Free Republic

KIEV, February 5 (RIA Novosti) – Ukraine has delivered the first five main battle tanks to Thailand of a 2011 order worth over $200 million, a state-run arms exporter said Wednesday. The shipment is part of an order of 49 Oplot-M tanks to be put in service with the Royal Thai Armed Forces in the near future. The Ukrainian tanks arrived at the port of Sattahip on Tuesday and will undergo additional acceptance trials, Ukrspetsexport said in a statement. The Oplot is armed with a 125-mm smoothbore gun, a 7.62-mm coaxial machine gun and a 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun. The...

The Ministry of Commerce said the Chinese government pulled out of the the deal to buy 1.2 million tonnes of rice because of an ongoing probe. Thailand's Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating PM Yingluck Shinawatra over a rice purchase policy. The policy has been a factor in the anti-government protests that have sparked Thailand's political crisis. The deal with China would have been the first stage of what the Thai government was hoping to be a larger shipment of rice this year. [ snip ] The rice purchase scheme, introduced by Ms Yingluck's governing Pheu Thai party, has seen the government...

Thai protesters vowed Monday to stage larger rallies in central Bangkok and push ahead their efforts to nullify the results of elections that were expected to prolong a national political crisis. Despite fears of violence, voting proceeded peacefully in 90 percent of polling stations Sunday. The protesters forced polling booths to close in Bangkok and southern Thailand, disenfranchising millions of registered voters. As a result, not all Parliament seats will be filled and a series of by-elections are required to complete voting, extending political paralysis for months.

Explosions and heavy gunfire rattled Bangkok Saturday as pro- and anti-government protesters clashed on the eve of controversial Thai elections seen as unlikely to end a cycle of violence in the kingdom after months of opposition rallies. Bystanders, security personnel and journalists raced to take cover in a shopping mall after a masked gunman man began spraying bullets from an assault rifle during confrontations between government supporters and opposition demonstrators, according to an AFP reporter. At least six people were injured as a busy intersection in a northern suburb of the capital was turned into a battle zone with volleys...

Thai authorities declared a 60-day state of emergency in Bangkok that will begin Wednesday. It comes amid growing discontent among pro-government farmers.

Samong "Avajee" Traisattha, 36, was discovered by his wife lying in a pool of blood in his living room The singer of a black metal band has been stabbed to death for tarnishing Satan. Samong "Avajee" Traisattha, 36, was discovered by his wife lying in a pool of blood in his living room. The lead singer and bassist of Surrender of Divinity had earlier welcomed a fan of the band into his home in Thailand. His wife Jaruvan Surapol, 34, told cops she left to put her children to bed but when she returned an hour later on January 8...

Demonstrators have been attempting to 'shut down' Bangkok since Monday. Dozens were injured today as violence escalated after days of relative calm. An explosion during an antigovernment march in Bangkok today wounded at least 36 and raised concerns about escalating violence after the protest movement appeared to be losing steam in recent days.

Protesters trying to topple Thailand's government said they would tighten the blockade around ministries on Tuesday and a hardline faction threatened to storm the stock exchange, while many major intersections in the capital Bangkok remained blocked. The turmoil is the latest chapter in an eight-year conflict pitting the Bangkok-based middle class and royalist establishment against the mostly poorer, rural supporters of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother, Thaksin Shinawatra, a former premier who was ousted by the military in 2006. Many ministries and the central bank were forced to work from back-up offices on Monday after protesters led by...

People in the north-east repeatedly expressed frustration that they had to stay put, and watch the Bangkok protesters trying to overthrow the government they elected.

Anti-government protesters in Thailand cut off electricity to the prime minister's office compound on Thursday while their leaders met with businesspeople to explain why they want to oust the caretaker government before upcoming elections.

The sinister surprise attack against the naval base at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Imperial Military is recognized by historians as one of the most successful sneak attacks in military history. While many Americans initially thought the Empire of Japan intended to attack the United States mainland – Californians along the coastal areas felt especially vulnerable – the real targets were in Southeast Asia: Hong Kong, Siam, Malaya, Thailand, and the Philippines, as the first of many. The attack upon the naval base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, shocked America and the world. While Americans were still reeling,...

Thai protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban says he has met PM Yingluck Shinawatra and given her two days to "return power to the people". Mr Suthep said the meeting had been held under the auspices of the military and there was no compromise. [snip]They say Ms Yingluck's administration is controlled by her brother, exiled ex-leader Thaksin Shinawatra, and they want to replace it with a "People's Council".

bomb squad officer The jihad in Thailand is brutal, vicious, relentless, and yet we hear nothing in the media. Soft targets are their specialty. Schools, banks. automated teller machines (ATMs) ........ thousands slaughtered. And these nurses are giving a victory sign. Moderates unmasked.Thailand: Muslim nurses flash victory sign in front of slain bomb squad officer Blazing Cat Fur (thanks to Chai) A hospital in southern (Muslim) Thailand publicly apologised on Wednesday after a photograph of two of its nurses flashing a victory sign in front of a slain bomb squad officer circulated on the internet (inset). The two (Muslim) nurses...

One of the most critical changes in global energy flows happened this week. China inaugurated a 2,500 kilometre pipe to carry natural gas and oil from the Indian Ocean across Myanmar in southeast Asia and into southwest Yunnan province. The gas portion of the line became fully operational this week. The line is expected to carry over 1 billion cubic feet of gas per day into China. The twin oil line is expected to follow. This massive development has several key implications for the global energy balance. Myanmar's significant offshore natural gas reserves (and growing production) now have a "go-to"...

Hong Kong (CNN) -- A new report claiming to be the most comprehensive look at global slavery says 30 million people are living as slaves around the world. The Global Slavery Index, published by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation, lists India as the country with by far the most slaves, with an estimated nearly 14 million, followed by China (2.9 million) and Pakistan (2.1 million). The top 10 countries on its list of shame accounted for more than three quarters of the 29.8 million people living in slavery, with Nigeria, Ethiopia, Russia, Thailand, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Bangladesh...

"Nigerian Terror Suspect Flown to New York for Trial, Accused of Recruiting, Training for Al-Qaida Federal authorities say Lawal Babafemi received al-Qaida money to recruit English-speaking people to engage in acts of terror against America" SNIPPET: "A Nigerian terror suspect accused of trying to help al-Qaida in Yemen was flown to New York to appear Friday in a federal courtroom. Lawal Babafemi is accused of training with members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and using his English skills to help publish the terrorist magazine "Inspire." Judge John Gleason ordered Babafemi, also known as "Ayatollah Mustafa," held without bail." SNIPPET:...

The Criminal Court on Wednesday sent Lebanese-Swedish man Atris Hussein, believed to be linked to the Hezbollah militant group, to prison for two years and eight months after finding him guilty on charges of illegally possessing restricted chemical substances.Hussein was arraigned in the Criminal Court on Feb 29 last year for violating the weapons control law after police seized nearly 2.8 tonnes of ammonium nitrate and urea-based fertiliser from houses he rented in Samut Sakhon on Jan 16, 2012. The chemicals, which are widely used in the agricultural sector, can be used to make bombs. The court initially sentenced him...

The man accused of slaying 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard in the U.S. capital on Monday had plans to move to Thailand. He also had a strong interest in Buddhism and even taught himself the Thai language, according to media reports. Aaron Alexis, 34, lived in Fort Worth, Texas, working at the Happy Bowl Thai restaurant for three years prior to Monday’s killing spree. Nutpisit Suthamtewakul, the restaurant owner, described the former Navy contractor as “friendly and polite.” He added that Alexis, who died apparently while exchanging fire with police, had previously visited the Southeast Asian nation and...

The madman who massacred a dozen people at the Washington Navy Yard fell hard for a woman he met on a trip to Thailand – but she dumped him when he invited her back the US to shack up. Aaron Alexis visited the Asian country for about 45 days in 2012, supposedly to improve his language skills and learn about Thai culture, according to Nutpisit Suthamtewakul, the owner of a Thai restaurant in Texas, where Alexis worked. But instead, “he went to massage parlors,” chased women, and developed a serious “crush” on one particular female, Suthamtewakul told Britain’s channel 4....

China doesn’t have the same record of killing foreign enemies overseas that Russia does. But it has a large enough overseas network and piles of cash that it could get the job done if it needed to. Just ask Naw Kham what happened after the Mekong River Massacre. The bodies of the Chinese, the crew of two cargo boats, were found badly mutilated on the Thai side of the river in early October 2011. The killings, the worst slaughter of Chinese citizens abroad in recent memory, angered the Chinese public. Chinese investigators insist that Mr. Naw Kham was the mastermind...