeg var klar. Det var i og for seg ikke noe problem for meg.; jeg ventet på startvind med riktig retning og styrke. Da det var min tur til å legge ut skjermen, begynte vinden å skifte til venstre. Jeg sa til startleder at jeg ikke ville starte og gikk tilbake. Mange gjorde ikke det; når startleder sa "start", startet de uten å sjekke vinden selv. Ikke bra!

Så ventet jeg til konkurransen var ferdig for å frifly. Termikken var ganske god, og det var mulig å klatre til skybas. Like før jeg skulle fly spurte jeg om høydebegrensningen: 200 meter. Jeg la PG-en på en bil og kjørte ned.

Etter min oppfatning er mange av pilotene så ivrige etter å treffe spoten at de setter seg selv i fare.

”Vår aksiomatiske og problematiske virkelighet”

Et aksiom er en grunnsetning som aksepteres uten bevis enten den er alment akseptert eller den er selvinnlysende.

Postulatet er nær beslektet. I filosofisk forstand er aksiomet og postulatet identiske.

Se helt til slutt mer om hva et postulat og et aksiom er. 

Filosofisk og logisk er det uproblematisk at man starter med en påstand som ikke kan bevises, men likevel godtas som ”sann”. Ingen skade skjer om slutninger og tolkninger blir feil fordi utgangspunkter er galt. Vel og merke dersom man ikke anvender de gale slutningene og tolkningene på virkeligheten.

Opererer man derimot i forhold til virkeligheten, kan det bære helt galt av sted dersom man godtar aksiomer og postulater som sanne bare fordi de er ”allment aksepterte” eller ”selvinnlysende”. Eksempler på dette er legio (eller mange på godt norsk) og alt for tallrike til å ramses opp.

 Legevitenskapen og lignende disipliner vrimler for eksempel av slike feil. Det er jo helt utrolig at man en gang trodde at blader som hadde nyreform, var effektive mot nyreplager? Ginsengroten som rett som det er har form av et menneske med hode armer og ben, er den dag i dag kjent for å virke mot ”alt”. Også i 2014.

Politikk og religion som bygger på grunnsetninger som er ”allment aksepterte” og ”selvinnlysende” har en tendens til å rote til det meste på sørgerlig vis.

Nå er det også slik at skulle vi vente på å finne den endelige sannhet før vi handlet, ville det være svært lite vi kunne gjøre. Det er vår aksiomatiske virkelighet: Vi handler før vi vet konsekvensene av handlingene våre og blir svært ofte ofre for Murphy’s lov: Alt som kan gå galt, går galt. Det er nok ikke uten grunn at den beste form for klokskap er etterpåklokskapen; hva var det jeg sa??? For ikke å snakke om skadefryden som for mange hører til de store gledene i livet.

Man burde forvente en større ydmykhet og vilje til å endre kurs når ting begynner å gå galt. Det hjelper ikke å ha vært i god tro når man faktisk burde ha sjekket om de selvinnlysende sannhetene faktisk var sanne annet enn som utgangspunkt for filosofisk diskurs.

Helt til slutt (til oppmuntring eller det motsatte) kommer Atle med sin private definisjon av hva ”en troende” er:

"En troende er en person som er troende til litt av hvert, for ikke å si det meste."

Ifølge bokmålsordboka på nettet er dette hva et postulat er:

postulat

postulat n1, n3 (fra lat av postulare 'fordre') 1 ubevist påstand teorien er et rent p- 2 filos: læresetning som ikke kan bevises, men som likevel må forutsettes

http://www.nob-ordbok.uio.no/perl/ordbok.cgi?OPP=postulat&bokmaal=+&ordbok=bokmaal

aksiom

aksiom n1, n3 (fra gr) selvinnlysende grunnsetning som godtas uten bevis, f eks i matematikk og logikk http://www.dokpro.uio.no/ordboksoek.html

Aksiom

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Et aksiom (gr. ἀξίωμα, aksioma, «grunnsetning») er en grunnsetning som aksepteres uten bevis, enten den er allment akseptert eller den er selvinnlysende sann. Innenfor epistemologien (filosofi) er den selvinnlysende sann, mens den ikke trenger være det i matematikken.

Aksiomets filosofiske verdi

Det å oppnå en garantert sann konklusjon i et deduktivt argument krever både at argumentet er gyldig og at premissene er sanne. Men prosedyren for å bestemme at premisset er sant er mye mindre presist enn prosedyren for å bestemme at argumentet er gyldig.
På grunn av denne upresisheten er aksiomet nyttig som filosofisk redskap. Aksiomet er et utsagn som opptrer som en spesiell type premiss i et bestemt rasjonelt system. Aksiomatiske system ble først formalisert av den greske matematikeren Euklid av Alexandria i hans berømte verk «Elementene» (300 f.Kr.).
Aksiomer forstås som de grunnleggende elementer i slike system, og trenger ikke noen rettferdiggjørelse – i alle fall innenfor systemene. Ved å starte med et sett aksiomer kan man så utlede (og bevise) teoremer ved hjelp av logiske slutninger. Slik kan man bygge opp et aksiomatisk system i tråd med Aristoteles sitt vitenskapsideal. Et fremragende eksempel på dette er matematikken.
Gyldigheten av det aksiomatiske systemet blir avgjort av om det er konsistent. Det innebærer at aksiomene ikke kan inneholde selvmotsigelser, verken direkte eller mer vanskelig tilgjengelige.

http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aksiom

Axiom

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This article is about logical propositions. For other uses, see Axiom (disambiguation).

"Postulation" redirects here. For the term in algebraic geometry, see Postulation (algebraic geometry).

An axiom, or postulate, is a premise or starting point of reasoning. As classically conceived, an axiom is a premise so evident as to be accepted as true without controversy.^[1] The word comes from the Greek ἀξίωμα (āxīoma) 'that which is thought worthy or fit' or 'that which commends itself as evident.'^[2][3] As used in modern logic, an axiom is simply a premise or starting point for reasoning.^[4] Axioms define and delimit the realm of analysis; the relative truth of an axiom is taken for granted within the particular domain of analysis, and serves as a starting point for deducing and inferring other relative truths. No explicit view regarding the absolute truth of axioms is ever taken in the context of modern mathematics, as such a thing is considered to be an irrelevant and impossible contradiction in terms.
In mathematics, the term axiom is used in two related but distinguishable senses: "logical axioms" and "non-logical axioms". Logical axioms are usually statements that are taken to be true within the system of logic they define (e.g., (A and B) implies A), while non-logical axioms (e.g., a + b = b + a) are actually defining properties for the domain of a specific mathematical theory (such as arithmetic). When used in the latter sense, "axiom," "postulate", and "assumption" may be used interchangeably. In general, a non-logical axiom is not a self-evident truth, but rather a formal logical expression used in deduction to build a mathematical theory. As modern mathematics admits multiple, equally "true" systems of logic, precisely the same thing must be said for logical axioms - they both define and are specific to the particular system of logic that is being invoked. To axiomatize a system of knowledge is to show that its claims can be derived from a small, well-understood set of sentences (the axioms). There are typically multiple ways to axiomatize a given mathematical domain.
In both senses, an axiom is any mathematical statement that serves as a starting point from which other statements are logically derived. Within the system they define, axioms (unless redundant) cannot be derived by principles of deduction, nor are they demonstrable by mathematical proofs, simply because they are starting points; there is nothing else from which they logically follow otherwise they would be classified as theorems. However, an axiom in one system may be a theorem in another, and vice versa.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axiom

”Almost 160 km from Khao Sadao last weekend”

Lots of pilots on takeoff at Thailand’s number one cross country flying site. As for myself I got 8 flights in four days. Tomorrow we go to Sattahip for more flying; there is a paraglider competition from May 1.

”Political and religious imbecility”

Everyone knows that 1+1=2. Incantations, prayers, and threats can never make 1+1=3. You can believe it is so, but that is solely your personal belief. If millions of people believe it is so, still it is only a belief. Nothing can change that fact.

Land’s End you will find many places in this world. The Catholic Church burnt people who said that the Earth was not the center of the known world. Protestants burnt witches in many countries following religous laws based on belief. Muslims were no better.

The French Revolution in 1789 drowned in blood and petered out to almost nothing, except the meter and the metric system. Communism has transformed to its own antidote; its most ardent believers are those who profit economically and in other ways.

In Norway the Christian belief was imposed some 1000 years ago by force. Now it is up to you what to believe. The result is that less than 10 % of the population are true believers according to some definitions.

When the American President is inaugurated he puts his hand on the Bible and utters the incantations ”so help med God”. As a belief is only about believing Atle has no comments…

Only one: Would you trust people who believe that 1+1=3?

"Varmt og lite vind på Khao Sadao"

pluss overutvikling hver eneste dag fra 11. til 17. april. Det ble derfor kun to flyturer i perioden. Startvinduet var som regel svært kort midt på dagen. Stort sett noe vind først på dagen, men ofte ikke nok til baklengsstart. Deretter ble det bakvind når termikken løsnet ute på flatlandet. Så vokste skyene til de helt store høyder og det begynte å tordne rundt omkring.

En pilot "topplandet" i et tre 10 meter over bakken i svært bratt terreng. Der satt han godt; føttene tok nedi tretoppen først og så la skjermen seg over hele tretoppen. Det tok lang tid å få skjermen ned; masse liner og mye greiner.

Blir vel ny tur om ikke lenge.

"Soon Songkhran (Thai New Year) from Friday; I want to fly from Khao Sadao)"

So far the wind looks promising. The air is extremely unstable. There will probably be many pilots. And the grass on the takeoff needs some trimming...

"Thai soap - amazing Thailand"

Read for yourself:

Suthep Will Ask HM King To Appoint Himself As Coup Leader 

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/716941-suthep-will-ask-hm-king-to-appoint-himself-as-coup-leader/?utm_source=newsletter-20140407-0809&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

Mr. Suthep delivered the comment yesterday at the People's Committee for Absolute Democracy With the King As Head of State (PCAD) rally stage in Bangkok's Lumpini Park.

At the rally, which was billed as a "big fight" against the government, Mr. Suthep outlined strategies for PCAD supporters in their campaign to remove Ms. Yingluck from her caretaker position, explaining that all PCAD local networks should gather list of their members across the country and "wait for the day of battle".

"When I blow the whistle, all of these members must be present," Mr. Suthep told the crowd, "Bring out all the healthy persons, so we can embark on a prolonged fight, for at least 15 days".

Mr. Suthep said two events would be critical to the PCAD's ultimate fight against Ms. Yingluck: the conclusion of the corruption case conducted by the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) on Ms. Yingluck, and the verdict by the Constitutional Court which would determine whether she violated the 2007 Constitution by removing a hostile official from the seat of National Security Council director.

If the NACC ruled that Ms. Yingluck ran afoul of corruption laws, Mr. Suthep said, the PCAD supporters should stay in their position and wait for his future orders; however, a guilty verdict by the Constitutional Court - which will automatically remove Ms Yingluck from her position - would be met by an instant mobilisation from Mr. Suthep's nationwide network.

"We will immediately march on that day!" Mr. Suthep, "We will occupy Thailand so the sovereign power shall truly belong to the people"

Mr. Suthep elaborated further that he would then install himself as the "Sovereign Body" who will wield absolute power via numerous "Revolutionary Decrees" and adoption of a single charter provision as a legislative blank cheque - in the same manner of military dictators in 1960s, such as the notorious Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat.

"We will have something like Article 17 [of 1959 Administrative Charter] as the highest law," Mr. Suthep said, referring to the charter article which allowed Field Marshal Sarit to fight suspected Communist threats by all means, "[i] will be able to order anyone to be executed by firing squad, but I will only freeze assets".

He continued, "As a Sovereign Body who has seized power, I will have the power to appoint Prime Minister and Cabinet members at my own discretion. Then I will present this list to His Majesty the King, so that he can approve them as the People's Government".

Once His Majesty the King signed his approval for the "people's coup", Mr. Suthep said, he will proceed to appoint National Legislative Assemby and "People's Council" as two unelected legislative bodies to engage in "reforms" for Thailand.

He promises to return the power to the people once the "reforms" are completed, but warned that he would mobilise his supporters onto the streets if the government he had appointed "failed to perform its duties" as assigned by the PCAD.

Mr. Suthep's speech, which drew loud and long cheers from his supporters, is the first instance in which he clearly outlined the procedures to achieve his dubious goals of installing "People's Council" and "reforming Thailand"; Mr. Suthep and his core supporters have refused to elaborate on those terms in previous media appearances and interviews.

The remark also attracts concerns from a number of observers who fear that Mr. Suthep's plan would require His Majesty the King, who had remained largely silent on the current round of political crisis, to visibly take side and even violate the national constitution in the process.

Furthermore, it is highly unlikely that millions of pro-government supporters in the north and northeast will quietly accept Mr. Suthep's effort to remove their elected government.

In a separate mass rally in Nakorn Pathom province yesterday, Redshirts leader Jatupon Prompan insisted that the Redshirts are willing to fight for Ms. Yingluck, and ominously warned that a "civil war" could break out of Ms. Yingluck is removed by undemocratic ways.

Mr. Suthep might have already prepared for such a scenario, however. In his speech yesterday, he also urged his supporters to be ready for prolonged rally in Bangkok for over 2 weeks in order to "deter" any opponents who would march into Bangkok and challenge his status as the Sovereign Body.

AND THIS FROM THE DEMOCRAT PARTY:

Dems can play saviour role: Abhisit
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/717020-thai-democrat-party-can-play-saviour-role-abhisit/?utm_source=newsletter-20140407-0809&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

 

”Juridisk kupp i Thailand?”

Det kan se ut som om et juridisk kupp er under oppseiling i Thailand. Konsitusjonsdomstolen (alle medlemmene ble utnevnt av de militære kuppmakerne fra 2006!) styrer mot urent farvann sammen med en rekke såkalt ”uavhengige” komiteer og utvalg.

Det er bare å følge med i denne utrolige politiske såpeoperaen som kan ende med nesten hva som helst. En ting er sikkert: Det som skjer nå, er i ferd med å skape dype sår som det vil ta tiår å lege.

”8 flights from Khao Sadao”

The wind was from southerly directions all five days, sometimes too much, sometimes too little.

The special thing about the wind at Khao Sadao is the regularity of it. In nighttime the wind is usually much stronger than in daytime. The strong wind, but less strong than in the night, very often lasts till the thermals start to come. If the wind is strong till noon the thermals might be strong, too, making it difficult to take off with a paraglider. You have to wait for a pause between the thermals.

If the wind is five meters a second or less in the morning a possible scenario is that the wind and thermals slow down and you can have a tailwind. In conditions like these you should take off as soon as possible, Then you can stay along the ridge waiting for the thermals.

When the clouds start to pop up make ready for takeoff. Much sooner than you think the wind can slow down and you will have a tailwind the rest of the day.

When you are high enough you should look for thermals  not only along the ridge. Go out on the flatlands or behind the ridge.

The days we were at Khao Sadao it was very hot, sometimes 41 degrees in the middle of the day.

On Tuesday it was very hot. Not too much wind in the nighttime, and the same in the morning. Around 11.30 the wind slowed down. We had to wait for wind to make a reverse takeoff. It was not a piece of cake to get up. You had to take what you got and be careful and turn in lift all the time. The clouds were growing extremely fast. I centered a good and wide thermal which speeded up the higher I got. At 1500 meters the lift was at 6 m a second with a peak of 8 m. Above my head the cumulus cloud was growin in size and blackness. A cloud street pointed towards Chok Chai, my first destination on the way to Suntinimit, more than 120 kilometers away. I had to pass another big cloud to reach the cloud street. As the two clouds might grow together into one and suck me up, I decided to go to the right when I was at about 1850 m asl. From there I saw that there were quite a few high clouds on the way. Some of them would probably give heavy rain later. So I decided to go for a landing as it would not be easy to see what happened up there due to haze in the air. I think that was a good decision at that time of the day. A peak of 8 m a second is quite much 500 m under cloud base. That cloud really sucked!

When we were there pilots from different countries were flying, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Thailand, Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway.

Khao Sadao is a great place for flying, and for sure the best flying site in Thailand.

One day after flying Bengt and I went up on the right (north) side of Khao Phrik. We parked the car at the wat and followed the blue plastic water pipe up to some big steel tanks. From there we followed a black water pipe further up. When that pipe ended we turned slightly to the left up e steep hillside. We marked the our trail with red strings. When we came to a place with much grass we saw that around here it could be possible to make a new takeoff. Higher up there was tall grass up to the tree line. Not too much work to clean the area and not too many trees to cut down. 10 to 15 minutes walk up to takeoff when bushes were cut. Too much work for the two of us. But I guess that 10 people could do all the work in one day. This takeoff needs wind from E, ENE.

However, there is an old takeoff to the north at the other end of Khao Sadao. One problem here is that there is a locked gate so that you for the time being cannot drive by car  to this takeoff. From the air it does not seem to be many trees to cut down. Bengt and I will have a look here later some time.

If there are takeoffs to the north and south this will be one of the best flying sites in South East Asia. It is possible to fly many hundred kilometers if the conditions are favourable.

”Breaking news from NSA: Excessive use of iPhones/iPads and similar devices – no American passport/no access to the USA!”

American courts have in many cases ruled that American citizens cannot get passports due to unreadable fingerprints. The NSA (National Security Agency)  has in a press release said that excessive use of electronic devices can lead to fingerprints more difficult to read.

From time to time foreigners will be checked for fingerprints at American airports. If the fingerprints are not readable they can risk being sent back to their country of origin. You should therefore contact the passport issuing authorities in your homeland to check the quality of your fingerprints if you think you might be in the risk zone.

Time to check your fingerprints?

More about this on www.nsa.consular/visa/biometric.gov

If, for some reason, this link does not work, there is the possibility that you have been fooled

as the first of April is just around the corner…

”When will this one grow to be a coral reef? The Coral Scam.”

After the tsunami and other events (tourists, fishing etc) this (see photo) is what you find in many places, even in national marine parks in Thailand. Corals like these grow about one centimeter every year.

Everyone who goes diving or snorkeling in Thailand will see that there is an enormous difference between the marvellous descriptions of marine life and the real thing. Nothing to do about that; you have to enjoy what you see.

Better concentrate on small things. Like this coral which maybe will grow bigger every year.

"A sad story - the curse of corruption"

Court's ruling pointing to the wrong exit from crisis
Supalak Ganjanakhundee
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Constitutional Court's judgement to nullify the February 2 election was extremely counterproductive for legal interpretation, law enforcement and political development in Thailand. The court misinterpreted the Constitution and presented a wrong exit from the political crisis.

Referring to Article 245 (1) of the Constitution, the Ombudsman requested the Constitutional Court decide whether or not the election was unconstitutional.

The Ombudsman wrongly interpreted the Constitution in taking the case to the court since Article 245 (1) allows the Ombudsman to do so only when any laws involve questions of constitutionality. In short, the Ombudsman should ask the court whether the election decree is unconstitutional, rather than asking the court to nullify an election. The subject of the court's action should be the decree itself, not the election process.

Of course by logic, if the decree was unconstitutional, the election would be invalid. But there was nothing wrong with the decree. It was issued to call the election on February 2 and no single word in the law challenges the Constitution.

The court, by 6 to 3, decided that the election decree was unconstitutional because the Election Commission (EC) failed to hold the poll across the entire country on the same day, since eligible voters in 28 constituencies had not cast their ballots due to disruption by anti-government protesters.

The EC planned to hold the ballot casting later, but the court gave no chance, saying any voting would make the election happen on a day different from the original date set by the election decree.

Article 108 of the Constitution says the election day must be set on the same day throughout the Kingdom. The election decree indeed did not mention any other day for election other than February 2.

From a legal perspective, ballot casting is another matter - different from setting the election day. In fact, ballot casting could be done on different days. The Election Commission always holds advance voting and voting outside the constituency and outside the country a week before the election day. In such a case, no legal expert, judge or Ombudsman considered "that election [to be on] a different day". There has been consensus for nearly two decades that casting ballots can be done on different days and places as long as the result of the voting was not influenced. Casting ballots any day does not make any difference to the result of the election. The election is still valid.

The judgement last Friday posted a bad pointer to political stalemate. Nobody knows when the new election will take place and in what condition it could be valid. The protesters welcomed the court judgement but will not end the protest. Leader Suthep Thaugsuban said his group would disrupt the new election again unless it was held after the "country reform" he desires.

With well-intentioned collaboration of the court and other independent organisations that never deemed the election disruption to be illegal, the election in Thailand is now being held hostage by the protesters as a political bargaining chip. They said they would not allow an election unless their men were installed into power.

That meant the people of Thailand would not have a chance any more to use an election to reflect their free minds on changing and installing a new government to run the country.


-- The Nation 2014-03-26

”En sørgelig historie – alkoholens forbannelse”

En dame i 60-årene i nabolaget døde her forleden og ble kremert i går. Hun var mager som et beinrangel (alkohol), så kremasjonen gikk raskt.

Hun falt og slo hodet i ett eller annet, ble sendt på sykehuset for operasjon, men døde der. Hvorfor hun falt vites ikke. Falt hun i fylla? Slo mannen i fylla slik at hun falt?

Hun var det ”sorte fåret” i familien. Hun fikk barn svært ung og det ble slutt med barnefaren  bare en uke etter fødselen (ikke uvanlig i Thailand). Den lille datteren ble gitt til faren som ga det til sin mor som satte babyen ut på gata hvor hun ble plukket opp av et ektepar som tok godt vare på henne; hun fikk etter hvert universitetsutdannelse, men har ikke kommet i kontakt med moren senere.

Den avdøde giftet seg og fikk tre barn. Etter barnefødslene begynte hun å drikke og spille bort det lille hun hadde av penger og jord. Faren drakk også og slo kona. De tre barna fulgte foreldrenes eksempel og drakk de også.

Da er det bare å ønske bedre lykke i neste liv for de som tror på slikt. Hun gikk opp i røyk i går sammen med en rekke raketter. Det er gjerne slik livet ender i dette landet.

”Paragliding Khao Sadao on Wednesday and Thursday”

On Wednesday Bengt took off as I arrived. Bengt flew to Sung Noen, half way to Khorat. Because of much wind I waited til the wind slowed down. Too much, however, but I managed a top landing.

Thursday morning I had a flight of about one and a half hour. It was a bit early (9 a.m.). I toplanded when Bengt arrived. Bengt took off after eating, and then the wind had slowed down. No more toplandings…

”Turist i Thailand – tips og advarsler"

Thailand er kjent som smilets land, og det er absolutt hyggelig når de fleste smiler til deg. Husk bare at smilet også er en form; mange smiler fordi de vil unngå problemer, men det hjelper absolutt å smile tilbake.

På flyplassene er det mange som vil hjelpe deg videre: Where do you go?/ Pai nai? – Setter du deg inn i en drosje på flyplassene i Bangkok, så pass på at du setter deg inn i en drosje med taksameter. Mange drosjesjåfører tjener gode penger på å si at dessverre så virker ikke taksameteret; drosjesjåføren foreslår så en pris - dersom du sier ja til forslaget, er du blitt lurt! Dersom du skal fra A til B, vær nøye med å avtale prisen på forhånd for å unngå misforståelser og krangling.

Mange drar til Thailand for å nyte mange varmegrader og behagelige badetemperatur. Husk at sola er sterk. Er du blek i huden og ligger i sola litt for mange timer (færre enn du tror) uten å ha påført solkrem med høy solfaktor, er du garantert å se ut som en kokt hummer. Natten blir neppe behagelig!

Snorkling og dykking i Thailand er enkelt. Du kan leie det du trenger. Dessverre er 80-95 % av korallene DØDE på de fleste populære destinasjonene. Atle har sjekket de fleste: Ko Chang, Ko Samet, Rayong, Sattahip, øyene utenfor Pattaya, Chumphon, Ko Tao, Ko Nang Yuan, Ko Phangan, Ko Samui. På Andamankysten Ranong, Ko Surin National Marine Park, Ko Similan National Marine Park, Karon Beach, Ko Phi Phi, Ao Nang og øyene utenfor, Ko Lanta, Ko Ha. – DET ER VIRKELIG SØRGELIGE GREIER UNDER VANNET! Men det er ikke noe å gjøre med det. Prøv igjen om 50 til 100 år; enten er det blitt bedre eller så er det blitt verre. Mange av stedene ovenfor er imidlertid idylliske OVER vannet. Under vannet har fiske (også med dynamitt), tsunami på Andamankysten, en lang periode med svært varmt vann i 2010 og slitasje fra turister og båttrafikk og kloakk/avløp fra land gjort sitt til å desimere de levende korallene. Dermed er det også blitt mindre av fisken som lever her.

Turister kommer gjerne til Thailand i den tørrere årstiden når det er vinter på den nordlige halvkule. Det reklameres med fossefall mange steder. Her kan det være fornuftig å ta med noen flasker vann i tilfelle fossen er tørr! Eller man kan velge å se det humoristiske i det å komme frem til fossefallet etter en tids svett gange og oppdage at det er nesten tomt for vann.

Øl og brennevin er billig i Thailand. Importert vin er derimot dyr selv målt i norske priser. Den eneste mosjonen mange strandturister får, er å løfte ølseidelen. Det er sikkert greit om man ikke er i Thailand for lenge. Mange langtidsturister gjør det imidlertid til en vane å tømme et større antall ølflasker eller bokser flere ganger om dagen. Det er mye god mat i godt drikke, sies det. Er man i godt lag i månedsvis og årevis er det lett at det blir en (u)vane. I Thailand er det mange alkoholikere og ikke så få av dem er turister og faktisk norske også.

Den politiske situasjonen i landet er svært labil for tiden. Valget på ny nasjonalforsamling den 2. februar ble forleden kjent ugyldig av konstitusjonsdomstolen fordi det ikke ble holdt på samme dag. Valgprosessen ble hindret av PDRC (gultrøyene). Det er uklart hva som vil skje fremover, militærkupp, et juridisk kupp eller borgerkrig. Dersom du ikke absolutt ikke MÅ til Thailand i 2014, kan det være fornuftig å holde seg unna Thailand til ting har roet seg ned.

”Bannskap kan være kultur!”

Kan hende til og med verneverdig kultur…

Som svaret fra denne sinte fiskeren hentet fra ”Statsråd vant spekeskinke” samlet av Atle Antonsen og Johan Golden:

”Sint fisker

Følgende tilsvar innløp til Fiskeridirektoratet etter at vedkommende hadde fått pålegg om å installere en datadings i båten sin, gjengitt i sin helhet:

Nu e æ forbainna, altså. Fy faen. Førr nokka førbainnade skjit. Kem i hælvett e det som har foinne opp det herre satans makkverket. Det går da fan steike-helvete ikkje ant å hoilde på å kuke med det herre i vekkesvik. – Main har da før faen ainner ting å gjøre ein å sette der og baille med den satans musejævelen.

Kainn du innst inni grønnskodde tykjeræva førtell ka som er vitsen med nokka jernskrammel som står der og greill og hyle med masse hælvetes lyda og blinke og blafre uta fan og passord og ledninge og knotta som tyt ut som han tykjen overalt. Æ måtte berre ha fådd tak i en av dokker, dokker helvetes kuklæsta av nån support’gakk’gakka, så skuill æ vel fansøkki ha rævkjørt dokker dit dokker hører heime, satans utvrengte fette av nån hestkuka. Kom fan ikkje hit å lur mainnskit på folk, å førtælle ka æ skal trøkke, din satans gjeddpeis.

Va det opp te mæ skulle dokker ha vært på ishave og ronka kobbekuk, førbainna søringsatana, så kunne dokker ha sotte å konfigurert dokker sjøl så utahælvettes lang oppi de utpulte ræven dokkers at dokker måtte sjite utav øran neste gang dokker måtte på dass, og når dokker va ferdig med det, så sku æ personlig ha kommen å formatert trynan dokkers, å installert skanken oppi baillhånka dokkers sånn at dokker kom tel å pesse røde serienummer.

Skulle det ennu spenne liv i dokker etter dette, så sku æ ha plugga og pløyd dokker så uttahælvettes langt inn i det største rævhållet æ har funne. Og da sku det ha lokta mainnskit av dokker heilt te dokker daua. Førr faen steike inst i det utsvidde hælvette for satan, la mæ få tak i om så bare en av dokker.

Æ har da vel før helevete slette hauet av hysjævla før. Æ kommer te å måkke heile den forbainna skiten i eska og sende ho i retur – æ vil fan ikke ha han. Så kan dokker te helvete sette der å ronke aleine i den helsikes telefon dokkers."

"Koraller på Ko Ha (Femøyene)"

var nok noe oppskrytte, ja... Det var fristende å si hahahaha.

Inne i lagunen var det bra med levende steinkoraller i ulike farger. Det var fint. Ellers hørte jeg at det var noe stusslig med koraller på Ko Similan; drar nok ikke dit, nei...

Må sjekke på http://www.scubaearth.com/dive-site/dive-site-profile-search.aspx før neste gang jeg skal på koralljakt. Bilder senere

"Såpeoperaen i Thailand bare fortsetter og fortsetter"

og ser ikke ut til å ha noen ende. Suthep annonserer stadig seire uten å vinne noen ting - underholdende! Rettsapparatet og diverse "uavhengige" instanser gjør alt de kan for å avskaffe demokratiet i Thailand, men har ennå ikke fått med seg de militære. De arbeider imidlertid hardt med saken ser det ut til for en utenforstående.

Makteliten i dette merkverdige landet hvor det er stor skam å miste ansikt, har gitt meg en dypere forståelse av de norske uttrykkene "å drite på draget" og "å skite i eget reir".

"Jakten på levende koraller"

har ikke ført til de helt store resultater. Ute i havet sørvest for Ranong på grensen til Myanmar skulle det være bra. I nasjonalparken Ko Surin var det ganske så paradisisk sett fra land. Ute i sjøen var det 85-95 % død koraller. Ned  til 1 meter var alt dødt. Ved Ko Similan lenger syd ute i havet skulle det være mye bedre.

En rask sjekk i dag i Phuket, Karon Beach, på et sted det skulle være koraller, var det bare tilløp til koraller på grunt vann (tsunamien?). På dypere vann var det noe mer.

Bedre lykke i dette området om 20-50 år...

Atle drar nok i ikke hit før

"Jakten på levende koraller i Thailand"

Vi har nå vært i Hua Hin, Chumphonområdet, Ranong, Kuraburi, Ko Surin, Phuket, Karon Bay, Kho Phi Phi Don (kan absolutt ikke anbefales, alt for turistinfisert!) og Ko Lanta.

Ganske dårlig med koraller for snorkling alle steder i motsetning til info på Internett. Derimot skal Ko Similan være rimelig bra etter hva vi har hørt, men det får være til en annen gang.

Kan hende vil det være bedre med koraller ute på øyene om 30 til 100 år; Jeg får vurdere å reise hit når den tid kommer...

Nå om et øyeblikk skal jeg sjekke korallene på Ko Lanta utenfor Relax Bay Resort, et av de bedre stedene jeg har besøkt i Thailand. Stille og fredelig og utmerket mat - kan anbefales.

Mer senere.

”Healthy food/walking on Main Road or the beaten track”

”Ten billion flies can’t be wrong – Eat shit!” is a well known saying. 

At last Atle understands why hamburgers and hot dogs are the staple foood of so many.

”Enjoy the colour of this beetle wing”

”Time for Khao Sadao”

The wind has turned to southerly directions. Grass and bushes are cut on takeoff. There are thermals and 40 degrees in the shadow.

I stayed there from Saturday to Monday. Saturday there was not very much wind. Sunday there was more. When the temperature rises to about 40 degrees it seems to me that the air is very different compared to a cool summer’s day in Norway.

In the morning I had a nice flight for about one and a half hour. However it was extremely difficult to land on the takeoff due to shifting strong wind. After noon the thermals were stronger. I waited for a period with calm wind. Calm was what I thought. Calm was what it was not. I went straight up and beckwards. Where did the wind come from? A real surprise. There have to be more thermals like this one was what I thought. The reality was different. After some 15 minutes I was grounded on the main landing. Sweating!

On Monday there was more wind. Flyable but probably very difficult to topland.