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There are good videos in English on the CNN web site: http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/...tml#cnnSTCVideo

Wednesday, September 10 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.42 Euro: 48.535 British Pound: 60.57 Australian Dollar: 27.5175 Canadian Dollar: 32.02 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.41 Euro: 48.615 British Pound: 60.63 Australian Dollar: 27.6475 Canadian Dollar: 32.1275

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ PAD to Continue Protest Despite Court Ruling (BangkokPost.com) – People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) released a statement on Tuesday night, saying that it would continue its anti-government protest as it has proven that the group played an important role in opposing the government that has violated the charter. The statement was released several hours after the Constitution Court ruled that Samak Sundaravej violated the constitution by hosting cooking shows on commercial television and ordered him to step down. PAD coordinator Suriyasai Katasila said the rally needs to go on as the group would like to closely monitor the situation and see who will be elect to be a new prime minister. Mr Suriyasai called on political parties to think ‘outside the box,’ and said neither Democrat party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva nor Chart Thai party leader Banharn Silpa-archa is qualified to lead the country. “There will be problems if Mr Abhisit is elected,” he said. “If Mr Banharn is elected, there will be conflicts as well.” PAD also condemned People Power party (PPP)’s resolution to re-elect Samak Sundaravej back into the government, saying that this is a proof that the party MPs are unethical thus should not have the right to govern the country. “These politicians have the intention to keep the country under crisis,” it said in the statement.

Thai Constitution Court Strips PM, Entire Cabinet from office BANGKOK, Sept 9 (TNA) -- Thailand's Constitution Court on Tuesday ruled that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was found in violation of the Constitution due to his having hosted cooking shows on commercial television stations and that he must leave office together with his entire cabinet, becoming the first Thai prime minister to be thrown out by the court. All nine judges of the Constitution Court voted unanimously that Mr. Samak, who took office on February 6 this year, was guilty because he had violated Article 267 of the Constitution, written by coupmaker-appointed legal and constitutional experts. Article 267 stipulates that a prime minister is prohibited from holding any position in a partnership, firm or an organisation carrying out business with the intention to share profits or income, or being an employee. Mr. Samak resigned from the two talk-and-cook show programmes shortly after he was appointed prime minister. The court also ruled that Mr. Samak's cabinet could remain as a caretaker administration for 30 days until parliament elects a new prime minister. However, Mr. Samak is not barred from being reelected prime minister, and his ruling People Power Party, as well as its coalition partners, have already voiced their support for him to run the country which continues to face political turbulence as anti-government protesters loyal to People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who took control of Government House August 26 and have demanded that the government resign without condition. Shortly after Thailand's Constitution Cout justices announced their unanimously 9-0 'guilty' ruling, all sitting members of parliament of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) agreed unanimously to nominate Mr. Samak to the premiership in the upcoming session of parliament, according to Kuthep Saikrachang, party spokesman. Meanwhile, some anti-government demonstrators besieging Government House since August 26 to force the premier to resign, roared with cheer as they heard the court verdict, but the protesters said they would not call off their marathon protests which began May 25, saying they feared Mr. Samak would come back to run the country. The embattled prime minister did not attend the court ruling as he chaired a cabinet weekly meeting in the northeastern province of Udon Thani. (TNA)

Apparently, the Thai Supreme Court's decision will do little to ease the tension. According to the latest publicity, plans are already in the works to elect Samak right back into office, almost immediately. There has been much speculation that Chart Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa would be Samak's replacement if he either declines to accept a re-nomination or for some reason cannot be voted back into power, however Banharn is saying he has no intention of becoming Prime Minister, despite all the talk to the contrary. So far there has been no official reaction from the leadership of the PAD, the party in opposition to Samak The following appears in THE NATION: _____ PPP and Coalition Parties to Vote Samak Back By The Nation People's Power Party agreed on Tuesday to vote for Samak Sundaravej to become prime minister again, PPP's spokesman Kudeb saikrachang. The Constitution Court on Tuesday has disqualified Samak from the premiership after he is found violating the charter by hosting two cooking shows. Kudeb said the party believed Samak was already punished by the disqualification and his wrongdoings did not involve with the administrating the country. "Therefore we believe that Khun Samak should be voted as prime minister again," he claimed. Other coalition parties also voiced agreement to the idea, he said.

What "sneering suggestion?" I said I go to a neighbor or a nearby motorcycle taxi driver when I'm having difficulty getting someone to understand my directions, and that's exactly what I do and what I was trying to suggest you do if the need arises. Isn't that terrible? What's the problem about that? To you that's a "sneering suggestion" saying that you are not capable of explaining where you live? Based on your post directly above this one, if you want to see who writes "sneering suggestions," just look in a mirror.

That's true. Of course I neither said he speaks fluent English nor did I say I needed help from a neighbor to explain the nature of my computer problem, but I suppose that doesn't matter, does it . . . Well bully for you. What, exactly, is your point? Do you wish to make him appear incompetent because he failed to understand your directions? What on earth does that have to do with his ability to work with computers? He happens to be a fantastic computer person, even if he can't figure out where you live.

Thank you very much. That's beginning to look a bit more like it. I wonder if their in-house menu is more extensive.

From what I have read, even if he resigns the Thai parliament can restore him to office if they so choose. The story just broke less than ten minutes prior to this post, so it will be a little while before many details come out, but here's what's being reported so far in THE NATION: _____ SAMAK FOUND GUILTY By The Nation online 4.30 pm: Urgent: The Court Finds Samak Guilty Six judges considered Samak to be the "employee" while three others considered Samak a business partner of the studio, a constitutional offence in both cases. The court said evidence presented by Samak that he was only given transport fees for hosting the show "contradicted" payment evidence by the studio, Face Media. The court went strong on the principles laid down by the Constitution against conflicts of interests. The judges pointed out that using definitions of "employ", "employer" and "employee" from different laws are not enough to tell whether the will of the Constitution has been violated. ____________________ And this, also from THE NATION: _____ Convicted Samak Disqualified The Constitution Court Tuesday convicted Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej of having violated the charter by hosting commercial TV shows while in office. The court voted unanimously to give a guilty verdict against Samak and disqualified him as the prime minister. The court reasoned that the Constitution was aimed to prevent conflicts of interest on part of Cabinet members so Samak had violated in the intention of the charter although he host the programmes on part-time basis. The entire Cabinet also lost its status but other Cabinet members became caretaker ministers until new Cabinet is found, the court ruled. The Nation ____________________ And this, also from THE NATION: _____ Why Was Samak Disqualified? By The Nation The Constitution Court on Tuesday reached an unanimous decision of 9-0 to disqualify Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej on grounds for conflict of interest relating to his involvement in two cooking shows. The high court ruled that Samak lost his job by an individual offence, hence although his Cabinet would face a mandatory removal, it could act as the caretaker administration pending the formation of a new government. Of the nine presiding judges, six said Samak's involvement as honourary show host has constituted a status as an employee of programme producer, Face Media Co. Three said his involvement could be interpreted as a business partner. The nine judges cited the intent of Article 267 of the 2007 Constitution for preempting Cabinet members, including the prime minister, from committing a conflict of interest. Under the provision, the legal definition of being employed or the status of employee is broader than that specified in the Civil Code and relevant labour laws. Evidence showed that Samak continued to host the two shows after he assumed office in February. Furthermore he received allowances, such as petrol expenses which could be construed as income earnings. And he got involved with the show which is a business transaction designed to seek profits.

Sometimes I have trouble trying to explain where I live too. In that situation I take my phone to a neighbor or nearby motorcycle taxi driver and ask him to do the explaining. That never fails.

Thank you very much, but that's not what we're looking for. I've been there a couple times. It's primarily seafood and, in my opinion, quite overpriced for what you get.

Some friends and I have been looking for a good Chinese restaurant in Pattaya. We are well aware of the Rice Bowl in the Marriott and the Chinese restaurant in the Montien Hotel, but we're looking for something a little more "mom-and-pop," at more "mom-and-pop" prices. So far we haven't had any luck finding anything. A couple nights ago we even ate dinner with a Chinese gentleman from Hong Kong who comes to Pattaya for months at a time. Even he can't find anything in Pattaya. Have any of you found a halfway decent Chinese restaurant?

I can't help you with Bangkok, but in case nobody responds I would still call Doon. Not that he is going to go to do work in Bangkok, but he may know good, reliable people in Bangkok. If he has a recommendation, that would be better than nothing. You might also see if you can find any Bangkok recommendations on the Thai Visa forum.

Maybe they're the ones who ate it. The photo is from THE NATION

Tuesday, September 9 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.42 Euro: 48.45 British Pound: 60.355 Australian Dollar: 27.7725 Canadian Dollar: 32.1375 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.34 Euro: 48.635 British Pound: 60.505 Australian Dollar: 27.8825 Canadian Dollar: 32.225

I highly recommend the man I use, Doon. I have been using him for years and I recommend him to everyone. He does everything, and I mean literally everything, both major work and minor, except for air conditioning. His work is professional, competent, and he guarantees his work. His prices are very reasonable. He does not subcontract out any of his work. He uses his own people for everything. His contact number is 081-694-6206. For air conditioning I've used a few different outfits. I don't have one I recommend over another. They all seem to do excellent work. I would simply find an air conditioning service close to wherever you live. For any kind of computer work, I recommend Killin. Killin speaks English and his work is as good as it gets. He comes to your home. If he needs to take your computer to his shop, he takes it and brings it back. Everyone I've sent to him won't use anyone else. His contact number is 081-295-3860.

Sounds good, although finding a decent cup of coffee around here can be quite a challenge. Send me an Email or give me a call.

I don't. Why do you?

Plenty of bizarre things happen in Thailand. This could wind up being in the top 10. Samak thus far has been able to resist the riots, the building take-overs, the media calling for his resignation, etc. Would you believe the thing that might finally do him in might be because he appeared on a cooking show? I would have thought the media could at least let us know what he cooked . . . besides possibly his own goose. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Samak's Perfect Stew (BangkokPost.com, with Agency reports) Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej told the Constitution Court on Monday that he cooked for TV because he enjoyed it, not as a job for money - and the court announced it will rule on Tuesday whether he violated the law and has to resign. A judge at the tribunal said before Mr Samak testified that it will rule quickly on whether Mr Samak violated the constitutional ban on outside work by hosting television cooking shows. "I presented the cooking show and got paid for my acting," said Samak. He is charged with conflict of interest. If he is guilty, Mr Samak will have to step down, along with his cabinet. In his testimony, Mr Samak denied charges that he had broken the constitution by hosting a television cooking show while also serving as premier, claiming the programme had been done on a freelance basis. He was responding to charges made in May by a group of Thai senators, who charged Mr Samak with violating the constitution by continuing his job as a TV presenter on his personal cooking show, Chim pai, bon pai (Tasting and Complaining), after he had been appointed prime minister on Feb 6. Mr Samak appeared before the Constitution Court Monday to refute the charges. "I consulted with legal counsel after I became prime minister, and they all agreed it was not a breach of the constitution if I was not a regular employee of a company," he told the court. He said he had only hosted the show a few times after becoming prime minister and only on a freelance basis. "I did it because I liked doing it," Mr Samak said. "I was the first TV presenter to do my cooking right in the market, and it was delicious too." Sakchai Khaewwaneesakul, the managing director of the company that produced the cooking show, testified in support of Samak, saying it paid him 80,000 baht (US$2,300) for the four shows. "The presenters of our shows are not our employees, but we pay them honorariums," he told the court. Under Thailand's 2007 constitution, no elected politician is allowed to hold a second job while in office. The clause was designed to avoid conflicts of interest. Mr Samak, 73, a veteran politician with more than four decades of experience in Thailand's tempestuous politics, is also an accomplished cook. ____________________ And This: _____ Thai PM Testifies in Court over Cooking Programmes BANGKOK, Sept 8 (TNA) Thailand's embattled Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej appeared in the country's Constitution Court on Monday to defend himself regarding his hosting of a television cooking programme by doing which he is accused of violating the Consitution. Mr. Samak had hosted television cooking shows on a commercial television station in the past and continued after taking office in February. The premier's love affair with eating, cooking and the culinary arts landed him in trouble after a group of senators and the Election Commission (EC) petitioned the Constitution Court to rule as to whether his actions disqualify him from office by violated the national charter. Article 267 of the Constitution stipulates that the prime minister is prohibited from holding any position in a partnership, a company or an organisation carrying out business with a view to sharing profit or income, or being an employee of any person. Mr. Samak told the court that he appeared in the programmes only on a freelance basis, without seeking any compensation. The premier's appearance in the Bangkok court came amid a number of mounting pressures for the prime minister to resign as anti-government protesters led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have occupied Thailand's Government House since August 26. The coalition of self-described democracy-activist protesters vowed not to disperse until the premier calls it quits. Mr. Samak was accused by the demonstrators of being a proxy of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra who fled corruption charges to live in Britain with his wife and family. The court is scheduled to rule on the case at 2 pm on Tuesday (TNA)

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/2008090...2082249400.html _____ Nicolas Cage Bombs at Box Office with "Bangkok" Sunday September 7 2:21 PM ET Less than a year after starring in the biggest movie of his volatile career, Nicolas Cage led the North American box office to its worst weekend in five years on Sunday with one of his weakest. "Bangkok Dangerous," a thriller in which the 44-year-old actor plays a jaded assassin, opened at No. 1 with estimated three-day earnings of just $7.8 million, distributor Lionsgate said. While no one was expecting it to be a hit, industry observers had predicted it would earn more than $10 million. The last box office champ to open lower was the David Spade comedy "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," which kicked off with $6.7 million during the weekend of September 5-7, 2003. Overall ticket sales also fell to their lowest level since then, said tracking firm Media By Numbers. The top 12 films earned $51.6 million, up from $50.5 million that weekend. Early September is traditionally a quiet time at the box office since the summer blockbuster season is over. The studios spend the early fall quietly dumping their underperforming movies on the market. "Bangkok Dangerous" was the only new wide release this weekend. Lionsgate, a unit of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, said it was happy with the film's opening and expected it to be profitable. Although the movie reportedly cost $45 million to make, Lionsgate acquired U.S. and Canadian rights for a modest sum from "The Departed" producer Graham King's Initial Entertainment Group. The film is a remake of the 1999 Thai film of the same name, with both being directed by Hong Kong-born twin brothers Danny and Oxide Pang. The remake was not screened in advance for critics, which is rarely a good sign. Cage has actually done a lot worse at the box office: His terrorism thriller "Next" opened to $7.1 million in April 2007 and the family drama "The Weather Man" to $4.2 million in 2005. But he was last in theaters with the biggest movie of his career, "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," The action sequel opened to $45 million in December on its way to $220 million. After three weeks at No. 1, DreamWorks/Paramount's Hollywood satire "Tropic Thunder" slipped to No. 2 with $7.5 million, while Columbia Pictures' comedy "The House Bunny" rose one to No. 3 with $5.9 million in its third week. Their respective tallies stand at $97 million and $37 million. DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures are units of Viacom Inc. Columbia Pictures is a unit of Sony Corp. (Reporting by Dean Goodman; editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Monday, September 8 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.22 Euro: 49.255 British Pound: 61.345 Australian Dollar: 28.31 Canadian Dollar: 32.2725 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.33 Euro: 48.72 British Pound: 60.515 Australian Dollar: 28.1075 Canadian Dollar: 32.185

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ PM to Explain National Situation at UN Meeting (BangkokPost.com) - Prime Minister and Defence Minister Samak Sundaravej spoke during his weekly talk show on the state-run National Broadcasting Services of Thailand (NBT) channel on Sunday that he plans to explain Thailand’s civil strife at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly session, which is scheduled to convene on September 23. Mr Samak said he is not afraid that a coup will take place after his departure to the UN General Assembly, similar to the 2006 military coup that was staged while ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra attended the UN conference. The prime minister said he will ask the Court of Appeals to postpone a ruling on a libel suit on September 25 because he will attend the UN General Assembly to clarify the country’s situation to the international community. Concerning the heavy rain and hail at Government House on Friday, Mr Samak said the Meteorological Department stated that the incident was normal. However, he viewed that such occurrence was not normal because he had never seen hail falling at Government House in 73 years of his life. He said he did not order a plane to sprinkle ice over the compound.

The full story and photos are online in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS now. See: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000007139

Thailand must have an embassy or consulate in the Czech Republic. I would try to contact them, explain the story, and ask them if they know of any problems or reasons why she should reject the offer. I would also try to find out if they have a registration program or some way they can keep details of her contact information if she goes. Try to find out their advice. I can't think of anything else you can do.

Friday, September 5 Opening Rates: US Dollar: 34.38 Euro: 49.005 British Pound: 60.27 Australian Dollar: 27.99 Canadian Dollar: 32.0675 _____ Closing Rates: US Dollar: 34.38 Euro: 48.935 British Pound: 60.46 Australian Dollar: 27.8225 Canadian Dollar: 32.03 There will be no further rate reports posted by the banks until Monday.