Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said that Thailand will oppose the World Heritage Committee on its listing of Preah Vihear temple on the Thai Cambodia border as a world heritage site. A cabinet meeting which took place on 16th June assigned Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suwit Khunkitti to lodge the objection at a World Heritage Committee meeting against the United Nations for Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) which had granted the ancient temple World Heritage Site status.
The Prime Minister said that the listing announced in July 08 was contrary to UNESCO’s regulations and spirit since it created a dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. Thailand withdrew its support for its listing last year when the Democratic Party feared a loss of Thailand sovereignty over areas near the temple.
Thai ministry had reminded UNESCO in March of this year that only the main building of the Preah Vihear temple was in scripted as a World Heritage Site where the UN and the World Heritage Committee could work.
The wider promontory, cliff and cave were not included which means that UN officials could not pass through these areas without permission.
The International Court of Justice ruled in 1962 that Preah Vihear temple belonged to Cambodia, but Thailand claims surrounding areas. The disputed area of 4.6 square kilometres has not been demarcated.
Myanmar’s ruling junta dismissed European Union concerns about military operations against Karen rebels as a political meddling even though thousand’s of ethnic minorities have fled the country to escape the fierce fighting. Counter insurgency operations in eastern Myanmar have forced more than 4000 ethnic Karen to abandon their villages and flee into neighbouring Thailand.
The European Union (EU) has expressed “serious concern” over the mounting offensive launched by the Junta in the military ruled nation and exodus of refugees and has called for an immediate truce.
In response to the EU declaration, the Myanmar foreign ministry has deplored that the declaration was politically motivated with an aim to exerting political pressure on Myanmar.
The military ruled government state that the recent scuffles that took place in the eastern border of the country were ignited by the Kayin National Union (KNU), who were attempting to prevent the remaining KNU members of the Saw Nay Soe Mya’s group from returning to the mainstream life.
According to the Junta, 17 out of 18 anti government armed groups have returned to the legal fold and only one group KNU remains out of the legal fold. It further stated that the people fleeing to Thailand were all rebels and their families and not ordinary civilians.
Myanmar’s regime justifies its grip on power by claiming the country needs to fend of ethnic rebellions which have plagued Myanmar for decades. The KNU is one of the last groups to fight the government.
Myanmar’s ethnic Karen rebels urged the international community to pressurize the ruling junta into talks. Government soldiers having battling Karen National Union (KNU) guerilla’s in eastern regions of Myanmar for decades but the latest exodus into neighbouring Thailand is one of the biggest for or years.
Meanwhile Burma still faces pressure to halt Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial. The pro democratic leader has been charged with breaching the terms of her house arrest which could leave her in jail for up to 5 years.
The Burma offensive is aimed at several camps of Karen National Army (KNA), which has been waging the world’s longest civil war, fighting for autonomy for the Karen people since the Japanese occupancy of Burma during 1940’s. The largest exodus has been one of the biggest since 1997, according to the Karen Human Rights group. People numbering around 100,000 Karen refugees already live in Thailand, while another half a million are displaced inside Burma.
The latest flood of villagers came as Burmese forces moved in on rebel fighters from the Karen National Union. Burma has been increasing pressure on Karen’s rebels to end decades of fighting ahead of next year’s controversial Burmese elections.
Thailand has been acting as a go-between for the Burmese authorities and the KNU to try to end the fighting, but with little success.
The former Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra who has been a fugitive since 2006 has been blacklisted in Germany. The German government has said that the residence permit in Germany has been issued illegally and Thaksin would be arrested on his arrival in Germany.
Thai foreign ministry was notified of the ban in an official letter from the German Embassy. This ban strikes off another country off the map for Thaksin, who continues to travel across the world with a variety of passports.
The government of Britain revoked Thaksin’s Visa in November 2008, a month after a Thai court convicted him of corruption and sentenced to two years in prison. This resulted in blocking Thaksin from returning to London where he has been living in a self imposed exile in a posh house in Thailand.
Thailand has extradition agreement with United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong where Thaksin has spent his time fleeing the country while on bail. Currently, Thaksin’s whereabouts are unknown; however he is expected to be in Middle East.
Several warrants have been issued for his arrest and his passport was invoked in April accusing him of anti government protests which turned violent and triggered a state of Emergency.
Nearly three years after the bloodless coup that ousted Thaksin, the country remains deeply divided by a political crisis that has badly damaged the confidence in the export and tourism driven economy.
Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said that the worst phase of the economy may have passed during which the Thai economy shrank by as much as 5% in 2009. He said that he expects the economy to grow by 1-2% next year.
He was speaking at the Third Euromoney Thailand Investment forum to about 1000 participants. Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij and CIMB Group Chief Executive Datuk Seri Nazir Razak were also present at the forum.
He further added that Thai economy suffered a great deal in the past year with exports down by 20% in last 5 months and also a 20% dip in tourist arrivals.
He also said that the Democratic government which led the country during 1997 Asian financial crisis had moved in swiftly to deal with the economic slowdown by implementing various stimulus packages.
The central bank of Thailand and the government have stood on common ground on cutting down interest rates and fiscal measures to be taken to tackle the economic slump and political strife in Thailand. Also, the government under the leadership of Abhisit has doled out tax breaks, cash handouts and cheap utilities for the poor people to kick start the economy.
The government is now seeking the $23 billion, to help finance the stimulus package and fiscal deficits over the next three years.
One of the top of hotels available for accommodation while I was visiting Bali is the Watergarden hotel. Its bit far from the airport but its worth going all the way to Candidasa. Candidasa is a small fisherman town outside the urban Bali areas surrounding the airport. It is a great base to explore the east side of the island. Watergarden hotel is not a five star resort but arguably one of the best hotels in the area.
The town is filled with restaurants among the main road. This is an excellent location to explore Tirta Gangga, Tenganan, East coast diving, etc. The prices of food and drink are affordable compared to southern Bali. The beach is across the road around 50 meters away. The beach is not a sandy beach. The place has offshore rocks where I had experience of awesome snorkeling which was arranged by the hotel. It is advisable to take a local fisherman while going for snorkeling.
The hotel is situated on the eastern side of the and fairly remote side of Bali. It is off the main street, which has only a few shops and restaurants. The hotel has its own hotel and a small gift shop. The garden rooms have front porches next to lovely water ponds and the ponds outside the rooms of the hotel are filled with large Koi fish. They are maintained well and are fed at least once a day. The best thing is that hotel staff does allow the guests to feed the fish while the staff is feeding the fish.
The hotel is a very small property set on the side of a hill with around or so12 cottages which are set in and surrounded by beautiful tropical gardens and not the usual lawns. Each cottage is almost a world unto itself quite, discreet and relaxed. The cottages are large, very clean and well appointed. The complex is well designed such that each cottage feels totally private. One of the most amazing features of the whole setup is the waterfall which gently rolls down the hill into the private lily ponds that are outside the each cottage’s front door. The verandahs are large with plenty of furniture to relax, read and just enjoy the beautiful surroundings. The verandahs are the perfect place to enjoy breakfast or a drink in the evening and I was never tired of watching the fish or the native birds or just listening to the surf. Due to the location of Bali and the proximity to the water bodies, it tends to be quite humid in rooms. It would better to switch on the air conditioner if one is comfortable with the humidity.
It has an open air restaurant and a nice pool to laze around. The path to the pool and restaurant unwinds through an astonishing array of plants such as orchids. The pool is very pretty and has a great mountain view. In fact, the hotel is everything that one would require for a quiet get away.
The rooms are clean, spacious and the staff is helpful and courteous. The moment I arrived, the staff brought a beautiful fruit platter to our door and every night, they turned down our bed leaving a lovely little offering of frangipani on our pillow. I had taken a mid range room – the room was not of high design but simple and comfortable. I had eaten out on few occasions but honestly say that we should have just stayed in. The food is excellent, had quite a good variety to choose from and I had some of the best snacks here. The cocktails were all good and the service prompt and friendly. The pan fried Mahi Mahi on green Papaya salad is one of the best seafood dishes I have eaten anywhere.
There are no radios, TV or clocks and it provides the perfect environment to simply unwind and relax. The internet connection was giving me a problem and the owner did everything to make sure that it was fixed and running.
The location of the hotel is convenient for walking through the town, having a stroll on the beach and visiting other restaurants. The staff and owners are only keen to tender customer needs, offering trips around the island and also in addition, trips are tailored to meet our exact requirements. The hotel bungalow complex is one of the most secluded and intimate places that I have ever had the pleasure of staying in.
I used the Watergarden hotel as a base to go diving. The dive shop Aquamarine was first rate. They are based in Kuta but they provided the service of picking up me at the hotel. The dive guides were knowledgeable and friendly and they ran a very safe and organized operation. The beauty of the place is that it is small and very personal. The owner is English and is only to please to assist where ever possible. The hotel is only 1.5 hrs from Kuta now with the new highway.
Finally, this is a recommended place for honeymooners and nature seekers and not for physically challenged and senior citizens. Another tip for the travelers would be to avoid the streets as cars occasionally drive at great speeds. I had a great time and hope fellow travelers too have a good time.
More than 3000 Myanmar villagers have fled across the border into Thailand amid fierce clashes between Karen rebels and government soldiers.
The aid group – Free Burma Rangers reported that the Karen National Union Fighters were engaged in a fierce battle with the government forces near the Ler Per Her camp in eastern Karen state.
The ruling junta has been battling Karen National Union (KNU) rebels for decades but the present exodus has been one of the largest in the recent times.
The KNU has been fighting for half a century for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government but its strength has been dwindling during recent times due to infighting and continuous offensive by the government forces. Karen refugees numbering 100,000 have already taken shelter in camps in Thailand after fleeing the security forces counter insurgency operations.
The refugees are now taking shelter about 100 Kms north of Mae Sot, a Thai border town. Free Burma Rangers has put the number of people who has fled Ler Per Her camp in Myanmar to escape the violence to 3,295 consisting mostly children and women. The group said that those who had fled across the border were in ‘urgent need of shelter, medical assistance, food and clothing.’
Rights groups including Amnesty International have accused Myanmar’s military regime of committing inhuman crimes against their citizens during its offensive against the rebels.
Abhisit Vejjajiva – The Prime Minister of Thailand has urged the lawmakers to approve a $22 Billion to fund an economic stimulus package arguing that it would help create 2 million jobs. He said that the government would ask the parliament for suggestions on ways to stimulate the economy. He further added that the farmer’s debt problems and demands from different groups would be addressed on a priority basis.
He said that the parliament will vote on whether to go ahead with seeking the loan during an extraordinary session staring on 15th June before the issue moves to the senate. The government said that the 800 billion Baht loan which is being pulled from the local markets, will fund a stimulus package worth 1.4 trillion baht over the next three years.
Only last week, Thailand’s constitutional court ruled unanimously in favor of the government going ahead with the first part of the borrowing following the legal challenge by opposition MP’s.
Thailand has entered recession in the first quarter of this year as economic growth shrank by 7.1% due drastic fall in exports, the worst since the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The cabinet has endorsed plans for the borrowing, part of a so called “Strong Thailand 2012” scheme in May of this year.
Thailand Public Health ministry has confirmed the first human to human case of the influenza – AH1N1. This included, the total number of confirmed infections has risen to eight.
This case of a mother and her child is the first infection of the H1N1 virus from human to human. The 19 year old man has contracted the disease from his mother who had retuned from USA on May 25th. The man did not accompany his mother to USA but got infected due to close contact with her after her return from USA. The 50 year old woman has fully recovered after receiving treatment from the hospital.
Another victim identified yesterday was a 20 year old woman who had also just returned from USA.
All of them have been treated with anti-viral drug oseltamivir for fly treatment and are under the supervision of Surveillance and rapid response team of the Thai health ministry.
The ministry has said that it has stepped up its efforts to deal with the domestic infections. The Education and Labour ministries are working together to quickly disseminate information to the general public to prevent outbreak of the virus in schools and workplaces.
Swine flu has not spread to 66 countries 19,273 people known to have infected since the disease was first detected in April of this year.
Thailand’s ‘Yellow Shirt’ protestors, who were involved in blockade of Bangkok’s airports last year, have formally applied to the Election Commission for registration as a political party.
Formerly known as People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), it was responsible for toppling Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006 and has renamed itself as ‘New Politics Party’.
Meanwhile, Election commission will take 30 days to examine the documents submitted for the registration of new party and will later formally announce the new political party.
The documents include a list of 27 founding members of the new party, which says that its primary policy and objective is to root out corruption completely.
The new party has changed its colors to a new combination of yellow and green – yellow signifying the support for Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej and green standing for clean politics.
As PAD, the group has the support of the Bangkok’s elite in palace, military and bureaucracy who didn’t support Thaksin.The group grabbed the attention of the world when they besieged the international airports for nine days to force the then Prime Minister to resign.
The party general elections are planned to be held in two months. The moment they receive the registration certificate from the Election Commission, the party plans to set up member subscription and set up four regional branches to prepare for the party general elections.
