Wat Suthat

Wat Suthat was constructed in 1807 after the 27th anniversary of the founding of Bangkok by King Rama I. The main wihan is surrounded by a cirulambutory area of three levels. On the uppermost level are mounted small chapels for each of its fours corners. Phra Sisakayamuni, the main Buddha image, is larger and older than any other bronze cast Buddha image in Thailand. The base of the image is 6.25 metres wide and has a height of 8 metres.

American Faces More Than 15-Year Sentence in Thailand for Insulting Monarchy

Thai police have arrested U.S. citizen Lerpong Wichaikhammat, 54, and charged him with defaming the revered monarchy for an alleged offense dating to a four-year-old post on his blog.Insulting the monarchy, known as "Lese Majeste", is a serious crime in Thailand that is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Rights groups and academics have criticized the controversial law and say Thai authorities abuse it for political purposes.The alleged offense appears to have occurred years ago, when he was living in the U.S. state of Colorado, where he spent 30 years.Thai police say Lerpong, who also goes by the name Joe Gordon in the United States, provided a link on his blog in 2007 to the book "The King Never Smiles."The unauthorized biography of 83-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is deemed critical of the Thai royal family and is banned in Thailand.Gordon was arrested on Tuesday in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasimaand province where he has been living for the past year. In addition to the Lese Majeste charge, he is accused of violating Thailand's Computer Crimes Act for committing Lese Majeste online.It is not clear why authorities decided to arrest Gordon now, but rights activists say there has been increasing use of the law to silence critical voices and political opponents.Benjamin Zawacki, Asia researcher for Amnesty International, spoke about the controversial law this week at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand."Although the Lese Majeste law has been on the books for decades, during Thailand's ongoing political crisis, which began in late 2005, it has been used more vigorously amidst a worsening climate for political expression," said Zawacki.A spokesman at the United States Embassy in Bangkok says a consular official visited Gordon on Friday and that they are following his case closely.Zawacki says the law, as currently drafted, means Thailand is violating its international legal obligations to protect freedom of speech and that it should be changed.Thai authorities say the strict law is necessary to protect the revered monarchy from slanderous attack and to ensure national security.Zawacki says it is clearly a legal and factual stretch to claim that an insulting remark could compromise the security of the nation.Rights groups and academics have decried authorities" increasing use of the law to silence critics and opposition politicians.A Thai historian and an editor of opposition Red Shirt news magazines were recently charged with Lese Majeste.Thai authorities have also charged 18 leaders of the Red Shirts movement.Gordon would not be the first to be charged with Lese Majeste for posting someone else's writing.The editor of the online magazine Prachatai, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, was charged last year on several counts of Lese Majeste for bloggers" postings on her website.Authorities say that although she did not post them herself, she did not remove the offending messages quickly enough and could be sentenced to several decades in prison.

On April 21^st 2011 Tul Bahadur Pun, a Gurkha solider in the British army, died at age 88. Although his age was reported as 88, he could have been up towards 92 due to poor record keepings at the time. During his service in the British army in World War II, he saved several of his colleagues during a skirmish in Burma which earned him the Victoria Cross. He was eventually granted the right to live in the UK and settled in Chiswick, west London. He had returned to Nepal to witness the completion of a school in his home town when he suffered respiratory problems and died.

Kathmandu

The modern day city of Kathmandu is the site of two ancient cities, Koligrama (The Village of the Kolis) and Dakshinakoligrama (The South Village of the Kolis). During the time of Buddha, these villages were known as political and commercial centers of trade and were located along Nepal’s main trade route of the time.

Thai Revolution

A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending troops to Korea and fighting alongside the US in Vietnam. A military coup in September 2006 ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat.

Thailand GDP

Thailand is on Monday scheduled to release gross domestic product figures for the first quarter of 2011, setting the pace for a busy day in Asian economic news.

Analysts are expecting GDP to rise 2.6 percent on quarter after adding 3.8 percent in the previous three months.Japan will provide final numbers for the March leading and coincident indexes, as well as April figures for supermarket sales.

Little change is expected from the preliminary readings for the indexes, which saw a score of 99.5 for the leading index and 103.6 for the coincident.

Supermarket sales added 0.3 percent on year in March.Singapore will announce its inflation rate for April, with forecasts expecting CPI to come in at 4.4 percent - down from 5.0 percent in March.

The Three Kingdoms of Nepal

Capitol of Patan

In 1482 the kingdom of Nepal split among the sons of King Yakshamalla. His six son at first tried to rule the kingdom together, but this not last long before the kingdom was split into three separate kingdoms, Kathmandu, Patan, and Bhaktapur. Ratnamalla was the first of the sons to split from the group seizing Kathmandu. The remaining portion of the kingdom was ruled jointly until the eldest brother died. These kingdoms were not unified until 1768.
http://countrystudies.us/nepal/8.htm

Food Crisis in Nepal

The population in the western mountains of Nepal has been facing an immense food crisis. These small villages have very little accessibility, either by helicopter or a ten mile walk from nearest road. 70% of the population in these areas suffers from malnutrition. Some food can grow in the area, but even if the land was farmed for an entire year it would only yield enough food for three months. The World Food Programme has been ferrying in food for the last ten years but soon the aid will be scaled back dramatically. The WFP feels that the government needs to step in and offer their own aid. At this time however there does not appear to be any help forthcoming.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13422384

Tin Pei Ling ‘a factor’ for weak results: SM Goh

Netizens are calling for the removal of MP elect Tin Pei Ling.

Despite a growing backlash by Netizens to remove her as an MP-elect.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has admitted the negative publicity surrounding Tin Pei Ling was a factor to the Peoples Action Party (PAP) weaker performance at Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency (GAC).

For more information on this topic please go to http://www.yahoonews.com

Car brings down part of CHIJMES’ roof

A Malaysian registered car collides with a taxi before crashing into the CHIJMES complex.

Part of the roof of the CHIJMES historical building complex collapsed when a car smashed into one of its pillars on Sunday morning.

For more information on this news story go to http://www.yahoonews.com

Improving lives of citizens a priority: PM Lee

PM Lee says the government will not neglect the middle and lower income households.

Given the external international environment Prim Minister Lee Hsien Loong says the governments overriding priority now is to improve the lives of its citizens.

PM Lee said that it is also their objective to raise income across the board even through it is challenging for many countries in this era of globalisation and rapid technological change.

For more information on this subject please go to http://www.yahoonews.com

'Gov’t to improve communication with citizens'

Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan shares the governments plan.

Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports say the government will improve communication and dalogue with citizens.

Speaking on the sidelines, Dr. Vivian Balakarishnansays that the election has been a good learning journey and at the strategic level, many PAP policies are right but their implementation and communication can be improved.

For more information on Singapore's improved communication plan please go to http://www.yahoonews.com

Foreign Minister Dies While Trying to Climb Everest

On Monday the Foreign Minister of Nepal, Shailendra Kumar Upadhyaya, died while attempting to climb Mount Everest. He died while attempting to return to Base camp from Camp 1. The cause of death is unknown but it is said that he had been complaining of health issues. Had Upadhyaya been able to reach the summit he would have been the oldest man to have climbed Mount Everest at 82. The oldest man to have climbed Everest was Min Bahadur Sherchan at age 76.

The First King of Nepal

The first recorded king of Nepal was King Elam, also referenced as Yalambar. According to legend, it is said that Yalambar had the honor of being slain in the battle of Mahabharata, in which the gods and mortals fought side by side.

Yalambar is thought to have visited the battlefield with the intention of join the losing side. However Lord Krishna, the lord of heaven, felt that if Yalambar were to join the battle, the battle would last much longer. Because of this, Lord Krishna beheaded King Yalambar before he could reach the battle front.

Yeti Hand Back Where It Belongs

On April 29th a repilca of what is considered a yeti’s hand will be brought to the Pangboche monestary.
In the 1950s, the leader of an expedition to find the yeti, Peter Byrne, took part of the orignal hand bones and brought it to his friend and Hollywood actor, James Stuart. This bone was later tested at Oxford University, where they said that they could not be absolutly sure what type of bone it was.
Following the airing of a tv special in the 1990s, the orignal skullcap and hand were stolen from the monestary.
With the help from the Weta Workshop, the special effects team for Lord of the Rings, Mike Allsop will be bringing a replica skullcap and hand bone to help promote tourism to the region.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13228780

A Look Through Nepal’s Government

    Nepal was the world’s only Hindu monarchy until it was dissolved in 1951. The first free election occurred in 1959, but a year later the newly elected King Mahendra disbanded all forms of political parties. A nonparty or council government was set up in 1961. Parliamentary elections were held in 1981 after a referendum was passed in 1980. Between 1989 and 1990 there was a border dispute with India causing more governmental upheaval. In 1994 the communist party gained control of the country.

Indonesia

In Indonesia where the population has the most muslims, they have voiced their support for the U.S. operation that killed Osama bin Laden. They are not saddened by his death due to the fact that bin Laden is a terrorist. Mulims hope now that the world will be a much safer place.

Indonesia

Indonesia is the home to a variety of militant Islamic organizations that have carried out attacks on Western targets, and the country has a history of religious diversity and moderation.

Indonesia

In 2005, China and Indonesia signed a joint declaration wich designated their relations a "strategic partners", pushing the bilateral ties to a new stage of all-around development.

Indonesia and China established diplomatic ties on April 13, 1950. The ties were broken off on Oct. 30, 1967 and then restored on Aug. 8, 1990.

National Assembly of Thailand

The National Assembly of Thailand or the Parliament of Thailand is the legislative branch of the government of Thailand. The National Assembly of Thailand is a bicameral body, consisting of two chambers: the upper house, (the Senate of Thailand), and the lower house, (the House of Representatives of Thailand). The Assembly is composed of 630 members: 480 Representatives (MPs) and 150 Senators.
The National Assembly was established in 1932 after the adoption of Thailand's first Constitution, which transformed Thailand from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The Assembly took its current form after the adoption of the 2007 Constitution of Thailand. The National Assembly currently convenes in the Parliament House of Thailand, which is located in the Dusit district in the capital Bangkok, Thailand.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram

The temple was constructed in 1630 by the king Prasat Thong as the first temple of his reign, as a memorial of his mother's resident in that area. The temple's name literally means the Temple of long reign and glorious era. It was designed in Khmer style which was popular in that time.
It has a central 35 meter high prang in Khmer style with four smaller prangs. The whole construction stands on a rectangular platform. About halfway up there are hidden entrances, to which steep stairs lead.
The central platform is surrounded by eight chedi-shaped chapels , which are connected by a rectangular cross-shaped passage (. The passage had numerous side entries and was originally roofed and open inwards, but today only the foundations of the pillars and the outside wall still stand. Along the wall, there were 120 sitting Buddha statues, probably painted in black and gold.
The eight chedi-like chapels are formed in a unique way. They had paintings on the interior walls, the exterior ones decorated by 12 reliefs depicting scenes from the life of Buddha , which must be "read" clockwise. Just fragments of the paintings and the reliefs survived. In each of the rectangular chedis were two sitting Buddha statues and in each of the four middle chedis was one big sitting Buddha statue, also lacquered in black and gold. The ceiling over those statues was of wood with golden stars on black lacquer.
Outside of the passages on the east, close to the river was the temple's ordination hall. North and south from the Ubusot stood two chedis with "12 indented corners", in which the ashes of the king's mother were laid.
After the total destruction of the old capital by the Burmese in 1767, from which Wat Chai Watthanaram was not spared, the temple was deserted. Theft, sale of bricks from the ruins and the beheading of the Buddha statues were common. Only in 1987 did the Thai Department of Fine Arts start restoring the site. In 1992 it was opened to the public.

During World War II, the Empire of Japan demanded the right to move troops across Thailand to the Malayan frontier. Japan invaded the country and engaged the Thai Army for six to eight hours before Plaek Pibulsonggram ordered an armistice. Shortly thereafter Japan was granted free passage, and on December 21, 1941, Thailand and Japan signed a military alliance with a secret protocol wherein Tokyo agreed to help Thailand regain territories lost to the British and French. Subsequently, Thailand undertook to 'assist' Japan in its war against the Allies, while at the same time maintaining an active anti-Japanese resistance movement known as the Seri Thai. Approximately 200,000 Asian labourers (mainly romusha) and 60,000 Allied POWs worked on the Thailand–Burma Death Railway.

Thailand’s King Bhumibol recovering

Thailand’s 83-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej is recovering from a medical procedure to relieve a condition that made him walk unsteadily.
The Royal Household Bureau issued a statement Tuesday saying the king’s temperature, blood pressure, heart and respiratory functions were normal after the 41-minute spinal tap procedure late Monday night.
A statement Monday said the king’s condition — an excessive level of cerebrospinal fluid resulting in pressure on the brain — was common in the elderly.
Bhumibol entered Bangkok’s Siriraj Hospital in September 2009 with a lung inflammation and has stayed since then except for infrequent short trips. The palace says he has remained in the hospital for physical therapy and nourishment to recover his strength.

Cambodia takes dispute with Thailand to UN court

Cambodia has asked the United Nations' highest court to order Thailand to withdraw troops and halt military activity around a temple at the center of a decades-old border dispute that has flared into deadly military clashes.
Fighting in recent weeks along the disputed border region in northeastern Thailand that surrounds the Preah Vihear temple has left 16 soldiers and one Thai civilian dead.
In a request filed April 28 and made available Tuesday on the court's website, Cambodia asked International Court of Justice judges to urgently deal with its request "because of the gravity of the situation."
Cambodia claims that according to a 1962 ruling by the court the temple is on its territory and warns that if the intervention request is rejected and clashes continue, "the damage to the Temple of Preah Vihear, as well as irremediable losses of life and human suffering ... would become worse."
The border dispute has stirred nationalist sentiment on both sides. But analysts say domestic politics may also be fueling the conflict, especially in Thailand, where the military that staged a coup in 2006 could be flexing its muscles ahead of elections due in June or July.

Thailand kicked out of Olympic qualifiers

Thailand have been kicked out of the 2012 men’s Olympic qualifying competition round for fielding an ineligible player, local media reported on Tuesday.The Football Association of Thailand (FAT) told the Bangkok Post they would appeal after being thrown out following a first round penalty shootout victory over Palestine.The Thais were set to face Bahrain in the next round of regional qualifiers for next year’s London Olympics before the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) stepped in, according to the paper.The AFC punished Thailand for fielding suspended player Sucharit Chanthakul during the first leg in February, the report added.“We have been formally informed by the AFC about the matter,” FAT secretary general Ong-art Korsinkha told the paper. “We are appealing.”Neither the AFC or FAT were immediately available for comment.