A quick update to my previous post: Bloomberg reports:
The threat is “generic” and likely related to U.S. moves to sanction Iran over its nuclear weapons program, according to Anthony Davis, a Bangkok-based analyst at IHS Jane’s.
The U.S. is “looking at pro-Iranian groups that might possibly react to what may very well go down in the Straits of Hormuz and possibly beyond,” Davis said. “It seems unlikely that terrorist attacks would be launched before the situation in the Middle East has escalated significantly.”
Tensions over the ratcheting up of sanctions led Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi to threaten on Dec. 27 that Iran may block the Strait of Hormuz, the transit for about a fifth of the world’s oil, if the European Union bans exports from the Islamic Republic.
(Emphasis mine.)
An emailed alert from the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok at 1:40 p.m. local time today warned of a “possible terrorist threat” here in the Thai capital.
The statement, now available on their Web site, says:
Emergency Message to U.S. Citizens: Possible Terrorist Threat
This message alerts U.S. citizens in Thailand that foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future. U.S. citizens are urged to exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather in Bangkok.
U.S. citizens are encouraged to maintain a heightened awareness when out in public; be alert for unattended packages/bags in public/crowded places and report any suspicious behavior to the nearest law enforcement personnel. We also encourage you to keep a low profile in public areas, particularly areas frequented by foreign tourists.
Some citizens subsequently received a recall note, but that was apparently sent in error.
The end of the statement says:
Note: Due to a technical error, some recipients received this message – followed by a recall message – a few minutes later. Please disregard the recall message.
For ongoing updates, you can also find the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok on Twitter at: @USEmbassyBKK.
(Emphasis mine.)
I’m back from the best holiday break I’ve ever had. Anasuya and I got married here in Bangkok on Dec. 30. I am a lucky man.
Here’s a snapshot from the ceremony:
If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen a couple of tweets announcing the news about our nuptials.
Our friend Thanyarat — dedicated journalist that she is — even tweeted some dispatches from the ceremony in real time.
For more images, here’s a slide show of photos by our photographer, Rion Johnson. (You can find more info on his services on his site.)
There will be more of his images to share soon, I’m sure. In the meantime, here’s a gallery of photos I’ve posted on Flickr.
Here’s to a happy 2012. Ours is already off to an excellent start.
I won’t be posting anything here until the week of Jan. 9.
You might catch me on Twitter before then, though.
If you’re looking for something to read, check out the recent stories I link to from my Journalism page.
Or click over to the Popular Posts page for evergreen Newley.com posts.
I hope you have an excellent holiday season. Thanks, as ever, for reading.
(Image via.)
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Newley.com
I won’t be posting anything here until Dec. 15 at the earliest.
In the meantime, I may be on Twitter, but dispatches there will likely be few and far between.
Thanks, as ever, for reading. More soon.
Image via.
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Newley.com
The WSJ reports:
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Myanmar on Wednesday on a historic mission to gauge whether the government’s recent steps toward reform are real, even as dissident groups stepped up their efforts to keep the U.S. from lifting sanctions soon.
Ever since Myanmar’s new government launched a series of limited but important reforms this year—including a partial release of political prisoners, a loosening of restrictions on the Internet, and the legalization of labor unions—observers have been both excited by the prospects of change and skeptical about government intent in the resource-rich Southeast Asian nation.
Now U.S. officials face renewed pressure from exiled dissidents and human rights activists who fear the emerging thaw between U.S. leaders and Myanmar’s government is moving too fast. Their offensive includes a series of new reports released in recent days documenting human rights abuses in the country, especially in areas controlled by ethnic insurgent groups that have fought on-again, off-again wars with Myanmar military’s for years.
The NYT says:
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived here on Wednesday to measure the depth of the political and economic opening the country’s new government has unexpectedly begun.
After years of abysmal relations between the United States and Myanmar, the Obama administration has promised to respond to progress — Mrs. Clinton’s trip being the most significant reward so far — even as it presses for more significant steps to end the country’s repressive rule and international isolation.
Those include freeing hundreds more political prisoners, an end to often violent repression of democracy advocates and ethnic groups, and clarification of the country’s illicit cooperation with North Korea on developing ballistic missiles and, possibly, nuclear technologies.
And there’s a lot more where that came from.
Meanwhile, check out ABC News Radio affiliates, Slacker Personal Radio, or Aol Radio for my brief dispatches from Bangkok.
I won’t be posting anything here until Oct. 11.
In the meantime, you might catch me on Twitter, but dispatches there will likely be minimal.
A few administrative reminders:
As ever, thanks for reading.
(Image: via.)
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self_promotion
There’s an interesting story over at the Wall Street Journal‘s new Southeast Asia Real Time blog about U.S. companies investing in Laos.
The lede:
It has Southeast Asia’s smallest economy. Per capita incomes are only $990, a fraction of levels in nearby Thailand and Malaysia.
Yet Laos appears to have something American companies want. In recent weeks an unprecedented number of major U.S. companies — including some that previously paid Laos little heed — have touched down in the little, landlocked nation, hunting for investment opportunities in what remains one of the least-understood countries in Asia.
Worth a read.
(Emphasis mine.)
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laos
Update, September 27, 2011:
I disabled the embedded video because it seemed to be available only as an auto-playing file. But you can still access it at the link below.
Go to the Embedded above Channel NewsAsia site to see a TV story I did yesterday for Channel NewsAsia.
It’s about an Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting that took place here in Bangkok. Environmental officials from throughout the region discussed the smoke haze issue that affects Singapore, Malaysia, and other areas.
The text story is available, as well.
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self_promotion
An interesting story in today’s Wall Street Journal looks at what the U.S.-Taiwan jet issue means for the South China Sea dispute and China’s relations with Southeast Asian nations:
The Philippines and Indonesia shook off any concerns over a U.S. decision to forego selling new fighter jets to Taiwan, despite fears it could signal a reduction in American support for the region as China expands its military power.
The U.S. decision, reported Monday by the Wall Street Journal, means the Obama administration will upgrade Taiwan’s 146 Lockheed Martin F-16 A/B jets rather than selling it 66 new C/D models that the island has been seeking since 2006, according to a congressional official. Southeast Asian officials were watching the outcome closely to see how the U.S. would balance its growing commercial relationship with China with its commitment to help defend Taiwan against possible aggression from China. It is a subject of intense interest in Southeast Asia given ongoing disputes between many of its countries and China, especially over territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea.
(Emphasis mine.)
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ASEAN,
China,
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