ONE DOLPHIN COST US $ 200,000, BUT THOUSANDS BEING BUTCHERED IN JAPAN

The mass slaugther goes ahead with the backing of the government, but without the majority of the population being aware of it.

The former dolphin trainer has been fighting to protect the marine mammals since1970.

But the Japanese fishermen,backed by the country’s government, are slaughtering thousands of dolphins off the coast, while ignorring both international protests and concerns over contaminated dolphin meat being sold to the public.

Part of the marine mammals’s flesh is also sold in Japan, despite warnings of high-level mercury contamination, according to animal rights activists.

Dolphin activist Richard O’ Barry said “the dolphin meat is highly contaminated.” He also sharply criticzed Japan’s government for keeping both the controversial slaughter and the contamination secret from the Japanese populatiion.

Annual slaughter in Taiji and other Japanese fishing towns, often cruelly stabbed with kinves, hooks and lances.Individual,particularly beautiful dolphins are selected in a lagoon with the aid of dolphin trainers and sold off at high profits to aquariums and dolphin shows around the world.

Fishermen disable the dolphin’s sense of direction by hammering on metal rods held into the sea,thereby herding them into a laggoon secured by nets.

It often happens that babies are seperated from their mothers and that pregnant dolphins miscarry because they panic.

Mr O’Barry said that one dolphin can fetch up to US $ 200,000 and some of the survivors of this year’s cull were destined for Germany.

Between October and April, some 16,000 to more than 20,000 of the mammals are brutally killed in the annual hunt in Taiji, a quaint whaling town 700 kilometres south of Tokyo, waves lap against steep rocks of a popular national park.

However, visitors are kept well away from the slaughter happening in a secluded lagoon near by Environmentalists also accuse Japan of killing the dolphins and other small whales because thy eat many fish.

A part of the killed mammals is processed into pet food and fertiliser.

The activists secretly filmed a movie in the Taiji lagoons, which is to be presented in January 2009 at the Sundanese Festival.

MR O’Barry remains hopeful about being able to stop the killing soon.

Hundreds of live monitor lizards are seized in Malaysia

Malaysian marine polices have in last two weeks week of October 2008 seized the protected animals in a jungle cabin in Pahang state.

The alleged protected animals including 1,244 clouded monitor lizards, 17 water monitor lizards and 11 pythons are believed to be worth about 500,000 ringgit, said Mohamad Hassan Hasmin who is the east coast marine intelligence chief.

The animals are prized for supposed medicinal value,and served as “exotic” Chinese and Vietnam dishes in restaurants.

There are many hunters in Pahang state, who are well paid by the capitalist smugglers, have been hunting the protected animals for years long due to good demands
from Hong Kong, China and Vietnam.

The animals are illegally transported to China via Thailand, Laos and Vietman.

In the past a lot of wildlife Pangolin had been seized in different areas inside Thai soil around the border.

The smuggllers used the jungle routes to avoide the border polices intercepted.

Thais are also hired in the illegal transportation from the Malaysia border to Laos border from where continued to Veitman.

Beside the protected animals, dogs are also needed in Vietnam.

Almost monthly, tens of thousands of dog are collected across the Thailand ant sent to Laos via Mae Nam Kong river and then to Vietnam markets.

The dog meat is not only delicious but also cheap.

Korean peoples are likely to be the most to have eaten dog’s meat.

Basically, all of the exotic animals in Thailand are not permitted to be trade in.

The worat culprits of the illegal wildlife trade are some of the countries in Southeast Asia.

China’s reputation is among the worst when it comes to the illegal trade in wildlife.

Wildlife Smuggling

Wildlife trade is illegaly among the largest trades in the world,rivalling the illegal drugs and arms trades.

The figures suggest the trade is worth about US $ 10 billion per year.

It is frightening figure indeed.

Famous cases of illegal trade include the black Rhinoceros and Pangolins.

Horns of Rhinoceros are used for daggers handles as a symbol of masculinity in Yeman and meat of Pangolins are used as an Aphrodisiac in China.

China’s reputation is among the worst when it comes to the illegal trade in wildlife.

Traditional Chinese medicines include Rhino horns,Tiger bones and Tiger penises and Bear’s bile.

All are unproven Aphrodisiacs and are extremely costly to buyers.

In the past, Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has frequently seized a large number of Monitor Lizards and wildlife customs officials seized Pangolins, believed to be destined for Veitnam via Thai and Laos.

Wildlife smugglers are able to obtain the Pangolins and Monitor Lizards in the forest area in Malaysia where the hunters are collecting the most wanted Pangolins meat of which is naturally the best food for the rich Chinese.

They commonly believed the meat of Monitor Lizard and Pangolin were Aphrodisiacs and worth more than gold on the black market.

Apparently, more than 200 Monitor Lizards were confiscated by police force in the northeast earlier October, ‘08 and Wildlife customs officials seized the 288 Pangolin kept in the wood boxes at Don Muong Airport.

They are hunted for the bush meat trade .

The mother and the daughter reunited , they have been separated for 35 years long

Long period of wishful thinking  ,which  heartily stimulates the daughter to meet her mother, ended with happiness.
Young Thai baby called Somi was adopted  by a missionary  couple  Morrie Palmer  from the United State .

She was taken  from her home in a small village in Udon Thani province since  1973.

Suan, the teenage mother of  Somi, put her  new baby up for adoption at an office of the US Air Force in the provincial capital .In Minnesota, and later in Nebraska, Somi grew into a typical, normal US child, then teenager, then woman.

Her family and siblings  loved her.

But  she was not typical.And life was not normal.

“From the age of five, from my very first memories, what I remember is that I was different.

Life was difficult.

I didn’t belong.

“When  she was at the age of 12 “I couldn’t talk to Asian kids because they all spoke their own language, Somi recalled .

“Some of the boys and girls wouldn’t talk to me because of my dark skin “she said.

“Some of the kids  like me, but their parents told them they had to stay away from me because I was different, I was darker .

The right to pursue happiness was continually  snatched away from the adopted Thai.She felt  isolated  outside her immediate family.

“I really craved friendship or just attention. It was terrible .I started to do destructive things”, she said, to get that attention-nothing violent, but unpleasant to remember.

But this is not a sad story.
Somi’s life took to a decided turn for the better, and not too many years later she was happily married to an American man, Jay  from Fort Collins in northern Colorado.

Her wonderful husband said “Well, we have the means, so if  you want we can go to Thailand and find your family.” So the newly married couple picked Thailand as their honeymoon destination.
Her adoptive parents had kept her birth certificate,identifying the original hometown and name of her mother, Ms Suan.

But she set out to discover her roots and find her blood relatives, all she had was that piece of paper and to resolve to satisfy her desire to discover her roots and remove a lifetime of hurt.

In days, hours really, the fears,objections and difficulties faded.

The mother and the daughter walked up to each other  and  gave each other a big hug.

“I was so happy  to have found her ,but there were so many emotions going on right then, I didn’t know  which one to feel.” said Somi.

The older people checked her fingers, they all remembered  baby Somi had beautiful long fingers.

There were tears,and many cheers.

Life will never be the same for Somi Palmer.

She has dug deeply into her past, discovered her true roots,and struggles with a dual identity.

It is not the big stuff that bothers her so much.

She knew that she was different from her earliest, childhood memories.

All of that is part of the life with which she has struggled openly.

“I am so relieved. For 35 years I felt guilt, giving up my daughter for adoption, even though I knew  I could not look after her.

So young, and my husband left me.

And for most of that time, I thought she was dead.

I don’t know  where that story came from, but it’s not true, that is so great.

And now my daughter has come back.

I am so happy.

She is healthy.

She is successful.

And such a woderful daughter, not one time did she want to know  why I gave her up for adoption.

She understands me so well. “Somi is back in Colorado, almost exactly halfway round the Earth.

She cannot just pack up and move to Thailand as she sometimes dreams.

She has family in the US and that complicates things somewhat.

Thaksin Shinawatra, his gain and lost

Thailand’s ex-Premier lost a football team but he gained a new fortune. In July of last year, he bought Manchester City Football club for 5.2 billion baht. He recently sold it Arabs of the Abu Dhabi United Group for development and Investment for 12.9 billion bath, putting him up a cool 7.7 billion bath.

But his assets worth about 73.6 billion bath seized by the state.

Seksan Bangsomboon, the executive director for the Special Litigation Department,handedover a 125-page indictment report to the court along with 180 cardboard boxes containing legal documents and evidence.

The indictment,approved by Attorney-General Chaikasam Nitisiri,charged that the cash and assets were unlawfully acquired while Mr.Thaksin was in office from 2001-2006 and should be seized.

The assets seizure attempt is part of the assets Scrutiny Committee’s investigations into Mr. Thaksin’s alleged corruption and abuses of authority.

The SAC ordered a freeze on assets after the September 19,2006, coup.

The another case,he and his wife Potjama have not been there for their malfeasance, the corruption case, so the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders will meet without them.

The “in absentia” hearing is on her sweet 772-million-baht purchase of 33 rai of Ratchadapisek land from the Financial Institutions Development Fund in 2003.

It is the only currently active case before the court,and the one the couple fled avoid.

Possible penalty: 13 years in prison, each.

There is no appeal from a Supreme Court Verdict.

The couple, sharing the hardship and hertaches, before rise to the top

It was she, who bailed him out when he failed spectacularly in business and was deeply in dept.

It was she who was the audacious one, who answered all the phone calls from debt collectors to disappear, while all he wanted at the time was to go into hiding and wish for his creditors to disappear.

It was she who pulled out all the land deeds belonging to her and family and mortgaged them to extricate him from dept.

He has kept as a memento the old black-phone to which those debt-collection calls came in.

It symbolised the rock-bottom position from which he rebuilt his life and his fortune.

There was also the deep bond born out of sharing the hardship and heartaches, coupled with the enormous respect on his part for his life partner and her guts.

This binds the couple in a way difficult to understand by outsiders.

The Thailand former Prime minister Mr. Thaksin and his wife Potjaman Shinawatra have been living in London with son and daughters.

Mr. Thaksin said he was living a comfortable life in exile and physically fine, but mentally unhappy.

Those who are not in the same situation as me would not understand how I am feeling.

With a small window of opportunity and timing,the former prime minister did what he had to do to preserve his chance to fight another day.

By retreating,he can say that he is theoretically out of the game, with the hope that national reconciliation will afford him an opportunity to broker a comeback.

At home in Ratchaburi

Making up for its lack of recreational activities, a sleepy resort offers peace and tranquillity

Fleeing Bangkok is a tossup these days between high gas prices and the need for a relaxing weekend. The latter consideration usually wins, thanks in large part to terrific destinations like Ratchaburi’s Suan Phung district.

It’s two hours away, but hey, that’s only going to cost you 50 litres of petrol.

The hilly area proffers several resorts, starting with the mammoth Phupha Phueng at the mouth of the small road leading to Khao Chone Waterfall.

Next comes Scenery Resort and Farm, which fascinates visitors with its white bungalows nestled amid lush forest and lawns kept trimmed by grazing goats.

Our destination is three kilometres from Scenery: For budgetconscious travellers seeking a tranquil, green environment, Baan Suan Hong Hern is the perfect choice.

The resort, opened a few years ago by a family that had recently bought the land, has a pair of bungalows big enough for two, another for up to six, and a twostorey building housing 10 studiosized rooms.

All accommodations are airconditioned, which is a good thing in this notoriously hot region.

Once settled in, grab a mat and pillow and head out back to the clear, clean stream. A stroll along its smoothgravel bed – or just paddling your feet from the bank – is wonderfully reinvigorating.

But go ahead and get soaked – there’s no one around. The other side of the stream belongs to the resort too.

I spent another half a day at Kao Chone Waterfall eight kilometres away. You can spend a few hours trekking and climbing to the top layer.

The most enjoyable part was on the way back: There were several shops selling somtam, roasted chicken and local delectables, all of which we could take back to the resort for a riverside picnic.

The district is small, so there’s only a few restaurants. Aside from Vichien Kaiyang which does not live up to its reputation, there’s Scenery, a better choice among the few fancy restaurants here.

Baan Suan Hong Hern’s own restaurant is also recommended. The menu is nothing special, but all the dishes are palatable. And you can have a few drinks in the small dining area and walk to your room without fear of an accident.

One warning, though: They turn up the karaokeequipped TV to an unbearable level. But if you’re there earlier than others, you have the right to turn it down.

It’s just the right place to visit, if peace and simplicity are what you’re looking for.

BOX

At a glance

High point: Serene, natural environment, complete with its own stream

Low point: Not much to do

Pay for it: Rooms for two start at Bt1,000. The larger bungalows cost up to Bt4,000.

Find it: Suan Phung district, Ratchaburi

Book it: (086) 688 5359, (081) 705 9508 or (089) 836 0278

Browse it: www.BaanSuanHongHern.com

Credit: Achara Deboonme
The Nation
Published on August 30, 2008

Lifting the lid on Lanna

The charm of old Northern Thai culture shines from the artefacts piled high at a Chiang Mai museum

Anyone keen to dig into Lanna’s heritage should seek out Ket Karam museum, where a treasure trove of culture lies waiting to be discovered. Located in Chiang Mai’s 580yearold Wat Ket Khaew Chulamanee, the museum houses artefacts and other collectibles dating back to the 1800s.

With the idea of conserving the beauty of old Lanna culture, a group of Chiang Mai residents led by 87-year-old Jakarin Ben – better known as Uncle Jack – renovated and transformed the 100-year-old teakwood monks’ living quarters into a small museum eight years ago. It now houses hundreds of antique pieces discovered in the temple as well as valuable artefacts given by locals.

“Initially, we had no money – everything you see is thanks to donations by people in the Wat Ket neighbourhood,” says Uncle Jack. “We just wanted to show young people the roots of their own culture.”

A browse around the museum reveals beautiful old Buddha images, vintage bank notes, handicrafts, glassware and Dharma teachings on palm leaves. Elsewhere, elaborately embroidered Burmese textiles are mixed in with weapons and utensils left behind by Japan’s retreating army during World War II.

One corner displays the old national flag dating to the reign of King Rama VI as well as Sankaloke ceramic ware, an antique gable apex and 108yearold embroidered tablecloths traditionally used during the Yee Peng festival.

In the room next door, a gallery displays more than 200 photographs depicting the charm of yesteryear’s Chiang Mai. There are also free classes on traditional Lanna dancing for children conducted every Saturday and Sunday.

Diverse sightliness in Thailand

Where do you focus the place for your happyness ?

The place to visit is PP Island in Phuket District of northern of Thailand.

Beautiful environment, showing in the picture, will make you freshed.

I’m confident that you be delighted when you enjoy the sightseeing around the Island in which natural white sand, rocky mountains and ever green sea are the uniques.

Tourists around the world who had ever visited here received warm welcome from Thai.

Foods are delicious and rate of hotel and guesthouse is cheap.

This is for a sample of attractive Thailand’s sightliness.

There are many beautiful islands around Thailand.

So that you can choose the place when you make a decision.

You contact Tourist Organization for your convenience.

Pretty in pink

An unusual teahouse in Chiang Mai is a great place to chill

You can’t really miss Vieng Joom On Tea House. Just head for the East bank of the Ping River in Chiang Mai’s Watgate neighbourhood and you’ll spot the shockingpink building that’s home to Juree Chuaratanaphong’s corner of paradise. In it’s short life, it’s become a favourite watering hole for locals.

Opened last year, Juree chose to paint the house pink in a nod to Jaipur in India, which is famous for its rosetinted buildings. The name comes from kam muang – the Lanna language, with vieng meaning city, and joom referring to a pink shade.

“My boss was born in Chiang Mai and she sticks to the Chinese lifestyle. She loves drinking tea. After retiring, she decided to open a teahouse,” explains executive manager Orawan Hanthong.

The decor is a mix of Morocco and India set off by Lannastyle wooden furniture, with a shady garden for those who prefer to relax by the river.

Juree offers no fewer than 57 tea varieties, all imported from Hamburg, Germany. To avoid confuฌsion, these are divided into four basic flavours: Chinese original, blended, fruit and flower teas.

The scents include orange, bloomberry, grapefruit, jasmine, cinฌnamon, camomile, lavender and lemongrass, as well as green, black and white tea. Prices start at Bt180, with Chinese tea going for Bt525.

The pink teahouse also serves a variety of organic snacks. Highly recฌommended is the high tea set with pumpkin tart, Bloomberry Latin and cashew nut tart and a small pot of “love” tea for Bt260. Equally delicious are the mushroom sandwich (Bt90), filo pastries with apple and prune fillฌing served with vanilla ice cream (Bt120) and the blueberry cheesecake (also Bt120).

If you want to enjoy teatime at home, the store provides boxes of tea in various flavours as well as a line of ceramic ware and tea filters.

Credit: The Sunday Nation

Bridge to the past

The history of WWII’s ‘Death Railway’ will come alive for strollers on one Kanchanaburi street next month.

Kanchanaburi villagers have created a marketplace and living museum on a 260metre section of road built 177 years ago in Tambon Ban Nuea, Muang district. The old wooden homes that line the road are fronted by tables offering local wares. Inside, many of the houses are personal museums, displaying World War II relics and old spoons, pots and jars.

Developed with the help of Kanchanaburi’s Tourist Authority, the road will be open free of charge in September, from 4 to 10pm, Friday to Sunday. No vehicles will be allowed.

About a twohour bus ride from Bangkok, the historic road leads visitors back to WWII and the first hotel in Kanchanaburi province, where Japanese soldiers once laid their heads. The Sumitrakan Hotel, as it was known before it closed in 1979, is now Kawragot Siriluangthong’s twostorey house.

Not far away is Anusorn Siriwejchapan’s threestorey house, the tallest on the row and once home to the Boonpong brothers’ family business. The Boonpongs sold equipment to the Japanese for the construction of the ThailandBurma railway but also tried to help the workerprisoners by hiding medicine, clothes and other items in the orders.

Today the home’s owners sell local products such as plaid cloth, rattan baskets and handmade soap. A stroll down the road brings the sounds of musicians and sights of artisans crafting baskets and chairs. Artists also create paintings of the Thai royal family and youngsters perform masked khon dances. Sweet local desserts for sale include boiled bananas with coconut milk, colourful jellies and a corn drink served in a small pot with an orchid.

At the top of the road is the Kanchanaburi City Gate and a flower and incensestrewn statue of King Rama III, who established this passage into the town in 1831. The ancient City Pillar that stands close by is one of four; behind them is a chilling local legend. “To protect the foundations of the City Pillars, it’s said that four people were sacrificed then put into the holes,” says Jambo Chapuporn, 41, a Kanchanaburi resident.

These days, the pillar is a popular shrine for those about to enter the monkhood or get married, especially during holidays. “Whatever vow people want to make, they do it at the shrine,” says Jambo. If things work out they bring boiled eggs – as many as 100 – as an offering to the guardian spirit, Jao Phaw Lak Muang. Lottery ticket sellers also hang around, hoping that some of the luck rubs off.

Credit: Daily Xpress

Giant wax challenge

Candle parade marks Lent, writes Jetjaras na Ranong in Ubon Ratchathani

There is no place that can rival this northeastern province when it comes to the staging of the “carved candle parade” to celebrate the arrival of the annual Buddhist Lent.

On Khao Pansa Day yesterday, local artists once again left tourists and local ordookcrs perplexed with their creative depictions of episodes from the life of the Lord Buddha and Buddhist concepts on wax.

Despite the souring production costs, the artists left no stone unturned to keep the famed local festival alive and well.

Fifty elaborate wax carvings were pahidi’d in the procession this year.

With the cost of producing one large elaborately carved candle climbing from last year’s 300,000 baht apiece to 500,000 baht this year, the works this year arrived much leaner and smaller. But the artists maintained their craftsmanship, and creativity was not compromised.

As competition was also involved, the winner in the largest candle category walked away with a 300,000-baht prize.

This year, to promote community participation, the artists also put up design patterns to offer interested locals a chance to try their hand at candle carving.

The parade is a climax of the province’s 18-day-long candle festival. Since July 1, the candle works of 10 foreign sculptors have also been on display at the province’s national museum, where the third international exhibition of sculptured candles was held under the theme “Global Coolingn@Thailand.”

The festival, in which beeswax candles are paraded, dates to llie reign of King Rama V. Traditionally, people presented candles to monks because there was no electricity in those days.

Candles were Iheir only source of light during Hutldhist Lent when monks were confined to temples for the three-month period during the rainy season.

Bangkok voted world’s best city

Bangkok has been voted the world’s top city up from place last year, in an online survey commissioned by travel & leisure magazine as part of its World’s Best Awards 2008.

The City of Angels replaced Florence which held the top spot for the past two years in second place was Buenos Aires, followed by Cape Town, Sydney, Florence, Cuzco (Peru), Rome, New York, Istanbul and San Franisco.

It was the first time Bangkok was voted into the top position. The Galapagos Islands, off Ecuador, which ranked fourth in last year’s survey, replaced Bali as the world’s best island destination.

“We’re delighted to welcome so many new winners this year,” said Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of ihe magazine. “Nature and adventure were clearly a draw in the selections.”

In the survey, which covered the period from January to March this year, the magazine’s readers also voted for the best hotel (with The Oriental in Bangkok comingin 14th place),and the best international airline (Singapore Airlines was No. 1, followed by Emirates and Thai International Airways).

For a complete list of the awards, visit the magazine’s web site at www.travelandleisure.com.

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